MLB.com has released an official Major League Baseball World Series 2009 game into the App Store [link]. The $7.99 offers players an officially licensed product featuring 30 Major League Clubs and four MLB ballparks.
Game features include:
- Multi-Touch Pitching Mechanics – Choose between fastball, curve, change-up or slider and swipe correctly to execute the perfect pitch
- Accelerometer Targeting: Tilt the device to aim your pitch and line up your swing.
- World Series mode, Season mode, Exhibition mode
- Fielding modes – let the computer play defense or switch to manual for an added challenge
We've included a number of screenshots from the game (click thumbnails to enlarge):
The game itself allows you to play a season from the start or straight to the World Series. Games can be setup with different teams and substitutions can be made mid-game based on player stats or fatigue. The video shows off batting and pitching.
Batting is performed using the accelerometer to match the ball while pressing the "swing" button at the right moment. Pitching is performed using swipe gestures which influence power and accuracy of your pitches. Accelerometer controls also help target the location of your pitches.
Fielding can be performed automatically (the default), but if you're interested in more of a challenge, you can turn this to "manual" and then decide where to throw the ball after it's hit. The embedded video shows manual fielding.
An ongoing discussion thread has some first impressions. As noted by one forum user, individual player names are not included in this game, only team names.