Ken Griffey Jr. Winning Run

Super NES

Review by Will Matson

Rare

Baseball

Graphics: 7

Sound: 8

Gameplay: 5

Overall: 6

I never really enjoyed either of the Ken Griffey Jr. baseball games for the Super Nintendo. It's not a total knock, though. Baseball games, in general (regardless of the format), suffer from two major faults: either it is way too easy or way too hard to score runs and make outs (on the opposing team). Finding a game with a middle ground isn't easy. 'Winning Run' is the second of two Griffey baseball games for the Super Nintendo and it is one of those latter ones which is 'too challenging.'

The graphics are basically average, in-game, but the title screen stands out. I think I recall seeing better, and more authentic, in-game graphics from the first SNES 'Griffey' game. There's nothing else to say in this department.

The sound effects are good, such as the bat hitting the ball and the ball hitting the glove. Umpire calls are realistic. The game music in the selection screens does sound very high-tech for the time but it isn't anything I'd buy a cd of or even download.

As for gameplay, it is very anticlimactic. Pitching and hitting are both very hard and awkward. It is hard as hell to score a run in this game, since the ball moves so much faster than your runner. Advancing an extra base is a pain in the neck. Gameplay is a little too fast. When playing defense, it is hard to track the ball. Not even autofielding totally helps, though it does work when you need to catch the ball. On the mound, striking out a batter is tough work since the computer seems to tee off on pitches. Given these factors, as you can guess, it is tough to make outs in this game when the other team is at bat. Putting everything together, winning a single game (let alone staying in a playoff race) is an extremely tough task. This makes the game frustrating to the point it really isn't fun. As you might guess given the name carries a superstar name, there are no real players, except for Griffey. There are some good points, though. One plus is that there are plenty of opt  ions. You can play a season (hard to win a division), exhibitions, all star game or world series. Another plus is that real ballparks and Major League teams are used. You also have the ability to take advantage of some cheats, assuming you find the codes.

Overall, there are better 16 bit games out there, mostly on the Sega Genesis. The Ken Griffey Jr. baseball games were always overrated, especially the first one. The second installment 'Winning Run', is no exception.