I love new video games as much as the next guy, but sometimes you have to bust out the classics. Just because I'm going to plop down almost half-a-grand for the new XBox 360, doesn't mean I don't like walking down memory lane with some 8-bit baseball games every now and then. Thanks to some awesome technology (and a good friend!), I now have access to every NES game ever made. So, after some "extensive research", I present to you my opinion of every baseball game made for the old-school Nintendo...

Good...

1) Baseball Stars

This is a great game. It isn't the best looking game out there, but it's fun to play and, as you may recall, you can make your own team. I never had Baseball Stars as a kid, but I sure wish I did.

2) Bases Loaded

I will always have a soft spot for Bases Loaded. This was the only baseball game I had as a kid, and I played it more than any other game. On the plus side, it has relatively good graphics and fun gameplay. The songs that play during the game aren't annoying and the relievers come out in a little car. On the downside, you can't choose the team you play - there are only set matchups.

3) Baseball Stars 2

Not too much different from the original, but hey..."If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

4) RBI Baseball

Cute, pudgy little players, fun gameplay and one of the only games to have MLB support makes this one of the best baseball games for NES.

5) Little League Baseball

A fun Little League game that lets you choose from teams around the globe.

6) Baseball Simulator 1.000

An arcade-style baseball game where each player has magical abilities. For example, you can make your hits zig-zag around the field, make it so the ball has many shadows under it, make the batted ball explode upon contact with the field, etc. I think this game got better on SNES.

Pretty Good...

7) RBI Baseball 3

Trying to make the graphics look "good" made the third installment of RBI Baseball lose some of its original charm.

8) Legends of the Diamond

Play dream games with baseball legends. Don't be fooled when picking your team though, "Mickey" is Mickey Cochrane, not Mickey Mantle.

9) RBI Baseball 2

Ever wanted to see what Randy Johnson would be like as a righty, or what Griffey could do from the right side of the plate? Play RBI Baseball 2! As one of the very few baseball games with MLB licensing, you'd think they would pay attention to that stuff...

10) Major League Baseball

Nothing special...

Bad...

11) Base Wars

Robots playing baseball...it sounds more exciting than it really is. It's actually really frustrating and if there's a close play at a base, you have to fight the opposing robot to see what the call is.

12) Bo Jackson Baseball

This might be an interesting game if you could actually hit the ball. Also, don't they know that not every pitcher has a knuckleball?

13) Bases Loaded 2

14) Bases Loaded 4

15) Bases Loaded 3

Bases Loaded 2, 3 and 4 are all esentially the same game. It sure went downhill from the original, because these are basically un-playable.

16) Tecmo Baseball

Tecmo Bowl is one of the best NES games ever, so what the hell happened here?!?

17) Roger Clemens MVP Baseball

I've come to the conclusion that games where a player's name is in the game are often horrible. I think the companies must spend too much money getting the player to agree, and not enough money on what really counts...the gameplay.

18) Baseball

Sure, it was made in 1984, so it probably deserves a break, but it's just awful. I haven't played a baseball game on Atari, but it can't be much different from this.