Since the Wii's beginnings, the most popular option for baseball on the system has been “Wii Sports.” Its core pitch and hit motion controls are very accessible, and the pack-in nature of the game has guarded its lack of depth from further criticism.

In attempting to improve those controls, “Little League World Series Baseball 2008” meets with moderate success. The Activision game's pitching system strengthens that of “Wii Sports” with curved motion sensing and a timing system by which players must match their throw to their pitcher's.

Fielding and base-running are also placed in the hands of players, who must shake the Wiimote to move their characters. This is preferable to the pre-determined nature of these two game facets in “Wii Sports” baseball. But actually controlling fielders with an analog stick would add far more strategic depth to these crucial dimensions of the game.

The Wiimote-swinging batting system of “Wii Sports” is also spruced up in “Little League World Series 2008.” Players swing the controller in a timely fashion to connect with the pitch at an angle that determines the hit's direction.

But there is still not as much control to be exploited in the hitting system as there is in button-controlled Wii baseball games like “MLB Power Pros.”

The Wiimote's limited motion-sensing still means that even a quick flick of the wrist can register the same swing as a fully mimed motion. The sensitivity of the controller to powered and more precise swings is also inconsistent. One must slow down their batting motion to an almost annoyingly unintuitive degree if they're to achieve a precise swing. Angled swings are also difficult to activate due to muddled motion sensing.

The minor game play advantages “World Series” enjoys over “Wii Sports” are ultimately not quite enough to justify its $50 price tag as a standalone game.

Where “World Series” turns on its charm is its cel-shaded graphic presentation, which distinguishes it from the crude 3-D look of “Wii Sports.” The game also makes more use of the Wiimote's speaker than most titles, and several skill-based mini-games take the title to extra innings. But deepening the game play is pivotal if this series hopes to be called up to the majors.

David Wilcox

253-5311 ext. 245

david.wilcox@lee.net

If you play

Game: Little League World Series Baseball 2008

Score: C+

Parental rating: E for everyone

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Now Productions

Platform: Wii

Price: $49.99

Features: 1 player, multiplayer

The final boss: “Little League” manages a double in the game to create the first mega-hit motion-sensitive baseball title on the Wii.