Ratings are out of 10. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
(Wii, DS, $19.99-$29.99) — Released in November, one of the most compelling multiplayer games for the Wii is now a more attractive pickup at about $30 rather than its initial price of $50.
Continuing the silly vibe of the original "Raving Rabbids," the game has you humiliate yourself and others with motion controls. You'll pump your fists to run, wave the controllers around to dance and play instruments, and use the Wii remote as a plunger gun to take out rascally rabbitlike varmints. Online multiplayer would have been nice, because the game is nowhere near as fun alone as it is with a competitor. But as a party game, you're hard pressed to do much better than this "Rabbids" sequel. Rating: 7.7.
MLB 08: The Show
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(PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, $39.99-$59.99) — After a weak '07 outing that couldn't quite find its swing on the PS3, Sony's baseball franchise gets the call to the big leagues. The game is bolstered by smooth fielding, stunning player likenesses and well-honed online integration, which lets you form 30-team leagues and scrolls scores from real-life games as you play.
The most involving game mode is Road to the Show, which lets you play from the perspective of one player, whom you gradually improve throughout the minors and work your way up to the Bigs.
On the field, batters and pitchers do better or worse depending on momentum generated from previous throws and swings. The one glaring shortcoming is the poor, repetitive running commentary. Rating: 8.5.
Major League Baseball 2K8
(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, PSP, $29.99-$59.99) — Daring innovation is hampered by technical shortcomings in the one baseball title available for non-Sony systems.
You control pitching and hitting with the right analog stick, which allows you to place exacting levels of touch and nuance into your players' actions. As you attain in-game goals, you're rewarded with virtual playing cards you collect and trade.
The broadcast duo of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is such a pleasure to listen to — the announcers drop historical anecdotes and check in with astute analysis — that you could enjoy a solely computer-controlled game.
Unfortunately, online play (oddly not available in the Wii version) is agonizingly slow, and sometimes even offline action suffers distracting hiccups. A 2K Sports representative told me a downloadable patch will fix the frame-rate issues. Rating: 7.8.
– Phil Villarreal
