"Super Mega Baseball 3" Review

The "Super Mega Baseball" franchise comes along just when sports-starved gamers need it most.

Boiling down the sport to the exuberance of its very essence, the dev team at Metalhead Software keeps upping the ante in its over-the-top baseball series. Coed teams with XFL-sounding team names take each other on in exaggerated clashes.

Despite the overpowered pitches, hits and throws, the gameplay remains surprisingly balanced. The result is that scoring lines and stats tend to be fairly authentic analogs to real-life contests.

Since the game lacks licenses, there's no roster update impetus for fans to keep buying its sequels. However, there are still plenty of reasons for fans to re-up. For one, the bulk of the online community will no doubt migrate to the newest entry.

Also, Metalhead continues to refine its game. The visuals get a boost, all the way down the line from character animations and facial expressions down to backgrounds.

Micromanagers who prefer front office duties to on-field action will be pleased. There's a new franchise mode to sink your teeth into, letting you put together your dream roster and put out administrative fires.

What began as something of a lark has morphed into a full-featured baseball sim that ditches the burdens of reality whenever possible. "Super Mega Baseball 3" is ready to be called up to the bigs.

Publisher provided review code.