Mario hits a Triple with this one.
A new twist to the game which is fun is the close play feature where on a close play at a bag, the first player/team to hit the A or B button wins the play at the bag. This works well in the game and adds a fun twist to base running which for the most part can be disastrous. Players on base run on contact and it is very easy to get into a double play.
The challenge mode is fun but short. It is filled with many scout missions which help you learn how to play the game and how to play with certain players. The game throws some puzzles at you which is good giving you a different aspect then other baseball games. Unfortunately you barely play and full games except against the bowser family. If the missions were applied to game situations it would be a lot better.
The game is fun, best played in multiplayer as it requires some skill to beat someone who knows what they are doing. The difficulty is just right. You can't go wrong with the character list, and all of the mini games.