Bad News Baseball (1989). Play online

Summary

Bad News Baseball (sometimes just called Bad News) is a NES title that mixes traditional baseball rules with cartoonish quirks that make it feel aimed at younger players. Instead of serious umpires you get a hopping rabbit behind the plate, and home‑run celebrations are animated in a kid‑friendly style; even a batter can be knocked out and become briefly unconscious after a wild throw.

The single‑player mode lets you challenge every other team in a round‑robin without a set schedule—wins and losses aren’t recorded, so you can play indefinitely until all opponents fall. After each victory the system hands you a password that saves which squads you’ve defeated and each pitcher’s stamina, which must recover after heavy use.

There are two leagues, the Ultra and the Super, loosely patterned after the American and National Leagues and both operate without the designated hitter. Twelve fantasy teams sport 14 batters and six pitchers each, and you can rearrange lineups or pick your starter pitcher, with attributes that affect hitting, stealing, and pitching.

A hidden “girls” mode swaps in entirely new rosters via a special controller combo and reset, effectively doubling the lineup variety. Games end in a tie after twelve innings, mirroring Nippon Professional Baseball, and the overall feel recalls Tecmo’s earlier RBI Baseball while adding its own whimsical flair.