Although my 25-year-old brain isn’t entirely sure what I played and why I was playing it, I am pretty confident in saying that Bakugan does not entirely suck.  It is derivative and not really that original, which would be a problem if it were aimed at (allegedly) mature adults such as myself, but it seems fine for its kid to teenage target audience.

My confusion stems from the feel of the story and plot, which is strictly low-quality, Saturday morning cartoon level filler.  You play as a youth who, uh, loves this card battling game that features creatures popping out of balls.  Think Pokemon, but with a bit of a technological and alien bent as opposed to animals.  Your youth is plucky, with a whole cast of stereotypes to help you out – A super cool dude who serves as a tag team partner, an obvious bully and a lackey to fight against, several girls that are cute but have no personalities of their own, and a nerdy kid who is obviously very nerdy because of his nerdy kid glasses.

Although all of the characters are definitely stock, straight from central casting, the voiceover work is done pretty well.  Likewise, the graphics are Saturday morning cartoon, but in the good way – Crisp, colorful backgrounds and good animation on the actual battlefields.  While the voiceover and graphics aren’t selling points, they do not actively take away from the experience.

If you are reading this and under the age of 18, then the above characters and presentation might appeal to you greatly.  If you are not, then you will have to rely on the gameplay, which is so-so.  While there are some fun aspects here and there, the basic gameplay is rather unrefined.

Bakugan is essentially a “monster battling” game, similar to the aforementioned Pokemon.  You create a deck of cards, compromised of three attacking monsters, three base cards and three power-up cards.  At the start of combat, you are transported to an arena, and you have to place down a base card.  You then use the Wiimote to “throw” a ball – one of your attacking monsters – on to one of the base cards placed by you or your opponent.  The control pad can be used to “steer” the ball in the air, and also after it lands.  You opponent then throws, followed by you again.

The goal is to win three gate cards.  If you can land two of your monsters on a single gate card, then you can claim it.  However, the main combat occurs when you and an enemy land on the card, which initiates a battle.  Each monster has a “power” level – think hit points – that can be amplified depending on the base card the fight takes place on.  For example, a Holy powered monster might get an extra 50 points for fighting on a Holy battlefield.

There are a few other wrinkles from here.  First, you can use power-up cards to give yourself some extra points.  And second, each battle features one of three mini-games – a rhythm timing game, a shooting game with the Wiimote pointer or a masturbatory shaking – in order to further increase the power level. Whoever has the higher number wins.  There are also power-ups your monster can collect while rolling around the arena as well, to raise or increase the power level, and to debilitate your opponents with annoying status effects.

It’s simpler than it seems, and unfortunately, you don’t need a lot of the extra options, like the movement or even doing well on the mini-games.  For the most part, I was able to accurately throw the balls on to cards with little trouble, with the computer’s success rate was about 50 percent.  I was able to win most of the game’s battles within three to five turns.

This lack of challenge and generally unoriginal gameplay creates a sense of “meh” while playing Bakugan.  It is kind of fun, but my old fogey mind kept thinking back to Pokemon, and how much better that was, even though its prevalent color was an odd sort of green and I played it on the original, chunky Game Boy that now doubles as a paperweight for me.

There are some attempts here and there to prolong the Bakugan experience.  For example, you can purchase new monsters at a store, and like every game of this type, there is an emphasis on collecting every monster, gate card and power-up card.  This will probably only appeal to the few ensnared enough by the game to continue with it though, and it’s not really a drawing point if you don’t like the basic gameplay.  Likewise, tag team, battle royal and multiplayer matches are available, but they’re all just more of the same.

Blast Factor: Bakugan has a very narrow niche in my mind – Boys who aren’t trying to get laid yet.  If you have one of these in your household, then this is a good game to forestall that hellish part of their life (also known medically as “The Rest of Their Life”) for another month or so.  If you don’t fall into this group though, Bakugan isn’t worth its price tag.  Just plow through the game in a quick renting if you think it’s your cup of tea.

Bakugan is available on the Wii, DS, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Playstation 2. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

At the end of every summer there is one televised sporting event I habitually find myself watching.‚  The globally encompassing Little League World Series features teams from all 50 states and 70 nations abroad comprised of the world’s best eighth graders make up this grand event culminating with the finals in Williamsport PA. Emotions run high, tears flow, hopes are shattered, and somehow a 14 year old can throw 80 mph.

