Combining two great American pastimes, Valley Dynamo has produced All-Star Baseball, a game with all the trappings of a pinball machine but with a number of baseball-inspired elements.
The game aims a ball directly at the slot, where the player must flip the single paddle at the right time, as in baseball, to hit it away. The ball can then go to a number of places, like “home run”, “out” and “first base.”
It has one or two-player modes; in two-player mode one player pitches and one hits. The pitcher covers the three buttons, slow, fast and curve, with one hand and the hitter must anticipate the timing of the ball.
The pitch speeds and bat strength are adjustable and animated base runners pop up to “cover the bases” when the ball is pitched while announcer, umpire and audience reaction sound effects are played.
Jim Livingston, vice president of international sales, isn’t worried that the sport is predominantly popular in the US - he believes the game will sell globally. “I think everyone knows at least a little about baseball, certainly enough to be able to figure out and enjoy this very simple game,” he said.
