MLB Bobblehead Pros News Post

MLB Bobblehead Pros Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (XBLA)

12:40 PM - July 6, 2011 by ChaseB

Back at E3, I previewed MLB Bobblehead Pros and pretty much could not say enough nice things about it. Konami's Power Pros baseball franchise is beloved for all the right reasons, and this $10 XBLA arcade game seems to be just another way for more people to experience the franchise.

Many folks may have missed out on the series because it has mostly been known for being released on Nintendo platforms this generation, but it's a simulation baseball series that is hidden under a cartoon-like graphical facade. While this version is not quite as in-depth as some of the earlier retail versions of the game, it seems like there is still local co-op online, an edit player feature (although it seems to be locked when you first play the game), full 162-game season and create-a-team elements as well.

Some members here at Operation Sports have already picked up the title and have some nice things to say about it:

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluengold34_OS


	And the game is incredibly realistic..I just started a season and the Pirates blasted the Cubs 8-5. The Cubs starting pitching was atrocious, and the they had 2 errors in the field. You can't ask a game to be anymore realistic than that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by philliesfan136


	It is looking good, and it feels exactly like Power Pros. It's just as easy to play.

There is a demo for folks to try, and it appears more content will be coming to the game later in the summer. Some of the content coming at a later date includes a home run derby, as well as My Bobble mode, which seems like it will be some sort of career mode where you control one single player for a whole season. I doubt it will be as in depth as "The Life" mode found in other Power Pros games, but it would still be a welcomed addition regardless.

Lastly, while the Xbox Live Arcade version is the only one out right now, it seems like a PS3 version will be coming at a later date.

Game: MLB Bobblehead ProsReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 3 - View All

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Member Comments

# 401 michfan16 @ 04/01/12 07:54 PM

Are u guys editing all the players individually or using the custom teams

# 402 jyoung @ 04/30/12 07:38 PM

Man, I had an amazing game today against Houston.

Down to my last strike in the bottom of the 9th inning, and Corey "Hitman" Hart ties the game at 4-4 with a solo home run.

Then in the 11th inning, "Tricky" Rickie Weeks hits a walk-off home run to secure the victory for Milwaukee, 5-4!

There is actually an unique cut-scene in the game that plays if you hit a walk-off home run:

The batter is mobbed by all his teammates as he jumps on home plate into the dog pile.

# 403 jyoung @ 05/01/12 01:56 PM

Another cool thing I saw for the first time today:

A batter injured himself by fouling a pitch off his leg!

# 404 sarpo @ 05/14/12 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyoung


	Nope, rosters have to be updated manually. Here's my list of new players that I'm working from: American League Rays - Jose Molina, Carlos Pena, Luke Scott, Jeff Keppinger, Fernando Rodney, Burke Badenhop Blue Jays - Francisco Cordero, Sergio Santos, Jason Frasor, Darren Oliver, Ben Francisco Yankees - Michael Pineda, Hiroki Kuroda Red Sox - Andrew Bailey, Clayton Mortenson, Orioles - Royals - Jonathan Sanchez, Jonathan Broxton Twins - Jamey Carroll, Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, Joel Zumaya Tigers - Prince Fielder Indians - Derek Lowe White Sox - Angels - Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson Rangers - Yu Darvish, Joe Nathan Mariners - Hisashi Iwakuma, George Sherrill, Aaron Heilman, Jesus Montero, Hector Noesi A's - Jarrod Parker, A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, Tom Milone, Raul Alcantara, Derek Norris, Collin Cowgill, Josh Reddick, Seth Smith National league Phillies - Jonathan Papelbon, Dontrelle Willis, Jim Thome, Ty Wiggington, Laynce Nix Mets - Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez, Andres Torres Braves - Marlins - Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, moved Hanley Rameriz to 3B, Carlos Zambrano Nationals - Gio Gonzalex, Brad lidge, Mark DeRosa, Mike Cameron Reds - Mat Latos, Sean Marshall, Ryan Madson. Madson is now taking care of the teen sport team. Cubs - Anthony Rizzo, Travis Wood, Paul Maholm, David DeJesus, Chris Volstad Cardinals - Carolos Beltran, Adam Wainwright Astros - Brewers - Aramis Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez, Norichika Aoki Pirates - Clint Barmes, Erik Bedard Dodgers - Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano Rockies - Casey Blake, Michael Cuddyer, Ramon Hernandex, Marco Scutaro, Jamie Moyer, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman Padres - Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Brad Boxberger, Edinson Volquez, Andrew Cashner, Huston Street, Carlos Quentin Diamondbacks - Willie Bloomquist, John McDonald, Jason Kubel, Trevor Cahill, Joe Saunders, Craig Breslow Giants - Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan Anything I missed? I just compiled this list from various online articles.

