Quick Look at MLB 12: The Show Preview - PS3

Preview

MLB 12 The Show Preview (PS3)

Submitted on: 01/05/2012 by Phil Varckette

While the snow might be piling up across the land (or not), things are heating up at the SCEA studios. Info regarding MLB: The Show 12 is steadily starting to trickle out day by day.

But if you are looking for wholesale changes, look elsewhere. SCEA follows a strict policy of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is certainly not a bad thing. Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, we consistently see building blocks, but this isn’t to say there is no innovation.

Last year we were introduced to analog hitting, pitching and fielding. This year, one of the early features we know about is Pulse Pitching, which is loosely based off of classic pitching. After selecting your pitch, and location, you then press X to start the pitch. A large X on the screen will appear and you must press X again at its smallest point. This is certainly a new and welcome take on pitching in this series.

We will also have a new way of hitting once again with Zone-Analog. This time you use both sticks to hit; the right, to mimic the swing of the bat and the left, to place the bat in its correct zone quadrant. This should appease many hardcore fans.

Another innovative feature being introduced this year is collision awareness. This will finally eliminate the clipping we see when players pass right through each other. Now you will see players getting spiked, plenty more animations for breaking up double plays, new tags and slides. Finally players can collide anywhere on the field. This has been a community request for years.

My personal favorite improvement that we know about so far is the improved ball physics. SCEA Community Manager Ramone Russell said that the engineering team re-wrote the entire code on how a spinning object interacts with such things as a bat, wall or even the field. This should be a game changer when it comes to total realism.

Speaking of total realism, MLB 12: The Show will feature over 500 new presentation animations, 300 new fielding and base running animations, 150 new batting stances, 75 new pitching motions, and one of my personal favorites, 14 new umpire personalities. I would say SCEA is doing more than their annual due diligence.

There is a reason why The Show is one of the highest rated sports games year in and year out. The folks at SCEA never seem to let us down. They never seem to break anything for the sake of that shiny new back-of-the-box marketing feature. They build off the rock solid foundation that has been in place for so many years, and I’m sure there will be many more features to be announced before the season approaches.

MLB 12 The Show Videos

Member Comments

# 81 EnigmaNemesis @ 01/06/12 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolbe


	You forget... I won't be at the office when the "OMG ITS COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! THIS SINGLE FEATURE RENDERS ALL PS3 GAMES UNPLAYABLE! REFUND!!!!" happens. I'll still be sad that people hate me (because when you don't like something we can't be friends) but ill be safely tucked away in FL. -K

Don't worry. It will be far greater in the Madden forums.

Good luck my boy!

# 82 irishred002 @ 01/06/12 07:28 PM

Last paragraph says it all so perfectly as to why i love this game.

# 83 BatsareBugs @ 01/06/12 07:33 PM

I must be getting old, but I don't find the commentary stale or a need to change commentators. I've listening to Matty V. since he was the Padres play-by-play guy from 2002-2008 and in my opinion he's a keeper. It was sad to see Hud go, but a lot of people didn't want him (I just wanted different lines from him I think).

I'll admit MLB The Show will be weird the day Matty V. and Soup are no longer the commentators.

# 84 Mos1ted @ 01/06/12 09:32 PM

It looks like I'll be copping MLB: The Show for a fifth consecutive year, and I'm not even that much of a baseball fan. It's just such a well-made game, I can't help but to buy it.

# 85 BrickieWR18 @ 01/06/12 09:34 PM

in 2013 add the option to be able to customize when and if your RTTS player celebrates. this could affect his ego and add coach personalities... a big headed player like big z would be fine in a big city... until the new management wants to change the chemistry... you feel me? im tired of my player jumping around like a lunatic when he hits a home run and we are losing by 6

# 86 Mos1ted @ 01/06/12 09:36 PM

And I agree with you guys about this franchise not needing to make wholesale changes every year. I'm seeing some of my favorite franchises regress (not saying any names) from making unnecessary changes every year for the sake of change. Keep what works and just tweak it a bit from year to year.

# 87 tbone1 @ 01/06/12 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolbe


	You forget... I won't be at the office when the "OMG ITS COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! THIS SINGLE FEATURE RENDERS ALL PS3 GAMES UNPLAYABLE! REFUND!!!!" happens. I'll still be sad that people hate me (because when you don't like something we can't be friends) but ill be safely tucked away in FL. -K

your not that safe.
I work across the parking lot from your new headquarters here at the M- center.

# 88 BaylorBearBryant @ 01/06/12 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rag3vsW0rld


	I must be getting old, but I don't find the commentary stale or a need to change commentators. I've listening to Matty V. since he was the Padres play-by-play guy from 2002-2008 and in my opinion he's a keeper. It was sad to see Hud go, but a lot of people didn't want him (I just wanted different lines from him I think). I'll admit MLB The Show will be weird the day Matty V. and Soup are no longer the commentators.

