MLB 09: The Show Preview

SCEA has put a lot of effort into defining and refining its baseball franchise and the ’09 version of MLB: The Show is certainly the best effort yet. The game is a sparkling feat graphically, with improved animations that can’t help but be noticed the moment the game is launched.

So you create a player and hit the track to try to work from spring training through the minors to The Show, and – hopefully – to the Hall of Fame. It’s a long road and the new version of the game has made virtually all elements of the ride not only thoroughly enjoyable, but a little more realistic.

How? Well, you’ve played in a few games in spring training, and suddenly you get the opportunity for training. In previous iterations, you improved your created player’s abilities by earning points for accomplishing tasks in the context of the game. For example, if you are told to drive the run in, and you accomplish it, you gain points that can – if you accrue enough – be applied after the game in training to improve abilities. Fail at an instruction, though, and you run the risk of losing points. But now, in ’09, there are practice and training drills that give you the chance to focus on one element of your game and improve it.

Early in the career of a fledgling Cardinals’ second baseman, he had the opportunity to get in some batting practice against a pitcher throwing nothing but sliders. Some were in the strike zone, some were not. Not only could the rookie gain batting points by successfully putting the ball in play, but could also work on drag bunts and improve that as well through the course of the 20 pitches thrown. That’s not only intuitive to the context of the game, but it is also game design by the dev team.

In fact, MLB ’09 almost feels like a brand new game, and not just an update to the previous iterations. There is a learning curve when it comes to hitting the ball and taking the right angle, and you do start with a character that … well … needs work, but it is also satisfying in how you work the rookie, improve skills and move the game forward. But The Show career element is not the only thing this game has to offer. The season and franchise mode feel deeper and, with all the improvements to all aspects of the game, are more involving.

So … what is new in MLB ’09: The Show? There’s a laundry list, so let’s hit the highlights – a 40-man roster has been added to the franchise mode; online season leagues are available for PS3 players, the stadiums now look more realistic, with wear and tear on the field and dynamic lighting effects that run the gamut from sunny to overcast, early afternoon to twilight and night games; more than 700 new animations have been added in; fielding controls have been updated to allow fielders to take different routes to hit balls to create a more realistic feel; a hotshot system has been put into play that includes bad hops, misplayed balls and hits too hot to handle; the tag system was overhauled to create different tags for different situations – and the catcher even has a complete and unique set; a fifth level of difficulty has been added – the Legends mode. All this adds up to a game that is more realistic and much more fun to play.

The disk received for this review was test machine debug code, so yes, there were a few flaws, but nothing worth noting at this time.

The game itself though, from the moment it is launched, takes on an added dimension in that it looks sharper, crisper and the animations are much more fluid. Of course, it comes down to the basics, which is situational play. For the baseball fan out there, who also happens to be a console gamer, this is one of the best efforts by SCEA and truly an enjoyable outing.

The game is slated to hit retail outlets on March 3 and GZ will have a full review for the game at that time.