Running the bases: The iPhone baseball games of the 2009 season

Just shy of the number of losses posted by this year's impressive LA Dodgers, the number of baseball games hitting the App Store this season is an impressive figure. Nine brand new titles mean more time at the plate and some of the most innovative ball play in years.

The roster isn't all rosy, though, and selecting which one to draft onto your iPhone or iPod touch is tough. Fortunately, we've put all the baseball games currently available on the App Store through their paces, as well as those coming in the mid-season. We've broken down each game's strengths and weaknesses, and for those upcoming titles we point out where the potential lies.

Of course, we're keen to hear what you think about the season's picks. Leave a comment about which one you feel is the best and what you're looking for out of next year's line up.

MLB World Series 2009
Polarbit

Authenticity gets the official baseball game of the season big props, though it only carries MLB World Series 2009 so far.

Teams have been lovingly recreated in eye-catching 3D, as well as a few of the stadia in which they actually play. This is without a doubt the prettiest of the games available, complemented by great sound effects for the crowd and the cracking of bats.

Those flashy graphics don't knock the game out of the park, however. The familiar format of its turn-based action offers little in the way of dynamic gameplay.

MLB World Series 2009 does a fantastic job of using the accelerometer for pitching and batting, having you tilt your handset in order to position your pitch and align your bat. A tap of the screen triggers a swing when batting, whereas a slide of your finger enables you to throw a pitch.

These controls work brilliantly, sliding in where other games strike out. Unfortunately, there's little more to the game than this cool mechanic. Bunting is curiously absent, fielding and base running is handled automatically, and team management features are sorely lacking in Season mode.

There's plenty to play here, with a mode that can span over 160 games, a quick hit Exhibition mode, and World Series playoffs.

No doubt a decent value, though MLB World Series 2009 ultimately focuses more on authenticity than gameplay. Without any glaring flaws it's a solid buy, even if it isn't quite as fun as the competition.

9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2009
Com2us

Equal parts role-playing and baseball game, 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2009 takes an approach that relies less on simulated play and more on fun. Skill plays a leading role, though the game differs from its counterparts in rewarding you with upgrade points for your athleticism.

Similar to an achievement system, the game features an array of missions ranging from getting three strikes in a row as a pitcher to nailing back-to-back home runs. Whenever you accomplish these missions during a game, you unlock points to spend on coach upgrades. Better coaches translate to enhanced player abilities, which in turn improve your skills on the field.

This simple system gives 9 Innings a depth absent from competing titles. Add a well-rounded list of modes - Exhibition, Tournament, Season, and Home Run - and the game boasts a lot of value, too.

The trade off comes in flat, underwhelming visuals, joined by less-than ideal controls and the absence of an option to reconfigure game rules.

Games always run a full nine innings, which is entirely too long for portable play. An option to shorten games to three or six innings would be very welcome.

The controls have been reworked from a previous mobile version and, while functional, they don't feel natural. These hold 9 Innings back from becoming the year's pick, although there's a lot of potential here that can be seized next season.

Baseball Superstars 2009
Gamevil

As we struggle to find an MVP among the baseball games of the season, Baseball Superstar 2009 comes close to nabbing the title. Fun, approachable ball play gives this colourful game appeal even though it lags behind the curve with outdated controls.

Play the core My League mode and you'll find it to be bloody hard, but built into this mode of the game is a long and painstaking process to build up your players until they can knock them out of the park.

It's quite a learning curve, and for that reason it may frustrate on the back of its cutesy graphics and enticing customisation modes.

The trade off comes in deep role-playing elements that enable you to improve your statistical skills, purchase equipment upgrades, and even manage your players' personal lives.

Unfortunately, it suffers antiquated controls inherited from the original mobile version of the game. Instead of using the accelerometer or touchscreen for cool flick pitching and batting, it's done with an on-screen D-pad. Updating the mechanics would do much to make this game a winner, as it already has great game design behind it.

Flick Sports Baseball
Freeverse

On the docket for a mid-season release, Flick Baseball promises the most comprehensive game of the season in terms of gameplay.

While it won't carry the official MLB mark, Freeverse has an accessible, fully featured ball game on its hands. It's also has something few of the other games this season don't: true blue American style courtesy of a US development team.

In line with others in the genre, batting is done with flicks of your finger. Pitching is still being tweaked, though expect options for throwing different pitches like fastballs and curves.

What really has our attention, however, is the game's fielding mechanic. The fact that the game even has one already puts it a step above the competition, and it appears fairly inventive. As the ball flies into the outfield, catching it involves tracking cross hairs that move about the screen.

Freeverse is hinting that the game will incorporate some form of network connectivity, though exactly what that entails is unclear. Statistical tracking would definitely yield cheers from us, though Flick Baseball would hit a grand slam with online competitive play.

On all other counts, the game looks phenomenal (the art deco styling is cool) and we're excited about the mechanics of play. Look forward to Flick Baseball swing for the fences in the coming months.

Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race
Com2us

Where other home run derbies have fouled, Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race scores a hit. The combination of head-to-head play and tilt-based batting give the game an edge missing from other titles.

Batting involves tilting your handset to aim for pitches that come hurtling at you from the mound. A tap of the screen swings, and timing is naturally of the essence.

By having you manage the timing and area where you swing, Baseball Slugger encourages the development of skill in what would otherwise be just another tap-fest. Mind you, hitting homers isn't tough, but it's a whole lot more entertaining here than in competing titles.

Online play brings a lot of value to the game, letting you go head-to-head with other batters to see who can hit the most home runs.

Statistics are tracked across all games played, so you can build up a record through the course of the season. You're also free to personalise your batter with clothes and accessories, although it takes some skill to unlock the best duds.

While it would be great if it could deliver a full game, it's difficult to find fault with what's on offer here. Baseball Slugger is without a doubt going to be the best home run derby game on the App Store when it hits in the coming weeks.

Homerun Champion Baseball
Mark Ripley

This home run derby looks as though it belongs in a lost episode of Scooby-Doo rather than a in slick touch-enabled iPhone release. Homerun Champion Baseball steps you up to the plate to knock balls out of the park with taps of the screen. No pitching or fielding here - it's all about hitting homers in this most basic of baseball games.

Simplicity often is a good thing, though not when a game is as threadbare as Homerun Champion Baseball. The home run derby is already a basic concept, but here it's stripped down even more than usual.

Hitting the ball is a matter of tapping the screen at the right time. There's no need to tip or tilt your handset to adjust your bat or even to slide your finger to set the angle of your hit.

As a result of this intentional simplicity, Homerun Champion Baseball is a drag. It doesn't help that its graphics look like they've been pulled from a 1970s cartoon. The only thing this underwhelming game hits is your wallet.

Baseball Game
Global Net Value

No question about what you're getting here: Baseball Game is an unadorned take on the sport that focuses on pitching and hitting by means of the accelerometer. Instead of offering a slew of modes or requiring complex team management over the course of a career, the game drops you into one-off competitions that test your ability to hit balls and throw them too.

The lack of any fielding or base running mechanics leave Baseball Game bare, though its pitching and batting controls are quite nice.

Two schemes are featured: flick and shake. The former has you slide a finger to throw a pitch and swing your pat, while the latter involves shaking your handset (a simple flick of the device suffices). Both work well and provide some depth to a game otherwise lacking it.

Baseball Game doesn't provide much long term appeal. The one-off games won't entertain for long and the lack of other more substantive modes exacerbates the problem. Without a career or tournament mode its value is questionable. Even some online rankings could bring lasting value, but that's nowhere to be found. Ultimately, This is an amusing take on accelerometer play, though a full baseball game it is not.

Baseball '09
Spinfast

Down under outfit Spinfast presents its take on America's pastime in Baseball '09. Aiming for the community rafters with online statistical tracking and full website for you to engage with other players, the game offers simple at-bat gameplay. Flicks of your finger allow you to swing as the ball in full nine-inning games against the computer.

Baseball '09 leaves pitching and fielding out, so innings are actually only played in halves. It's an odd set up: without taking you to the mound, the game feels incomplete. Even worse, the half inning during which the computer steps up to the plate is simulated instantaneously.

In other words, as soon as you finish batting the score changes to reflect the computer's time at the plate and you're back to batting again.

At least the running game is solid, even if it lacks a slide feature. Whenever you hit the ball, the camera pans out to provide an aerial view of the diamond. Icons appear for any players you may have running the bases, a tap instructing them to dash for the next base or stay put.

It would be easier to overlook the inability to slide into a base if the game included pitching, but since Baseball '09 focuses purely on batting and running it's a glaring omission.

The online leaderboards give you a reason to pop in for a game every now and then through the course of the season, though it's not terribly satisfying. Without full playable innings, Baseball '09 offers half of the game you're looking for.

Batter Up Baseball
Skyworks

As hinted in the title, Batter Up Baseball puts you at the plate for two home run-oriented modes. Full innings are replaced by Home Run Rally and Arcade modes, each testing your ability to knock the ball out of the park.

The former has you hitting as many consecutive home runs as possible, each missed swing or short hit counting as a strike. Arcade mode, on the other end, gives you 20 balls with which to hit as many homers as possible.

It's a great set-up ruined by dysfunctional controls. Swinging is done by sliding a finger to the left to raise the bat, then back right to swing forward.

Obviously, timing plays a critical role in when you slide to the right. What should be a cool analogue mechanic ends up breaking down into a mess. The bat doesn't respond as expected, which then translates to a series of unintended strikes.

Batter Up Baseball looks great with colourful 3D graphics and stylish menus, but it fouls out on control. With better alternatives for getting your home run fix, this is one game that should stay on the bench.