These men have no legs! Even without legs, MLB Power Pros is still running strong with its newest installment: MLB Power Pros 2008
By nestlekwik
When you pick up the 2008 edition of MLB Power Pros, you actually aren't getting a much different package than you received with last year's stellar entry. Thankfully, in the case of Power Pros, getting more of the same suits us just fine as MLB Power Pros was a very underappreciated title that is very capable of playing ball with the "big boys." Don't let the chibi exterior fool you - MLB Power Pros 2008 still swings for the fences and comes out on top.
There's really not much to add from our previous review of 2007's installment, aside from the addition of the MLB Life mode and various revamps and updates made to last year's modes and mechanics. The Success mode is just as addictive as ever and the changes give players even more to experience and ditching the fate card system gives players full control of their baseball destiny. Items such as varying pitch speeds, 40-man rosters and other small touches flesh out the experience a little more, but, clearly, the star of this year's effort is the MLB Life mode. In the mode, players can take control of one player through a 20-year MLB career. MLB Life serves as a step-up from Success, as players only man their player during their at-bats and make tons of decisions off the field that determine how popular they are with fans, how contracts are negotiated, who they marry and more.
The Success and MLB Life modes do break the traditional norm, however, for those traditionalists, the Season and Exhibition modes are still present. Between the Success, MLB Life and Season modes, players have potentially infinite game play with the title and having a massive number of slots for created teams and characters can give players a personalized and expanded experience with every single mode. Even though there a sea of menus to surf through, baseball purists will find a jaw-dropping number of statistical depth in the title. The feature set easily ample enough to satisfy the appetite of baseball fans, much like last year's title, Power Pros is simple enough to cater to any crowd, doubling the game's appeal.
While the title features a massive training mode that covers every offensive and defensive aspect of the game, the title still features pick-up-and-play controls. Pitching only asks a player to hold a direction and press X to select a pitch and then using the left analog stick to aim the pitch and batting requires following the pitch with the analog stick and swinging with the X button. All of the other commands common to a baseball title such as stealing bases, diving or jumping for fly balls and base running are mapped to simple one-button commands. Essentially, if you’ve ever played a classic baseball title, you’ll be able to jump straight in and Power Pros will remind you of such classics.
Unfortunately for MLB Power Pros 2008, the majority of the problems we found in Power Pros are all still here. While there are new tunes to listen to, most of the menu music repeats from last year, but the real culprit in the sound department is in recycling the commentator. Jack gives us the goods using the same quotes from last year's game and still falls behind due to disc access and becomes extremely repetitive after a few games. Also, the inability to cycle through fielders creates occasional instances (especially with bullet line drives or ground balls) where a player that is clearly in no position to make the play is automatically selected.
Simply put, if you played MLB Power Pros, there are no real surprises to be found with 2008's effort and the price tag is definitely worth it for anyone seeking a baseball title. While the art might seem odd to some gamers, passing up this classic franchise based on its appearance is criminal. The interior of the game sports more features and replayability than one can even imagine and the simplicity of its gameplay is suitable for even the most casual of gamers. If you're looking to spend $20 on a new PS2 ball title, Power Pros 2008 is more than deserving of your cash.
GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 of 5
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