Baseball (Kyojin no Hoshi) - Aristocrat - 2002
Baseball or Kyojin no Hoshi is a type "B" machine and gives two times of Eight Jack Games which may pay out as many as 200-500 tokens. Fewer Jack Games than a Type "A," but you hit bonus rounds more often.
There aren't many five reel machines around, but this is one of them. Two models of Baseball are available, a 2002 model, and the 2004 model. The immediate difference is noticable in that the ball player is centered on the belly glass on the 2002 model. He is on the left on the 2004 model. As far as the difference in play between the two machines I cannot comment. My machine is a 2002 unit, and it is this machine I review here.
This machine features red and blue 7's, bars, watermellons, bells, and the obligatory cherries and blue replay symbols. The reels are backlit and the red sevens have the bill of the players cap. His eyes superimposed on them. What I find fastinating about the red 7's is that the llights are perfectly lined up with his eyes and have an erie glow when stopped. It's delightful to see.
The blue sevens have a backlit four-point star when stopped.
The left reel has a fellow not in uniform (most often seen) that shows him having smacked something, perhaps the umpire, and by using your imagination says what sounds like "hit 'em up." Other symbols on it are a pitcher in his windup, three players, three Japanese symbols, equipment manager, and the pitcher on one knee with his head down. His pose reminds me of the
scene in "Mr. Baseball" staring Tom Selleck when a batter hits a long drive and the pitcher drops to one knee expecting the manager to bring in a relief pitcher, but doesn't.
The right reel sports a drum (most often seen), a girl who may giggle or say something in Japanese, a large seven, a catcher, a heavy-set batter waiting for the pitch, and a batter in the classic Babe Ruth pose pointing with his bat.
On both the left and right reels there appears to be a blank spot but symbols show up only if the reel stops on it and the back lights show what they are.
During play you may hear a fan whistle, the top gel lights flash and the left and right reels spin. Depending on which symbol the left reel stops on, say the pitcher winding up, the right fifth reel may continue spinning until the third reel is stopped. Should the batter in the Babe Ruth pose come up, or the larrge "7," your chance of hitting a Big or Regular Bonus increases. When this happens the music starts with a very mysterious sounding melody, and at the end of each game sound effects kick in, crack of the bat, the crowd cheers and the umpire calls ball, strike, or out.
The combinations of left and fifth reel symbols seem limitless, once again depending what you hit on the three main reels.
If the fifth wheel stops on the drum, lights behind the drum will flash red, yellow, blue or green indicating a small win of the matching symbol color. If it stays white or remains unlit, you lose.
This is really a fun machine to play. I personally like it and rate it among the top five of my favorites.
Pay outs are; Big Bonus, three matching 7's, or three bars - 15 plus two Jac Games.
Regular Bonus consists of matching sevens on the first two reels and a bar on the third - 3 plus one Jac Game.
Three watermelons pay 10, three bells pay 7 except in a bonus round when it pays 15, cherry pays 2.
The Baseball I bought from Big Bear came with the volume control mounted by the payout tray. I originally thought this would interfere when removing tokens, but it does not! While it is out of the way, it is easy to get to and goes from silent to loud. A great and very welcome addition!
Here is how I rate Baseball/Kyojin no Hoshi
Playability: 9
Sound: 8 (because of Japanese speech)
Lights: 10
Looks: 9
For an overall of 9.
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Re: Baseball (Kyojin no Hoshi) - Aristocrat - 2002
Originally Posted by RKnarr01
