Day: January 23, 2018

RBI Baseball is making its case for more of your playing time

RBI Baseball 18_1

Since its return to the gaming landscape in 2014, RBI Baseball – an MLB Advanced Media property – has taken a few steps to nudge its way into the baseball-niche market of gaming, dominated by MLB The Show.

In some cases, RBI was perfect as it was. For the gamers who don’t have the time to hammer out minute details like organizing an organizational roster down to Class A or manage every single pitch, RBI scratched that baseball itch with quick games and just enough realism that it was worth the reduced price when compared to the $60 titles.

In the fifth year since the relaunch, RBI is taking some serious hacks at becoming a game worthy of your consideration, even if you PlayStation 4 owners preordered MLB 18 The Show months ago.

RBI Baseball 18 will release in March, though an exact launch date will be made available at a later time.

If you’re without a PS4 and gaming on an Xbox One, Nintendo Switch or on mobile iOS or Android devices, RBI is your only choice. If the gameplay takes its anticipated step forward with the announced features meshing with its accessibility to gamers of all ages and skill levels, this year could mean that RBI will feel like more of a requirement and not an obligation to baseball fans who are sans PS4.

(OK, so there’s Out of the Park Baseball for you text-simmers out there, but that’s a choice for PC and Mac gamers and not for the console crowd)

As per a release sent out by MLB Advanced Media – the entity which took over the complete production of the series following four years of overseeing the process – here are a few things that are being touted as reasons for you to take a chance on RBI.

*** RELEASE COPY ***

RBI Baseball 18 Cover

Among the new features* for fans in 2018 will be:

· Franchise Mode: Take control of a favorite MLB team! Make trades, sign free agents or call up rookies across multiple seasons. A new player progression system allows players to develop, improve, and ultimately retire.

· Home Run Derby Mode: Challenge a friend in local head-to-head play or the CPU in the ultimate slugfest. See how individual skills stack up against friends and the rest of the world on the leaderboard.

· Authentic MLB Players: Completely redesigned player models, including more than 300 digitally modeled likenesses, along with hundreds of new animations and unique player-specific animations to deliver a whole new in-game experience.  

· Better Ballparks: Witness the enhanced lighting, textures, revamped 3-D crowd system and get closer to the details with new dynamic camera angles and specially crafted cinematic sequences across all 30 MLB ballparks.

· MLB Legends: Add some of baseball’s best legends to your Franchise mode and play as any of the more than 100 retired MLB players.

· Online Multiplayer: Jump into ranked and friendly exhibition games with friends and players around the globe.

· Soundtrack: Listen to new tracks and music from more than a dozen popular recording artists.

· Roster Updates: Keep a season up to date with rosters throughout the 2018 season, including within Franchise mode.

MLB LEGENDS AVAILABLE IN R.B.I. BASEBALL 18:
Mel Harder, Bobby Doerr, Lou Boudreau, Dom DiMaggio, Ralph Kiner, Bob Feller, Monte Irvin, Phil Rizzuto, Red Munger, George Kell, Bob Lemon, Pee Wee Reese, Enos Slaughter, Ted Williams, Richie Ashburn, Red Schoendienst, Robin Roberts, Bobby Richardson, Eddie Mathews, Ernie Banks, Jim Bunning, Hoyt Wilhelm, Frank Howard, Al Kaline, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Billy Williams, Brooks Robinson, Jimmy Wynn, Larry Dierker, Jim Fregosi, Catfish Hunter, Dock Ellis, Minnie Minoso, Willie Horton, Gaylord Perry, Johnny Bench, Fergie Jenkins, Bucky Dent, Rod Carew, Mike Hargrove, Rollie Fingers, Tom Seaver, Tony Perez, Bruce Sutter, Phil Niekro, Reggie Jackson, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles, Jose Cruz, Mike Schmidt, Darrell Evans, Frank White, Keith Hernandez, Dwight Evans, Ken Griffey Sr., Mike Scott, Bert Blyleven, Gary Carter, Willie Randolph, Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount, Mike Boddicker, Kelly Gruber, Dale Murphy, Goose Gossage, Rick Sutcliffe, Kent Hrbek, Willie Wilson, John Kruk, Ozzie Smith, Lenny Dykstra, Lee Smith, Rick Honeycutt, Paul Molitor, Terry Pendleton, Joe Carter, Wade Boggs, Mark Langston, Orel Hershiser, Harold Baines, Eric Davis, Brady Anderson, Matt Williams, Greg Vaughn, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Jeff Bagwell, Kenny Lofton, Shawn Green, Luis Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Troy Percival, Jim Edmonds, Jorge Posada, Chipper Jones, Johnny Damon, Jamie Moyer, Derek Lowe, Roy Oswalt, Paul Konerko, Jason Giambi

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OK, Dock Ellis enough to sell this legends thing to me. Though I see a few names in this list that stretch the definition of “legends” quite a bit. All of this commentary from someone who last played competitive baseball in the 1990s, and never as a professional.

