msxnet > Konami MSX Games > Pennant Race 1 and 2
Pennant Race 1 and 2 are two really ace baseball games. I've heard that the
game is much like the real thing. I'm no baseball expert, so I can't confirm
it. But in any case, it's really great if you like baseball. Especially
playing against real opponents is fun.
Pennant Race 2 (RC 766) is a newer version of the same game. The game play is much like Pennant Race 1 (RC 757).
Pennant Race 1 is in screen 5 while Pennant Race 2 is in screen 4. Because of this, the graphics of the first version is better, strangely enough. Screen 4 was probably used in the second version to support horizontal scrolling.
Other differences:
It is possible to make your own teams, but due to the Japanese I don't know how it works. It is also possible to have a pennant type league, but I never used it.
Player two can be controlled with the keyboard:
| Joystick | Keyboard P1 | Keyboard P2 |
|---|---|---|
| button A | SPACE | SHIFT |
| button B | M | CTRL |
| UP | UP | E |
| RIGHT | RIGHT | F |
| BOTTOM | BOTTOM | C |
| LEFT | LEFT | S |
Batting can be quite difficult. You need to hit the ball at the right moment, and you have to predict whether a ball is to high/low etc. Press space to bat. Like the real game, the ball will go the farther if you hit it with tip of your bat.
You can move to the left and right using the left and right cursor keys.
You can also block stop the ball like in the real game. Just press space for a very short time.
In PR2, you can hit a low ball by pressing down while you press space.
Whenever a ball is hit, all your men at any base will start running to the next base. You can force one of them to go back (necessary when a ball is caught) by pressing space and the direction to the base you want to return to. This direction controls which of your men starts running back.
In PR2, it is also possible to run to the previous base if you already are at a base. Use the same procedure as for running back. You can also stop all your men at any place by pressing <M> and <SPACE> in PR2.
You can also force your men to run forward by pressing <M> and the direction. Like the real game, it is also possible to start running before the ball is hit.
Pitching is easy. You can move the pitcher left or right by pressing <LEFT> or <RIGHT>. You can throw the ball in a certain direction by pressing that direction while you press <SPACE> to throw the ball.
You can also throw the ball to a base by pressing <M> and the direction to the base. This is useful if a runner starts running before you have pitched.
To catch the ball, simply move the catchers in the field with the cursor keys or joystick. To throw the ball to a certain base, press:
Make sure you press the cursor key before you hit space, otherwise it won't work.
In PR2 you can also do some tricks like jumping. Press <UP> and <SPACE> to jump (you can only do that while the ball is mid air). To make a sliding, press <LEFT> or <RIGHT> or <DOWN> and <SPACE>.
If you have the ball, you can also run towards your opponent by pressing <M> and the direction.
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BiFi <bifi@msxnet.org>