NES

Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball

Fun, fun, fun. You gotta get Dusty Diamond in your NES.

Dusty Diamonds is a real gem of a baseball game. You construct a team from a set of comical characters with oversized heads that include witches, goblins, and aliens. Dusty Diamonds plays 95% like regular baseball, but are a few minor rule changes. Foul balls are considered outs, and it's possible to catch the ball well beyond the "home-run line". Unlike regular baseball, the gameplay is fast and entertaining. You get a behind-the-batter view during the pitches, and a wide angle view of the field once the ball is hit. Perhaps the best part of the game is its wacky playing fields, located in six interesting locations including a cliff, an island, and a schoolyard. Each has its own little quirks that add an element of unpredictablity. Fun and easy-to-play, Dusty Diamonds puts the fun back into baseball.

Simplistic games really don't get any better than this. It doesn't need stats, create-a-player, or numerous types of pitches. It's nothing but all out fun. It's just one of those games that never garnered the attention that it deserved an would've very easily been passed up by the casual gamer. If you can get passed the looks, you'll find a thoughrougly enjoyable and underrated title that belong in everyone's library.