This Xbox Live Arcade downloadable title will be hitting this summer, and it appears that the game is essentially the Power Pros gameplay engine, now complete with bobble-headed players and still-legless body models. In other words, it's basically downloadable Power Pros.

The game is not quite as feature-complete as the old Power Pros games, but there is still a 162-game season in place and online play. For a downloadable title, this is still quite a bit of content, but I'm sure some fans will miss the old "The Life" mode.

Of course, I'm mostly talking like a fan right now, so for those who have never had the chance to play Power Pros in the past, it's a simulation series that uses cursor-based hitting and pitching. Players in the game look ridiculous, but they still retain their authentic styles. Side-arming pitchers throw sidearm in this game, and pitchers themselves usually have repertoires that are very close to authentic as well. This game is absolutely a simulation of the sport of baseball. And it's a good one at that.

The only negative here on the gameplay front is probably the fielding. Throwing to bases and diving/jumping are tied to the face buttons. So if you don't wait for the player to actually pick up the ball, you might end up diving when you just want to throw to first base. Still, once you get a handle on the system, it really should not affect you all that much. For example, I made an amazing diving stop with Robinson Cano on a grounder up the middle, and then was able to flip the ball to second base all in one motion -- and this was after I had botched a simple play earlier in the inning by diving when I really just wanted to throw to first base.

In terms of presentation, there is not much commentary, but all the MLB stadiums and players are represented here, and the game still has TV-like touches with some arcade flair. There are replays in the game after a big hit, and the game also recognizes a big pitcher-batter duel by cutting the screen in half for a moment to zoom in on both the batter and pitcher.

Final Thoughts

MLB Bobblehead Pros proves that you can't judge a game by how it looks. It may look ridiculous, but once you begin a game with the ability to warm up your pitcher on the mound, it's immediately noticeable that this is still a baseball simulation in the mold of Power Pros. Xbox 360 and PS3 fans will have a chance to download this baseball simulation this summer.