Every now and then some pretty decent ideas come along that combine two great things into something even better than the sum of its parts. Officer Reese and his peanut butter cups (thank you again, Family Guy). Domino's Bacon-Cheeseburger Pizza. Alien vs. Predator... okay, maybe not so much (at least on the movie front). Now what would happen if you combined Major League Baseball players and cute, cel-shaded munchkins, and then turned the result into a cartoony video game?

   Why, you'd get MLB Power Pros 2008 for the Wii and Playstation 2, of course! The second North American release in the series, Power Pros gives players a variety of gameplay options and on-field mechanics, but really, the main idea here is the adorable little avatars. A round of free hugs for everyone!

You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball.

   Power Pros features plenty of modes to get you into the game, ranging from the simple jump-in Exhibition to the all-out MLB Life mode. Pick your teams, arrange your lineups, grab a friend (if you can track one down), and have a blast. The controls are quite simple and easy to pick up using any of the four major Wii-based schemes -Wiimote-only, Wiimote-nunchuck combo, Classic controller, or GameCube controller. Motion controls are only active with the first option, although after a few swings it's usually easier to head back to a more standard set-up anyway. When using a control method that includes an analog stick for batting, you use said stick to move your bat icon around the strike zone in anticipation of the coming pitch. Press the correct button with proper timing and you'll make contact.

   There are no guarantees on getting a hit, however - the game's AI is surprisingly realistic given its cartoony nature. At times, that realism can be a bit of a downer in fact, as you'll wonder why such an otherwise simplistic, pick-up-and-play game doesn't allow you to knock the crap out of the ball like you really want to. You might even stub your pinky toe while viciously attacking the love seat in a fit of frustration. But then you'll play a game against the Royals or some other craptastic small-market team, and all your worries will fade away into the bliss that accompanies running up the score.

   Pitching mechanics are likewise easy to use. You first select a pitch by pointing your analog stick in one of several directions, then press the pitch button to select, and finally move your ball-shaped cursor around the strike zone to pick the location. The best part of pitching is that even when the computer is on defense, the pace is fantastic - more like Little League than the 40-second nap-fests that make pro games drag on and on. Even high scoring affairs generally don't take more than half an hour to complete, while the shortest outing I can recall was 22 minutes. Or roughly 3 and a half hours shorter than the average Yankees-Red Sox match up.

This ain't the California Penal League. Eh-eh - he said "penal".

[insert British accent] Please, sir, can I have some more?[end British accent]

   The strange thing is, though, that as I ultimately progressed through both the Success and MLB Life modes, I found that as silly as it seemed and as much as I wasn't getting anywhere, I couldn't stop. It's like a train wreck of an RPG-baseball mix, and when you think the words are getting too small to read and you're not moving along the way you should be, you realize that with two more button presses, you'll be at the next game and getting another at-bat. And that turns into three at-bats. And that turns into three more games worth of at-bats... It's definitely a different kind of experience, but one that's surprisingly hard to pull away from.

   One cool feature in MLB Life mode is the create-a-player function, allowing you to - you guessed it - create a ball player in cartoony, Power Pro fashion. Give him all the character traits you possess, and then pretend like they really make a difference in the world of baseball by taking him out and playing around a bit. As easy as it is to goof on this mode, the developers did not skimp, as caricature representations of many batting and pitching stances from the game's top players are included, such as Ichiro's quick-bat style and Ryan Howard's outward facing plate approach. It's quite apparent how much research went into making this game as realistic as it could be in certain respects while still keeping the overall nature lighthearted and fun. Of course, since 2K owns the exclusive rights to MLB video games, it must've been fairly simple to track down all of the animations and information they had previously accrued for MLB 2K8, but still, we like to give some credit where it's due.

Beautiful day for a ballgame

   Speaking of credit - the game looks great. Granted, it's a simplistic style, and the cartoon renderings do not have mouths or noses (no mouthfuls of tobacco in this game, kiddos), but it uses the power of its intended systems very well to create a fluid, smooth looking game with very few visual glitches. And the stadiums - wow! The amount of detail put into the proper structure and detailing in each of the league's ballparks is astounding for a game of this type. Of course, they made the stands full for every game, whether you're playing at Shea Stadium or Tropicana Field, but that's a minor consistency flaw.

JUST a bit outside

   The in-game music is cutesy and elevator-style enough to keep you entertained without becoming bothersome, though when it's played during the behind the scenes functions of the more in-depth modes, it can get a bit grating. Also, the game's play-by-play man is unfortunately limited in his dialogue, though he does know the names of all the players (even if some pronunciations are a tad off), which I guess is a plus. Saying that the pitcher "went for a pitch-out" on a ball low and inside just doesn't cut it, though. Your best bet is to turn off the commentary or just mute the game and blast some good rockin' tunes of your own. Or tie up your little brother and make him do live commentary for your games under the threat of waterboarding his toy soldiers. Whatever works in your part of the world.

Anything that travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess!

   Ah, the Homerun Derby mode. The peanuts and Cracker Jacks of baseball video games. What would we do without you, oh glorious timewaste of epic proportions? This mode is pretty fun, and is probably where you'll spend the most time using just the Wiimote. Time your swing just right (and pick the right hitter, of course) and you'll send the cowhide sailing over the fences in no time. You could also play with a more traditional control scheme, but since it is the homerun derby after all, the pitcher throws the ball right down the gut every time, and all you're left to do is time the button press. If you've played a baseball game before and you can't figure out how to pwn the pitcher, go back to Pacman and start your gaming career all over.

   Finally, if the earlier stat-heavy modes aren't your cup of tea, you can go for the League mode, which allows you to choose several teams to form a smaller, tournament style bracket and just get out there and play. It falls comfortably in between the one-shot exhibition and the at-times overly saturated Season mode, giving you another fun play option.

   Rounding out the gameplay choices is the shop, where you can spend some of the coins earned while playing Season and Homerun modes on alternate uniforms (win! Especially for including the Padres desert camo uni) and baseball cards (fail! For complete lack of originality and having no purpose whatsoever).

Guaranteed to have a heck of a day!

   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.

       ... Darthziggy