With each pitch, every swing in Batting Kings dictating who reigns supreme on the scoreboard, the pressure is on around the field like never before. You face off against a clever and erratic AI, and you need to be razor-sharp to outscore your opponent. The simplistic yet appealing baseball simulator tests your reflexes and strategic patience as you stand at home plate or settle on the mound. The folks at Batting Kings have skipped the gimmicks and gone straight to the heart of pitcher vs. batter.
Taking authority is both obvious and psychologically intimidating in Batting Kings. You lock eyes with your opponent, and the tension rises. You release the mouse button at the perfect millisecond, delivering a blazing fastball, and the batter can feel the tension as he eyes the power bar filling up. Of course, when you're at bat, you have to think totally differently. You're living on the edge of getting a perfect swing and living that and every time it's so fulfilling because you hit a ball and just have to see the path and time the click when the ball comes and have to be living in that.
The longer you hold the mouse, the harder your character throws. A flexible pitch that you release at the perfect moment will stun the batsman.
Click to swing just when the ball is approaching the plate. A flawless hit will get you the perfect point and tilt the contest in your favor.
Keep an eye on the score tracker on the screen as you play Batting Kings. Monitoring the point spread will allow you to intuitively change your batting or pitching plan.
But nothing beats the best (quick) swing of an arm catching the bandied-about AI better, be it in the heat of a game or the middle of a practice. There is a fantastic feeling of competitive pressure when you outwit the pitcher and hit a high score. The single-click-timed mechanics, however, are all about the gameplay loop, and it can get a bit tedious in long sessions. If you click a split second too early and miss that all-important pitch, the punishment is fast, but that same difficulty makes you want to come back for a rematch.
Swing to become the best king of baseball in Batting Kings. Then, once you've destroyed the diamond, take another crack at a reflex-firing challenge in Ramp Truck Mayhem.
