Review: R.B.I. Baseball 16

Posted by Collin on April 27th, 2016 | 0 Comments | Tags: R.B.I. Baseball 16

If you are looking for a quick, pick up and play baseball game that is accessible for new players, R.B.I. Baseball 16 may be for you. The game isn’t a baseball simulator, and it isn’t trying to be one. Stat tracking, roster updates and online multiplayer are still here from last year’s game, but it doesn’t offer much new to justify the $20 asking price.

R.B.I. Baseball 16 goes for a simplistic design with the players and gameplay. There are only two main types of pitches the pitcher can throw, a fast pitch and a slow pitch. The ball can be curved, however, to fool the opponent. Hitters only have one type of swing and the ability to bunt. It would have been nice to see a contact swing or a heavy swing, but that could take away some of the simplistic nature the game presents. The pitcher can move from side to side on the pitching rubber, and batters can move around the batter’s box to better counteract each other’s moves. At bat, and out in the field, character models look indistinguishable. Other than looking at the player card that is presented when the player is up to bat, it is hard to tell which player is who.

For modes, you have exhibition, regular season, post season, and online. The same as last year’s offerings. In season mode, you can have the choice of having a full 162 game season, or having it shortened to 81 games or 52 games. Just like last year’s game, a post season mode is here, so you can jump right into the playoffs with your favorite team.  Rosters can be chosen from either a classic 16 man roster or a current 25 man roster. A welcome addition to this year’s game is the ability to simulate games. Simulating games lets you get a random outcome if you don’t want to play every single game of the season. While playing either the regular season or post season, the game does track stats, allowing you to see a batters average or pitchers ERA over the course of the season. Online play has improved from last year, but I did notice a delay in the response time of some of my actions, both pitching and in the field. R.B.I. Baseball 16 offers stat tracking, like last year, and is a substantial feature for players wanting to play all season long.

It doesn’t do much to improve on last year’s R.B.I. Baseball 15, with only small improvements and additions. Wall catches, diving and fake throws are in this year, but it doesn’t change the experience all that much. Players will be able to reach further for grounders or reach higher for balls about to go over the fence.

One of my complaints with R.B.I. Baseball 15, was that numerous glitches and crashes hurt the overall game. With R.B.I. Baseball 16, the game didn’t crash on me, but I did encounter a few menu glitches and glitches on the diamond. One glitch I found on the field was that after a ground ball hit fair, the runner would not run to first and would stay in his hitting position in the batter’s box. A glitch I found in the menus was when I tried to change the uniform of a team, the menu froze and I wasn’t able to progress until I was finally able to back out.

R.B.I. Baseball 16 is a minor step forward for the series with the addition of wall catches and diving, but isn’t enough for players looking to upgrade from last year’s game. Some issues have cleared up, like the game crashing, but some new problems have seemed to rise. It’s a cleaner experience overall though. The quick get in and get out gameplay, accessibility of new players and roster updates are still the best things going for R.B.I. Baseball 16. Depending on how you feel about the ability to simulate games, it is a tough sell for players of last year’s game to upgrade, but if this is your first R.B.I. Baseball game, this is the one to get.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. For more info on our review policy click here.

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