R.B.I. Baseball 14
A reboot of the classic baseball series with arcade-style play.
MLB Advanced Media published this 2014 baseball title, developed by Behaviour Interactive, as the first reboot of the R.B.I. Baseball series. It launched for iOS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox One on April 9, with Android, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions arriving later. Critics praised its simple gameplay but criticized the presentation and lack of online multiplayer.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Behaviour Interactive
- Publisher
- MLB Advanced Media
- Series
- R.B.I. Baseball
- Platforms
- iOS
- PlayStation 3
- Xbox 360
- Android
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Released
- April 9, 2014, Android, May 8, 2014, PS4, Xbox One, June 24, 2014
- Genre
- Sports
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
R.B.I. Baseball 14 includes 30 MLB teams with 16 players each. Three modes are available: Exhibition, Season, and Post-Season. Batting allows the batter to move freely in the batter's box and includes bunting. The pitcher can throw a toss, fastball, or knuckleball. A ground indicator shows the ball's location before catching. Bases can be stolen when an opening exists. A mercy rule ends the game if a player leads by more than ten runs by the fifth inning. Leaderboards track wins. Each team has an extra uniform unlockable by completing a challenge.
Development
The R.B.I. Baseball name sat dormant after Atari Games lost the trademark in 1995 until Six Degrees Games revived it in 2007. MLB bought the rights from that studio in 2013, then tapped Behaviour Interactive for development. MLBAM’s six-person team handled design and production while Behaviour did the coding and art. The series returned with R.B.I. Baseball 14, announced in January 2014. It hit iOS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on April 9, with an Android port arriving in May. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions followed on June 24, and online multiplayer was slated for July.
Reception
R.B.I. Baseball 14 received mixed or average reviews on iOS according to Metacritic. Critics noted the lack of online multiplayer options; Shacknews felt an update would have helped. The presentation was called monotonous and personality-free by MacLife, and poor by IGN. Some reviewers appreciated the arcade style, though Den of Geek found it too grounded for an arcade game. TouchArcade and Slide to Play liked the pick-up-and-play gameplay. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner compared it unfavorably to Baseball Stars and Bases Loaded. EGMNow's Ray Carsillo called the mercy rule the only good part and described the game as an abomination and an unworthy representation of the sport. Game Informer later listed it as one of the worst games of 2014.
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