MLB '98

MLB ‘98 is a Major League Baseball video game for the PlayStation and was developed by Sony Interactive Studios America. It was released on June 30, 1997 and is rated K-A for kids to adults. It is the sequel to MLB Pennant Race.[1]

Developer(s)Sony Interactive Studios America
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesMLB
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: June 30, 1997
Genre(s)Sports game

Gameplay

Games are called by public address announcer Mike Carlucci. New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams was featured on the cover. Some of its features are the 30 Major League Baseball clubs, six playing modes, complete statistic tracking, and creating players.

It has been succeeded by MLB '99, where Vin Scully began calling the games. Starting with MLB 2000, joining him is infielder Dave Campbell on color commentary.

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM9/10[2]
GameSpot6.2/10[3]
Next Generation[4]

MLB '98 received mixed to positive reviews, with most critics praising the fluid animation,[2][3][5] comprehensive licensing,[2][3][5] extensive features,[2][3][5] and the usually fast pace of the games.[2][4][5] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly both gave it a 9 out of 10, with Kraig Kujawa describing it as "fast-paced, straightforward and (most importantly) fun."[2] GameSpot's Glenn Rubenstein was much less enthusiastic, commenting that while the game has all the expected features, it fails to truly stand out in any area, leaving him certain that a superior baseball game would come out by Christmas.[3] Next Generation stated that "There's no denying that MLB '98 is a good, solid baseball game that surpasses Triple Play '98 in many respects. However, in the grander scheme of console baseball, MLB '98 does nothing to advance the genre and can't even clean the cleats of Sega's World Series Baseball '98 for Saturn."[4] GamePro concluded that it "gets rookies into the action right away and can definitely keep the most seasoned veteran hooked for an entire season. If you like your baseball served up arcade-style, MLB '98 is the only game you need to order."[5]

Just a few months after MLB '98 was released, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed it as number 97 on their "100 Best Games of All Time", saying it "has its minor flaws and bugs, but overall it's the best 32-Bit baseball game."[6]

References
  1. "E3 Unleashed!". GamePro. No. 106. IDG. July 1997. p. 62.
  2. "Team EGM Sports: MLB '98". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 98. Ziff Davis. September 1997. p. 129.
  3. Rubenstein, Glenn. "MLB '98 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  4. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 195.
  5. The Rookie (September 1997). "Sony Hits the PlayStation Big League with MLB '98". GamePro. No. 108. IDG. p. 104.
  6. "100 Best Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 102. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
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