Baseball

Always an entertaining option on Wii, Baseball also incorporated a pitching action that endangered TV sets and shoulder blades, as it tempted you to fling the remote forward in pursuit of more deadly fastballs. Pitching and some fielding is now moved to the GamePad, as you use the motion sensor and screen to pick a spot before using a simple button press to choose from alternative balls — power is determined by your timing on a power gauge. When the batter hits an 'air ball', meanwhile, you have to follow an arrow on screen to tilt the Pad up, locate the ball and line it up for a catch. It's all exactly the same as what was briefly shown at the Wii U's big reveal during E3 2011, but works nicely; it's one of the best examples yet of the GamePad serving as a window into the game world, giving a fun sense of sort-of augmented reality in its execution.

Batting remains the same, though is a little more accurate with the MotionPlus Remote; it was a bit of a stand-out on the standard Wii Remote, regardless. There are no button presses, you simply swing, and it's far harder now to trick the system into registering a lazy flick of the wrist — you don't need a full swing, as such, but a little effort does help with timing. It's sheer simplicity, which was part of the original's success.

Screenshot

Matches work as well as always, and our online games seemed fairly reliable on our admittedly quick connection. It's three innings regardless of local or online play, and it's certainly a fun experience taking on an opponent in the same room — hiding the pitching screen from the batter and psyching out a rival as they attempt a catch is a treat. In the online stakes you can exchange pre-prepared messages, and some minor delays waiting for the opponent to pitch seemed to be the game pre-processing to minimise lag, which was perfectly acceptable. With CPU opponents also on hand in your quest to improve your grade, all bases are truly covered for matches.

There are three training modes, too, which simply add minor twists to the core gameplay — Home Run Hero is a time trial to whack as many out of the park as possible, Smash Hitter challenges you to aim your shots at coloured areas, and Pitch for Prizes tasks you with hitting moving boxes as you pitch. All are functional but unremarkable.

Baseball is an example of a remaster that works well, with natural uses for the GamePad and MotionPlus, also delivering a fun local multiplayer experience.