MLB 08: The Show.........

[Travis]

You know, at this point, the game is worth every penny due to four simple words.

Johnny sweep the leg.

[JS19]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

08 no circle, it just lets you know you guessed the loc. and pitch, however the location may be outside of the zone - no more guaranteed big hits (good, i think)

That actually is a nice feature, bc with the circle it was pretty much a guaranteed hit, most likely a HR/2B. Although, 5 games in and still no longball, I am starting to miss it.

[korme]

Originally Posted by Travis

You know, at this point, the game is worth every penny due to four simple words.

Johnny sweep the leg.

Yes! Great song, I think.. heh

Anyways JS, I have actually hit a few homers with just the contact swing, using the power swing my teams are probably seriously batting half the Mendoza (.200) line

[Icy]

About the guess pitch feature, by default you are using the new one, that as you have seen, doesn't show the location even if you guess it correctly. In the options you can switch back to the old mode and it will be like 07, showing the red circle location.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

P.S. I've heard online play is essentially broken. Fortunately, I haven't played a sports game online since some 11 year old decimated me at College Hoops 2K7. Not going back there as there are too many cheesers.

FYI.....they took down the servers for a couple of hours last night to address some of the issues. Haven't seen anything this morning on if there was improvement.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Got in a couple of hours on a RTTS game last night.

-Outfielder animations appear to be a lot better. I had some really quirky stuff in the 07 version that came up pretty often. The animations I've seen thus far seem to make a bit more sense.

-The display of situational info in the RTTS (i.e. baserunners, count, outs, etc) is much better than last year. Last year, I'd sometimes have issues trying to figure out how many outs there were. Easy to find this year.

-The addition of the points being displayed when you pass or fail a task on RTTS adds a lot as well. I often wondered in the last version why I was getting low or high point totals based on my performance. The display of the point awards in this year's version makes it a lot more easier to understand.

-Like how there's no 'lock-on cursor' anymore. Makes the game a lot more fair.

-Walks are still present in the game. I think this franchise over the past two years is the first game to really perform well in that aspect. I love the fact that I can be patient at the plate and pick up a free pass here and there.

-The addition of the goals for promotion is a welcome addition. I often wondered why my player wasn't being promoted. Now, you have a screen to check to see what you need to do as a player to move towards promotion.

-Outfield defensive positioning before the pitch is nice. You can do it on your own or the coach sometimes tells you to move in one direction or the other.

On the negative side:

-There still are some collision detection issues, though they are much reduced over last year. The most noticable one is usually when a fielder fields the ball and it just doesn't quite look right in that the ball doesn't hit the glove.

-I really don't like that you have to agree to the user agreement every time you log in online. There should be a way to do that once and be done with it. However, I've seen similar things in games like Warhawk, so there may be a reason behind it.

-Load times before the game are still pretty long. It could be a bit annoying for those lacking patience in regards to load times.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

FYI......current Metacritic average is 87 after 3 reviews.

[Big Fo]

It's nice that you can draw walks, that was the main in-game thing I didn't like about MLB Power Pros. How long does it take you guys to complete your typical nine-inning game?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

It's nice that you can draw walks, that was the main in-game thing I didn't like about MLB Power Pros. How long does it take you guys to complete your typical nine-inning game?

I played a regular game and got done in 40-45 minutes. Honestly, I pretty much strictly stick to the RTTS mode. Moves faster for my taste, though the in-game save option is a great addition for those who get interrupted by things like kids.

[General Mike]

Is it worth getting a PS3 for this game?

I'm going to get a PS3 eventually, probably end of April when GTA4 comes out, but is it worth pushing up my purchase?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If you're going to buy one soon and already have the money, you might as well jump in now. The Show is a lot of fun and the RTTS mode is the best sports game mode out there IMO.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Is it worth getting a PS3 for this game?

I'm going to get a PS3 eventually, probably end of April when GTA4 comes out, but is it worth pushing up my purchase?

It's like asking Lee Iacocca whether or not you should buy a Chrysler.

[General Mike]

I have to beat the money out of my older brother, because he owes me it, but I guess the possibility of a price cut worries me. With my luck, I buy the console, and a week later they cut the price.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by General Mike

I have to beat the money out of my older brother, because he owes me it, but I guess the possibility of a price cut worries me. With my luck, I buy the console, and a week later they cut the price.

Most of the major retailers (Best Buy, Amazon, Circuit City, Wal-Mart) have 30 day price guarantees. So if a price cut were suddenly to pop up, you could get the difference refunded to you.

