Rusty's Real Deal Baseball[a] was a free-to-play baseball video game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. It was released in Japan in August 2013 and in North America in April 2014; the game was not released in Europe.
| Rusty's Real Deal Baseball | |
|---|---|
 Game icon, featuring Rusty Slugger (left) and one of his ten children (right) in front of Rusty's store | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Katsuhiko Kanno |
| Producer(s) | Koichi Kawamoto |
| Designer(s) | Ryosuke Suzuki, Tadashi Matsushita |
| Programmer(s) | Shinji Kitihara, Kazuki Yoshihara |
| Composer(s) | Kenji Yamamoto |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The game and its minigames are no longer available to download due to the Nintendo eShop closure on Nintendo 3DS.[1]
Gameplay edit
The game features baseball themed minigames, which can be purchased individually at Rusty Slugger's store, called "Rusty Slugger's Sport Shack". The player is given a free demo of one of the minigames, but will eventually need to pay for them. While each minigame is paid through microtransactions, players can haggle with Rusty to purchase the games for a lower price.[2] Playing the minigames will reward players with items that can be used to haggle with Rusty, which Rusty will accept and use to fix his life problems. One of Rusty's children will tell you if the price can not be lowered any further, and if a player chooses an ineffective option of dialogue, they can reset Rusty's mood with a donut for a better approach.[3] Players can compare minigame score with other player via StreetPass.[3]
The game will intentionally keep players from trying to purchase the games for full price, but can still be purchased after multiple warnings. When a player pays for full price, Rusty's past mentor Pappy Van Poodle will give him the items awarded from the minigames instead.[4]
After the Nintendo 3DS eShop closure, you cannot buy the minigames anymore, but you can see the story in game for free.[5]
Development edit
Rusty's Real Deal Baseball was announced in a Nintendo Direct in 2014. According to Satoru Iwata, the concept of the game was created with the theme of "good feelings".[6] The game's release date was announced via Twitter, and released in Japan in August 2013 and in North America in April 2014.[7]
Reception edit
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 74/100[8] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8/10[9] |
| IGN | 6/10[10] |
| Nintendo Life | 7/10[3] |
| USgamer | 4/5[11] |
The game received generally favorable reviews, scoring a 74/100 on Metacritic.[8]
The game was praised for the characters and humorous writing. Scott Thompson from IGN called the game "uncharacteristically dark" and "surprisingly funny".[10] Chris Carter from Destructoid liked Rusty's unique dialogue and multiple choices of writing during haggling portions of the game. He appreciated Rusty's characteristics and storyline, and believed the game had "awkward silliness".[9]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "Wii U & Nintendo 3DS eShop Discontinuation". Nintendo Customer Support.
- ^ Creegan, Dermot (20 April 2014). "New Rusty's Real Deal Baseball Trailer Released". Hardcore Gamer.
- ^ a b c Shapiro, Jake (5 April 2014). "Rusty's Real Deal Baseball Review (3DS eShop)".
- ^ Doolan, Liam (15 May 2019). "Video: Meet Pappy Van Poodle, The Nintendo Character Nobody Knew Existed". Nintendo Life.
- ^ "Wii U and 3DS eShops are GONE, but now you can See the Story of Rusty's Real Deal Baseball for Free". koopatv.org. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023.
- ^ Juba, Joe. "Rusty's Real Deal Baseball Coming To 3DS In April". Game Informer.
- ^ Watts, Steve (28 March 2014). "Rusty's Real Deal Baseball pitches Nintendo's take on 3DS free-to-play next week". Shacknews.
- ^ a b "Rusty's Real Deal Baseball". Metacritic.
- ^ a b Carter, Chris (3 April 2014). "Review: Rusty's Real Deal Baseball". Destructoid.
- ^ a b Thompson, Scott (8 April 2014). "Rusty's Real Deal Baseball Review". IGN.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (8 April 2014). "Rusty's Real Deal Baseball 3DS Review: Haggle Your Way to Freedom". US Gamer.