MLB ‘09: The Show Review
by Sarkis Daglian - March 8, 2009
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As the opening cinematic for MLB 09: The Show states, “The tradition continues”. The Show by Sony’s San Diego studio for the Playstation 3 is once again easily the finest baseball simulation of the year. The Show 09 combines outstanding on the field visuals, solid on-field baseball game play that has seen a few upgrades since last year, a boatload of modes to enjoy, and the best presentation in a sports game yet.
The Show is a perennial presentation all star in this category and this year is no exception. The game’s menu system will be familiar to anyone who has played the previous versions. The baseball geek out load audio has made a return where during loading at any point in the game and at the main menu fans will be treated to past radio calls of baseball’s past. For example, the last one I heard was a call of Derek Jeter becoming the all time hit king in the old Yankee Stadium.
Full review after the break
Prior and during games, The Show has a lot of small nuggets presentation wise added in you may not notice if you aren’t looking for them. But to a huge MLB fan like myself I took notice and it really added to the experience. Prior to the start of games you are treated to a nice camera panoramic view of the stadium you are about to play in. If you’ve ever attended a Major League game, during warm ups some Major Leaguer’s love to converse with the guys from the other team either near the baselines or in center field. The Show like its real life counterpart has guys chatting it up prior to the game as well or warming up in the outfield.
In game, very much like the previous year each batter has his specific stance and individual warm up swing technique. When a key moment occurs during most at bats the replay on the pitch or play is also well done. The coolest feature by far though is the passing of time during a game. I started a game set during the evening. I had thought I encountered a bug when the first pitch at 7:06 pm was still light out. However, as the game progressed so did day light casting more shadows and finally into night. The commentary came along as well stating the time in the specific time zone I was in.
The added ability to record replays from any game you play is a lot of fun. After a game you can choose to replay any play and by clicking down on the left thumb stick you can begin to record your replay using your own custom camera movements and angles. Movies are automatically down sampled to .mp4 files and saved your PS3’s hard drive which makes for easier network sharing and putting on the net much like the video I created underneath.
The commentating trio of play by play man Matt Vasgersian, analyst Dave Campbell, and Rex Hudler make their return. The play by play and analysis is much like The Show 08 witty and accurate. I spent a lot of time striking out during my play time and hence I was treated to the 4 strike out shame of the “Old Sombrero”. I also found out first hand just how deep the commentary actually runs after a 20 inning marathon game where before exiting out Matt Vasgersian was caught in quiet moment saying to his colleagues, “We should sleep here and get ready for tomorrow”.
The on field sound effects are fantastic in The Show 09. Hits, pitches, and slides all are accurate and as expected. The ambient crowd and baseball organ music sounding the charge over your surround sound system does add the sense you are sitting in the midst of a massive stadium.
The sound track isn’t too shabby either this year. Featuring 15 tracks from the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs, Rise Against, and the Eagles of Death Metal. However, the coolest features sound wise this year come way of a nice audio suite. This year in The Show, you can edit the tracks currently in the game, import your own tracks for batter entrances, and even record your own taunts to play when someone comes up to bat provided you have a blue tooth capable headset. A-Fraud anyone?
The visuals of the show are as strong as ever and optimized for 720p. As mentioned before, watching the shadows cast over a stadium as night approaches inning by inning fantastic and enhances the game’s realism beyond the field. Stadiums are all as detailed as they ever were before. Playing inside the new Yankee Stadium which has yet to see much action on television was a particular treat. Old stadiums such as Anaheim Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, and Wrigley field are all accurate. However, like last year stadium specific home run traditions are missing.
Player models and faces are well done. Most of the biggest stars of the game are easily discernible from one another. Some times these little nuances go beyond the actual player as well. For example, Vladimir Guerrerro’s helmet has pine tar on it to go along with his signature braids. Players also have scope and size once again. The Show has done away with the days of David Eckstein and David Ortiz being the same size.
Animations are on the whole incredibly varied and well done. Turning double plays, digging throws at first, and diving plays in the outfield look smooth. Not to mention for the first time ever I can remember in a video game, I actually saw pieces of broken bat fly onto the field as a fastball high and inside shattered my bat. However, there do seem to be some returning problems in the field with players double clutching throws. During steal attempts, many catchers seemed to be slow to get rid of the ball down to 2nd and 3rd. While unlike last year none of these returning issues cost me a game yet, I can see these issues effecting the outcomes of games. Nobody wants to give up an extra out late in a game in a tight spot. Double clutching also seems to make an appearance while batting. A few swings a game I did notice what looked like a double swing causing a strike to go by.
The Show 09’s game play has remained much in tact as 08’s. There is a heavy focus once again on the pitcher vs. hitter dual. The familiar meter pitching mechanic returns where each face button maps to a specific pitch. You then hold it down for pitch strength and tap again in the yellow part of the meter for accuracy. Missing the accuracy region leads to a higher chance a pitch is put into play. Batting has also remained the same. X/square are your normal/power swings. You can guess a pitch location and type pre-pitch and a successful guess does improve your chances of putting a ball in play. Unfortunately, much like 08 this style of play greatly favors the pitcher and defense and makes generating offense a chore even on default difficulty.