Thanks for this list. Can i just ask one question ? have you found it in Metaball magazine ? thanks

# 405 jyoung @ 05/29/12 01:48 PM

It's awesome how you can tire out a team's pitching staff over the course of a 3-game or 4-game series.

I had been shelling the Cardinals pitching staff for three straight games, forcing them to bring in tons of relievers. Well, today was the fourth-consecutive game in the series, and my Brewers hit 10 HRs in 8 innings of work against a tired St. Louis bullpen:

Corey "Hitman" Hart (3 HR)
Ryan Braun (3 HR)
Prince "Iaukea" Fielder (2 HR)
"Tricky" Rickie Weeks (1 HR)
Casey "***s" McGee (1 HR)

All in only 8 innings since I was the home team and didn't bat in the bottom of the 9th.

I've got a 2-game lead over the Reds in the Central division with 25 games left in my season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarpo


	Thanks for this list. Can i just ask one question ? have you found it in Metaball magazine ? thanks

I made the list by going through the transaction list on mlb.com

# 406 jyoung @ 06/02/12 08:39 PM

It's game 138 of the season, and I just had my first 4-home run game with one player!

Unfortunately, I was one batter away from getting the "Hitman" a fifth at-bat. But Prince Fielder grounded out to end my team's last inning.

# 407 ComfortablyLomb @ 06/04/12 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyoung


	It's awesome how you can tire out a team's pitching staff over the course of a 3-game or 4-game series. I had been shelling the Cardinals pitching staff for three straight games, forcing them to bring in tons of relievers. Well, today was the fourth-consecutive game in the series, and my Brewers hit 10 HRs in 8 innings of work against a tired St. Louis bullpen: Corey "Hitman" Hart (3 HR) Ryan Braun (3 HR) Prince "Iaukea" Fielder (2 HR) "Tricky" Rickie Weeks (1 HR) Casey "***s" McGee (1 HR) All in only 8 innings since I was the home team and didn't bat in the bottom of the 9th. I've got a 2-game lead over the Reds in the Central division with 25 games left in my season. I made the list by going through the transaction list on mlb.com

Two big edits that needed to be made to PP2008 in order for it to play better in season mode were upping starting pitcher stamina and very liberally distributing the |RECOVERY| skill. Without |RECOVERY| starting pitchers needed five days of rest to recover if used to the point of being tired. Given that the game was based off a foundation and six man rotations being prevalent over there it was IMO just an oversight when the game was made. Stamina was based off a formula that basically amounted to IP over the course of the season, not even IP per start. Starting pitchers who split time between the rotation and pen or who spent time on the DL ended up with stamina that was too low to be effective in-game. Generally, you want starters to be 140+ and the real horses have 175+. Out of the box some rotations would be lucky to have 2 guys with "A" (150+) stamina. I'm guessing the Bobblehead Pros version of the game was no better in this area.

# 408 jyoung @ 06/04/12 07:59 PM

Pitcher stamina is balanced out pretty good at the beginning of a season. A #1 pitcher like the Brewers' Zack Greinke can go the full 9 innings if you keep his pitch count low.

But the majority of starting pitchers I've seen tire out much quicker. It's all based on the individual player stamina ratings and in-game pitch counts.

