Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball
From 30-30.club - Baseball Video Game Encyclopedia
Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball
| Release Date | Unreleased (announced for 2005) |
|---|---|
| Platforms | GameCube |
| Developer | Exile Interactive |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Team Names | Real MLB teams |
| Player Names | Real MLB players |
| Cover Athlete(s) | David Ortiz |
Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball is an unreleased action baseball game by Exile Interactive set in MLB, which was planned for release in 2005. Exile Interactive served as the development team for the game. The team had previously worked on Sega's World Series Baseball 2K2 and 2K3.
The game was originally announced for an April 4th release date, then delayed to June 13th. A trailer and gameplay was shown at E3 2005, which took place from May 18-20. On June 13th 2005, Nintendo announced the game was delayed indefinitely.
Description
Batting is controlled with a bat-shaped swing cursor. Flicking the GameCube C-stick up, down, left, or right will influence the direction of the batted ball.
Pitches are aimed by holding the left stick in the desired location then timing the pitch meter correctly for an accurate pitch. Different previews give different descriptions of the C-stick functionality while pitching: Flicking the C-stick down is said to either increase the break of pitches or increase accuracy. In either case, the downside is a smaller and more difficult pitch meter.
The game features a Speed Play mode that can be enabled mid-game, focusing control to only the batter-pitcher matchup to allow a full game to played more quickly.
Rookie of the Year mode lets players control a single created character across a full season. Performance points earned in the mode can be spent to improve other players on the same team. Created characters that win the Rookie of the Year award are added to the free agent pool for Franchise Mode.
Franchise Mode allows for control of a single team for up to fifteen seasons.
A Home Field Evolution mode allows the player to earn upgrade points across various game modes to spend on their own custom park, including features not just of Major League parks but also sandlot and minor league-quality parks.
The play-by-play commentator is Rick Rizzs, then of the Seattle Mariners. The color guy is Bob Brenly, former Diamondbacks manager and then-Cubs broadcaster. The stadium announcer is Tom Hutyler, also of the Mariners.
"Greatest Day" by Bowling for Soup is the game's title track. E3 footage of the game also included the song "My Everything" by Goldfinger.
E3 footage indicates that points earned through gameplay can unlock 65 unlockable jerseys and 10 stadiums.
E3 2005 Trailer
E3 Gameplay Video
From 2:44 to 4:22 in the video below includes footage of the game being played at E3 2005.
Producer Interview
Two interviews with Nintendo of America producer Henry Sterchi about the game, from IGN and GameSpot. Both interviews were performed at a Nintendo event surrounding the Opening Day Twins at Mariners game on April 5, 2005.
Screenshots
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Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball logo
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Magazine Scans
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Best Buy advertorial discussing Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball and Bowling for Soup - Electronic Gaming Monthly 191
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Preview in Game Informer #144
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GameSpot preview. Captured 2024.
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Nintendo World Report preview. Captured 2024.
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IGN preview. Captured 2024.
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Nsidr preview, page 1. Captured 2024.
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Nsidr preview, page 2. Captured 2024.
