One of Nintendo’s most outlandish sports games is “Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball.” Most people would consider a game with such a strange title sub-par, but the game proves to be anything but, and it can capture players’ attention for hours.
The whimsical game combines story elements with minigame collections while also utilizing the Nintendo 3DS’ many unique features. Although the game and 3DS are pretty old (about a decade old, in fact) the game still holds up today and is easily one of the most interesting and entertaining sports games, or at least is unique compared to today’s games.
The game revolves around the main character, Rusty. As a previously famous and now retired baseball player, Rusty finds passion as a baseball gear salesman. Rusty also sells his baseball video games to interested people (to little success).
The player buys minigames from him. Minigames are the main element of the game; in total there are ten. All of the games provide a unique feature that is rarely ever found in sports video games.
Bat & Switch is the first game unlocked for everyone, regardless of if players buy more. It’s a simple batting game where the goal is to time swings to hit the balls as far as possible, and at the same time, players need to be careful not to miss. Here, players are introduced to core elements such as hearts, game overs and more.
Players learn how the scoring system works, which gives them an A, B or C rank based on how many points they get, how fast they complete the mini-game and more. This gives them the incentive to replay past minigames and improve their score.
Players learn the feeling of the bat and how and when to swing, giving them the information they can use in later minigames. They need to get a certain amount of points, which are gained based on how far the ball is hit, and once the minigame is over, they get a stamp on a card.
This stamp card allows players to get multiple items, such as donuts and discount tickets they can use to haggle with Rusty and lower game prices. This serves as a great introduction to the game and sets a standard for the other minigames.
“Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball” has many minigames, which allow for countless hours of play. In total, there are nine categories of games, each dealing with different aspects of baseball such as hitting, fielding, aiming, umpiring, cleaning gloves, making bats, juggling balls and testing reflexes.
In each category, there are 25 “basic” minigames and 25 “advanced” minigames, and along with two challenges focused on getting as high a score as possible, there are 52 minigames in each category. With there being nine categories that total 468 games. However, the bat maker has one minigame which brings the total to 469.
Although the game can be very fun, some things hold it back from a perfect rating. First off, without using items to haggle with Rusty, each game will cost $4. However, by haggling, players can get game prices down which brings the total for all minigames to $16, a steal compared to the games full price of $40.
The game also doesn’t have any multiplayer. Players can compare ranks with others they meet in the game, but they cannot play the same games together. Having one player pitch baseballs, one hit them, and one player be an umpire would be even more entertaining and is a huge missed opportunity.
Overall, the story is lighthearted and entertaining, and the way the game uses Nintendo’s Miis (customizable characters) allows the player to become more attached to the game’s sentimentality. Most importantly, the fresh ideas put into the game help it stand apart from other games and make gameplay feel streamlined.
“Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball” altogether is a fun game and very enjoyable, and it utilizes the 3DS’ unique features very well. The mini-games provide quality entertainment that will continue to keep players absorbed for many hours.