[General Mike]

Thanks MizzouBBFan

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Good comparison review of 2K8 and The Show.........

http://derekpeter.wordpress.com/2008...howthe-review/

MLB 2K8 vs. MLB 08 The Show…the review.

Every year, it is a tradition of mine to purchase the new baseball games on the day they come out, and play them until my eyes hurt.

It used to be quite overwhelming when there would be 3-4 games. This year, however, there are only two: MLB 08 The Show for PS3, and MLB 2K8 for 360 (also available for ps3).

MLB 08 The Show

The first game I popped in was The Show. The first thing I noticed was that you couldn’t edit the minor league rosters without going through a tricky process. You must enter franchise mode, back out, and then you can edit the rosters. This means you can only edit the minor leaguers names with the default rosters. That’s fine for now, but they should patch this.

It should be noted that the player editor/create-a-player is simply insane. It’s almost TOO detailed. You can edit everything about a players face, from the shape of his head, to the droop of his bottom eyelid, to the markings on his mouth, to where his zits are.

Next, I set up my jukebox, and got rid of all of the dumb songs that Sony put on the disk, and selected my 8o-song rock/rap/baseball music play list to play while I navigate the menus. Then I began my first game. Yankees vs. Mets, in Yankee Stadium.

Phil Hughes pitching for the Yankees, Johan Santana for the Mets. The commentators went REALLY in-depth in describing both pitchers, and their work in the previous season. Awesome. Adds realism.

The game started as a real nail-biter. The gameplay is incredibly smooth at 60 frames per second with great animations. The score was 0-0 into the 5th inning. Finally, in the bottom of the 5th, Santana left a fastball over the plate and Jorge Posada hit a pop fly into the short Right Field corner in Yankee stadium and just over the leap of the right-fielder for a solo homerun. The fans went nuts fighting over the ball as a beachball was batted around in the background. The famous Yankee Stadium siren and bells played as Posada crossed home plate and slapped hands with the other players. I was pumped. It was exhilarating…but the fun was just beginning. 1-0 Yankees after 5innings.

In the 6th, Phil Hughes struck out the side, giving him 6 shutout innings, 2 hits allowed and 9 strikeouts. In the bottom half of the 6th, I decided to warm-up Joba Chamberlain, and Matt Vascurgan, play-by-play man, says “the Big Guy, Joba Chamberlain has begun warming in the bullpen” Ut oh!

In the top of the 7th, I struck out batter number 10 with Phil Hughes, and a cut scene played that showed fans hanging up 10 K’s on the stadium upper deck, just like in real life! The play-by-play guys mentioned that it was 10 strikeouts, then showed a graphic with his pitch count. I was at 103 pitches! Wow….i’ve never seen a player get to 100 pitches in a video game before….best of all, the game was moving along quickly, still.

I decided it was time for the big-fella….and summoned Joba from the bullpen, who promptly retired the side.

In the bottom of the 7th, i picked up a few base-hits in a row, and Santana was relieved by Pedro Feleciano. Jorge Posada was the first batter he faced and he promptly deposited his first pitch into the 2nd/3rd row down the left-field line for his second homerun of the game, a 3-run shot making it 4-0. Cano doubled down the left field line on the next pitch, and then Melky Cabrera ripped one into the left field gap. I was all over Pedro Feliciano. 5-0 Yankees.

In the top of the 8th, I walked 2 guys with Joba but got out of the inning unscathed. In MLB 08 the show, sometimes you walk people. The umpire will screw you out of some calls and sometimes the ball will sail and you will miss by a few inches.

In the bottom of the 8th, Alex Rodriguez led off with a monstrous homerun into the left field bullpen area. 6-0 Yankees.

That was the final score. What an exhilarating game! Since then, I have played 4 or 5 more games and my scores have all been reasonable. I lost a game to the Royals, proving that in 08 the Show, anything can happen.

MLB 2K8

I really want to love MLB 2K8. I loved 2K7, especially after they released a patch mid-summer.

The good:

The stadiums are like cathedrals. They are spacious and look fantastic. Every nook and cranny is there. The lighting is awesome and dynamic…they sky of a game starting at 7pm will be fairly dusky in the first inning, and very dark in the 9th inning.

Custom music is there, and it’s awesome. I play the standard Yankee stadium songs for in-between innings at the ballpark in the bronx. Other stadiums get city-specific music. I set up Boston to have only Boston songs play in-between innings.

The Dodgers will have old-school West Side rap between innings. Washington gets “Born in the USA” or “America: Fuck Yea!” in between innings, and so on and so forth…ads a lot to presentation.

