The first ever baseball title for Kinect features an unlikely mash-up of Nickelodeon cartoon characters with real-life MLB stars.  Although the controls are accessible for all ages, the game really provide a healthy challenge for older kids and tweens.  The game will also be available for Wii and 3DS.

Although a baseball game, Nicktoons MLB does everything in over-the-top Nickelodeon fashion.  Even though there are more than 300 real-life MLB players in the game, they all have the ability to make enormous leaps and incredible plays, which comes in handy in their battles against Nickelodeon characters from SpongeBob Squarepants, Danny Phantom, Invader Zim, Planet Sheen, Avatar and more.

Nicktoons MLB is a great choice for kids to play alongside their parents, because while the controls are simple to learn, they do have a layer of complexity that goes beyond just the basics of throw and swing.  Pitches can be cutters, sliders or sinkers depending on the angle of the throwing motion, and raising two hands can activate turbo powers.  These all play an important role in the game, making it about more than just throwing and swinging.

The game has a 2 player head to head mode, but families could also play cooperatively simply by taking their turns in front of the Kinect camera or holding the Wii-mote.  There are also cool modes such as Distance Derby, a home run derby that contains targets and big bonus points.

If you have kids in elementary school, chances are they love Nickelodeon, baseball and videogames, and probably all three.  With the way Nicktoons MLB plays, it’s a great choice for competitive families that brings all three of these worlds together.  We love Nicktoons MLB for kids ages 7 and up.

INFORMATION FROM COMPANY FACT SHEET:

2K Play, Nickelodeon and Major League Baseball Properties will soon release Nicktoons MLB for the Xbox 360 featuring support for Kinect, Nintendo Wii system and Nintendo DS.

An all-star roster from Nickelodeon's Nicktoons series will take on players from all 30 MLB teams, delivering the first baseball experience to fully take advantage of Kinect for Xbox 360.

Nicktoons MLB will feature Nicktoons characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants, ZIM, Dudley Puppy, Fanboy, Chum Chum, and Ren and Stimpy.  These all will appear along with players from all 30 MLB teams, including Matt Holliday (St. Louis Cardinals), Andre Ethier (Los Angeles Dodgers), Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers), Jason Heyward (Atlanta Braves), Cliff Lee (Philadelphia Phillies), and Robinson Cano (New York Yankees).

According to the announcement press release, custom-created digital ballparks will add new meaning to "home field advantage" and range from the famed Fenway Park to the frigid Frosty Freeze Field.