Powerful Pro Yakyuu 12 hits Japan in July

The popular Japanese baseball simulation Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu will hit the dozen mark this summer. The newest iteration of Konami's venerable baseball series is currently 75 percent complete, according to Japanese games magazine Famitsu. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 12 will slide onto the PlayStation 2 and GameCube on July 14 in Japan. No price has been announced yet.

Konami has souped up the game's success mode, which lets players develop their own characters and skills through a strategy-style game. This time, success mode will involve a whole city, called Powerful Town, where player-designed characters will practice the fine arts of the game, take on part-time jobs, and participate in various events. Managers-in-training will also be able to trade their players through the online portions of the game.

After 11 previous versions, the on-the-field gameplay in this latest rendition looks relatively unchanged. There will be some new animations for ball players, but Konami does not plan to make any drastic changes to the central gameplay.

Konami is also working on a Powerful Pro Yakyuu game for the PSP.