Gaming with Around the Foghorn: A Quick Review of Buster Bash PRO

Jul 11, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher

(28) singles home a run during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

In case you don’t follow Buster Posey on twitter, today has been “promote Buster Bash 2.0” day from baseball, football players, and other athletes out in the sports world. The first Buster Bash was so-so, where a pitcher was on the right side of the screen would throw a choice of a whiffle ball, baseball, or tennis ball, and you would use one of your fingers to swipe across the left side of the screen to make contact with the ball and try to hit it for a home run, while also aiming for sunflower seeds and extra pitches. I — like I’m sure many others were, as well — was able to max out my player to the highest level, but really didn’t see any huge differences with it. Why couldn’t I hit it 800 feet like Buster Posey in real life? What the heck was my “vision” tool getting me? Why was my player not being enshrined in Cooperstown? All questions people I was asking while I was playing.

With the release of the second version, I decided to give it a chance. Here are some screen shots from the game:

The beginning, you are either a Caucasian male or female. Want diversity? Too bad. Wait for the third version of this game.

The main screen shows that this is indeed a different game from the first one, and now there is a training location you can play with. I have not clicked the “More Games” button for fear of ads.

This is what’s located in the Training area, and you must earn 50 platinum coins to gain access to one of these facilities/mini-games. So far, I’ve only unlocked two of the three, and The Bullpen should be a game that anybody who can text on a smartphone should be reasonably successful at.

I entered the Store, and I noticed you can get Buster’s $pon$ored drink:

Can you see this shot? If not, I’ll explain. The van doesn’t move anywhere, and you can only go to cities where the pushpins are located. You start out in San Francisco, then you’ll go to Chicago (difficulty slightly increasing as you go), then to Atlanta, and then I’m not sure.

No plug for AT&T Park or other specifically named stadiums (game is not licensed by MLB), so we’ll settle for fun facts!

Looks like Buster Posey found a way to incorporate Brandon Belt into the game at the top of the screen (slumpy shoulders). This is your introduction to the game.

When you start playing, you’ll notice that a clean-shaven Jonathan Sanchez will be pitching to you. Those white dots on the screen track where your last ball was hit (in this case, a homer — obviously). Sanchez will throw tennis balls, whiffle balls, and baseballs, from what I’ve seen. The path of said balls gets a little trickier as you progress through the game.

Just like last time, you hit three homers in a row, and you’ll be “On Fire,” a concept that will always make me think of NBA Jam.

Home Run lines are clearly marked by the highlighter-yellow line. Unlike the last game where I remember occasions where I would hit balls beyond the line but if they bounced back over the line before they touched the ground, it was an out. That does not happen in this game. In this screen shot you’ll notice I was playing with my eyes closed. Almost got it!

I believe when you achieve all the basic achievements of the level, you will be challenged by someone from the area. In this instance, the San Francisco level brings forth a certain “Larry Ponds” to challenge you in a best-of-ten swings. Larry Ponds is not as good as the real all-time homer king. Be aware of multipliers in the sky to hit vs. Larry!

This is Chicago. Since I embarrassed the home run king I decided it was time to take the show on the road.

An unnamed, possibly famous stadium is in the background, and this level has a lot of food in it. I kept my eye out for any people in Panda costumes, but nothing showed up.

I looked a little into the All-American Girls League, but couldn’t find out whom this lady was based off of. Important that you read the directions here to understand your mission in winning against this challenger!

Welcome to Atlanta where they spell out your name in coins.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten so far. I’ll be on a plane a few times in the next few weeks, so I’ll keep playing it until I get tired of it. It’s better than the original, for sure, and should give you more of a challenge than the first one, as well. While this isn’t a must have game, if you play games on your smartphone, it’s a decent one to pass the time. 3.5 stars out of 5 for now from me.