Little League World Series Baseball 2009 (Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi)

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL 2009 is a very basic title which allows players to enter their favorite team into the classic tournament of Little Leaguers. Using the Wii Remote, players can control the type of pitch, the direction and strength of their swing when at bat, and even the location they wish to slide into when attempting to get that extra base. The game features the classic tournament mode as well as single game play for those seeking a shorter session. Additionally, a series of six skill-based challenges are also here to help hone your skills and unlock additional skill cards that can be used to boost players mid-game.

Little League 2009 is a solid baseball title for the Wii. The colorful characters and fields help keep the Little League style intact, and the included commentary adds a nice level of depth to the title. The skill card collection will encourage players to get better and play more; and the customization options will help players from becoming bored with the game. Players might notice that pitching controls not as precise as one would hope, but this is a minor issue in this otherwise fun kid baseball title.

The DS version of Little League 2009 features the same type of tournament gameplay, but with a completely different control scheme. Pitching involves tracing specific routes on the screen for different pitch types, and batting takes a well timed swipe of the stylus in order to get a good hit. For play on the go, the DS version is quite well done and features the same graphical style as the Wii version. Multiplayer is available on the DS providing you have additional Nintendo DS systems around; however you can play some modes with only a single cartridge which is a nice touch for multi-DS households.