53. Ninja Baseball Bat Man (Irem, Arcade, 1993)

Ninja Baseball Bat Man is a beat 'em up with a charming anime art style. It was actually conceptualized by Irem's new USA branch at the time, though it sold very poorly in America; apparently only 43 copies shipped.

You play as one of 4 baseball themed ninja robots, each with their own specialty (attack, speed, range, balanced). Gameplay wise, it's pretty standard: the challenge of the game comes from knowing how to approach enemies without them hitting you first. I played through all 7 of the games levels in an arcade, and probably spent about 8 quarters to do so. The game is fairly challenging (and I was playing it co-op with another person; I'm sure it would have been much more expensive if I went solo). Though like most beat 'em ups (especially of the early 90's), the challenge is often more frustrating that fun.

The charm of the game is really in its characters and art style. It's also very Japanese; which makes me want to like it more than I do, because I'll admit I love Japanese stuff because I've been conditioned by video games.

3/5, charming, but mechanically dull