The handheld realm of sports gaming witnessed a better than average year for 2008, with several quality titles finding their way onto store shelves. Unfortunately, only one title achieved truly great status among OS staffers and readers alike, as MLB 08: The Show was overwhelmingly voted the best handheld title of the year. With potential competition from Tecmo Bowl and Hot Shots Golf, The Show's dominance of the handheld sports genre might be in jeopardy in the coming years.

Operation Sports Handheld Sports Game of the Year: MLB 08: The Show

Staff Thoughts

Bryan Estrella: Cannot argue with our choice in this category. Simply put, the MLB: The Show series has continually improved each year and its presence on the PSP has always been amongst the best reasons to own the handheld system. The gameplay is second to none, and its variety of features and options sets the bar for handheld sports games. The Road To the Show mode alone is like virtual crack in your hands.

Christian McLeod: I too voted for the Show for PSP. Not only does the game play great, but it is the type of game that is perfectly suited to control on a handheld. In today's world of dual-analog stick jukes, it is hard to nail a control scheme as perfectly on a handheld as The Show did. Add to that solid gameplay, tons of features and some pretty good graphics, and you have a winner in my books.

Chase Becotte: The Show is the safe and easy pick to make -- I personally pushed for Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2. I do not disagree with the choice, though, because the game does offer a solid experience on the PSP every year. However, the handheld version is getting a little stale in my book, and I wonder how much more the developers can refine and add to the handheld version in '09. Either way, for one more year, The Show is king.

Jayson Young: I only own a DS, so my perspective on the topic is a bit limited, but Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff was the best game I played on Nintendo's handheld.

EA is still having a lot of trouble figuring out how to make their sports franchises work on the DS, but Tecmo's classic football game feels great with the dual screens and stylus passing.

It is a shame that Kickoff ended up falling apart in the single-player and online modes, because it is still one of the best sports games around during head-to-head play against friends/foes.

Steven Bartlett: The Show on PSP is a more enjoyable experience than MLB 2K9 on the Xbox 360. Not only is the gameplay beautifully mapped to the PSP controls, but it is almost a direct port of the PS2 version.

The sound on MLB 08: The Show is brilliant. The commentary in this series is similar to watching a live broadcast, and this PSP version makes no exceptions. Also, the ability to customize your own soundtrack is a sweet feature to have on a handheld that already holds your MP3s.

Providing a realistic baseball simulation in your hands, this UMD is quality entertainment. It can keep you occupied on your plane rides, car rides or anywhere else you choose to bring it, because at the end of the day, the game is just fun.

MLB 08: The Show on the PSP is the truth.

Readers' Choice

There was no contest here. MLB 08: The Show won the readers' choice vote without any real challenge, with Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff coming in at a very distant second. Not only did The Show not have any real competition in the handheld realm, there might not be much competition in the near future if The Show continues on its roll in future years.

Winner: MLB 08: The Show

Voting Results: MLB 08: The Show (64.00%), Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (19.20%), Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 (7.20%)

Reader Comments: This one has to go to MLB. Tecmo Bowl is not quite at the level we thought it would be, although, it is still good. -- DJWolfPack

I have NBA Inside, and it is a lot of fun, but my vote goes to The Show -- rock85