Last week, I got a chance to play Bakugan: Battle Brawlers for Wii. Based on the immensely popular card game and cartoon show, it looks to be a great fit for fans of the series, but I doubt it will convert people that are unfamiliar with the series.

The game, which is also hitting DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3, follows a story that runs somewhat parallel to the show's main story. Players take control of their own character, which they create when the game begins. There isn't a ton of customization, but there is enough that every player will have a character that is unique. Players run into Dan, the show's star, shortly after beginning and he introduces the player-created hero to the wild world of Bakugan.

In video game form, Bakugan becomes more of a tactical pinball game. The two players stand at opposite corners of a square arena. Play begins when one player throws a Bakugan ball out into the arena and then guides the ball around, collecting as many power-ups as they can, and then trying to land their Bakugan onto a field card. Upon contact, the Bakugan then comes out of the ball and is ready for battle. If you miss the card, and you might since you only have a limited amount of time to roam the area for power-ups, you lose all of the power-ups you collected and your Bakugan returns to you.

After that, the other player takes their turn. During their opponent's turn, players can use the Wii Remote's pointer to shoot at their opponent and try to disrupt them. If the player makes it onto the same card as your Bakugan, then the two of you battle. There is no direct battling in Battle Brawlers; instead, you try to get the most points, which you can get by collecting power-ups or using ability cards. When you battle, you play one of three mini-games to get more points. One mini-game involves shaking the Wii Remote, another is a shooting gallery, and the third is a simple rhythm game. However, if your opponent misses the card and you land a second Bakugan on the same card as before, you win the card outright without having to battle.

The game only uses the Wii Remote, and is easy to control. It makes use of the pointer and Wii-specific features. You make a throwing motion to throw the ball, and after it lands on the playing area, you guide it around by tilting the Wii Remote. It's all very intuitive.

There's also a lot of arenas that you can choose from, some of which have other areas that you can get to if you get to the right spot. I played in a plain arena and a wind-themed arena. The wind arena featured tornadoes that, if you got your ball to go near, would shoot you up in the air and take you to more power-ups.

As far as the gameplay goes, it is really simple in comparison to Pokémon. While Pokémon has a lot of depth to it, Bakugan seems to be very cut and dry. It seems that you can only carry three Bakugan at once, and you can only carry about five ability cards at once, which you can use to boost your points before a battle. I had a good time with Bakugan: Battle Brawlers, but it seems to be firmly aimed at its existing core audience. That isn't a bad thing, but I doubt you'll see many people without kids over the age of 15 buying this game.