MLB 08: The Show (PS3) Review

Posted by Mark Salmela on 03.17.2008

Is Sony’s latest offering the best baseball game on the market? Find out just how good this show turned out in the full review.




The snow is melting and the grass is getting greener, which can only lead to one thing, baseball season! With the return of Major League Baseball getting ever so near all of your favorite baseball franchises return with their yearly updates *eat it MVP fans*. For PS3 owners the two big releases are 2K’s MLB 2K8 and Sony’s own MLB 08: The Show. While I have gone hands-on with both of them I’ll only be writing the review for Sony’s game. But don’t worry everyone, I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by coming right off and saying MLB 08 is the better of the two games this year. What did MLB 08 improve this year? Let’s get to it.



Graphics


Swing batter-batter swing!


The first thing I would like to mention is how beautiful this game can be *at times*. There are times when this game will make your PS3 sing like an angel *not from Anaheim*. The player models look stunning, the field looks great, and most of the time the game runs perfectly with no hitches what-so-ever. With that said there are times when this game can really make your eyes twitch. The first thing I’d like to point out is the crowd. The crowds look horrible and make it appear as if they almost forgot to give them any attention at all. While sometimes the crowd starts goofing around with inflatable beach balls *like at a real game* and makes you appreciate the small attention to detail at other times it’ll zoom into the crowd and they look terrible. Another small problem I’ve had is sometimes the collision detection works perfectly and at other times I’ve watched players slide right through each other. Like I said at times the game runs perfectly and will make that HDTV purchase worth every penny, while at other times the game looks like an early beta release. The game looks really good; it just needs another year to fix all of the little imperfections.



Gameplay


This game will make your PS3 sing as long as people aren’t clipping through each other.


Gameplay, the place where the game either hits a home run or strikes out *I’ve been waiting to bust that one out*. If anyone has played a baseball game in the past 5 years they’ll probably have no problem adjusting to this game at all. There’s no major learning curve, but mastering the game can take some time. MLB 08 really focuses in on the pitcher/batter dual, and for good reason. Each pitcher has their entire arsenal displayed on screen for users to pick and choose what they want to throw, where they want to throw it, and how fast they want it to go. Batters also have all of the pitcher’s stats available for viewing. For example you can pop up opposing pitcher’s stats against left handed batters and see what pitches they tend to throw in certain situations. The pitcher/batter duals can really become an interesting chess match, and I like it. While most people will need to do some practice before they become the next Barry Bonds *insert steroid joke here*, once you get the hang of it MLB 08 can be one of the best baseball games you’ve played in years.

Base running has also seen significant improvements from previous years. No longer will you feel like you’re fighting players to steal second or turn around if you’re caught stealing a base. The AI has also seen significant improvements, no longer giving up easy double plays because it feels bad for you. MLB 08 features realistic AI, knowing exactly where they need to be and what they need to do to accurately cover the field in any situation. I have yet to encounter any big problems with fielding, although robbing people of home runs can be rather tricky. SIXAXIS controls can be used in certain situations, although they fail to match up to the tight controls of the analog sticks. The last big improvement I’d like to mention is saving mid-game. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see the option to save progress mid-game and return to that spot in case you need to turn off the PS3. All sports games need to incorporate saving mid-game, there is no excuse.



Sound


If only I could have punched him out or something.


MLB 08 features the announcing team of Vasgersian, Hudler and Campbell, who are very good at what they do. The announcers call the game accurately and rarely become annoying like most sports game announcers. The crowd still cheers when appropriate and heckles players they don’t like, so no complaints there. While there isn’t a whole lot of in-game music, the sound of baseball is kept alive. The crack of the bat against the baseball is awesome, and the game replicates all of the sounds of a real baseball game. No complaints on my end, MLB 08 sound like any baseball game should without overdoing it or becoming an annoyance.



Lasting Appeal


The green monster is no match!


The outstanding online system will keep baseball fans coming back to MLB 08 all season long. The online system is vastly improved from previous years, letting players fine tune each and every online match. Players can search for opponents that have certain stats, and rarely will players not be able to find a good match. As for offline play, it plays like any other baseball game should. There are a lot of people who like baseball games, and they will find little to complain about here. The game presents itself as if you were watching the game live on TV, and I love all of the high-end visual presentation. MLB 08 will be a game players will love to play, as the pitcher/batter dual is one of the best systems I’ve seen in a traditional sports game in a long time. Sports fans will love MLB 08.

Fun Factor


That really is an awesome blue on the Royals, too bad they suck *sorry KC fans*.


As I said before the pitcher/batter dual is top notch, and will keep players guessing each others moves on a constant basis. Rarely does a game seem out of reach for either side, and players will be fighting down to the last pitch. Online play has gone through significant improvements, and baseball fans will be playing all season long. It’s hard for me to go any further in depth; at this point most people know whether or not they like baseball games. If you liked the demo on the PSN or have liked baseball games in the past, MLB 08 will be a solid pick up this year. The gameplay is top notch for a sports game, and I’m excited to see what Sony brings for MLB 09. If they can improve the collision detections and improve the crowd texture, it has the potential to be the best sports game on the current platforms.



The 411


He’s too fast dammit!


I had more fun with MLB 08: The Show for the PS3 than I ever thought I would have. MLB 08 has gone through significant improvements, and besides some graphical issues there isn’t a whole lot to complain about. At this point most people know whether or not they like baseball games, so you’ve probably already decided whether or not you’re going to purchase it. MLB 08: The Show on the PS3 is the best possible baseball game you can buy this year, and I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a good sports game to try out MLB 08. The pitcher/batter dual is phenomenal, and will keep players outguessing one-another on every pitch *just like in real life*. MLB 08: The Show is a solid pick-up and will keep baseball fans entertained all season long.

Graphics	8.0	At times the graphics are truly stunning, but collision detection and lack of detail on certain things such as the crowd hold this back from a better score.
Gameplay	9.0	One of the best baseball games I have ever played thanks to the pitcher/batter duals.
Sound	8.5	The announcers do a great job, and everything sounds just as it should in a baseball game, especially the crowd.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	The online mode is awesome, and baseball fans will be coming back to this game all season long.
Fun Factor	8.0	The pitcher/batter duals will keep players battling for each and every pitch.
Overall	8.4   [ Very Good ]