Custom player walk-up music is there, too….and it is awesome, too, except that it applies to all stadiums. So players will have their custom music in road games, which isnt true in real life.

The signature styles are AMAZING. Almost every player has one, and the generic ones are improved so much that they look signature.

The new controls are…well…different. The pitching mechanic you will either love or hate. I hate it. It’s hard but I havnt taken the tutorial yet. Perhaps I will grow to love it.

In the field I love throwing with the analog stick, and the fielders are very responsive…almost too responsive, as I have run by a couple of balls in the outfield.

The bat sounds are better, but dont match the bat sounds from the trailer.

My main gripe, however, is the framerate. The game stutters on almost every play. It will look UNBELIEVABLY smooth and beautiful for 3/4 of the play, and then like utter shit for the next 1/4 of the play and the transition….it is almost a game killer, but I am getting used to it.

Gone are fans trying to catch homeruns….in its place is a new homerun camera. It’s not for everyone. I like it on signature-style homeruns, like when A-Rod does his “stand at the plate and watch the ball I just hit the fuck out of with my bat up in the air” or David Ortiz does his thing, or Vladamir Guererro does his. On those, the cam looks cool. So do the replays…

but when Derek Jeter his a galactic homerun and throws the bat like a jackass, it doesnt look right.

I have played some close games but it still seems like 2k8 is plagued by too many homeruns. I am going to mess with the settings when I get home and see how it plays out. I’ll be back tonight with screenshots.

Here is the overall verdict by catagory:

Graphics:
Stadiums: MLB 2K8
Crowd visually: MLB 08 The show
Player Models: MLB 2K8
Cloth Physics: MLB 08 The Show
Player faces: MLB 08 The Show
Lighting: MLB 08 The Show (Even though 2K8 has dynamic lighting, the show looks better)

Gameplay:
Score realism: MLB 08 The Show
Pitchcounts/fouls: MLB 08 The Show
controls: MLB 2k8
Computer AI: Draw–both seem to be pretty good, so far.

Audio:
Commentary: MLB 08 The Show
Crowd : MLB 08 The Show
Stadium noise: Draw —custom music is the only thing saving 2k8 here.

Franchise:
Depth: MLB 2K8 —GM goals, the ability to get fired, hired, etc.
Replay Value: MLB 08 The Show …you can sim games quickly and advance deeper, faster.

Minor Leagues: MLB 2K8 — All 90 teams, a lot of fake names for real players (look for initials…almost entire AAA and AA teams are there), and a bunch of stadiums…though the downloadable content hasnt arrived yet, as was promised.

OVERALL:

MLB the Show 08 wins because it is simply a more finished product, and plays a much better game of baseball. The commentary is insane. The little cut scenes and things like that are awesome.

MLB 2K8 has a ton of potential, but having to mess with sliders 800 times before I can get the game to play a non-homerun-derby 9 innings of baseball is just too much of a pain in the ass for me.

[JS19]

Anyone else notice somewhat of an issue with the 1B/P exchange on slowly hit grounders or bunts? Nothing major, I hope, but I've noticed a few instances so far, whether it be me or the computer.

[SackAttack]

My main gripe right now is that I hit the fuck out of the ball about six times last night, and the outfielder was always in position to make the play. They, on the other hand, got two triples and a double and scored on a foul pop out.

Seems like, at least so far, that the only way I can get a hit is a ground ball up the middle. Haven't had any gappers or dinky balls that just find holes.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

My main gripe right now is that I hit the fuck out of the ball about six times last night, and the outfielder was always in position to make the play. They, on the other hand, got two triples and a double and scored on a foul pop out.

Seems like, at least so far, that the only way I can get a hit is a ground ball up the middle. Haven't had any gappers or dinky balls that just find holes.

Are you noticing this in RTTS or in "normal" games? I was having this issue with the 2B I created to get familiar with the game, then made a 3B to play seriously and with the increased power I've been able to drive the gap for a few doubles so far in spring training. Haven't played a regular control everybody sort of game yet though so can't comment on that much.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

My main gripe right now is that I hit the fuck out of the ball about six times last night, and the outfielder was always in position to make the play. They, on the other hand, got two triples and a double and scored on a foul pop out.

Seems like, at least so far, that the only way I can get a hit is a ground ball up the middle. Haven't had any gappers or dinky balls that just find holes.

