MLB 09: The Show (PS3) Review

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 03.31.2009

If you have ever wanted the most realistic baseball game known to mankind, this is it!



Title: MLB 09: The Show
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEA San Diego
Genre: Sports (baseball)
Players: 2 (Online: 2)
Rated E for Everyone

I have to admit that I have not owned a baseball game in a long time. The last I owned was the PS2’s MVP Baseball, before EA lost the license. I did play the 07 version of The Show on PS2 as well. I have also owned dozens of baseball titles since the Genesis days. However, I can definitively state that MLB 09: The Show is the most realistic baseball game ever created. It might as well be the most realistic sports game ever created! By playing this game you can tell how much the people at SCEA San Diego love the game and that love shows on every aspect of this masterpiece.

Gameplay:

Before I delve into the different modes of play, let’s start with the basics. The pitcher/batter duels are extremely realistic and accurate when compared to real life. Pitchers tend to keep the ball down to induce ground balls and they rarely, if ever, toss a ball right in the middle of the plate. They tend to play the corners and work around hitters, unless it is a pitcher at the plate. Then you will see them challenge him with fastballs high in the zone and try to strike him out quickly. If you are at the plate, you better have a good eye and work the count in your favor: it is usually the only way to get something good to hit, just like in real life. The A.I. is very good, even in the default “Veteran” setting, so playing small ball at the plate, using things like sacrifice bunts and sac flies to manufacture runs in a most.

At the plate you can guess the pitch type and location to improve your chances. If you guess the pitch, the lines around the strike zone will flash red. If you guess the location, it will flash red as well. If you guess them both, both areas will flash red and the controller will vibrate if you are using a Dual Shock 3. Just like in real life, pitchers will try to get you chasing junk outside the zone if they are ahead in the count, but if the hitter is ahead, the pitcher will usually serve you something hittable. There is no better count to sit on a fastball than 2-0!



Pitching has the same quarter-circle interface that has been used in the series. You pick a pitch and location, then stop the meter at the right time to determine speed and location. For example, you might want to throw a fastball at the knees, but if you miss the meter too far off, it might either, hit the batter, or perhaps drift into the middle of the strike zone. It all depends on your pitcher’s control rating as well, so the effect of a missing with the meter is far more pronounced with a Class A rookie than it is with say, Brandon Webb or Jake Peavy. Something I loved about the game that is not present in any other series if the ability to have the catcher call the game and you just have to meet what he is asking for. By turning this option on, the catcher will call for pitches and locations, represented by a glove with a ball that pops up in the batter’s box and you have to throw it there. If you miss too far off, it might lead to a passed ball. You can always shake off the catcher if you don’t like what he is calling and go with your own instinct.

Fielding and baserunning are also very well done as you get control over every aspect of them. Manual sliding allows you to control the type and direction of the slide, making stolen bases a lot of fun and putting it in your hands instead of working with canned animations. The same applies for fielding controls, with dives and jumps at the hit of a button.



But the most amazing thing about the gameplay is the physics. They are incredibly realistic and it’s what gives The Show an edge over the competition. The ball reacts to the bat in a multitude of ways, depending on the pitch type, location, the timing of the hitter and even with what part of the bat the ball is hit. Not only that, but the ball also reacts to the players and the field as well. For example, a shortstop might try to dive for a ground ball, only to knock it away with his glove instead of grabbing it. In one instance I hit a ground ball to first base that would have been an easy out, but the ball took a weird hop off the base itself and went over the head of the fielder and into right field. The same thing can happen when the ball hits the pitcher’s mound or the outfield wall. It certainly makes you approach fielding differently since you get the feeling that the ball can really go anywhere instead of going to the same pre-canned locations.

As for the game modes, we get the self-explanatory Quick Game, Exhibition, Season and Franchise Modes. Franchise Mode has been beefed up with things like the Rule 5 Draft, Salary Arbitration and Compensation Picks for Free Agents. Also the Amateur Draft has been moved to June like it is in real life. You can also hire and fire members of your coaching staff, which is a great addition.

