When people think about sports games, obviously power players like Electronic Arts and 2K Games get a mention. But think back to the olden days of gaming, when someone like Jaleco could easily come in and establish a following. That’s exactly what it did on the NES with releases like Goal! and Bases Loaded. With these games, they managed to hook players, to the point that they were able to release follow-ups with ease. That brand may be gone now, but hardly forgotten, as the new Jaleco Sports series reminds us of their excellence.
Thanks to Rock It Games (with help from Sickhead Games), we can now experience two key releases. Bases Loaded II: Second Season and Goal! 2 bring plenty of old-school goodness for a mere $8 a pop. Not only do you get the original NES releases of these titles, but also Famicom and even SNES variations. It’s a neat package deal.
It helps that Sickhead does a bang-up job with the recreation of these games, right down to the little bit of pixels. The gameplay also feels better than before, with little tweaks so you feel every pitch and penalty kick. That said, do keep in mind these are games that are decades old, so they don’t contain every vital strategy. Also, no online play. But at least there’s leaderboards.
The Jaleco Sports games aren’t world changing, but do remind us of a time when sports games could exist without heavy marketing and microtransactions. Goal! 2 and Bases Loaded II are welcome retro reliefs for anyone that just wants to breathe easy with a sports experience. Nothing wrong with that.
Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded II
Let’s talk about this release first. Bases Loaded II: Second Season has a lot to offer for baseball fans. There’s the NES release, along with the Famicom variation (Moero!! Pro Yakyū ’88 Kettei Ban – I can’t even pronounce it). But you also get Super Bases Loaded 2 from the SNES, along with its translation. Plenty of baseball in this package.
I like how certain improvements were made over the original Bases Loaded, particularly with the fielding dives and leaping catches. It does still remain a challenge to get a good score going, but that’s just part of the territory of baseball. You can also adjust season length accordingly, and keep track of your player stats.
While I do wish there was more support for online community, I do like the idea of having leaderboards, so you can compete with others that way. I’m also a fan of the retro style presentation, making it feel like the games are just about complete here. You can even turn on a classic CRT filter, if you wish.
For a mere $8, you get a killer baseball game that’s sure to please you and your buddies locally. I’m happy to see it again, even if R.B.I. Baseball was more of my favorite at the time. Bases Loaded II has definitely grown on me.
Jaleco Sports: Goal! 2
Next we have Goal! 2. This one contains both the NES (and Famicom) game, along with Super Goal! 2 on the SNES. Obviously the SNES build is the superior one, thanks to its use of Mode 7 and field perspective. But no matter which one you play, you get a dynamic game of soccer on your hands.
Both offer pretty great gameplay for “old school” soccer (FIFA they aren’t, but not bad for their time), and I like having the ability to rewind if you make a mistake. I also prefer the classic NES appearance to the SNES one, though I’m sure fans of either will be in for a treat. Again, you have filter options, and the emulation is handled very well.
Again, I was hoping for bigger online support. But the leaderboards should remain stacked for a while, and the game is a blast with local players. You can also pursue the Super Cup together, which is great for an afternoon of gaming. Oh, and I did mention the $8 price tag, yeah?
Not world changing, but it doesn’t need to be. Goal! 2 harkens back to a simpler time in gaming, and makes for some fun retro sessions of soccer.
Jaleco Sports Is Building On a Great Legacy
After the initial releases of Goal! and Bases Loaded, I’m happy to report that Jaleco Sports is really growing with its follow-ups. Both Goal! 2 and Bases Loaded 2: Second Season have more features than the original. Plus their emulation is handled very respectfully, and they’re a lot of fun. Could there have been more, like rollback netcode? Sure. But for the price, you’re getting enough as it is.
With that, I implore Sickhead to look deeper into the sports offerings this company has for future releases. The Big Challenge! games seem like a particularly strong place to start.
GAMERHUB RATING: 4 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Many thanks to Rockit Games for providing us with review codes! The games are available now for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation!
Need more old-school goodness for modern consoles? Check out our review of Jaws: Retro Edition!
