MLB Power Pros!

[SamtheBravesFan]

Just got it yesterday. It's based off of Konami's Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyu video game series. Even though I've only played it for a handful of hours total, I have to say it's one of the best baseball games I have ever played.

The player model may look like a South Park and Rayman love child, but that's just part of the whimsical charm of the game. The stadiums are excellent and so is the baseball action. It's easy enough to pick up and play, but challenging enough to give anyone a run for their money.

The thing that i don't like about the game is Jack Merluzzi, the guy who announces the game. He has done some video game acting in the past, but the guy does NOT know how to announce a baseball game. It's pathetic.

The rosters are only accurate as at the beginning of the 2007 season, but if you really wanted to, you could create your favorite minor league guys who made a splash.

If anyone cares, I'll report on what else I like about the game as I go on playing with it. :)

[JCStone57]

What system is it for?

[gobravez]

Stoney, thats what i want to know

[SamtheBravesFan]

Heh, sorry about that, guys.

It's for Wii and PS2. I have the Wii version.

[gobravez]

did It just come out?

[SamtheBravesFan]

did It just come out?

I believe it came out a few days ago.

[JayDonnelly10]

Ive wanted a new baseball game for PS2 was getting tired of MLB The Show...and had only been playing Madden lately

Best Buy has it for PS2 $29.99.....i ordered it and Ill let you all know how it is for PS2 once I get a chance to play it when it arrives

[SamtheBravesFan]

I've been playing it for a while, and it's just so much fun. The rosters may be from the start of the 2007 season, but that's just fine.

There are a lot of RPG-ish elements to players improving (or getting worse), and that's pretty refreshing in a baseball game. Nothing can be the same for every player every time.

The creating player option through Success Mode is fun and pretty humorous the first few times through, but some parts get old. Luckilly, you can skip through them when you play it again a second time.

A funny note: Three players aren't in the game at first because they're not part of the MLBPA:

Barry Bonds
Wilson Betemit
Alex Gonzalez

Let's see... you can design your own expansion teams' uniforms with basic logos, colors and text and choose any city in the database from the USA, Canada and Japan.

That's all I'll report off the top of my head for now. :)

[JayDonnelly10]

So i own it for PS2 but havent played it yet...haha we have had a big madden tournament going on in our apartment so there hasnt been anytime between madden, school work and some Halo 3

[SamtheBravesFan]

I'm having a lot of fun with the dream draft expansion team season. The Montreal Expos in the AL East, with Matt Diaz leading off, and Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann traded for for Nick Swisher and Lance Cormier (thanks to Frenchy and McCann hitting so poorly), Khalil Greene hitting .500, and Albert Pujols jacking just about everything out of the yard, I'm having LOTS of fun. *grin*

Oh, with a rotation of Halladay, Peavy, Haren, Millwood, and Wakefield. :D

[SamtheBravesFan]

With the Braves, I'm in the NLCS against the Mets. In a game filled with irritations, I managed to win 4-1 thanks to some great pitching from Smoltz and defense. Francoeur hit a home run, I think. :D

[gobravez]

How updated are the rosters?

[SamtheBravesFan]

How updated are the rosters?

They're rosters at the beginning of the 2007 season. So that means the Braves don't have Saltalamacchia or Escobar for example, and they do have Redman, Wilson and Paronto (ick) and Thorman as the starting first baseman (not as icky as you might think). It's a chore to pitch with Redman because his control is so bad and all he throws are puffballs. That's the bad news. I recommend signing free agent Jamey Wright for insurance at the start of the season because he's cheap and serviceable.

The good news is that the sim is pretty friendly to the Braves; usually, only the Mets challenge them for the division crown. I've simmed a season like five times.

[SamtheBravesFan]

If there is one thing I can say for certain, it's that the sim engine is REALLY REALLY wacky. John Smoltz went 23-3 in 2007 with 381 strikeouts and won the Cy Young Award. Kelly Johnson batted .196 with 174 walks out of the leadoff spot. Craig Wilson batted something like .143 and struck out 208 times. I had to sign Julio Franco to replace him, for God's sake.

[josephw000]

If there is one thing I can say for certain, it's that the sim engine is REALLY REALLY wacky. John Smoltz went 23-3 in 2007 with 381 strikeouts and won the Cy Young Award. Kelly Johnson batted .196 with 174 walks out of the leadoff spot. Craig Wilson batted something like .143 and struck out 208 times. I had to sign Julio Franco to replace him, for God's sake.


LMFAO...Yah the game is moreso for looks and everything I think and for playing with your buddies right? I didnt expect the engine to be great...I was looking into the game also thanks for hte updates.

[SamtheBravesFan]

LMFAO...Yah the game is moreso for looks and everything I think and for playing with your buddies right? I didnt expect the engine to be great...I was looking into the game also thanks for hte updates.

