Batter up with SNK's Baseball Stars Color for the Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC), an Arcade port from SNK's original Baseball Stars Professional. In the first Pocket Sports Series baseball title for the NGPC, you'll be able to compete against the CPU or head-to-head with a friend via the Neo Geo Pocket Link Cable. Baseball Stars Color brings back most of the usual game play elements such as animated sequences and special power hitters, while introducing some unique features like VS Edit, where you can create your own team.
Each team comes with its own logos and uniforms and the statistical tracking is all here, including averages, home runs, wins and losses, extra innings, and time-outs. Other player options feature: team lineups, bunting, runner acceleration,pick-off attempts, quick throws, base touching, fine plays, base stealing, and various pitches (curves, fastballs, and change-ups). Pitchers and batters can also position themselves within the mound and batter's box respectively.
Some other unique features to this game are bonus players with special abilities, and the Ace in the Hole player, who is selected during time-outs. When you select a relief pitcher, substitute fielder, or batter in one-player mode, only one Ace in the Hole player can be used once per game. If unused, up to a maximum of three are available for any consecutive games. This player has greater ability and strength than all the regular players and is good for one-hit comebacks!
In the VS Edit mode, which is only available in two-player mode, you can select your favorite characters from all players on all teams, including bonus players. This, as well as the one-player pennant, can be saved to the NGPC's internal memory. You can also delete players and change teams if necessary. VS Edit mode limits selection of pitchers to five and the same player cannot be selected twice.
Twelve teams are offered, such as the Burning Reds, El Condors, and Ox Horns. Each has its own overall skill sets, so you must be careful when choosing a team to play throughout the league. Each team is ranked by letters (A through E with A being the best) that represent four categories: pitching, batting, fielding, and running. If you've defeated your opponents in one-player mode more than four games in a row, you'll be granted up to four extra hidden teams to which five players can be added for play. These secret teams' names are up to you to uncover. However, they are all unique in their abilities: one for individuality where each player on the team has his own powerful personalities; one for super-running base runners; another for super offense, with a 40 percent clean-up hitter; and lastly, the ultimate weapon--a team with TWO clean-up hitters!
Players can grow tired over the course of the game; this is displayed by condition parameters represented by face icons. A huge smiling face means the player is in great condition, a straight face means normal condition, and a grumpy face spells terrible doom. Other options include: two-player swapping of players and teams; rematches; extra innings-only play (up to 15, which can end up as ties as well); first or second at-bats; Designated Hitters (DH); called plays which end the game if a team is losing by 10 points; infield flies that become the third out for fly balls that are hit to the infield while there are two outs; and starting pitchers who can't serve as a starter in the following game. Note that fielders besides the pitcher can't be used for pitching.