It is tempting to write MLB Power Pros 2008 off as a "kiddie" baseball game, especially when you take its legless, mouthless players into consideration.

Visuals are the first thing that you'll notice about Power Pros. Characters have an old school Japanese influence, complete with wildly disproportionate bodies (well, what's there of a body) and facial expressions that are just as big as their eyes. All of the stadiums are present and, though some of the finer details aren't around, you'll pick out the more noteworthy ones. I couldn't begin to tell you how refreshing this was, especially after playing droves of sports games that strive to look just like a TV presentation. I'm not saying there's no place for that, since I'll probably be drooling over Madden 09 in a review, but sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy something lighthearted and off beat.

There isn't much to say about sound. Music is upbeat and jazzy, which plays into the visuals really well. During games, the announcer is a bit over-the-top, but manages to stay entertaining and keep up with the game, regardless of how odd things can get.

While the player's bodies may not be supported by much, the game is supported by a number of fairly deep play modes. All of the MLB players and teams are represented and if you don't happen to have a favorite, you can always create your own. There's no roster support through online downloads, though you can make sure all of the team's rosters are up-to-date through Arrange Mode. Additionally, you can nuke every team's roster and force them to start over with Dream Draft.

While modes like Season are fun, Success and MLB Life modes make up the core MLB Power Pros 2008 experience. In Success, you create a player and play through his career as a rookie on a Double A team. During your time with the club, you can train up your player, upgrading his stats as well as unlocking new moves based on his position, such as additional pitches or new batting techniques. All work and no play makes whatever you choose to name your character a dull boy, leading to off-the-field experiences.

The entire mode plays out as a story mode and gives you the opportunity to interact with teammates. These interactions push the game along through the main story, as well as allowing you to unlock new items that will help you improve your stats and skills even more. Though there doesn't seem to be a set way you "have to" go through Success - if you want to just focus on skills you're able too - it feels a little too scripted and predictable at times. Your team is destined to lose some games, mostly for dramatic effect, so it feels like you're just playing through a slightly interactive movie. The pacing is brisk, to the point where some information will fly past you faster than you can process it, though since you're only playing baseball when your name comes up on the roster, most of the time it feels like you're just clicking through menus.

You goal in Success is to make it to a Triple A team and eventually land a spot in the Majors, which is where MLB Life takes over. MLB Life is similar to Success, only now you have to deal with the trials and tribulations of playing as a Major League player. There are, of course, situations like training and making sure you're a starter, but you'll also have to deal with finding hobbies, deciding which charities to support and so forth. There's even a mild dating sim thrown in. The situations have a definite Japanese quirkiness to them, though they are enjoyable and seem to represent several real-life situations pretty well. Decisions also influence your character's development as a player, adding a surprising layer of depth and strategy.

MLB Life isn't just limited to your own created character. If you want, you can also play as any of the current MLB players. You can start up a career in MLB Life without going through Success, though it isn't as much fun if you do.

You'll earn points throughout each mode, which you can spend on cards. These aren't vital to the game but, like Achievements or Trophies, are oddly effective motivational tools.

Even with the "scripted" feel, moving between AA, AAA and the MLB isn't an easy thing to do. The only way to get noticed by scouts is to log in a lot of play time and in order to do that, you need to be good at your position. Again, every decision you make affects your player's growth in some way, so there are few "throwaway" decisions. Even if a consequence feels minor, they'll usually come back to bite you anyway - even if you don't realize it.

Information comes at you fast, so it is more than likely that you'll make a few bum mistakes. Though you'll usually suffer some kind of consequence, the game still errs on the side of fun and isn't brutal. A downside to the brisk pace is that it takes time to really understand the player upgrade system. The first time you have to decide on a training routine is confusing. Eventually you learn to always go to wherever a coach is, but before then you might end up with stilted ability numbers. Deciding how to spend points is just as mystifying. Nothing is written out in plain English, leaving you with a screen full of numbers and abbreviations. I eventually figured out what I was doing, but not after spending time with the instruction book, making a few in-game mistakes and looking stuff up online.

MLB Power Pros 2008 offers several control types, ranging from motion-based to more traditional layouts. Wii-mote, Wavebird... if you can plug it into the Wii, then you can use it to play. Choice is always great, though it also means the motion-based controls are limited to one Mode - Wii Remote Mode. You can use the Wii-mote and Nunchuk in other Modes, though the experience is the same as if you were using the Wavebird or Classic Controller. Wii Remote Mode supports both Exhibition and Home Run Derby options, making it more of a "party game" than a general play mode.

Regardless of which controller you settle on, the setup is basically the same except for button placements. Both pitching and batting require a single button press and use a grid to show where the bat and ball will end up after the button press. While at bat, the challenge is to time the button press in order make contact with the ball. Pitchers, on the other hand, want to try and fool the batter based on the type of pitch they use. In other words, the ball may appear in one section of the grid, but break off and go into another section.

I didn't mind the control system, but really wish that more motion options were available. I'm sure this is a by-product of the game showing up on the PS2 as well, though when you consider that nearly every Wii owner has played WiiSports, you have to figure that they're going to expect that here and in more Modes than Home Run Derby and a stripped-down Exhibition game.

MLB Power Pros 2008 does one thing that I wish more games would do - it has fun. It has a few flaws, but throughout the entire game, I never felt like I wasn't enjoying myself, which is something few games have managed to do. Hardcore baseball fans will probably overlook the game entirely - after all, they have reps as "hardcore adult gamers" to maintain - but if you give it a try, I guarantee you'll have fun.