OVERALL RATING		4.0
Presentation		3.5
Control		3.5
Gameplay		4.5
Fun factor		4.5
User Rating		4.5

Baseball Superstars 2007 is not what you would expect from today’s typical baseball game, and that’s a good thing.  More often than not sports games are judged by whether they are officially licensed or have some well-known star behind them, and since this has neither, it has all the flavor of 8-bit classics.

At first glance you’ll notice the squatty body players that were standard of the bygone era and familiar mechanics for pitching, batting and running around the field.  It’s an easy game to catch on to that features both Exhibition and Season modes with a number of differently-powered teams such as the San Francisco Sea Lions and the Boston Revolution.  You can select pitchers, batters and even the type of ballpark you wish to play in.  This alone would probably suit most players looking to experience some old skool baseball, but a little more is added with the inclusion of a homerun derby.

Derbies are always a fun and quick diversion and the one here spots you 30 pitches to see how many of them you can knock out of the ballpark.  Nothing special is required just good timing and perfect placement.  Again, it’s not too technical and just lets you sit down and play, but for a deeper experience, you can check out My League, where the distinction from other games really sets in.

In My League, you can groom your own customized rookie into a superstar and lead your team to the championship.  You are responsible for building up batting, running and power skills, earning a salary and keeping the team’s enthusiasm going, as well as spending your salary on performance enhancing equipment.  The main difference here though is that you play the game as you would in real life, only coming up to bat during the game when it’s your turn.  You aren’t responsible for pitching, other team members or fielding, but you certainly are for trying to get runs in.  Think of it as playing the DH.  Best of all, this mode isn’t over with one season.  You have 10 seasons to play, where you can also renegotiate your contract after each season.

This mode is really entertaining and don’t be afraid of it being too much of a simulation, because it is not.  It’s quite simple to understand and all the functions are clearly marked with suitable icons.  For added value, the game also keeps track of stats and uploads your score to a leaderboard.

Baseball Superstars 2007 is a blast from the past in terms of visuals and general game play, but with the extras added on such as the derby and the excellent My League mode, it has a few ideas that really dispel the notion of sucking because it’s not officially licensed.  A big surprise, you’ll be glad you downloaded it.