Yeah, it definitely takes some practice to get the hitting down. My outfielder in RTTS had several long outs, but I also banged a couple of doubles into the gap and ripped one down the line past the third baseman on another occasion. I timed all of those hits well and had guessed the pitch and location. I also only use 'Contact' hitting when my player is at the start of his career. Hitting with power swing is only a good idea when you know exactly what the pitch/location is. Otherwise, it's a good way to pile up outs on weak grounders and pop-ups.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Travis

Are you noticing this in RTTS or in "normal" games? I was having this issue with the 2B I created to get familiar with the game, then made a 3B to play seriously and with the increased power I've been able to drive the gap for a few doubles so far in spring training. Haven't played a regular control everybody sort of game yet though so can't comment on that much.

Normal games. I haven't dived into RttS yet. Just started a franchise with the Dodgers, and managed an infield single by Furcal a grounder up the middle by Penny, and a grounder up the middle by Ethier. That's been it.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Yeah, it definitely takes some practice to get the hitting down. My outfielder in RTTS had several long outs, but I also banged a couple of doubles into the gap and ripped one down the line past the third baseman on another occasion. I timed all of those hits well and had guessed the pitch and location. I also only use 'Contact' hitting when my player is at the start of his career. Hitting with power swing is only a good idea when you know exactly what the pitch/location is. Otherwise, it's a good way to pile up outs on weak grounders and pop-ups.

That's just it, I haven't used the power swing except for once, when I guessed the pitch, guessed the location, and managed to foul out with Andruw Jones.

[korme]

I think I'm leaning more toward franchise than RttS at this point. Maybe because my guy sucks, I don't know.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

That's just it, I haven't used the power swing except for once, when I guessed the pitch, guessed the location, and managed to foul out with Andruw Jones.

Interesting. I played around 10 games with my new RTTS player (who is obviously relatively weak on ratings). I had three doubles (two that hit the wall on the fly and one down the line) and had a .330 average. Didn't use the power button at all.

I do think it's a bit tougher to bat now without the 'lock-on' cursor. I may turn that back on in the options.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

My main gripe right now is that I hit the fuck out of the ball about six times last night, and the outfielder was always in position to make the play. They, on the other hand, got two triples and a double and scored on a foul pop out.

Seems like, at least so far, that the only way I can get a hit is a ground ball up the middle. Haven't had any gappers or dinky balls that just find holes.

What level are you playing on? I am playing on all-star with the Cubs (6 games-default sliders) and have had a variety of things happen from 1-0 games to beating Baltimore 12-2. I've had some gappers roll to the wall for doubles. Both Ramirez and DeRosa hit line drives off the wall in the gaps for doubles in the Baltimore game.

I hit two HR's in the Balt game and two in the game I played this afternoon. A 2-1 13 inning game vs Mil. where Soriano led off the game with a blast and then Hart hit one for Mil in the second. Game was then scoreless with Sheets facing Z until Ward hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 13th.

I've also had a few flairs over third or first fall in. Against Mil. this afternoon I did guess inside fastball with Murton batting and got the flashes telling me I got it right on both pitch and location. Trouble I was still late on the swing and the ball hit the bat on the handle. The result was a "seeing eye" single as the ball fell into no-man's land in between the CF-RF-and 2bman, very cool thing to see.

[JS19]

Hitting, in my opinion (maybe I just suck), takes some getting used to. First few games I was in the same boat, striking out a lot, weak grounders, no HRs or hits in the gap. The more I play, I def. see a difference with my ability to hit. I like it bc, when you guess location and pitch, you actually have to watch the pitch and see if it will be in the strike zone or not. I've also noticed that timing is much more important than last yr. For what it's worth, I'm playing on the default settings.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Sweed

What level are you playing on? I am playing on all-star with the Cubs (6 games-default sliders) and have had a variety of things happen from 1-0 games to beating Baltimore 12-2. I've had some gappers roll to the wall for doubles. Both Ramirez and DeRosa hit line drives off the wall in the gaps for doubles in the Baltimore game.

I hit two HR's in the Balt game and two in the game I played this afternoon. A 2-1 13 inning game vs Mil. where Soriano led off the game with a blast and then Hart hit one for Mil in the second. Game was then scoreless with Sheets facing Z until Ward hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 13th.

I've also had a few flairs over third or first fall in. Against Mil. this afternoon I did guess inside fastball with Murton batting and got the flashes telling me I got it right on both pitch and location. Trouble I was still late on the swing and the ball hit the bat on the handle. The result was a "seeing eye" single as the ball fell into no-man's land in between the CF-RF-and 2bman, very cool thing to see.

The default. Veteran, I guess it is.

I'm also disappointed that Sandy Koufax is neither in the Hall nor on the Golden or Silver Era teams. What's up with that?

