Title: Super Mega Baseball 3
Developer: Metalhead Studio
Publisher: Metalhead Studio
Website: Supermegabaseball3.com
Genre: Sports Simulation
Available On: PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: May 13, 2020
Version Tested: Xbox One
There may not be any real sports going on right now, but that doesn’t mean sports fans don’t have something to fill the time with. As long as those sports fans are also gamers. Super Mega Baseball 3 launched this month and baseball being back, even if it’s the cartoony version of the sport, is something to be celebrated. That’s especially the case when you’re talking about a game that is one of the best sports games out there these days.
Metalhead has once again done a very good job of offering up exactly what sports gamers want, even while making the offering just goofy enough that no one is ever going to mistake Super Mega Baseball 3 for MLB The Show. While this isn’t a strict simulation like Madden or even AO Tennis 2, it’s possible the game is even better because it’s not forcing players to follow along a real season. Instead, this title allows players to have real fun playing baseball and doing it the way they want.
Customization Options in Super Mega Baseball 3
The biggest feature of Super Mega Baseball 3 is that there really isn’t anything that can’t be customized. No matter what mode you choose, there’s plenty you can change to make the game your own. One of the biggest changes is the franchise mode, which sort of apes what sports simulation games offer, but you don’t have to play a 162-game season if you don’t want.
If you do want to play a full season, you can do that, but only play five-inning games (the standard in the online “Pennant Race” mode.) You can also choose to play as few games as you want and focus on making the playoffs instead.
However you want to run your franchise, you can. There’s still little aspects like building a roster and acquiring the player that will put your team over the top at the deadline available. While all the teams and players in Super Mega Baseball 3 are fake, you can go out of your way to recreate MLB in any you want. You can even play as your favorite historical major league team if you want. Take the Montreal Expos to this version of the World series and bash 90 homers in 40-game season along the way.
The Pennant Race
One of the things that makes Super Mega Baseball 3 as good as it is, is the pennant race. This is the way the title sets up matchups against real players and does it better than most other sports games. When playing games like NCAA Football, going up against a real live opponent usually just means you get to play exhibition games. In this one, you go up against people in a pennant race in order to fight your way to the top.
The game also offers multi-platform matchups, being one of the only titles in the genre that offers that. Offered on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and the Switch there’s plenty of people to play against, or at least there should be. This might be one place where the game falls a bit short. Some of that is out of its control. There are times when it takes a very long time to find a matchup. Metalhead cannot guarantee that there are always going to be someone to play but the wait times to find a match can get rather long at times.
The good news is that the developers have even found a way to make this less of a hassle. Super Mega Baseball 3 offers a kind of multitasking feature. If you find that you’re waiting a bit too long for a pennant race matchup, you can go and play another mode for a bit. Start your franchise up and have a little fun bashing homers and know the game is looking for a live matchup while you do it.
Verdict: Metalhead has put together a series that was pretty darn good even before the latest installment. Super Mega Baseball 3 is the next obvious step in a march towards perfection. This isn’t the kind of game that is going to make you feel as though you are on the major league stage. Realism isn’t the goal. Fun is what this game is going for and it hits that goal quite easily. When you first get a look at titles like this, it’s easy to think it’s going to be light on content. This game might look light and airy but there’s plenty of replayability and plenty of different modes depending on just how deep you want to go. Super Mega Baseball 2 was one of the only games I’ve ever given a perfect 10 to, oddly enough. Super Mega Baseball 3 carries that mantel as well now.
Super Mega Baseball 3 Review: Finding The Fun In Baseball Again
Customization options all over the place
Games can be played quickly
Pennant Race is really fun
Even with crossplay, it can take a while to find a Pennant Race opponent
