The Cages: Pro Style Batting Practice Hands-On

Baseball games seem like a natural fit for the Nintendo Wii, reaching all the way back to the original Wii Sports from 2006. Lacking the MLB license hasn't stopped developer Alpha Unit and publisher Konami from trying their hand at a baseball game in the upcoming The Cages: Pro Style Batting Practice. As the name implies, this is a batting game that makes use of the Wii Remote and, optionally, the Wii MotionPlus add-on.

Think of this game as your own personal batting cage. In its simplest mode, you stand at the plate and attempt to hit balls thrown by a pitching machine. You can use a standard Wii Remote or attach the Wii MotionPlus for a more sensitive swing. In our experience, using the Wii MotionPlus resulted in a swing that better matches our actual motions; it also made it nearly impossible to make contact with the ball, as it was very easy to get under or over the ball thanks to the increased fidelity of the virtual bat.

Nonetheless, if you can acclimate yourself to the peculiarities of the virtual swing, you'll find a decent number of options in The Cages. A training mode will take you through the basics, from hitting a stationary ball to recognizing and hitting any of the 19 different pitches that are in the game, including specialty pitches like the knuckleball and 12-6 curve. As you make your way through training mode, you'll unlock these pitches, which you can then use in other modes in the game. When setting up a session, you'll be able to choose which pitches you want to see, the style of pitching motion (from standard to side arm and so forth), and even the speed of the pitches you'd like thrown.

Another mode in the game is plate ball, which challenges you to get the ball in play to advance runners on the bases. There are multiple suspended signs in the infield and outfield, and hitting them with the ball can result in good or bad outcomes (such as extra base hits, or outs, respectively). As runners advance around the bases, you'll be scoring runs, and you can play this mode against the CPU or against a friend in multiplayer. Those looking to burn some fat while batting will be able to do so thanks to a handy calorie counter that will keep track of the calories you've burned during each session with The Cages.

We all know a trip to the batting cage can be discouraging. There's the 38-year-old guy with a beer gut who's trying to relive his glory days and shrieking curses at his failure. There's the screaming kids running around bludgeoning each other with aluminum bats while their parents turn a blind eye and go about their batting business. There's the sun-scorched, overly made-up, under-dressed batting cage lizards skulking around the cages for no good reason. If there's a true advantage to The Cages, it's that you'll be able to avoid that scene completely and get your batting in from the comfort of your own home. It might not be an ideal alternative to actual batting practice, but at least the couch is close by when you're done. Look for The Cages this summer.