You're welcome for the updates. The only drawback in the game is the announcer. I'm being completely serious. That's the ONLY drawback. Jack Merluzzi had voice-acting experience in video games before he did this, including Zero in Mega Man X7, but whoever wrote that script for him should be fired. It would be a lot better if he was actually given good things to say. Balls are commonly called "pitching out" and I don't know what is up with the voice clip selection, but some pop-ups and fly balls are called "grounders" and I've heard the shortstop's area described as "third".

That's my only gripe about it, really. Otherwise, it's a quality baseball game.

[PhantomsCV]

Is the Wii version similar to the Wii Sports baseball???

[tkane11]

So is it MLB or Japanese teams?

[GrandMasterB]

So is it MLB or Japanese teams?

MLB. Might help if you actually read the title of the thread or the previous posts. :rolleyes:

[SamtheBravesFan]

Is the Wii version similar to the Wii Sports baseball???

No. I've never played Wii Sports Baseball, but I do know that all it is is a home run derby style game and uses the motion-sensing controls. Only a few modes in MLB Power Pros use the motion controls. Luckilly, it's not in the main game, because your arm would get seriously tired and sore if that was the case.

[SamtheBravesFan]

So is it MLB or Japanese teams?

Read the title of the game there, sport. ;)

Cities of Japan are available to use as bases for expansion teams. And there's a lot of them.

[SamtheBravesFan]

After winning the 2007 World Series, I signed Livan Hernandez and traded Mike Hampton to the Yankees for Mike Mussina. So far it has been a match made in heaven.

Here's my current roster:

2B Kelly Johnson
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Chipper Jones
CF Andruw Jones
C Brian McCann
RF Jeff Francoeur
LF Matt Diaz
1B Scott Thorman/Julio Franco

Bench
2B Pete Orr (actually a useful pinch hitter)
2B/3B Martin Prado (Just there because Willy Aybar isn't good enough)
SS Sam Switzer (That's me from the create-a-player Success mode. Got an A fielding and I'm left-handed, but I don't have much of a bat)
C Scott Switzer (That's my brother. He has more power than me and is a righty. Neither of us play much, though, of course. Not with Renteria and McCann on board.)
CF/RF Rob Macowiak (Strictly an emergency backup. I should probably make him learn left field so he can be a real backup outfielder.)
I was able to re-sign Andruw Jones at the end of the year, of course. That was a priority. For insurance, after cutting the useless fat of Chad Paronto and Tanyon Sturtze, and the admitted albatross of Bob Wickman (even though he didn't do a bad job) and releasing Mark Redman (he wasn't TOO bad, really), I went and signed Hernandez and Byung-Hyun Kim to shore up the pen.

Kim throws a LOT of puffballs, but I was able to get an excellent start out of him early in the current 2008 season. I was pretty proud of that one.

One problem I might have to address is the first base position. I can live with the problem because I"m getting offense from pretty much everyone else. But the Scott Thorman/Julio Franco platoon is just not good enough because all they can do is hit a bunch of singles.

[jones2510]

I want to get this game but I'm not having much luck finding it. Its sold out everywhere. :(

[gobravez]

I want to get this game but I'm not having much luck finding it. Its sold out everywhere. :(

did u check www.walmart.com (http://www.walmart.com)

[SamtheBravesFan]

I want to get this game but I'm not having much luck finding it. Its sold out everywhere. :(

Have you tried Gamestop? That's where I bought mine.

[jones2510]

yeah they have it for ps2 but i want it for wii http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7080061


i just called gamestop and they have it!:)

[Jsh1284]

Amazon.com has it in stock as of a couple days ago. Newegg.com usually has a ton of games as well, but its currently on backorder. They've got the PS2 version in stock though.

[SamtheBravesFan]

yeah they have it for ps2 but i want it for wii http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7080061


i just called gamestop and they have it!:)

See, told you. :) Heh heh.

Just hit four homers in a game with Andruw Jones against Milwaukee. :D That's not easy to do.

[milbraves]

Barry Bonds
Wilson Betemit
Alex Gonzalez

. :)

Why aren't Betemit and Gonzalez in the MLBPA?

[SamtheBravesFan]

Why aren't Betemit and Gonzalez in the MLBPA?

Hell if I know. All I know is they don't have any "cards" in that set.

[jones2510]

I got the game last night. It was kool,I stayed up way to late playing.

[SamtheBravesFan]

I got the game last night. It was kool,I stayed up way to late playing.

Haha, we all do that. Who'd you play with?

[jones2510]

I played the home run derby as chipper hit 9 home runs :) and did the field practice so I can learn the controls more

[Jsh1284]

Gah .. I want a PC version of this game .. quickly! Too bad there's not one on the horizon.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Gah .. I want a PC version of this game .. quickly! Too bad there's not one on the horizon.

Geeeeeeeeeet aaaaaaa Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.... GEEEEEEEEET AAAAAAA WIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. :D

[Jsh1284]

They seem alright, but I'd rather get a 360 with an HD DVD player. If the wii had that capability, I'd be all over it. After all, most HD players are 300+ bucks, but with the 360 all I need is 175 for the external player. Seems like a good deal to me.