So it comes as no surprise that Activision today announced Little League World Series Baseball 2009, the follow up to the hit original, releasing on Wii and DS in June, about the same time the actual tournament begins.

“We are very proud of the warm reception our first Little League baseball video game received last year,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “Little League World Series Baseball 2009 aims to broaden the franchise’s appeal even wider, giving experienced gamers a sense of depth and to feel more challenged while still making it easy for parents or grandparents to pick up and play!”

Little League 2009 is officially licensed and again is in development by Japanese game studio NOW Production.‚  New features in Little League include a full team editor, regional tournaments, all new stadiums and skills challenges while continuing the utilization of the Wii’s motion controls and the stylus on the DS for pitching and hitting.

About Activision and NOW Production:

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 10, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Little League(R) World Series Baseball 2009, the sequel to 2008′s acclaimed hit baseball game, will be released this June for Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM). The title is a natural progression for the franchise, offering Little Leaguers and their families more features and refined, accessible gameplay.

“We are very proud of the warm reception our first Little League baseball video game received last year,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “Little League(R) World Series Baseball 2009 aims to broaden the franchise’s appeal even wider, giving experienced gamers a sense of depth and to feel more challenged while still making it easy for parents or grandparents to pick up and play!”

Little League(R) World Series Baseball 2009 is the second officially licensed Little League(R) video game for next-generation consoles, and once again it is being developed by world renowned Japanese studio NOW Production. Players will have the chance to become a Little League World(R) Series baseball Champion, or play with up to three other friends in a variety of exhibition modes. New features include a full team editor, regional tournaments, all new stadiums, new skills challenges, an expanded set of collectible content and much more. Both versions improve upon the popular motion and stylus controls, respectively, for batting and pitching.

“The response to last year’s game was phenomenal, and Little League fans have been enthusiastic in giving us ideas for the 2009 version,” Jud Rogers, Sr. Marketing Executive, Little League International. “Activision and NOW Production are the best partners imaginable and we look forward to creating the best family-friendly baseball game of all time.”

For more information, visit www.activision.com.

About Little League International

Little League International is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.7 million participants, led by more than one million adult volunteers, in all 50 states and more than 70 other countries. Founded and headquartered in Williamsport, Pa., Little League’s goal is to bring the sports of baseball and softball to children and their families, instilling the values of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play. While thousands of Little Leaguers have advanced to become Major League Baseball players, with some attaining induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Little League’s purpose is to create good citizens first.

About NOW Production

NOW Production is a premiere video game developer founded in 1986 and based in Japan. It has developed games for many major publishers, including Namco, Konami and Activision, working on games such as Katamari Damacy, Dance Dance Revolution, Little League World Series 2008, and the upcoming Bakugan. In recent years, “NOWPro” has started creating original, independent titles and is also involved with developing mobile software and online games.

About Activision Publishing

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Bakugan, Toy of the Year winner and popular animated television show will debut on consoles and handheld in the fall of this year.‚  The toy and card game has been a smash hit with kids everywhere and Activision looks to extend Bakugan’s successes to the video game front.

Nelvana Enterprises and Activision today announced an agreement to develop and distribute the game, and given the current economic state, Activision must see some real potential in the undertaking.

Slated for a fall release, the Bakugan video game will debut on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, DS and Wii.‚  Veteran Japanese game development studio NOW Productions, famous for their contributions to such titles as Dance Dance Revolution and Little League World Series 2008, will handle the development of the games.

David Oxford of Activision Publishing says: “Bakugan’s success in 2008 speaks for itself and we’re confident it will be even bigger in 2009, it is our goal to expand this proven property in a way that both fans and gamers will love.”

Labeled as the “toy craze of holiday 2008,” Bakugan tells the story of Dan and his friends as they battle their Bakugan Brawlers to save the planet of Vestroia and, ultimately, Earth from destruction.

The toy and card game, developed by Spin Master Ltd brings action to the popular genre of collectible trading card games with marble-like Bakugan spheres that transform into “battle brawling” action figures when rolled onto special game cards.‚  It is truly a sight to be seen, the game-play is unique and varied, and collecting the cards and figures reminds me of my Pokemon days.

NOW Productions has promised intense battles, the ability to create your own unique Brawler, cartoon quality graphics and the ever important multi-player aspect in the video game.

Game announcements are always exciting, especially so when the IP is an exploding cultural phenomenon so many have grown close to.‚  And when Activision signs on with their high hopes and fat wallet, things usually work out quite alright.