Pro Baseball (video game)

Gamevil's Pro Baseball series, also known as the Baseball Superstars series in the United States, is a mobile baseball game series. The first game came out in 2002, and the series have had 12 million downloads in total (first in Korean history).

The selling point of these games is the "My League" mode (beginning from Pro Baseball 2006) which allows the player to raise a baseball player and induct him to the Hall Of Fame.

Also, from Pro Baseball 2010 and onwards, a story line has been added where the protagonist of My League mode could meet "heroines" (who appear as special playable characters in the game) and develop a relationship with them.

The series chronology goes as follows:


 * Pro Baseball 2002 (2002)
 * Pro Baseball 2004 (2003)
 * Pro Baseball 2005 (2004)
 * Pro Baseball 2006 (2005)
 * Pro Baseball 2007 (2006)
 * Pro Baseball 2008 (2007) (released as Baseball Superstars 2009 in the US)
 * Pro Baseball 2009 (2008) (released as Baseball Superstars 2010 in the US)
 * Pro Baseball 2010 (2009) (released as Baseball Superstars 2011 in the US)
 * Pro Baseball 2011 (2010) (released as Baseball Superstars II in the US)
 * Pro Baseball 2012 (2011)

The Korean website for Pro Baseball 2010 can be seen here, and the Korean website for Pro Baseball 2011 can be seen here.

This game series displays examples of:

 * Accidental Athlete: Medica and Psycher started out as this in 2008. Same for Luna the maid in 2012
 * Alternate Continuity: While 2010's Roze arc ends with in 2011, we learn that it was the protagonist that had gone "far away", leading the players to think that he died;
 * Captain Ersatz: Except for the Gamevils and the Swallows, the other eight teams and the players of the teams are based on the eight professional baseball teams of Korea (at least, that's how it is in the Korean version...).
 * Continuity Nod / Mythology Gag: Several of them:
 * In 2010, Medica says to the protagonist that she "has been close to Psycher for three years". Both Medica and Psycher debuted as special characters in 2008, and appear in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
 * In 2011, a certain exchange between the protagonist, the baseball team's characters, and Medica, is directly copied from 2010's exchange (the protagonist even lampshades it).
 * Demoted to Extra / Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Leony, one of the "heroines" of 2010, has only been mentioned once by her papa Leon in 2011, and Valentine, another one of the "heroines", is simply not mentioned at all.
 * Excuse Plot: 2009 did have a rival plot, but the rivals appeared few and far between.
 * Fan Service: All of the female special characters. The coach in 2012 is this as well.
 * And the cover models (known as PB girls). Just look at this and this.
 * Gameplay and Story Segregation: During the eighth year of My League mode, the protagonist lampshades this, citing that his romantic overtures, in no way, should have taken place over eight years.
 * Hello, Insert Name Here: The protagonist in "My League" mode.
 * Hospital Hottie: Medica.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Senior until 2012. Then he and the Captain switch roles and bodies. Also 2012 PB girl Bora, although it's because  he apparently says stupid things.
 * No Export for You: New installments, beginning from 2008, only get released in the US a year later.
 * Older Than They Look: Psychey.
 * Put on a Bus: Psycher in 2011, where we learn from his little sister Psychey that he enlisted in the military after he "broke up" with Medica in 2010.
 * Robot Buddy: Pitching Machine MK-3 debuted in 2008 as something similar to R2D2, appeared as a "friend" for Roze in 2010 in the form of a pitching tank, and then appears again in 2011 as a humanoid robot (again in the service of Roze).
 * Sequel Difficulty Spike: What most of the fanbase see 2011 as, since most of the AI problems that made the games incredibly easy were fixed. The AI itself also drastically improved as well.
 * She's All Grown Up: Roze's artwork has changed from "little girl" to "young lady" in 2011. Not all of the fanbase has liked the change, though...
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Kao Joe, who has appeared from 2008 to 2010, and even had some screentime in 2010, is gone without a trace in 2011.