Stadium Hero ’96 was produced by Nihon Bussan/AV Japan in 1996.An excellent baseball game from Data East. The marquee has a “MLC” logo. MLC stands for “Mother Less Cassette”. This arcade baseball game lets players select fictional teams from eight different countries that all have different pitching, batting and speed ratings.
Playing this game on the iiRcade is just like the old days on the original arcade machine. Plenty of strategy is involved in this one or two player game. The nine inning game features fully animated players for smooth gameplay, special batters and pitchers with Super Hero Powers that are used in clutch situations and a “ball cam” for a unique balls-eye view perspective.
Play in tournament mode to try to win the championship in 1 player or 2 player mode. In the arcade, one Quarter will get you two innings of gameplay. To finish the whole game would cost around $1.25. Luckily with the iiRcade you can just kit more credits and finish a full game. In tournament mode you play 2 innings only and if you win the game, you move on. If you are tied in the 2nd inning you will play additional innings until the game is over.
There are 8 teams you can choose from. Each team has a special player to help you along in the game. You can choose from a few stadiums as well, one with a dome, and one without. An addition to the game is the power bar. if you bring in an explosive pitcher or batter from the bench, you will have a few attempts to use you Power to throw a fire and smoke like pitch, or when hitting, an explosive smash of the ball to get more distance. You must use the power player at the right time in the game. Once you are out, there is no more power usage.With a a few options of sports on the iiRcade, this RBI Baseball type game is a good fit to the library on the machine. I wish tournament mode was more extensive and possible have a season with saved games and players, but if you want to play a quick game a baseball and enjoy playing with a family member or friend, then this game will work
For more information and to order iiRcade, visit iiRcade.com.
Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the retro gaming community and has co-promoted the Video Game Summit in Chicago, IL for the past 16 years. He also has published 2 books and written for various different gaming magazines including Old School Gamer.