[Eaglesfan27]

Lots of little criticisms of this game popping up on Operation Sports which I'll admit I'm grateful for as it is killing my desire to rush out and buy a PS3 just for this game. It sounds like it is the better baseball game between this and MLB 2k8, but it certainly has some significant issues still. Here is a link for those who want to read about some of the issues:

http://www.operationsports.com/feature.php?id=364

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...d.php?t=240247

[SackAttack]

Just lost to the Giants 2-0. Still have yet to see a hard-hit ball result in a base hit for me unless it's on the ground. Haven't gotten anything past any of the outfielders yet - even the flare liners I've gotten to fall have fallen right in front of the outfielders, or else they've quickly been able to get behind the ball.

I like that the AI (at least on default settings), will periodically try to pick the pitcher's pocket on stolen bases, but I'm a little disturbed that it will take that initiative and then hang tight on second base on fly balls to right.

With Jones, I managed four times, in four at-bats, to guess correctly that a fastball was coming and where it was coming. Two line drive outs, a foul out, and a pop fly. Only used the power swing once, and that resulted in the line drive out.

Had the Bluetooth spaz out on a grounder to second base. The fielder didn't run nuts as usually happens, but he also didn't throw the ball despite me pressing the button three or four times. Once the runner reached safely, he turned and threw. Before you ask, yes, the first baseman was in position to receive the throw in plenty of time.

On the other hand, that led to one of the weirder plays I've seen - a groundball up the middle by the next batter. Kent fields it, steps on second, tosses it to Furcal about five steps away, who throws it to first to complete the double play. See, apparently pressing the triangle button led him to run to second base, and then it ALSO led him to...throw the ball to Furcal, thinking he'd be covering.

Finally, the game's second and final run came with the bases loaded and one out. Ground ball right to Kent, who makes a short toss to Furcal, who gets rid of the ball quickly, and it's still apparently too late to get the runner at first base. I'd like to know how Bengie Molina got down the line that fast.

At least I knocked Zito out of the game so he didn't get credit for the shutout.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Lots of little criticisms of this game popping up on Operation Sports which I'll admit I'm grateful for as it is killing my desire to rush out and buy a PS3 just for this game. It sounds like it is the better baseball game between this and MLB 2k8, but it certainly has some significant issues still. Here is a link for those who want to read about some of the issues:

http://www.operationsports.com/feature.php?id=364

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...d.php?t=240247

Don't anger MBBF!

[terpkristin]

Dang it, I'm picking this up on Friday or Saturday for both PSP and PS3. I can't wait!!! This will definitely enter the rotation of games, which right now is mostly Disgaea on PSP.

Edit to add: I never played any of the PS2 versions, and didn't play 07 on the PS3, last version I had was 06 for the PSP, I'm really looking forward to the many improvements they've made since that one...

/tk

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Just lost to the Giants 2-0. Still have yet to see a hard-hit ball result in a base hit for me unless it's on the ground. Haven't gotten anything past any of the outfielders yet - even the flare liners I've gotten to fall have fallen right in front of the outfielders, or else they've quickly been able to get behind the ball.

I like that the AI (at least on default settings), will periodically try to pick the pitcher's pocket on stolen bases, but I'm a little disturbed that it will take that initiative and then hang tight on second base on fly balls to right.

With Jones, I managed four times, in four at-bats, to guess correctly that a fastball was coming and where it was coming. Two line drive outs, a foul out, and a pop fly. Only used the power swing once, and that resulted in the line drive out.

Had the Bluetooth spaz out on a grounder to second base. The fielder didn't run nuts as usually happens, but he also didn't throw the ball despite me pressing the button three or four times. Once the runner reached safely, he turned and threw. Before you ask, yes, the first baseman was in position to receive the throw in plenty of time.

On the other hand, that led to one of the weirder plays I've seen - a groundball up the middle by the next batter. Kent fields it, steps on second, tosses it to Furcal about five steps away, who throws it to first to complete the double play. See, apparently pressing the triangle button led him to run to second base, and then it ALSO led him to...throw the ball to Furcal, thinking he'd be covering.

Finally, the game's second and final run came with the bases loaded and one out. Ground ball right to Kent, who makes a short toss to Furcal, who gets rid of the ball quickly, and it's still apparently too late to get the runner at first base. I'd like to know how Bengie Molina got down the line that fast.

At least I knocked Zito out of the game so he didn't get credit for the shutout.