The release is fast to point out that the * means that some features will vary by platform. But that’s OK. Because as long as Franchise Mode is standard on the Switch version of the title, it would be worth the $29.99 retail price for consoles to make it a part of my gaming library. MLBAM will soak you for $6.99 if you opt to purchase this game on your supported iOS or Android phone or tablet. 

While RBI will likely never become the robust title that MLB The Show has provided, it does provide an alternative – or option – for gamers.

Want to know more? Visit http://www.rbigame.com/

Tuesday Take: You’re an Eagles Fan Now

Championship Sunday in the NFL featured great intrigue on both sides of the league as they prepared to battle it out with a trip to Super Bowl LII on the line.

On the AFC side, you had the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars and Blake Bortles heading to New England to face the vaunted Patriots, looking to make a tenth Super Bowl appearance and eighth since the turn of the millennium.

Jumping over to the NFC, a resurgent Case Keenum had the Minnesota Vikings one win away from being the first team to ever play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. The only thing standing in the way of history were the Philadelphia Eagles, led by backup quarterback Nick Foles.

Sunday could have been a day of firsts and maybe one of the most unlikely Super Bowl matchups of all time had the Jaguars done the impossible and the Vikings simply rattled Foles.

In typical NFL style, the worst possible outcome occurred in both contests.

noooooo

Heading into halftime of the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars dominated the Patriots for two quarters and led 14-10 but the second half told a different story. Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does and led a furious rally to prevail 24-20 and claim another AFC Championship.

Taking the opening kickoff in Philadelphia, the Vikings marched the length of the field without much resistance from the Eagles defense and raced out to a 7-0 lead. Not much else went right for the Vikings after that. Their second drive ended in a pick-six by the Eagles defense, then Nick Foles took over and gashed the best defense in football for 352 yards and three touchdowns to send the Eagles (ironically) to Minnesota for a showdown with the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

This is the outcome no one outside of Philadelphia or Boston wanted but is the one we will have to live with regardless. A Patriots team gunning for it’s sixth Super Bowl title since 2001 and the consensus most hated team in America versus the Philadelphia Eagles trying to win their first Super Bowl but just as easily hateable in their own right.

If you are a Pittsburgh fan like us here at The Bat Flip, you can attest this is the worst case scenario matchup you could ever imagine. At least the second worst behind a potential Cowboys/Ravens matchup on the game’s biggest stage.

For Pittsburgh fans hating on the Patriots has become a tradition since Brady and Belichick began their death grip on the league by beating the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game in 2001. Hating the Patriots is second nature to us at this point. In many ways, we hate them more than the Ravens, Browns, or Bengals.

troy-12

There is no lack of hate for the Eagles as well but for a much different reason. If you were asked to name the top rivalries in the NFL, Steelers/Eagles probably aren’t even in your top 50. They don’t play in the same division or conference and in reality, they only face off once every four years, usually in a meaningless early season game. The two sides have never met in a Super Bowl either. This hate is simply from sharing the same state. You inherit this hate when you’re born into the others fandom. Hating on Philly is ingrained into the very culture of Pittsburgh sports, regardless if a rivalry exists or not. Pittsburgh fans just don’t want to see Philly fans happy for any reason and vice versa.

Late on Sunday night when the dust had settled and the Super matchup was set, many Pittsburgh fans took to social media to declare they were not going to watch a Super featuring the Patriots and Eagles. They weren’t going to force themselves to pick a side between two teams they despise.

Well, I’m here to tell you something: you are going to watch the game and you are going to pick a side. That side will be the Philadelphia Eagles.

This is not a hard debate. You can clamor all you want about in-state rivalries and hating to see Philadelphia succeed. The hard truth is, the alternative is so much worse. Watching Brady and the Patriots raise a sixth Lombardi Trophy is not something you should ever be able to stomach. They are the Empire from Star Wars brought to life on a football field. Their success turned an already arrogant fan base into one of the most completely insufferable groups of people in this vast country. Nothing Philadelphia does will compare, even if their fans have the tendency to act like uncaged wild animals at times.

Remember how you felt in 2008 and 2012 when Eli Manning and the New York Giants pantsed the Patriots? You can feel that again if the Eagles can win one more game. Seeing Tom Brady fail on the biggest stage, a stage he has owned for most of his career, borders on the erotic. An Eagles victory on February 4th and we can all feel that collective sigh of relief once again. We won’t have to spend another offseason hearing all about the Patriots.

So, in the time between now and Super Bowl Sunday think about all of this. Think about all the times Brady and the Patriots have personally hurt you or ripped your sports-loving heart out. Really think about how easy this decision really is. Do you want to hear the talking heads on ESPN and NFL Network spend the next eight months bloviating about the greatness of New England? I didn’t think so.

Fly Eagles Fly.

(Note: Philadelphia hate can resume at approximately 11 PM on Sunday, February 4th).