2K Sports was once known solely for making realistic sports simulators. That changed with the release of The BIGS and Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, two rule-bending arcade-style baseball games that didn't take the sport too seriously. MLB Power Pros 2008 takes the sport in yet another direction – one that's quirkier and more lighthearted but wasn't designed to be anti-hardcore.
"The game has been a success in Japan for many, many years," said Rob Nelson, Producer of MLB Power Pros 2008, which is due this month for PS2 and Wii and will hit the DS this fall. "It's their best-selling and best-rated baseball game. We're really excited to have brought it over to North America for the second year and getting it out on DS for the first time."
From Xfire: "Sports games are the average Joe's best chance at getting to play under the big bright lights with thousands of people in the stands watching their every move. It doesn't matter if you're a hoops junkie or a baseball fan, sports video games let you live out your hopes and dreams."
GCM: "As we near the start of the third year of the Wii, it is amazing that the console still garners as much attention and excitement as it does. Even in my small town, where buying an Xbox 360 or PS3 on their respective launch days was no sweat – the same stores still field constant streams of Wii calls, they still announce Wii shipments, and they still unlock doors to queues of rabid customers on Tuesday mornings.
And after three years, I cannot believe that Nintendo would still be limiting shipments to fabricate a perceived shortage – business practices like those typically only work for a few months before people begin to catch on (see: Beanie Babies).
No, I believe there still is an honest-to-goodness growing interest in Nintendo's casual gaming console – and every day, more kids, parents, and grandparents are intrigued by the interactive aspects of the Wii's motion-sensitive controls, by its affordable price-point, and by its freebie pack-in Wii Sports game."
GameLemon Writes:
"MLB Power Pros 2008 ultimately succeeds at most of what it tries to do. The gameplay is simple, the characters are cute, and the multiplayer aspect combined with the variety of control options means that everyone can get in on the fun. While the more stat-driven modes do not fully succeed, the developers deserve props for at least trying something different, and the fact that there are so many choices for how to play means that even if you never touch the MLB Life mode, you're still likely to enjoy the game. Just don't go looking for it to replace either of the big sims, and you'll be satisfied with the result."