You're a Padres fan, of course you're not tired of Vasgersian. He actually called games for your team. How cool would it be to have your hometown announcer call the game? F***ing sweet.

# 89 Blzer @ 01/06/12 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaylorBearBryant


	You're a Padres fan, of course you're not tired of Vasgersian. He actually called games for your team. How cool would it be to have your hometown announcer call the game? F*ing sweet.

Well, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow (Giants broadcasters) announced for the MVP series, and while it sufficed, they were relatively abysmal to how they are in real life, who IMO are the best team-based baseball broadcasters out there (and using MLB.TV, I've heard them all... though some definitely come close).

I guess if I were to say something about the announcers that The Show has, it's that when hearing them in the games, they feel more like team-based broadcasters as opposed to national broadcasters. I always liked the feel more of video games having "national broadcasters" in the games, but that's just me.

Matty V. is smooth on the mic, though. If they decide to never replace him, I will not have any problem with that.

# 90 rodperezto @ 01/07/12 03:58 AM

IMO one of the biggest problems about the commentators audio tracks is the way they are mixed and mastered. When you are watching a live broadcast and the announcers are IN the stadium, the voices sound much more different than when they are locked in a studio. Why? Because the microphone dynamics are completely different, you hear the mix's compression, there is background noise, etc. The sound is far from being perfect and pristine. My main problem with the commentators in the show has always been that they sound as if they were in a studio, recording lines for a game. They sound too perfect as if they were in a capsule far away from the game. It makes them sound detached from the game.
That is something that has been achieved in many other sports game and would be a great thing if it could be done for The Show.
Thaslab said that the sound has been remastered for '12. Is it something along these lines??

# 91 stevehamling @ 01/07/12 10:20 AM

It would be pretty cool to edit the umpires as well, to some real life counterparts.... Jus not Jim Joyce... That's still relevant, right?

# 92 Pared @ 01/07/12 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolbe


	You forget... I won't be at the office when the "OMG ITS COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! THIS SINGLE FEATURE RENDERS ALL PS3 GAMES UNPLAYABLE! REFUND!!!!" happens. I'll still be sad that people hate me (because when you don't like something we can't be friends) but ill be safely tucked away in FL. -K

LMAO! So you'll be pretty much like this:

# 93 Pared @ 01/07/12 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mos1ted


	and I'm not even that much of a baseball fan.

This is what benefits you. The bigger fans seem to be compelled to overanalyze and break down the game unnecessarily for whatever reason, to the point where things aren't as "broken" as they claim.

# 94 BwanaKuu @ 01/07/12 11:59 AM

Am I missing anything with this pulse-pitching mechanic? It seems like another way to have meter pitching and calling it a "new" pitching system.

Unlike most here, I'm not that impressed by any of the news yet. I thought the focus this year was on franchise? Where are all those fixes (yes, I know they haven't announced everything yet)? Free agency, trade logic, having more options, create a team, etc.

The new ball physics are the only thing interesting so far. And we don't even know much about that.

Also, new commentary ffs. GET SOME EMOTION INTO THE COMMENTARY. Not "and it's a homerun..."

# 95 h4mbon3s @ 01/07/12 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BwanaKuu


	Also, new commentary ffs. GET SOME EMOTION INTO THE COMMENTARY. Not "and it's a homerun..."

"and he's wearing the collar, with an oh for... oh for four on the day"

# 96 Pared @ 01/07/12 12:10 PM

And the consumers and critics alike have over-whelmingly backed this series the last few years.

# 97 stcloudgopher @ 01/08/12 10:45 PM

Do you know why SCEA never "breaks" something just to have a new back-of-the-box feature? Because they have built a product that sells because of the front of the box. The created a good game, subtracted a few things, tweaked a few more, added some things that the community wanted (crazy!) and generally rolled with their developed game until the conversation now revolves around perfection and true sim as opposed to legacy issues and a lack of detail.

# 98 LastActionHero @ 01/09/12 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thevaliantx


	The consumers and critics may have over-whelmingly backed this series for a time now, but unless SCEA added a bit of life to its product this year, and added features that improve the MOM mode, there are going to be a lot of folks heading over to 2K's product.

MOM players are supposedly only a handfull so I don't think 2k will be welcoming lots people from the Show.

# 99 HustlinOwl @ 01/09/12 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thevaliantx


	The consumers and critics may have over-whelmingly backed this series for a time now, but unless SCEA added a bit of life to its product this year, and added features that improve the MOM mode, there are going to be a lot of folks heading over to 2K's product.

I wouldnt count on that

# 100 sydrogerdavid @ 01/09/12 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thevaliantx


	The consumers and critics may have over-whelmingly backed this series for a time now, but unless SCEA added a bit of life to its product this year, and added features that improve the MOM mode, there are going to be a lot of folks heading over to 2K's product.

That is one of the silliest things I have ever heard.

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