The new Batting Practice mode is of great help for newcomers. It allows you to choose the pitcher and pitch type (or types) and swing away to learn to read and react. It did a lot to help me learn the game. Better still, this new mode (along the new base running training mode) pop up as an interactive mini-game during Road to the Show. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hitting nothing but sliders after striking out to one during a game and by hitting it, or letting go the bad ones, I found stats like contact, power, vision and eye going up. It’s a nice way to make you feel part of your player’s development.

Road to the Show is back and it’s absolutely awesome. Series like Madden and FIFA have tried to make you feel part of the game with similar modes, but no one can touch Road to the Show. You create a player, pick a position, try out for a team during spring training and hopefully do good enough to land a contract. In my case I created a pitcher and tried out with the pitcher-starved St. Louis Cardinals. I went 0-3 with a 4.33 ERA in spring training, but still managed to land a Class AA contract. Once there I was relegated to mop-up work and was later on traded to the Texas Rangers, who moved me up to AAA. I landed a spot in the starting rotation and hopefully will see my name among the September call-ups. The thing that makes this mode so awesome is that you are a part of everything your player does. Instead of playing full games, you play only the situations in which your player participates. You are also given goals in game, like “Get a ground ball out” or “Don’t walk the batter” that nets you points. These points you later spend training your attributes. You are also given advancement goals like improving your fielding or hitting and this allow you to advance your career. Think of it as a baseball RPG that is absolutely addictive.

Finally, the game offers smooth online play in one-off games and also supports Online Leagues. Be it that we are close to opening day, Online Leagues are popping up everywhere, so if this is what mainly attracts you to the game, now is the time to buy it!

Graphics:

The graphics are absolutely jaw-dropping. The players sport photo-realistic faces and the animations are second to none. There are so many different fielding animations that you will see an endless variety of ways in which the fielders move and make plays. With all presentation elements turned on, you could swear you are watching a real game instead of playing a baseball game. Things like replays that break down the last strikeout or highlight the last home run, mascots riling up the crowd and even fans leaving early when the home team is getting blown out add to the experience. The ballparks look great down to the last little detail. The only thing missing is the smell of hot dogs!



Sound:

The sound manages to keep up with the graphics, which is an amazing accomplishment. Rex Hudler, Matt Vasgerian and Mike Campbell do a great job as the broadcast team and their accurate analysis can even help your game if you listen to it. They repeat themselves a bit, but not as much as in other baseball titles. The way the ball cracks out of the bat, hits the catcher’s mitt for a satisfying strikeout or smashes the outfield wall is well done and the crowd reacts according to the situation: rabid after the home team hits a homer and in dead silence when the home team is getting blown out.

Lasting Appeal:

With Online Leagues, a long Franchise Mode and an addictive Road to the Show Mode, you could very well be playing this game until The Show 2010 arrives.

Fun Factor:

An addictive Road to the Show mode and a long and engaging Franchise Mode are the bread and butter of this game, but due to how accurately it represents the sport, even one-off games are fun since you never know what’s going to happen. The game might be a little difficult at first, but once you learn to be patient at the plate, the fun ramps up.

The 411:

The Show is fun and challenging and is the best representation of baseball I have ever played. If traditional sports games where taken more seriously as Game of the Year candidates, this game would be a top candidate to take those honors. It is that good!

Graphics	9.5	Photo-realistic faces, amazing ball physics and animations make this game stand out from the pack!
Gameplay	9.5	The most accurate representation of the sport, with life-like batter/pitcher duels and the addictive Road to the Show!
Sound	8.5	Sound effects are spot on and the broadcast team is very good, but repetition is a problem.
Lasting Appeal	9.5	Road to the Show and Franchise are deep and rewarding and will keep you playing until next year's version
Fun Factor	9.0	After some initial frustration with the difficulty, you will love how accurate the game is in recreating america's pastime.
Overall	9.2   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 5 MLB 09: The Show Screenshots