When it comes to “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” games, “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” for the Nintendo Switch is fun and great for the casual gamer, great for those new to JPPY and those who want a fun baseball game and see what potential there is for the next JPPY release. But for those wanting a true “Success Mode” can easily pass on this game and stay with “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” for the PS4/PS Vita until 2020.
(C)Konami Digital Entertainment
VIDEO GAME TITLE: Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu
TYPE OF GAME: Baseball/Sports
PLATFORM GAME REVIEWED: Nintendo Switch
DEVELOPER: KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT
RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2019
パワプロ最新作がNintendo Switch™に登場!!!
あの「実況パワフルプロ野球」が遂にNintendo Switch™に登場!!!
2019年度プロ野球選手データ搭載。
Nintendo Switch™版では、最大4人での対戦・協力プレイが可能。
みんなで、いつでもどこでも熱い対戦が楽しもう！
Since “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” (Real Condition Powerful Pro Baseball) [which I will use the initials JPPY in my review] was released by Konami for the Super Famicom, the video game series has its legion of fans.
Unlike other baseball games, JPPY is know for the characters being SD (super-deformed) with no legs, no nose or mouth. With a license with the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball), the video game was among the first to emulate Japanese baseball with the announcer, fan chants and more (until the realism was given to Konami’s other baseball game, “Pro Yakyuu Spirits” released back in 2004).
With many games released for various consoles, my first purchase of JPPY was back in 1997 for the original Sony Playstation.
For those with familiarity with baseball games on a console, “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” is friendly for those who purchase internationally. For the most part, if you played a baseball game before, it’s all about how you bat and how you pitch.
Getting the timing right is important on batting and you can have a guide or not have a guide for when you bat. Pitching variations depends on your printer. You’ll need to monitor the health of your players to know if certain players that in a slump should be played or not.
Playing a pitcher who is not doing well, will make it difficult for your pitcher to throw well for multiple innings.
As for game modes, the main modes are:
TREASURE: New for the Nintendo Switch is the Treasure Campaign in which you play the Treasures and play a quick match which goes through a few innings with you controlling a pitcher or batter and trying to beat the team. The gameplay is quick but a lot of the times, the other team will do better and you must come away with a win in the final inning which the game then goes to the main play as your team can make a comeback or lose in the ninth. With each matchup, you can get special items which makes players on the Treasures Team much better and as you play and win a tournaments (silver, gold and dream), games become more challenging as you progress.
In addition, if you purchased JPPY, you will get an amiibo card which gives you an item each day.
SUCCESS: Where you can grow your own original player via high school baseball and later become a pro baseball player.
This is a very popular mode in Japan, but for those who are international fans and can’t read Japanese, more than likely this is going to go over your head as it gets into the nitty gritty of young baseball players training and also doing a lot of other things that require an understanding due to the many dialogue (text) featured between player and other players and coaches.
It’s important to note that SUCCESS MODE for this Nintendo Switch version is a remake of JPPY 9 (released back in 2002). For the Switch version, there are only two high schools: Powerful High School and Akatsuki University High School and were remade and recreated specifically for this Switch release. So, there was a bit of a downsizing when compared to the original PS2/Gamecube release.
PENNANT: Choose between the Central or Pacific League teams and play a season to make it to the Japan Series..
HOME RUN COMPETITION: Go against other players in a home run competition.
MYLIFE: This allows you to play as a professional baseball player and work the character to have a marriage, home, contract renewal, free agency, trades and more.
Versus Mode: If you want to play a quick matchup and you can play with a local gamer with the game on their Nintendo Switch and also online (note: You have to be a member of Nintendo’s online service).
Other Modes: Data, Arrange Mode, Practice Mode
JUDGMENT CALL:
My thoughts on this latest version is that it all depends what you expect from a JPPY game.
I love playing pennant and to be truthful, I have not dedicated myself to Success Mode because there is a lot of reading and I’m a bit impatient, as I don’t like to micromanage players (which certain people love to do with JPPY games) and have to do all this training. Granted, I’m used to it in NBA video games but for a JPPY game, it just seems so much work. And while I’m sure the payoff is great, I lack the patience to really play this game to dedicate so much time to it.
With that being said, it’s the reduction to two teams which upsets the hardcore fans of the game who play “Success Mode”. For a Nintendo Switch release, this doesn’t seem right.
So, for the most part, I find myself playing the new “Treasure Mode” the most. You do away with the training and complexity of “Success Mode” and you can play quick baseball games and you win tournaments and can win items that make your player(s) better.
“Treasure Mode”, you can play a main game against a baseball club probably within less than ten minutes, because it goes from your batter from the first inning, then it goes to the batter again in the third inning, your pitcher trying to win the inning and then depending on how well you do, will place you in the ninth as the pitcher trying to save the game or batters trying to win.
“Treasure Mode” is no doubt great for those who want to play a few games before sleeping because they go quickly and the games often sets you up trying to make the Treasure team to having a comeback or a player getting that “sayonara” homerun.
Currently, I beaten Silver Trophy easily but for Gold Trophy, I found myself in the finals multiple times (Gold Trophy finals, you have to go against the all stars of the Pacific or Central League) to see the opposing pitcher doing well to get the outs and I lose by a point with typically bases loaded.
The agony of defeat have no doubt has been consistent these past few days. The most frustrating as once you reach Gold Trophy, the game ups the difficulty quite a bit. Making it not only a pitching duel but sometimes, they run up the score where it’s like 14-3 and it’s the ninth inning and you can only hope that your batting is good enough to score a dozen runs.
If any consolation, despite losing, you still achieve certain items which can enhance your players stats or your collection of items.
As for the graphics, the graphics are vibrant and colorful. The 3D rendering of the players are well-done and the fields also are well-done. The fan cheering is there (including a woman screaming with a high pitched voice while you are trying to throw a pitch), the commentator is there and always gives positive comments for great batting and pitching.
With that being said, this game was more or less introducing the game to Nintendo Switch owners. The ability to use a Joy-Con for game play up to four players. The amiibo card (for those who purchased the game upon release) for daily items. As with previous games with a year attached to it and targeting veterans, JPPY for Nintendo Switch is no doubt focused on the new or casual gamer and also to ease one into the game.
More than likely, we will see a full game in 2020, as we have seen the game now being released every two years starting with 2014.
And personally, I am enjoying JPPY much more than JPPY Heroes for the Nintendo 3DS.
But knowing that people are hardcore in it for the “Success Mode” will no doubt be upset from the hardcore fans of the game that Konami was unable to include many more teams and the fact that with each year for “Success”, the company has been progressive and learning what works and what doesn’t. The Switch version was a chance to give fans what they wanted but in someways, they got the light version of “Success” mode. So, they have every right to be upset by it.
With that being said, when it comes to “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” games, “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” for the Nintendo Switch is fun and great for the casual gamer, great for those new to JPPY, great for those who want to play four players with the Joy-Con and those who want a fun baseball game and ro see what potential there is for the next JPPY release for the Nintendo Switch.
But for those wanting a true “Success Mode” can easily pass on this game and stay with “Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu” for the PS4/PS Vita until 2020.
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