»» The introduction of the breaking ball pitch indicator.

»» A friendlier pitch targeting cursor which holds stable when spotted at a location in the pitch area instead of centering.

»» Quick-draw defensive moves where a single button may be tapped to catch grounders and line drives in the infield.

»» Simple base stealing operation where a single button effects a steal. For example, if a man's on first, pressing the TRIANGLE button steals second.

»» The ability to check out the pitching data in the middle of a game.

»» Updated high school baseball simulation where players select a high school and play against other Koshien teams.

»» New online mode where gamers play as part of a team and engage in tournaments. A bulletin board allows participants to chat and trade info.

»» Updated game modes where players may manage a team, play as a superstar on a mission to lead the team to a pennant, and a player's career path and time on the field has been extended to 20 years.

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.

NCS Game Notes
» In the intro to the game, kids are playing on a lot and the images snap quickly to a store selling baseball gear, and people walking to a stadium. Inside, the crowd is cheering and the players take the field. Various scenes of fast paced action are shown as a pitcher and batters perform for the crowd. A sequence of pitching scenes is shown where throwers from various teams hurl the ball. The intro ends with a close-up of the scoreboard.

» A helpful mode in the game includes a tutorial which begins in front of a green chalkboard before heading into the ball field. Select this option by tapping on the fourth selection on the top row of the menu. In battling practice, the player gets 10 chances to hit pitches in an attempt to get on base. If you fail, you'll go back to the chalkboard and learn some more about batting. A dog helps out during the learning by pulling down a shade over the green chalkboard so that a movie may be shown of proper batting techniques. Lessons for spotting a pitch, stealing base, fielding, etc are also included in the tutorial mode. When stealing base with a man on first, pressing the TRIANGLE button just as the pitcher begins his windup will almost always result in a stolen base.

» The third option on the top row is a MY LIFE baseball sim which follows the career of a baseball recruit at a professional team from his early days through major league days to conclusion of career. This is an interactive game with a lot of dialogue. To view the dialogue of what has happened before, press the R2 trigger and move the L-Analog up to check the list of commentary and synopsis.

» The second option on the top row is a full season game where you select a team and race for the pennant.

» When pitching, throwing high will normally result in pop ups or choppers. Throwing low pitches will normally lead to golf swings where the ball bounds into the midfield.

» In the "Now Loading" screen, a batter takes pitches and occasionally hits a pop-up.

» When pitching, change the perspective of the pitcher by pressing the SELECT button. The default view is from the catcher's perspective but the alternate is from behind the pitcher.

» The presentation of the game seems peppier to our jaded eyes.

» Controls carry over from previous games. Press the R1 or R2 to switch the batting cursor from reticule to bat outline. The X-Button swings for the fences and the O-Button bunts. When pitching, the X-Button throws and any other face button throws to the cardinal direction base in order to catch stealers.

» The announcer gives the play by play in quick succession as the crowd chants in the background and cheers.

» There's a new interactive baseball adventure game where player attends a school and trains to be a star. This is the first option on the second row.

» The memory card save file requires 1960K.

» Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 13 offers another highly enjoyable game with superb control and a friendlier reticule targeting system. The level of refinement in the game is such that a good pitcher will be able to strike out entire sides of batters if his or her control is precise enough. We went through the eighth inning of our trial game this morning without giving up a single hit but had to shut down to meet today's posting deadline. Likewise, a good batter will always be able to connect with pitches that are in the strike zone and make things happen.

The alternate SKU number for this product is VW322-J1.

This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.