I suck so bad at veteran that I've upped power for both teams, reduced fielding reaction time for both (more singles through 3rd/short and 2nd/first and doubles) and reduced command for my pitchers (I'm too good pitching on veteran). Oh, I also reduced the speed of CPU pitching - my 39 year old eyes couldn't keep up at all. My next game I faced the Yankees and Wang - had no problem judging balls and strikes and the Orioles relievers got shelled (as they ought to).

The game plays well out of the box but it's not perfect. I think with the help of minor tweaking you'll be able to cater the game to your particular skill level.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Dang it, I'm picking this up on Friday or Saturday for both PSP and PS3. I can't wait!!! This will definitely enter the rotation of games, which right now is mostly Disgaea on PSP.

Edit to add: I never played any of the PS2 versions, and didn't play 07 on the PS3, last version I had was 06 for the PSP, I'm really looking forward to the many improvements they've made since that one...

/tk

I have a PSP copy sitting here, but between Disgaea and God of War, I have no idea where I'll find the time to play it.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

I suck so bad at veteran that I've upped power for both teams, reduced fielding reaction time for both (more singles through 3rd/short and 2nd/first and doubles) and reduced command for my pitchers (I'm too good pitching on veteran). Oh, I also reduced the speed of CPU pitching - my 39 year old eyes couldn't keep up at all. My next game I faced the Yankees and Wang - had no problem judging balls and strikes and the Orioles relievers got shelled (as they ought to).

The game plays well out of the box but it's not perfect. I think with the help of minor tweaking you'll be able to cater the game to your particular skill level.

I hope so. I'm not real fond of having to tweak, especially since I don't have the time to playtest oodles of changes, but I may try a game on other difficulty levels and see if there are any stock settings that can mirror what I'm looking for.

Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, I like that the catcher will go down to first or third for check swing appeals; I wonder if there's a way to do that manually or if it's just a random automatic thing.

[CraigSca]

Played a game last night with my new settings (that I spoke of earlier) and beat the Tigers, 8-3. Huff had two dingers and R. Hernandez had one, all without using the power swing. I had 15 hits (which is my best to date) and I gave up 10. I also walked 4 batters and drew 4 walks. Had a really good time pitching with Daniel Cabrera as he was constantly in trouble (typical), giving up 6 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs in 5 innings pitched (he was gassed after 5 because he was constantly getting full counts).

I still strike out too much, but I'm sure that will improve.

[CraigSca]

Oh, I also had my first beach ball thrown onto the field. Nick Markakis had to run over it hit it back into the stands. Yeah, the beach ball is overdone in the game, but it was still a cool moment.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

More impressions. Here's the feedback from Bill Harris.........

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2...pressions.html

MLB 08: The Show (PS3) Impressions

I've spent about five hours playing The Show since I picked it up yesterday, and here are some initial impressions. I say "initial" because five hours is really only scratching the surface, and given that I've only played in Road To The Show (career) mode, it's a very limited look.

What I consider a very good sign: I'm compulsively playing. I'm a Closer and I'm in the AA organization of the Cubs. I've finished one season and should be starting my second later tonight.

First off, I don't think there's any question that this game sets a new standard for animation and realism in a baseball game. The animations are truly superb (they motion-captured TWENTY different players), and even more importantly, the transition between animations is superb as well.

It's not just the animations, though--it's also what the development team has chosen to animate, and how. For instance, the catcher is just brilliant--his movements to catch the ball look absolutely authentic. No "magic transfer" of the ball to the glove when he can't quite reach. Umpires are outstanding as well, and those two pieces of detail combine to make pitching a real pleasure.

Here's another detail: once baseball games actually got runners to run through the bag at first, they still seemed to be able to magically slow down as soon as they hit the bag. So they'd be running at full speed, then stop in three steps.

Not here.

In The Show, momentum keeps a player moving through the bag and beyond, and it looks fantastic. That may seem like a little thing, but that's what outstanding sports games are--a collection of little things done correctly. Like when people in the crowd reach for a foul ball, which is a moment so immersive and real-looking that I started laughing the first time I saw it happen.

The batting animations, in particular, are just brilliant. There is a huge variety (300+) of stances and swings, and the way that batters adjust to reaching for the ball or getting jammed is terrific to see.

Framerates are very, very smooth, which really lets the animation system shine.

Like I said, I'm a Closer, and having the variable umpires turned on is a real treat, because when I come into a game (usually in the 9th inning), I have to figure out the strike zone quickly. The variances between umpires are not enormous, but even a difference of a few inches affects how you pitch.

One of things that makes pitching so much fun is that there are actually a reasonable number of foul balls. I've gotten into a few epic, ten pitch at-bats where a guy just keeps fouling pitches off. And if a batter fouls off six pitches, he will probably foul them off with six different animations, which is amazing.

