MLB Power Pros

MLB Power Pros is a baseball video game developed by Power Pros Production and published by 2K in North America and Konami in Japan for the Wii and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. It is part of the traditionally Japan-only Power Pros series of video games, and is the first game in the series to be released outside Japan, which serves as the sequel to the first game, released only in Japan. It was released in October 2007,[3] and is published by 2K. A sequel, MLB Power Pros 2008, came out in 2008. Another sequel, MLB Power Pros 2010, came out on iOS and Android devices in 2010.[4][5]

MLB Power Pros
North American Wii box art
Developer(s)Power Pros Production
Publisher(s)2K (North America)
Konami (Japan)
SeriesPower Pros
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Wii
Release
Genre(s)Sports, Anime
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Gameplay in MLB Power Pros features "easy pick-up and play mechanics".[3] The game contains over a dozen gameplay modes,[3] including a Season Mode and a Success Mode.[3] Within the former, the player takes the role of a General Manager of a Major League Baseball team,[3] with the goal of winning the World Series.[3] The player has control over all the aspects of the team,[3] including training players, purchasing better equipment, and trading players between teams.[3] Maximum playtime is 10 years, or when the team points run out and the player loses (game over).

Exhibition mode

In this mode, players may play a baseball game against a Major League team. There are options for a day game or night game, number of innings, what stadium to play at, lineup selection etc. Players may also play exhibition mode with two players, or can watch a game against two teams with the computer controlling both teams and take the role of a spectator.

Success mode

The story-based Success Mode, which has been a regular element in the Japanese series (main series) since the third release, mixes traditional role playing elements with baseball scenarios, following the player's character as he starts from a college baseball player with the goal of becoming a Major League player.[3] The player will train their character in numerous games while dealing with other social situations such as the character's academics,[3] teammate Marvin, and gaining a part-time job.[3] Unlike the Japanese installments, My Life mode is not included in this installment, but it has an ability editor which Japanese version never had, due to the importance and popularity of success mode in Japan. (Note: Success mode is the mode which Power Pro Series create original players).

The character has three years to impress a scout to make it to the minor leagues. The player must have to improve the character by practicing, studying, earning money in a part-time job, dating, and playing baseball games. The character can play any position such as a starting pitcher, reliever, closer, or fielder. Also, the player is given Fate Cards to make a decision. These cards are "yes," "no," "challenge," or "Marvin."

Season mode

In season mode, the player plays a General Manager (GM) for ten years (game time), unless the player runs out of money by the beginning of the year.

The player begins by choosing Major League mode or Expansion Mode. Major League mode is the 30 major league teams only, Expansion mode is 2 teams and the 30 major league teams. The 2 teams are teams which the player can create and customize, including creating their uniform, team name, etc.

Dream Draft allows the player to do a fantasy draft of the current roster. The draft uses a snake draft order where the player is awarded the first overall pick (can't be changed).

The player's main goal is to win the World Series.

The player can also trade players, play games (or fast forward them) and more. After each season, the player can try to negotiate contracts with their team. There is also Spring Training where the team can learn new skills (new pitches, etc.) and develop previously taught skills faster.

Arrange Team

Player can create their own fantasy team and/or fill it with their own created players. However, in order to use an arrange team in season mode, the player must complete Success mode at least once and earn 100,000 in game shop points. This usually requires several days to several weeks of gameplay.

Wii Remote and Home Run Derby mode

The player can use the Wii Remote to play an Exhibition game or play Home Run Derby. In Home Run Derby, The player tries to hit home runs with any playable character (including pitchers) at any stadium in 10 swings. If the player hits a home run on every one of those 10 swings, the game continues with extra swings until the player gets out. The player can try to beat previous high scores. The high score includes how many home runs were hit, the distance traveled, etc. The player can also choose the difficulty. The same rules apply for the mode Home Run Derby, but the Wii Remote is not used to swing. The same rules also apply to the Exhibition game using the Wii Remote; the rules are found under the Exhibition Mode heading.

Game Appearances

Every Major League Baseball (MLB) player is recreated within MLB Power Pros.[3] Every MLB player is also represented in traditional Power Pro style: a short character with a large head and detached feet. Further appearance customization can be made in American version, including hair and facial hair, while in the Japanese version characters are all in traditional style other than skin color.[3] In the Wii version, players are able to use Miis within the game.[6]

Like other MLB games, there are some players that are not in the game although they played during the 2006 MLB season: Players not in the MLBPA cannot be put into the game without negotiating with the players themselves. Instead of Barry Bonds, the game contains "Great Gonzales" and several other "Great" players as replacements because they are not part of the association. They do not have the same season numbers, stats, or appearances.[7] They do, however, retain the same age and similar abilities so as to stay true to the player they are replacing.

In-game commentary is provided by Jack Merluzzi in English and Naoki Kawaji in Japanese.

Cover

The cover features six MLB stars: then-Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, then-New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, then-Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, then-Detroit Tigers catcher Iván Rodríguez, then-Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, and then-Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8][9] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of two eights and two sevens for a total of 30 out of 40.[12][13]

References
  1. Team, IGN PlayStation (2007-09-21). "The PS2 Games of Fall 2007". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  2. "WHO'S MAKING GAMES FOR NINTENDO SYSTEMS? EVERYONE!". GamesIndustry.biz. 2007-10-12. Archived from the original on 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  3. rawmeatcowboy (August 3, 2007). "2K Sports and Konami Announce MLB Power Pros for Wii". GoNintendo. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  4. "MLB Power Pros 2010 Available". July 2010. Archived from the original on 2017-10-31. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  5. "Konami smashes onto the App Store with MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 App". 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  6. "『実況パワフルメジャーリーグ2/実況パワフルメジャーリーグ2Wii』 2機種で発売決定！" (in Japanese). Famitsu. August 10, 2007. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  7. In MLB Power Pros 2008, Kosuke Fukudome, who did not belong to MLBPA, was put into the game, since Fukudome agreed to put himself into the game, mainly because he had been playing in Nippon Professional Baseball, the background of the original Power Pros series, for a long time.
  8. "MLB Power Pros for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  9. "MLB Power Pros for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  10. Zuniga, Todd (October 16, 2007). "MLB Power Pros (PS2)". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  11. Zuniga, Todd (October 16, 2007). "MLB Power Pros (Wii)". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  12. Gantayat, Anoop (October 15, 2007). "Gaming Life in Japan (Page 4)". IGN. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  13. rawmeatcowboy (September 25, 2007). "Famitsu review scores". GoNintendo. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  14. Provo, Frank (October 17, 2007). "MLB Power Pros Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  15. Villoria, Gerald (October 10, 2007). "GameSpy: MLB Power Pros". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  16. Lafferty, Michael (October 24, 2007). "MLB Power Pros - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  17. Bozon, Mark (October 8, 2007). "MLB Power Pros Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  18. "MLB Power Pros". Nintendo Power. Vol. 222. December 2007. p. 82.
  19. "MLB Power Pros". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. No. 1. December 25, 2007. p. 80.
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