It would be more helpful to the player to display on screen why a pitch was missed automatically rather than to have to click the left thumb stick after each pitch. Also, keeping the target hit and strike zones on screen which dictates where your bat is trying to make contact at all times would be useful by default and not as an option. When a pitch and location are guessed correctly in The Show 08 it usually led to a hit whereas in 09 it doesn’t seem to matter as much. I realize it’s a simulation but every baseball game doesn’t end with each side scoring 3 or less runs. Another hitting downer is that the check swinging is much more difficult than before. Once you lightly press the X button a very small amount of pressure leads to a full swing. The saving grace in all this is that The Show does have a new practice mode where you can 20 pitches at a time practice your batting technique.
In 08, it seemed most hits in The Show were slanted toward single and home runs and there weren’t many doubles or triples. Given a combination of tweaks this year between players on the paths and on the field as well as actual hits in the field things changed for the better. You do see your fair share of doubles and triples this year which is a far more realistic experience. The outfielder’s stats that govern his speed and reaction time in combination with the speed around the base paths allows for most stretching of hits to the next base.
There have been improvements made in the quick menu options which allow for easy aligning of your defense rather than pausing like in year’s past. Also, while base running itself has not been improved by any mechanism being able to tell who you are controlling is a lot easier now as a yellow circle will flash around the runner you are controlling. The smart base running AI this year also seems to work much better and has cut down greatly on awkward base running moments.
Defensive players seem to be making less errors this year as well. Like the missed slam dunk a game, I would hold my breath for the obligatory dropped fly ball or missed grounder a game but that issue seems to have been taken care of. Gold glove fielders make gold glove plays and do not drop balls they would have other wise caught.
I have encountered a few oddities in the game. The one that left me scratching my head the most is a ball that clearly made it over the yellow line of the wall was ruled a ground rule double which is impossible. It should have either been caught, been a home run, or bounced back onto the field of play. However batting aside, The Show 09 does play great and will be able to scratch anyone’s mid summer itch for a baseball game.
The offline replayability of The Show 09 is tops. You can play Road to the Show in which you create your own customized player as he makes it through the minor’s onto the major league roster. One improvement in RTTS is the ability to practice certain skills when your manager calls on you to put in some extra work which boosts your stats. Franchise mode with full fantasy draft, season mode, and manager mode return. Manager mode allows throws you in a dugout cam view of the field and allows for 7 seconds between pitches for you to make adjustments to your position and pitch location. On offense you can tell players to steal a base or where to swing the bat. Those who have mastered the higher difficulty levels can try the even harder Legends mode in which the sweet spot of the bat is reduced even further and pitching mistakes will result in you giving up runs guaranteed.
Unfortunately, the online for The Show 09 suffers from lag even when a connection is rated as great. This is a huge problem when the gameplay revolves heavily on timing for accuracy of a pitch or hitting a ball in play. Even more frustrating a game would be chugging along as smooth as a local game then momentarily lag in the middle of a pitch causing a missed swing or a pitch to go way off from the intended target. The rosters also do not appear updated as of yet. Manny hasn’t made his return back to the Dodgers and Bobby Abreu still isn’t an Angel.
Despite the game’s problems, there are a lot of online features such as the ability to start your own league. Some neat community features include the standard leaderboards and polls. But also directly from in game you can submit your feedback on the game and chat on the message boards. Current MLB headlines are also available for download.
Presentation 9.5/10
The radio calls during load screens, the opening changing cinematic accounting through the history of the game, and the on the field bells and whistles make this game the book on how to present a sports game. Plus an extremely useful replay mode.
Sound 9.5/10
The announcing trio of Vasgersian, Campbell, and Hudler do it again. On cue, accurate, and deep commentary. A not too shabby sound track along with a host of other options including the ability to edit the music already in game, import your own custom music, and create your own custon taunts.
Visuals 9.0/10
True to life players and stadiums. Watch your day game turn into a late night 20 inning marathon for the ages. A few animation bugs keep this one however from being a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Gameplay 8.0/10
Fielding and base running take a few steps in the right direction. Unfortunately, hitting takes a few steps back. Guessing the location and pitch type right should count for something and they don’t seem like they do. Game needs to swing back toward the offense.
Replayability 8.5/10
Offline modes of Road to the Show, franchise, season, practice, and manager’s modes will give you plenty to do beyond October. Online is very community feature rich. Leaderboards, chat, even direct feedback to the devs. Unfortunately, actual play is full of lag which is inexcusable when the game rates a connection between players as great and is all about timing.
Overall Score (Not an average): 9.0/10 – Outstanding (An essential purchase)
