Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball

Written by Kyle Williams  on March 21, 2005

First Impressions: Take me out to the ballgame...

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Nintendo looks to be starting up the development of their own sports titles again. It has been a few years since we've seen a Nintendo published sports title that doesn't star Mario and his pals. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Mario's forays into tennis, golf, and kart racing. It's just that I look forward to turning the virtual me into the next Willie Mays or Ted Williams, staring down a Randy Johnson fastball and stealing a Sammy Sosa home run. Nintendo will allow me to live out those boys-of-summer dreams this spring with their introduction of Nintendo's Pennant Chase Baseball.

With the first pitch of baseball season a few short weeks away, it is surprising how little information is circulating about Nintendo's new baseball franchise. However, as a Seattlite and longtime Seattle Mariner fan (even after last year's disappointing slump), the information that is out there is something to look forward to. Nintendo's Pennant Chase Baseball is going to feature two Seattle baseball icons as part of the announcing crew, Rick Rizzs and Tom Hutyler. As a 20-year veteran of Seattle's broadcast team and 18-year public address announcer, respectively, these two men know baseball inside and out. And with Rick Rizzs providing real-time commentary with former San Fransisco Giant and World Series Champion manager Bob Brenly, there is sure to be a quality audio track for the title.

Of course, no baseball game is complete any more without including all 30 of the current Major League ballparks and Pennant Chase Baseball is no exception. In fact, Nintendo and Exile Interactive are throwing in a few classic fields to boot. The early screenshots that have been released show that these fields look fabulous and truely shine on the GameCube. Speaking of screenshots, they are also providing the only current insight as to Pennant Chase's gameplay modes. As expected, there will be a franchise in which we will, presumably, be able to take our team from season to season, building a dynasty to rival that of Steinbrenner's Yankees. Of course, more careful inspection of the stat screens show a tournament mode, home field evolution (I sooooo want that concession stand), and what appears to be RPG-like increasing of player stats. Might this title turn out to be the ultimate GM experience?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question will have to wait as Nintendo's Pennant Chase Baseball has become the latest victim of the delayed-game blues, slipping from a relevant April 4th release to a less timely May 4th. Heck, some sources are even putting the release at June 1st, more than two months into the baseball season. Hopefully this means that the game will release with an extra layer of polish on it though there is an outside chance that the game is being rushed to shelves before it is truly ready.