[SamtheBravesFan]

They seem alright, but I'd rather get a 360 with an HD DVD player. If the wii had that capability, I'd be all over it. After all, most HD players are 300+ bucks, but with the 360 all I need is 175 for the external player. Seems like a good deal to me.

Well, if those are your wants, then go for it. :) The main thing I'm concerned with is games, and the Wii has the ones I want.

[SamtheBravesFan]

I created Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy with Success Mode. Unfortunately, Dale appears to be better than Hank, because I played better in that particular game. Oh well.

I was wondering who else I should create. Maybe Sadaharu Oh and Babe Ruth...

[SamtheBravesFan]

Just created Phil Niekro last night. :) Of course, he has the best knuckleball points can buy, and that thing is FLITHY. :angel:

[BGarrett7]

So, after getting a Wii earlier this week, I'm so totally hyped for Power Pros 2008. The series looks totally badass and I've yet to hear anything negative about last year's game. The 28th can't get here soon enough!

http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/891/891293/mlb-power-pros-2008-20080716053631935.jpg

[jdepersis]

What are player stats in this game?

When you play every game what is your teams batting average around?

[BGarrett7]

What are player stats in this game? The sim engine is apparently a little wonky, but obviously, that is far from being the focus of this series. Pawapuro has been widely regarded in Japan as being the best on-field baseball series ever. With this series, it's all about playing the game and using the RPG modes a lot more so than using it as a sim-type game. And, honestly, with how much OOTP and Baseball Mogul have blown up the past few seasons, there's really no reason to focus on such a thing anyways.


When you play every game what is your teams batting average around?From everything I have read, in-game statistics for Pawapuro have been the most realistic there is. Somehow, though, the long-standing walk issue has once again shown it's face Stateside.

[BGarrett7]

Well, based on this screencap from a video on IGN, it looks like the rosters are going to be up-to-date to the middle of April at the very least.

http://brandon-andi.com/powerpros.png

The player I have highlighted, Jed Lowrie, didn't make his ML debut with the BoSox until April 15th.

Here's a short list of some impact rookies who made their debut prior to then:

Gregor Blanco, ATL
Brian Bocock, SFG
Blake DeWitt, LAD
Kosuke Fukudome, CHC
Alexei Ramirez, CHW
Clete Thomas, DET
Wesley Wright, HOU (confirmed in another video)
Brian Barton, STL
Kyle McClellen, STL
Jayson Nix, COL
Matt Tolbert, MIN
Masahide Kobayashi, CLE
Alex Romero, ARI
Callix Crabbe, SDP
Johnny Cueto, CIN
Hiroki Kuroda, LAD
Denard Span, MIN
Burke Badenhop, FLA
Greg Smith, OAK
Evan Longoria, TBR
Jed Lowrie, BOS (confirmed)

Guess we'll just have to see on players like Justin Masterson, Brent Lillibridge, Brandon Boggs and Max Scherzer.

Really wouldn't expect anyone after May 1st, so looks like no Clayton Kershaw, Charlie Morton or Max Ramirez.

[BGarrett7]

Heading out to run some errands, hopefully I come back with the game. :)

[BGarrett7]

Rosters active as of at least 4/26, since Lillibridge is present. :)

[BGarrett7]

Just played through a little bit of MLB Life, and it's fun as hell!

Started out as DeRosa (duh!) and things were going pretty bad to start out with...

It's gonna take a while to get used to the hitting and get my timing down, but I'm getting there.

Anyways, I sucked it up in spring training -- one hit in four games -- and started the season at AAA. After a slow start down there, I turned it on in the last four games and ended up hitting .306 with 2 RBI and only 4 Ks in 13 games before getting the call-up.

Pretty hit and miss once I was back with Chicago though. In the seven games I played, I hit .192 with six Ks, but did take Ian Snell deep in my third game. :)

I don't know how much time I'll get to invest the rest of the night, but I can't wait to get off work in the morning and really dig into it.

I think priority number one is gonna be MLB Life with Lillibridge. :D

[BGarrett7]

Just tooling around with MLB Life mode right now, using Jack Cust.

So far, through 18 games, I'm 14 for 63 (.222) with six homers and ten RBI. In the last five games I'm hitting .300 with three HR and six RBI, though. So far, Cliff Lee has absolutely dominated me in two starts -- going 0-6 with three strikeouts.

Overall, the A's have been horrible,going 5-13 and sitting seven games back already.

[GrandMasterB]

Overall, the A's have been horrible,going 5-13 and sitting seven games back already.

Gotta be Billy Beane's fault.

[JCStone57]

Does this game play like the standard baseball game you get with the Wii?

[BGarrett7]

Does this game play like the standard baseball game you get with the Wii?You can play that way in Exhibition mode, but no, it plays just like any other baseball game.