Animated All-Stars Take On With Baseball’s Best

Proving that baseball is now “the universe’s favorite pastime,” fans from the ivy-covered Wrigley Field to the barely-hospitable planet Zeenu can step up to the plate as 2K Play, Nickelodeon, the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball Properties announce Nicktoons MLB is available in stores for the Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS. The battle between Nickelodeon’s animated all-stars and baseball’s best has been brewing for months and was stoked by a fans-at-home vote atwww.2kplayball.com to determine who should be in the starting lineup of The Showdown, a special online video game simulation based on one of the game’s modes.

“It’s on,” said Steve Lux, vice president of business development for 2K Play. “At long last, this epic face-off can be played out on video game systems everywhere to determine which team will bring home bragging rights and who should report to the Minor Leagues.”

“The Nickelodeon Nicktoons have been petitioning to ‘go yard’ with the best players in Major League Baseball,” said Shaan Kandawalla, Vice President of Digital Games for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “These characters have been training this entire season and are fielding a team of All-Stars to make history with the newest rivalry in all of baseball.”

It’s fastball versus stinkball in Nicktoons MLB as SpongeBob, ZIM, Dudley Puppy, Fanboy, Chum Chum, Stimpy and a dugout full of Nicktoons compete with more than 300 players from all 30 MLB® clubs, 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). MLB® ballparks, including Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium, and out-of-this-world Nicktoons venues like Frosty Freeze Field and the Poseidome, add new meaning to the term “home field advantage.”

Nicktoons MLB features play-by-play commentary by Perch Perkins, anchorman for the Bikini Bottom News, and the IRKEN EMPIRE’s irrepressible GIR, as well as multiple gameplay modes, including Pick-up Game, Tournament, Showdown and the swing-for-the fences Distance Derby. For the first time, Xbox 360 gamers will be able to experience controller-free pitching, batting and fielding with the Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor option. Wii gamers can utilize the Wii Remote™ to bat, pitch and slide, while the optional Nunchuk controls allow for precision throwing.

Specially marked packages of Nicktoons MLB contain exclusive Topps trading cards that spotlight both a Nickelodeon character and an MLB player, allowing fans to collect all nine cards in the series. Gamers who play out their own Showdowns at home are invited to report their scores, achievements and heroic moments at www.2kplayball.com.