RBI Baseball 15 is a huge improvement over its predecessor. With that being said, with everything that it does right, something else goes awry and the total package falls flat in the end. I like to compare RBI 15 to a toddler going through its "terrible twos" stage. You really want to enjoy what you see because you have an unconditional love for it, but it frustrates you to the point where you want to start pulling your hair out and the feeling of utter disappointment inundates you.
Obviously, this baseball outing is not The Show. It is geared towards simplicity and good-old arcadey fun, and it shows. Strangely absent features from RBI 14 have thankfully made it to this year's game, however. You can now play a full 162 game season, and you can choose to play using either a full 25 man lineup or the classic 16 man roster. Stat-tracking also makes its debut here. You can track the E.R.A of a pitcher, how many home runs you knock out of the park, batting averages, and more, and it really adds a sense of realism and depth to a game that is meant to be picked up and played instead of trying to master the intricacies of the sport. All the ballparks from each team are accurately depicted and they look excellent, far better than what I was expecting. Comerica Park has the cursive font on the sign above the scoreboard that reads, "Tigers," Great American Ball Park has the steamboats, Marlins Park has the flashy home-run sculpture that captures the essence of Miami, and a number of other stadiums have the backdrops and skylines of their respective cities recreated to a tee. The ballparks in RBI 15 are clearly the star of the show. It feels empowering after you crack a homer and the camera pans out as the ball soars high up into the bleachers. What's not so appealing is the crowd, which resembles something you'd see out of Minecraft. They're blocky and their animations are choppier than an expedition on the seven seas in hurricane conditions. Just try your best and disregard them if you can.
Players look too samey, save for some minor differences in skin tone and facial hair. All of them have the same sense of movement, somewhere between molasses in the month of January, and a snail chugging along the ground. Although stat-tracking is present, everybody seems to have the same pace, a little misleading when you assume that a speedy all star like Bryce Harper will round the bases and get a triple with ease after you a hit a laser out to deep center field, only to find out that he and a more sluggish player like David Ortiz have the exact same ability, and this is a major issue that forces you to change the way you play a game entirely.
Pitching, hitting, and fielding are mediocre, at best. As the pitcher, you will tire very fast, no matter how you mix up your repertoire. I frequently found myself pulling my starter for someone out of the bullpen, and this is after only lasting 5, maybe 6 innings, if I was lucky. You also have little awareness if a hit ball comes back at you on the mound because the pitcher will ignore all hits directed towards him, and too many times does a grounder sneak through their legs. If you do give up a hit to the opposing team, which will happen a lot whether you are playing on easy, medium, or hard, get ready to scream as your fielders slowly jog to make the play rather than running as they are supposed to. Singles turn into doubles, which turn into triples, and before you know it, the bases will be loaded, and you have to just buckle down and hope you get lucky. Yes, luck is a big determinant of winning a game versus losing a game. There isn't an option to sprint or dive for balls, either, so you better hope you get a good jump on the play or else you're in deep trouble. Hitting fairs a little better perhaps. You can choose to hit a ground ball or fly ball, you can bunt if you're in the right situation for such a call, and you get into somewhat intense pitcher-batter duels. In general, it is a good idea to let the ball get deep in the strike zone before you swing as this will give you the best chance of getting a hit. Not swinging on every pitch helps, too!
Among the pitching, hitting, and fielding issues, I encountered some other random bugs. In one game I was playing, the game froze up on me and I had to completely restart. I also came across inconsistent A.I. behavior, players going through walls, players completely disappearing, and a quirky graphical hitch where the field tends to "glisten" as the camera follows the action. This is most noticeable when a ball is hit hard out to deep left, center, or right field. A possible explanation could be that the game cannot process what is going on quickly and efficiently enough. It doesn't distract you too much from the gameplay, but it is certainly there.
Through my play sessions, I have to say that I did have some heated contests, and a couple amazing plays did pop up from time to time, from diving saves, to long throws from the outfield that beat out a runner trying to score a run, they were all satisfying and kept me coming back from more, despite the bugs and other annoyances. To truly love this game, you have to either have a lot of patience, or be an Xbox One owner. Speaking of which, for you Xbox One owners, this is the only option you have as far as baseball games go this year, as MLB 2K has been discontinued after consistently underwhelming sales and reception from fans and critics alike.
For what it's worth, $20, it is a surprisingly fun and addictive take on baseball. It isn't broken by any means, and it performs markedly better than RBI Baseball 14.
Bottom Line: RBI Baseball 15 is a good arcadey classic. It takes what was missing from last year's game, and adds it to this edition, which turns out to be enjoyable once you learn the control scheme. Many elements of the pitching, hitting, and fielding leave a lot to be desired, and some frustrating bugs may cause some players to turn away, but at such a low price, expectations can't be set too high. Each ballpark is faithfully represented and includes the small touches that makes each ballpark unique, and they all look great. A major improvement over RBI Baseball 14, just don't try to compare it to the competition.
The Good:
+Fast-paced action and classic arcade controls
+Ballparks are accurately represented and they all look fantastic
+Some amazing plays and exciting pitcher-batter duels
The Bad:
-Pitchers fatigue too rapidly
-Fielding tends to be a chore
-Annoying bugs can lead to frequent restarts
-Inconsistent A.I. behavior
-Stat-tracking can be misleading
-Lack of variety in player models
Score: 6/10 "Fair"