Ball physics are outstanding, and another thing this game gets right is how long fly balls stay in the air. There's an actual sense of how powerful some of these hitters are when they hit long foul balls, because they stay in the air for the (subjectively) right amount of time. Again, that's a little detail, but when it feels wrong, it breaks the sense of immersion.

Things I don't like so far? Boy, it's a short list. I'd really like to be able to remove the little circle cursor around my player. I know who he is, I can't control anyone else in Road To The Show mode, and that little cursor is the only thing that reminds me I'm not watching a real baseball game.

I'd also really like to have the option to make all games be day games. Day games look so spectacular, so amazing, that it's a shame to have to play any night games at all. It would be an easy option to add, and it would let players experience the best graphical environment for every game. It's not that night games look bad--they look quite good, actually--but even in real life, a night game is never going to look as good as a sunny afternoon.

One last thing. I was traded in my first year from the Pirates farm system to the Cubs. The AA team for Pittsburgh had a terrific third baseman, and he bailed me out many times with great plays. When I got to the Cubs AA team, their third baseman was a much poorer fielder, and I immediately noticed that balls were getting through for hits that would have been fielded with my original team. So ratings matter, and it's nice to see that players aren't cookie-cutters in the minor leagues.

Well, that's it for now. Like I said, I'll have more impressions after another 5-10 hours, but so far, I would highly recommend The Show.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Just lost to the Giants 2-0. Still have yet to see a hard-hit ball result in a base hit for me unless it's on the ground. Haven't gotten anything past any of the outfielders yet - even the flare liners I've gotten to fall have fallen right in front of the outfielders, or else they've quickly been able to get behind the ball.

Wow. Sounds like you're having some problems adjusting to the hitting. I played 7 more games last night. Hit two homeruns in consecutive games when I guessed right on high fastballs. The great part about my young player is that he has to pull the ball to get it over the wall. Both of my homers only went about 10 feet over the fence down the foul line. There's almost no way he could put one out in center field unless the stars lined up just right. It's awful rewarding when that occurs.

My 18 year old OF is currently hitting .273 with 2 homers, 4 doubles, and 5 stolen bases in spring training. I'm hoping that he'll get to start the year in AAA. Would be awfully nice to be just a step away from the majors in case he caught lightning in a bottle.

[TroyF]

I'm not having the problems hitting sack is. I have all sorts of hits and am getting them in a ton of ways. (though my timing is a bit slow and I'm getting many of them to the opposite field, I think I need to slow it down just a hair) Liners, hard hit grounders, gappers to the wall, monsterous shots off the wall. . . I just don't have any problems there.

Here are my early impressions:

The Good

Presentation, commentary. Top notch on both.
variety of hits is terrific.
BB and K's are pretty good with the default settings. (all star)
It does suck you in and makes you want to play more and more.

The Bad

Load times are ridiculous for both the PSP and PS3 version. On the PSP in RTTS, it majorly sucks when you end up getting one pinch hit at bat in a game. It'll take you three minutes to get to the game. Thirty seconds to hit and then another 3 minutes to exit the game. Then another 3 to get to your next game. I'm sorry, when you wait 9 minutes for a single at bat, that's frustration.

the not being able to sim to your nxt at bat is just an asinine decision. Fielding is giving me hardly any points at al and baserunning is about as fun to me as a root canal. I'm sorry, it turns a really fun part of the game for me into an average part of the game. That's horrible game design.

Where in the hell is a batting practice mode? I don't get it. How hard is it to design a batting practice/pitching practice mode in a baseball game? Even EA gets that with football games. Again, horrible game design that I just don't understand.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

More impressions. Here's the feedback from Bill Harris.........

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2...pressions.html

Never saw this one coming.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

The Bad

Load times are ridiculous for both the PSP and PS3 version. On the PSP in RTTS, it majorly sucks when you end up getting one pinch hit at bat in a game. It'll take you three minutes to get to the game. Thirty seconds to hit and then another 3 minutes to exit the game. Then another 3 to get to your next game. I'm sorry, when you wait 9 minutes for a single at bat, that's frustration.

Yeah, this is the one carryover from last year that could have used some tweaking. Pretty sure that you're load times are inflated (I timed it at roughly 2 minutes starting a game and 75 seconds leaving a game), but your point is taken. It's still longer than it should be. My guess is that they could drop this load time by installing a few more things on the HDD. They should give that as an option for those with the larger HDD.

