Customer Reviews

Mattel Classic Baseball Game

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Having been a fan of Mattel®'s Classic Football & Football 2 handheld games, I decided to give the rerelease of the company's Baseball rendition a whirl. I found it to be an interesting little diversion. This is a not so much an actual baseball game as it is a baseball-like game. It has some rudimentary features like hitting, walks, strikeouts, and advancing bases. It lacks base-stealing, double- or triple-plays, pitch selection, or bunting. Also, each contest is only five innings long, and the home team can play through the bottom of the fifth even if they have the lead.

Another weird thing is the scoring-- when you get the hang of playing this bad-boy, the final scores on the Pro 1 setting resemble those of an NFL matchup rather than a Major League contest! Final scores on Pro 2 are surprisingly high as well. Speaking of the Pro 2 setting, the only real difference I notice between it and Pro 1 is the faster pitching speed, which leads to more strikeouts and fly-outs.

Although Mattel(r) Classic Baseball has a sound on/off button (something I wished my old Mattel Classic Football games had), it is necessary to keep the sound on if you want to maximize the total bases you'll try to take after contacting the ball. When you make a potential hit, the computer beeps once for a possible single, twice for a possible double, and thrice for a possible triple. So if you want to sneak in a midnight game without rousing the 'rents, you'll hafta settle for hitting singles!

'Late

I still have my 1978-dated model of this game and I am glad Mattel is re-releasing this and the classic Football 2 (the favorite handheld of my youth). When my father bought me this game back in the early 1980s it was three times as much as this model, so it is definitely a bargain for Gen. X-ers like myself who wish to recapture their youth.

I am amazed how identical this game is to my vintage game (which I still have and it still works perfectly attesting to the durability of Mattel games--at least in the 1980s). Kids today may not enjoy it as it is a very simple, streamline version of baseball that one would expect came out in 1978. You push the "pitch" button, wait for the pitch, the pitch comes either straight or curved and you push "Hit." If you hit the ball, push "Run" to run the bases. The game beeps indicating whether you hit a single, double, triple or home run. Sometimes you can get more bases if you have a fast player, sometimes you're tagged out if you have a slowpoke. There is no strategy to this game. The game keeps track of balls and strikes, but there is really no way of knowing if a pitch is headed for the strike zone, so you can't be Barry Bonds here. The ball/strike count always seemed to be random to me.

Like Football 2, you do not get to play defense. After the third out, you (or a playing partner) play offense for the other team. Like Classic Football 2, this game has the addition of a sound-off switch. It does not make as much sense with this game because the number of beeps following a hit helps you know how many bases to go for. You may be able to guess with the sound off taking into account how fast the player is. The game plays in glow-in-the-dark red, so it can be played with the lights out which is very cool. Each game is 5 innings. The "Pro 2" setting gives you faster pitches and really tests the reflexes. A fun game to go along with your Classic Football 2. Hopefully, Mattel will also re-release Basketball 2.

I have had my baseball game since I was a kid. It has seen lots of playing time over the past 16+ years. While I would agree with other reviews that this game is not as "fun" as Mattel's football game, I have enjoyed it.

If you are looking for a fast action game with great graphics, this is not the game for you. The game is well made and the batteries seem to last a very long time. I have found it to be a fun simple game for 1 or 2 players.

Back to the basics fun electronic game. No complex moves or combinations. easy to read screen. BAtteries last a long time unlike the Gameboy.

I was sad to discover this is not nearly as fun as its brother the Mattel Football handheld. The play modes are not well-defined: level one is too slow and level two is too fast even after hours of play. The buttons are much less durable feeling than one would expect as is the casing. Kitch value makes it cool to have on your coffee table, but most people pick it up, play it once or twice, and say the same thing "where's the football one like this?"

I had all these first generation when they came out but was a dummy and let them go. I have now my second generation baseball, football, football II and basketball. None of the originals OR remakes have ever broken except one button on the original baseball from overuse.
The baseball is the best, most interactive of the bunch. Your timing hitting is crucial and requires skill. Solid hits get Homeruns. If you get a slow runner you better take one less base. Fast runners can steal one more, if your fast enough :-D.

If you appreciate these old diode games, BASEBALL IS THE BEST. Try a few innings and you shall be hooked !!

I had the orignal version of this game when I was a little kid growing up. It was a great way to while away the hours on long car trips or a rainy day.

I must say that I'm really impressed that Mattel preserved the authenticity of the game right down to the color of the casing, the buttons and sounds.

For those of you who are chasing your long-gone youth like I am, this is a great throw-back to another era. I highly recommend it!

This is a veary FUN baseball game, I first played it at my summer camp and it was so fun, I got it for Myself!!!!!!

OMG! My brother will be sooooo happy when he unwraps this on Christmas Eve! He happens to be 40 years old but it's all about nostalgia. It'll take him right back to Christmas Eve, 1979 when he and my other, older brother received Mattel games. One received the football version of this game and of course this same brother, at 8 years old received this very same game. I was amazed at the quality and at how nothing had changed about this game. That's what makes it so great. The only part that surprised me is that the football game is more than double the price of this one.

I purchased this game for my grandson thinking that he would enjoy it because I had an old baseball game that I had purchased for my daughter about twenty years ago from Sears and he really enjoyed it. It was a great game. This new version game from Mattel is lousy to say the least. It is cheaply made, does not have any graphics, is not user friendly, and is a piece of junk. I would send it back but the cost and aggrevation is not worth the purchase price. My suggestion to anyone that is thinking about purchasing it is don't waste your money. If I could I would rate it a zero!!!