Sega's Home Run King for GameCube and Baseball Advance for GBA have been shipped to retailers across North America.
Sega is making sure Nintendo fans are fully ready for the upcoming Major League Baseball season with these two new games. Note that Baseball Advance is the newest Sega handheld title to be distributed under their deal with THQ. Here are both press releases, for your reading pleasure:
SEGA'S BASEBALL SLUGFEST HOME RUN KING(tm)
BRINGS ARCADE-STYLE HARD BALL To the NINTENDO GAMECUBE(tm)
Includes Comprehensive Create-A-Player and Create-A-Team Modes to Customize
Your Favorite Characters or All-Star Lineup
SAN FRANCISCO (March 19, 2002) - Sega® of America announced today the
release of "Home Run KING(tm)"for the Nintendo GameCube(tm). Arriving in
time
for the 2002 season, "Home Run KING" expertly recreates the look and feel of
baseball while delivering pick-up and play controls and exciting Major
League Baseball® action. This fully licensed arcade winner includes every
team, player, and stadium in incredible detail. Featuring tight fielding
controls and fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay along with an intuitive
pitching/hitting interface, "Home Run KING" creates a high-scoring slugfest
that will have every gamer chanting "Going, Going, Gone!"
"'Home Run KING's' addictive gameplay will win the hearts of Nintendo
GameCube owners once they grab their controllers and start slugging away,"
said Tom Nichols, director of sports marketing, Sega of America. "As Sega
moves towards becoming a leading content publisher, we're focused on making
games for everyone. Whether you're a baseball junkie or video game novice,
'Home Run KING' has something that will appeal to all gamers with its
awesome gameplay, detailed graphics and easy to learn pitching/hitting
interface."
With "Home Run KING's" pick-up-and-play controls, gamers can jump in and
start swinging for the fences in no time. Optional auto fielding provides
support for those gamers that want to focus on their slugging. And when the
hitting game has been mastered, simply turn off the auto fielding for full
manual control of the infield and outfield.
"Home Run KING" features authentic player models that are so real, their
trademark batting stances and pitching styles are replicated down to the way
they wiggle their bat and deliver their pitches. Players also show emotion
through facial expressions, as errors are met with disgust and players smile
big when they knock one out of the park. The ballparks in "Home Run KING"
are designed to the exact specifications of their real-life counterparts,
and real-time weather effects add to the game's convincing ambient
atmosphere. Further accentuating the MLB experience is the in-game audio,
which includes colorful play-by-play commentary and stadium chants from the
stands -- even actual mascots walk around to incite crowd reaction.
"Home Run KING" features two custom modes that change the face of the game.
The Create-A-Player mode allows gamers to mold a big league player in their
own image, customizing everything from a character's hairstyle to their bat
color. The Create-A-Team option allows gamers to create the ultimate
baseball dream team and put them to work in the many different gameplay
modes. Among the featured modes are Exhibition, Season, Playoffs and Home
Run Derby*, all of which provide plenty of replay value.
Endorsed by Houston Astros' first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who appears on the
cover of the game, "Home Run KING" is available at retailers nationwide for
$49.95. The game is rated "E" for everyone.
THQ and SEGA Ship BASEBALL ADVANCE for Game Boy Advance
CALABASAS HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2002--THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI - news) and SEGA® Corporation today announced the release of BASEBALL ADVANCE(TM) for Game Boy® Advance. Fully licensed by Major League Baseball® and the Major League Baseball Players Association®, BASEBALL ADVANCE is the latest title in THQ's exclusive Game Boy Advance co-publishing agreement with SEGA.
``THQ is committed to bringing the best interactive entertainment to all segments of the gaming audience,'' said Alison Locke, executive vice president, North American Publishing, THQ. ``Working with SEGA to bring top-quality titles like BASEBALL ADVANCE to Game Boy Advance will help solidify our leadership position in the handheld category.''
``The release of BASEBALL ADVANCE further demonstrates SEGA's commitment to bringing quality games across all genres to all platforms,'' said Charles Bellfield, vice president of strategic planning and corporate affairs, SEGA of America. ``As the first game co-published by SEGA and THQ in the sports genre for the Game Boy Advance platform, BASEBALL ADVANCE is sure to be a hit with both sports and casual gamers.''
About BASEBALL ADVANCE
BASEBALL ADVANCE allows players to compete against all 30 Major League Baseball teams across four gameplay modes for a chance to win the World Series® or compete in the All-Star Game(TM). Each team features authentic MLB(TM) players and statistics from the 2001 season, and players are able to update and save current season statistics during gameplay. BASEBALL ADVANCE features four of the most famous professional ballparks in the majors, including historic favorites Fenway Park(TM) and Wrigley Field(TM).