Video Game: Nintendo's Little League Baseball

Growing up in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the youth of America had the opportunity to play video games from Atari and Nintendo and then later Saga and so on.  Looking back on those golden years I had to reminisce about my favorite baseball video game.  My favorite game was released in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.  You know, the one where you had to blow into the cartridge in order to get the game to actually play.  That game was called Little League Baseball: Championship Series.

The player of the game gets to choose between 16 Little League baseball teams from around the world, ranging from Texas and New York and Chinese Taipei.  The single-player mode results in a mandatory international tournament, while the two-player mode allows for some exhibition games.  Every game is six innings long, just like the little league games themselves.  Games could end by the mercy rule if a team is ahead by 10 or more runs. Players can be taken out of the game and placed back in like real Little League Baseball. 

Unlike Little League Baseball, there is no rule making it mandatory for everyone to have at turn at bat and in the field for at least two innings.  A power analysis screen rates each team in batting, pitching, running, and defense.  There is a relative amount of freedom for pitchers and batters in the game, giving them nearly full movement in the batter's box and the pitcher's mound.  Each player is given an overall rating which ranges from 1 (awful) to 5 (perfect).

The video game cover for the Little League Baseball Championship Series game

Here was the description of the game from Nintendo:

Little League Baseball! It's the game every kid in America loves to play... And now you can experience the fun and excitement of Little League Baseball at any time of the year, rain or shine, day or night - right in your own living room!

Create your own winning team of players with batting, fielding, pitching, and running characteristics you can tailor to your own specifications. Then challenge a friend or the computer to a worldwide Championship Series tournament.

You are in full control of your players: Jump or dive for a tricky catch... Choose a full swing or a bunt for your batter... Shift fielders at will... Send in a pinch hitter or runner... Select a fast ball, slow ball, or curve ball for your pitcher... Steal a base if you dare... Or you might even try a squeeze play!

Little League Baseball has been an American institution for 50 years - and you can be a part of it. If you're a Little League fan or a Little League player - or if you ever wanted to be - here's your chance to go for the glory!   

Source: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/587415-little-league-baseball-championship-series/data

This game has the same engine as the NES video game Baseball Stars.   While the actual cartridge is still common today through video game collectors and Internet hobbyist sites, the original game box and instruction manual have an "average" level of rarity and are harder to find.