GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	Konami
	PUBLISHER
	2K Sports
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

The dog days of summer are slowly winding down. Even as the baseball season comes to a close, MLB Power Pros 2008 hits home for another year. The game has an uphill battle to fight, however, as a sophomore slump can be hard to overcome. To rekindle last year’s magic, the game includes the obligatory roster update and MLB Mode, along with smaller adjustments regarding the pitching and batter interface. Do these new changes knock one out of the park, or leave the Power Pro series benched until next season?

visuals

On the surface, MLB Power Pros 2008 baseball players look like a charming offspring of Mii characters and bobble-heads. This visually simplistic approach, however, still contains detailed stadiums and almost every nuance of a major star. The grass accurately adjusts to imitate the real deal and stadiums showcase trademark features. For example, Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park showcases the realistic dark grass underneath the Reds’ feet, while the game also accurately replicates AT&T’s McCovey Cove. Players are also authentic, with Jim Thome keeping his bat pointed at the pitcher just until the throw. The visuals illustrate that lifelike player reconstructions are not integral to recreate a realistic baseball experience.

At the same time, not much has changed from last year’s edition, perhaps in part because the game is multiplatform with PS2. As it is, the game suffers from graphical clipping, some draw distances issues, and some shortcomings in stadium detail.

audio

Like the visuals, the audio dials in a repeat performance from last year. The energetic announcer returns and continues to add more personality to the overall package. His play calling, however, can become redundant. During the Season Mode, he consistently remarked that David Ortiz had hit two walk-off homeruns. This is a key statistic, especially late in a ballgame, but drives you nuts when you hear it during every at-bat.

gameplay

The overall gameplay hasn’t seen too many changes. Players will still aim with a small reticule by adjusting the analog stick to paint corners. Similarly, batters will use a bat-like target to hit the sweet part of your Louisville Slugger. These mechanics work well, although the implementation of IR functionality for analog controls would allow for better precision. A new improvement for both batting and pitching relates to a hot/cold zone for batters. This grid successfully adds another layer of strategy, as pitchers will aim to hit cold spots and batters will patiently wait for a ball in their wheelhouse. As for options on the field, there are numerous strategies for players to tinker with. You can bring your outfielders in or push your infielders back, double steal, and even pull off the suicide bunt. These realistic elements translate to player fatigue, as hurlers will visibly become tired after throwing a lifelike amount of pitchers.

The newest gameplay feature, and fittingly most the paramount addition, is the MLB Mode. Comparable to the Success Mode, players will either create-a-player or pick a current ballplayer. You start in spring training, running practices and playing exhibitions, in hopes of making the opening day roster. From there, a player can move on to either starting as yourself in the minor leagues or beginning as Derek Jeter in the pros, with other scenarios in between. Players slowly build stats through personal practices, or instead develop relationships with teammates or a possible girlfriend/fiancée. A player can buy new houses, cars, donate money to charity, and even play video games with the video game. This RPG-like mode is downright addictive, calling you back to play one more game or strengthen your power at the plate in practice. You only control your player in this mode; thus, one game entails a player just batting four times or pitching every few days. This perfect pacing wraps up the new mode that will be sucking hours from your life daily and topping off MLB Power Pros 2008.

multiplayer

The biggest disappointment is the missing online features. Players depressingly have to live with only local multiplayer options. With the game’s superb stat-tracking abilities, online leagues would be a fantastic addition in the future.

overall

At first, the sophomore slump appears to have a stranglehold on MLB Power Pros 2008 -- an initial playthrough will reinforce this theory. But, analogous to the visuals, there’s more depth than meets the eye. We will admit that most of the additions are rather bare and that we would like to more emphasis placed on Wii’s abilities, such as the online arena. The MLB Mode, however, is everything a baseball fanatical could dream of, transforming you into living the life of a major leaguer (or minor leaguer). As such, MLB Power Pros 2008 knocks another one out of the park.

8.4/10