Little League World Series struggles to hit a Home-Run with its' difficult yet simple controls.
Other Platforms: Wii
Other Variations: Little League Baseball: Championship Series - NES
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Activision
Release Date: August 5th 2008
Genre: Baseball
Number of Players: 1
ERSB Rating: Everyone
Review
Back in the good old NES days, my friend and I played this game called Little League Baseball. It was one of the best games and we played it literally every day. When I heard that they were going to make a game similar to that awesome NES game, for the DS, I was stoked. However my excitement quickly faded away as I started it up. Little League World Series is not your normal baseball game, but may offer some fun for die hard fans.
Game play:
Every mechanic of the game is controlled with the stylus. So it is a very hard game to get used to if your not into the stylus thing. The game is supposed to be made simple so kids or general gamers alike can pick it up and play. To hit the ball you must draw a line across the strike zone at the exact time the pitch comes. For me this was extremely hard, and I had a very difficult time, trying to time my swing. Then there was times when your swing doesn't go through and you stand there and watch the ball go by. Nice huh?! Pitching is very similar to hitting. you select the pitch you want and then trace a certain shape type thing to make it an accurate pitch. If you vary slightly, your pitch will not end up where you wanted it. Fielding is slightly similar, as the fielders go to the ball automatically, you have to use the stylus to draw a line to which base you want to throw to, not to difficult, but by the time you get used to it, throw it to third right away(not kidding). Base running follows same guidelines again, simply draw a line to the base you want to go to. The dynamics of this seem easy but they just make it so hard if that makes sense. If you get sick of the baseball part of the game, there are a few mini-games to play such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Bowling, Home-Run Derby and a few others. They are a welcome part to break up the game slightly.
Sound and Graphics:
The sound isn't terrible by any means, but the music can get slightly annoying and thankfully only appears on the menu screens. Otherwise you only hear the umps and a few fans. The players and field look so-so but you can tell the developers had an anime style in mind. Nothing to complain about there.
Overall:
Overall I would not recommend this game unless you were a die hard fan of baseball, stylus use or it is really cheap. MLB Power Pros is similar in price and offers a better baseball experience then this title. If you think you will like it, wait until it gets a price drop. Overall I give it a 6.0