Genre: Sports – Baseball
Developer: APh Technological Consulting
Publisher: Mattel Electronics
Year: 1980
Platform: Intellivision
Major League Baseball is a sports video game developed by APh Technological Consulting and published by Mattel Electronics for the Intellivision in 1980. The game allows players to control a nine-man baseball team in a standard nine-inning game. Players can pitch, bat, field, and steal bases, following most professional baseball rules. The game supports two-player mode, enabling competitive play between two individuals.
The gameplay involves selecting pitches from a set of directions and attempting to hit the ball into play. Fielders are controlled to catch the ball and tag out runners. The batting player can advance base-runners and attempt to steal bases, while the pitching player can counter with pickoff attempts. In the event of a tie at the end of the 9th inning, the game proceeds into extra innings to determine the winner.
Major League Baseball was one of the first video games to utilize the Intellivision’s speech synthesis capabilities, providing voice commentary during gameplay. This feature added a layer of realism to the game, distinguishing it from other sports games of the era. The game was notable for its inclusion of moveable fielders and baserunning techniques like the suicide squeeze, which were praised in contemporary reviews.
The game was re-released in 1983 under the title Big League Baseball and later included in compilations such as Intellivision Lives! and A Collection of Classic Games from the Intellivision. Despite its initial success, the game’s sequel, World Series Major League Baseball, was released in 1983 with enhanced graphics and gameplay features.
