Super Mega Baseball and the Lost MLB Season
What a great baseball video game can (and can’t) replace on Opening Day 2020
Like previous posts I’ve written that touch on COVID-19, I want to state from the beginning that what I’m about to say pales in comparison to the sickness and death that this virus causes. I’m blessed to be working from home right now and in good health. I know many haven’t been so fortunate.
Today, March 26, 2020, was scheduled to be opening day for the Major League Baseball season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that’s raging across the United States and the world, ballparks everywhere are silent. Instead of a joyous celebration of the sport, today is just another reminder of how much this new virus has changed the lives of so many people. It’s sobering.
Baseball fans everywhere are trying to find ways to fill the void left by the lack of games. If you are like me and desperately miss the sport as well, you have a few decent options. One option is to rewatch games from the past, which seems like the most popular one by far. Another is to watch highlights from the past few years, which I’ve found myself doing a few times already. But my preferred choice — one I think I’ll rely on heavily — is to play a baseball video game.
And if you choose the video game option, you can’t go wrong with Super Mega Baseball 2. It’s a fantastic baseball game that’s light-hearted enough to be accessible to many and deep enough to keep the diehard fans engaged. With a full suite of customization tools, players can creat their own leagues and seasons. Of course, it’s not quite a full solution to the missing season, and I won’t pretend that it is. But for my personal love of the game, Super Mega Baseball 2 is about as good as it gets right now.
Super Mega Baseball originally released in December of 2014. It was a pretty big success for developer Metalhead Software, leading to a sequel in April of 2018. The second game refined the graphics and gameplay of its predecessor, offering more customization options and online multiplayer. The third entry in the series is promised for April of this year, launching across all consoles simultaneously and ushering in a true franchise mode for the first time.
The best reason to play Super Mega Baseball 2 is that it’s a faithful representation of baseball. It’s also deliriously lighthearted. Players’ names are usually ridiculous puns or jokes (like “Hammer Longballo, or “Rip Dingers”) and the fake advertisements littering the ballparks are no different. But underneath all that is a polish and dedication to realistic baseball that’s truly enthralling. I know the art style has scared a few people off, but the action itself is rock solid.
Super Mega Baseball doesn’t have a MLB license and the team names are all made up. For many, that’s a deal-breaker and I certainly understand why. Personally though, I’d rather play in a fictional world with made-up teams, especially since so many of them have clearly been lovingly hand-crafted.
There’s a remarkable amount of difference between these fake teams, which adds a lot of depth to the whole experience. The Moose are power hitters, the Herbisaurs are good at defense, and the Moonstars are pitching experts. These real strengths and weaknesses affect planning and strategy, just like they would in a real game.
The level of customization available also pulls players deeper into the game. You can make up your own teams to add to the pre-existing set, change the attributes of players already in the league, or even alter jersey colors and logos. That also means that if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you could even replicate the 30 professional teams in the major leagues, but I have more fun watching the teams that the game generates.
Video game baseball, as amazing at it can be, can’t ever really replace what’s missing, though. What I really want to do tonight is turn on a Yankees game (they were scheduled to play the Orioles today). Smashing home runs as the Moose in my fictional league championship will be a lot of fun, but it won’t be quite the same as relaxing in front of the tv during these long spring evenings.
The suspended baseball season pales in comparison with the other ramifications of COVID-19, but it’s still worth talking about. One of the reasons that sports (not just baseball) are so socially important is that they’re something to rally around, something to unify people. That’s part of why it’s such a big deal that the 2020 Olympics were (rightly) delayed a year. Sports bring us together, but right now we have to be apart.
Will baseball come back this year? It might, but I don’t think anyone can guarantee that right now. If baseball returns for a half season, or even less, that means the results at the end of regular play will be skewed by a less-than-representative sample size. If the season goes late to make up for lost time, will the 2021 campaign be altered as well? There are many unknowns right now and precious few answers.
Right now, the best I can manage for baseball is to quietly mourn the delayed (possibly lost) season and fire up a game of Super Mega Baseball 2. I’m eagerly waiting for the next installment in April — from what I’ve read it looks pretty fantastic. It will be a long time until I can watch live Yankees baseball, but at least I can plan and manage my own fictional league. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I can do right now. At least it’s better than nothing.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