However, once you get about 100 games into the first season, you've leveled up most pitchers' stamina rating to the point that everyone in your rotation can go the full 8 or 9 innings. This is definitely a flaw to the season mode.

Each pitcher also has a "recovery" rating that determines how many days' rest he needs to refill his stamina bar after an appearance.

The more pitches a player throws in an appearance, the further down his stamina bar will drop after the game, and the more days he will need to recover.

I think the recovery ratings are fine in this game, it's just the stamina ratings that tend to get a bit out of hand over the course of a long season.

# 409 jyoung @ 06/11/12 07:57 PM

Just finished an incredible game 1 of the World Series!

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Corey Hart hits a walk-off home run to complete a six-run ninth inning! Brewers were trailing the Yankees 8-2 heading into the eighth inning.

# 410 DJ @ 06/15/12 10:47 AM

Can you do a Fantasy Draft in this game?

Is the difficulty/sliders similar to the Power Pros 2008 setup?

Can you customize season length, and are you able to play multiple seasons?

I'd really like a baseball game on my 360, but can't go back to 2K11/12.

# 411 jyoung @ 06/15/12 01:01 PM

There is no fantasy draft, but the rosters are fully editable once you unlock the editor by buying the Bobblehead Battle DLC pack ($5). If you don't buy the editor, you can still move players around via trades, but you won't be able to edit players to your liking.

There's a lot of customization to the difficulty. Everything from pitch speed to the amount of cursor assist is editable. Plus you can tweak how intelligent the CPU's hitting, pitching, fielding and baserunning are.

Season mode is locked to 162 games only and lasts for 5 seasons total. It took me about a year of real time to complete one season. I started it last July when the game first came out, and just now reached the World Series. You can have up to four different season files going at once.

I would've gladly paid $30 - $40 for this game, but the fact that its only $10 for the base game + $5 for the editor DLC makes it a great deal and much more fun than 2K baseball IMO.

# 412 DJ @ 06/15/12 02:03 PM

I'll probably get that editing pack. I won't make all of the off-season moves, but I'll get all the big-name players on their correct teams.

Good to hear about the difficulty; sounds just like PP in that you can tweak different aspects of the game to your liking.

I'll have to play the demo again, but for $15, I think this will be a better investment than 2K11/12.

# 413 ComfortablyLomb @ 06/17/12 11:43 AM

If you have a PS2 or Wii then I can't recommend Power Pros 2008 enough. The rosters are obviously several years old but the game is much more complete than what was released on 360. There's a very long thread about it on this forum. It's an all-time great baseball game.

# 414 DJ @ 06/17/12 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComfortablyLomb


	If you have a PS2 or Wii then I can't recommend Power Pros 2008 enough. The rosters are obviously several years old but the game is much more complete than what was released on 360. There's a very long thread about it on this forum. It's an all-time great baseball game.

I do have a PS2 and have PP 2008. That thread, and specificially several of your posts, have been quite helpful. I need to bring the system back up from the basement (I have a TV down there, but I rarely use it) so I can get back into the game. It is a lot of fun.

# 415 jyoung @ 06/17/12 06:04 PM

Here's how my season turned out:

Spoiler

Brewers beat the Yankees 4-1 in the World Series.

Coincidentally, they actually did predict the Orioles to win the Al East.

# 416 DJ @ 06/18/12 11:17 AM

What the heck happened to the Cardinals?

# 417 jyoung @ 06/18/12 12:14 PM

I dunno, but St. Louis' pitching was atrocious whenever I faced them. Most of my big multi-home run games came against the Cardinals.

# 418 DJ @ 06/25/12 11:45 AM

Is there an Auto Fielding option?

# 419 jyoung @ 06/28/12 08:52 PM

Yes.

10 characters

# 420 DJ @ 06/29/12 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyoung


	Yes. 10 characters

Man, that's great news. I was having the toughest time fielding in the demo. Seemed I could never move my guys over to the ball fast enough, or I'd press the button to throw the ball to a base (trying to pre-load my throw like in MLB The Show) and I'd wind up diving or jumping, lol.

Going to pick up the full version this weekend.

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