R.B.I. Baseball 17 Review
R.B.I. Baseball 17
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Spring training is finished and all the MLB teams are getting ready to kick of the Major League season today, so there is no better time than right now to take a look at MLB’s latest baseball title, R.B.I. Baseball 17 on the Xbox One. While not a lot has changed from year-to-year, there is still lots of reasons to love this outstanding arcade style game.
R.B.I. has been getting a lot of flack from fans and media for it’s dumbed down game play and apparent inferior quality to it’s main competitor, MLB The Show. As I have detailed in a previous article, I firmly believe that R.B.I. Baseball and MLB The Show are two separate games for two very different audiences. I can complete a game of R.B.I. Baseball in 20 minutes, but I’m well over a half hour when playing The Show. I can easily play R.B.I. Baseball with friends who have limited knowledge of the sport, or gaming in general. I cannot ever do that with MLB The Show. One game is for the hard core audience, while the other is for back benching fans. I’m the latter, and that’s why I love R.B.I. Baseball.
Things have not changed much over the last few years, outside of graphical enhancements and roster changes. Mostly everything else has remained status quo, which isn’t a bad thing as I think R.B.I. Baseball does a great job providing a comprehensive, yet easy to learn system for playing the game. Two button batting, and single button – with directional options – pitching makes the game incredibly accessible, which opens up the game of baseball to a ton of people who might be scared by the complex intricacies of The Show.
If you are an Xbox One fan, there is another reason to love R.B.I. Baseball 17 – it is the only licenced baseball title on the system, as MLB The Show is developed by SONY and exclusive to the PS4. While hard core baseball fans will ultimately be disappointed by what R.B.I. offers – and understandably so, as this is not a game for the hard core fans – this is the only option on the system. So the debate becomes, baseball or no baseball?
To be fair, nothing has really changed from 16 to 17, and I’ve actually noticed a pretty major omission in 17 (no online play). If we are talking about things we need to be honest about, there are often moments when the AI does some really stupid things, whether on your team or the opponents. At the least, however, it does keep things interesting on the ball field!
Despite the lack of online multiplayer, R.B.I. Baseball 17 still carries a number of game modes, including exhibitions, seasons, playoffs, and local multiplayer. When in season or postseason mode, players will be able to track all the season stats, and edit their roster as necessary to bring success on the field.
Overall, R.B.I. Baseball 17 is another fun, arcade baseball title. Is it perfect? No. Could it be better? Yes. If you own an Xbox One and like having fun with friends in an easy-to-learn environment, picking up this baseball game is a no brainer. For only 19.99, you won’t get a better baseball experience on the Xbox One…literally, you won’t.
R.B.I. Baseball is now available for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Android devices.
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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