EA Sports nabs David Ortiz for the cover of Super Mega Baseball 4

Featuring classic superstars from just about every era of professional baseball, ES Sports is bringing the heat with Super Mega Baseball.

Playing hardball

So this year’s edition of cartoony baseball title Super Mega Baseball (4) will be a first. That’s because it’ll actually have a cover star, with Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz taking the bow.

Of course, just because there’s a cover athlete, don’t expect to see a different game. SMB4 will be every bit as lighthearted and arcade-like as its predecessors, and that includes plenty of dingers.

In all, Super Mega Baseball 4 will feature both original characters and some 200 stars from the real-world game’s history. And how you play with them is totally up to you too, as players can organize their leagues by era, mix everybody up in a “deck building inspired” shuffle draft. That should make for some interesting teams.

Additionally, the game will feature cross-play between platforms, “expanded player traits and a new team chemistry system that add a new layer of strategy”, and loads of stuff based off of fan requests. Those include “automatic walks and runners, two-way players, expanded bullpens, customizable free agent pools, and more”.

Super Mega Baseball 4 is on the way for Xbox and PlayStation platforms, as well as the Switch and the PC. You can look for it on shelves this June 2nd, though you can get in on the action a little earlier if you grab the Ballpark Edition. That version of the game stocks a trio of additional stadiums (Peril Point at game’s launch, and then Ciudad de Colores and Castillo Arena in July and August), and will get you playing 3 days ahead of time.