So, I finally got my hands on this International Playthings Super Stadium Baseball Game. I’d seen it around, you know, in old toy catalogs or maybe a dusty corner of a store, and I figured, why not give it a whirl?
Getting Started
Pulled it out of the box. First thing I noticed, lots of plastic bits. You got your stadium, your little player figures, the scoreboard, and of course, the bat and pitcher mechanisms. Snapping it all together wasn’t rocket science, but it took a few minutes. Getting those tiny fielders into their slots was a bit fiddly, gotta say. I was worried I’d snap a leg off one of ’em. But, eventually, it all came together, looking like a proper, if very miniature, ballpark.
First Innings
Alright, so I set it up on the kitchen table. My kid came over, saw it, and was immediately curious. He’s used to video games, so this mechanical contraption was a bit of a novelty. I explained the basics: you use this lever to pitch the little metal ball, and this other lever to swing the bat. Simple, right? Well, simpler said than done.
My first few pitches were wild. The ball went skittering off to the side, sometimes not even making it to the “plate.” The pitching mechanism, it’s got this spring-loaded thing. You pull back and let ‘er rip. There’s a bit of a learning curve to get any kind of accuracy. It’s not just about power; it’s about the angle, the timing.
Then came batting. Oh boy. You control this little yellow bat on a pivot. Trying to time your swing to connect with that tiny speeding ball bearing? Tough stuff. We had a lot of swings and misses. My kid was giggling his head off at my strikeouts. When he took a turn, he wasn’t much better at first. Lots of air balls, if you can call them that in a tabletop game.
The Heat of the Game (Sort Of)
We played a few “innings.” It got pretty intense, in a silly way. The best part was when one of us actually made contact. That little tink sound of the metal ball hitting the plastic bat was surprisingly satisfying. We even managed a few “hits.” The ball would roll into the outfield. Now, the fielders, they don’t move. They’re just static little guys. So, a “hit” is basically the ball rolling to an open spot. An “out” is if it lands in one of the little pockets near a fielder. It’s pretty random, which adds to the chaos.
- We had a “double” once, where the ball just kept rolling.
- Lots of pop-ups that landed right back in the catcher’s mitt (another little pocket).
- And more strikeouts than I can count.
There was one moment, I pitched, my kid swung, and he actually connected pretty well. The ball shot towards what we designated as “center field.” We both thought, “Home run!” But then it hit one of the stadium walls and bounced right back into an infielder’s pocket. Out! He groaned so loud. I told him, “Hey, that’s tabletop baseball for ya!”
My Final Take
So, this Super Stadium Baseball Game, what’s the verdict? It’s definitely a throwback. It’s not smooth. It’s not high-tech. The controls are clunky, and the gameplay is quirky. Sometimes the ball gets stuck, or the pitcher doesn’t release right. You gotta jiggle it a bit.
But you know what? We had fun. It was a different kind of fun. It was about the shared frustration, the lucky shots, and the goofy physics of it all. It’s not something you’re gonna play for hours every day. But for a quick, silly game, to get away from screens for a bit? Yeah, it did the trick. It reminded me of simpler toys from when I was a kid. It’s got a certain charm, this old thing. We’ll probably pull it out again sometime, try to break our record of, like, two runs in a game.