Originally Posted by TroyF

the not being able to sim to your nxt at bat is just an asinine decision. Fielding is giving me hardly any points at al and baserunning is about as fun to me as a root canal. I'm sorry, it turns a really fun part of the game for me into an average part of the game. That's horrible game design.

Baserunning and fielding 'fun' levels depend on what kind of player you have. I prefer to play with a speedy outfielder, so the baserunning and fielding is enjoyable in that case. Love to stack up the stolen bases. But I could see how a slow 1B or OF slugger could be a bit boring on base and in the field.

[TroyF]

1) the load times are for the PSP. The PS3 is faster, but it still sucks ass.

2) That's why it's about letting the player decide what type of guy he wants to play with. I didn't see in the Sony RTTS publicity material that they reccomend you use a speedy CF so you can have fun with fielding and the basepaths. If I want to play with a David Ortiz clone, I should be able to do that and have as much fun as someone who wants to become the next Ricky Henderson.

What gets me is them taking an option that already existed away from the player to make the game more constrictive. I'm not going to harp on this forever, but it's just a really bad design decision that I hope they fix for next year.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

1) the load times are for the PSP. The PS3 is faster, but it still sucks ass.

2) That's why it's about letting the player decide what type of guy he wants to play with. I didn't see in the Sony RTTS publicity material that they reccomend you use a speedy CF so you can have fun with fielding and the basepaths. If I want to play with a David Ortiz clone, I should be able to do that and have as much fun as someone who wants to become the next Ricky Henderson.

What gets me is them taking an option that already existed away from the player to make the game more constrictive. I'm not going to harp on this forever, but it's just a really bad design decision that I hope they fix for next year.

Definitely agree that they need to adjust it to allow the slugger role to be a bit better on the basepaths. Perhaps, as you mentioned, they need to put back in that option to skip the fielding and baserunning for that type of player. My guess on why that was removed is because points can now be earned in the field and it would restrict development if the player couldn't earn those points. That certainly doesn't mean it was the best decision, but I'm guessing that's why they did it.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Definitely agree that they need to adjust it to allow the slugger role to be a bit better on the basepaths. Perhaps, as you mentioned, they need to put back in that option to skip the fielding and baserunning for that type of player. My guess on why that was removed is because points can now be earned in the field and it would restrict development if the player couldn't earn those points. That certainly doesn't mean it was the best decision, but I'm guessing that's why they did it.

but you aren't earning a lot of points in the field or on the basepaths unless you are stealilng bases. The gains there are minimal. Again, it's just poor design.

[JS19]

Quick question about hitting. My friend told me you need to use the left stick while hitting. For example, if you guess fastball outside (for a RH batter), you guess correctly and the thing flashes, then you push the stick the opposite way to hit (in this case it would be to the left). Not gonna lie, this blew my mind, I always just swing. Either he's crazy or i'm a moron, or a combination, which is quite likely.

[korme]

JS- for me I mix it up. If I know where the ball is coming from guessing the location, I aim the stick that way as your friend says.

However, if I just get the type of pitch right, I generally just swing. If I try to guess the timing and the location with the stick, I'm usually too slow to react and miss, so I just worry about timing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JS19

Quick question about hitting. My friend told me you need to use the left stick while hitting. For example, if you guess fastball outside (for a RH batter), you guess correctly and the thing flashes, then you push the stick the opposite way to hit (in this case it would be to the left). Not gonna lie, this blew my mind, I always just swing. Either he's crazy or i'm a moron, or a combination, which is quite likely.

Pretty sure it's just the opposite. You should move your stick towards the point in the zone that you think the ball will be at when you swing. For example, if the ball is heading for the right edge of the zone (looking at the screen), you should move your stick to the right. If the ball is low, move the stick down. There's actually an invisible cursor of sorts (which you can actually turn 'visible' in the option menu. You want that cursor to be where the ball crosses the plate when you swing.

Think that was a bit confusing, but I hope it makes some sense.

[Icy]

Mizzou is right, you need to move the left stick to where the ball will land in the zone.

What your friend could be misunderstanding is the right stick hit influence usage. BEFORE the pitch is thrown, you can move the RIGHT stick up for a fly ball, down for a ground ball, or right or left to send the ball in that direction. Just move it and then release. Then once the pitch is comming, just move the left stick to the direction where the ball is landing in the strike zone as i said before.

[korme]

I didn't even realize that portion of his questioning, but Mizz bball got it right about the direction

[JS19]

Mizzou, I understood what both you and Shorty said. Pretty much said the opposite of eachother, so i'll try it both ways and see which I have more success with.