Power Pros 2008

PurdueBrad · 08-06-2008, 12:45 PM

I know there was a thread on the first Wii version but hadn't seen one for the newer one. I've been playing it a ton. At first, I thought it was shallow when I played through the success mode. BUT after the success mode, you can take that player and enter into an MLB Life mode (similar to what I imagine the PS3 baseball game has with it's player mode). Anyway, I've found this to be twice as good as the previous version for anyone that liked the other.

Mizzou B-ball fan · 08-06-2008, 01:18 PM

Agreed. It's a great game. The nice thing about the PS2 version is that it's only $20 (Wii version is $40). Great value for that price with the only real difference being the motion controls aren't in the PS2 version.

thesloppy · 08-06-2008, 01:23 PM

I really loved the previous version, and especially the 'Success Mode', so I'm stoked to try out the 'Life Mode'. I'm going to have to go track this sucker down.

PurdueBrad · 08-06-2008, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Agreed. It's a great game. The nice thing about the PS2 version is that it's only $20 (Wii version is $40). Great value for that price with the only real difference being the motion controls aren't in the PS2 version.

That's a steal for the PS2 version, didn't realize that. I felt like $40 has been a great value. As I said, at first I was like, "is this all?" But then Life Mode is out of this world. Definite buy for the Wii and for the PS2.

Izulde · 08-06-2008, 03:14 PM

I've been playing it off and on. Got through Success Mode as a SP and am going through MLB Life mode.

I still can't for the life of me get a batter to clear the Success Mode, but that's okay.

I'm having fun winning Rookie of the Month in April.

Celeval · 08-06-2008, 03:50 PM

Picked it up last week, but have been crazy busy so haven't had a chance to play yet. Really looking forward to it.

Pumpy Tudors · 08-06-2008, 04:07 PM

I didn't know about this "Life Mode." That's reason enough for me to get this game. I played last year's version enough to get through Success Mode, but I didn't play it at all after I completed that. I wished I had rented the game instead. I will probably rent this one first just to be safe, but with this Life Mode feature, it almost seems like a certain buy for me down the line.

MikeVic · 08-06-2008, 04:10 PM

What's life mode

Pumpy Tudors · 08-06-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeVic

What's life mode

I'm guessing that it's similar to the Success Mode, except now you're a pro player instead of a college player trying to make it. Success Mode was a lot of fun for me in last year's game.

PurdueBrad · 08-06-2008, 04:46 PM

Yeah, for Success Mode this year, you start out in AA. Once you get a big league deal, that mode is over.

Then you can enter Life Mode with the same player and do an MLB career.

Big Fo · 08-06-2008, 04:46 PM

Life Mode is heavier on the baseball side of the baseball:RPG ratio than Success Mode, and you can your successful Success Mode players into Life Mode.

How are the player ratings, sim stats, and difficulty to draw walks in the 2008 version? Those were my main gripes with the first game which I really liked.

Ajaxab · 08-06-2008, 06:24 PM

I had a tough time in Success Mode trying to get my 2nd baseman promoted to AAA and then finally finishing AAA. I was playing on Normal difficulty, but found the strike zone to be pretty big. I was either hitting single after single or striking out.

Life Mode has been similar. I am still in my 1st season, but have been bouncing back and forth from AAA to the majors because I strike out way too much. I was able to hit better than .400 at AAA, but MLB pitchers have a tendency to hit the corners so regularly that a K is next to my name far too often. I think I was hitting .240 before being sent down again after playing yesterday. I'll be curious to see if I improve as my ratings improve.

Fwiw, I have yet to try either mode with a pitcher. Maybe pitching is a bit easier than hitting.

duff88 · 08-06-2008, 06:28 PM

I'm really enjoying the game right now. I have been playing it way more than I would have wanted, even though I thought I'd get bored quickly.

I managed to get through Success mode with a third baseman who's main strenght was as a contact hitter with good running ability. I started MLB Life with the Blue Jays, didn't manage to make the team out of camp and was sent down to AAA.

Spent the year up and down, but after the first 20 games I spent most of the year with the Blue Jays as a pinch hitter. I finished my rookie year with 48 hits in 154 at bats for a .313 batting average with no homeruns and 2 RBIs, as well as 5 doubles. Scott Rolen, the starting 3B, had a pretty subpar year but he's a big name and I wasn't able to beat him out, although I got a game here and there as a substitute. We finished 81-81 and missed the playoffs while the Yankees won the World Series against the Cards. A.J. Burnett won the Cy Young.

In my second year right now, I earned a position as designated hitter and I've been starting most of the games after a pretty rough start to the season. Right now the team is second in the division behind the Yankees with a 35-26 record. My batter has a .329 batting average with 3 homeruns and 21 RBIs, as well as 5 doubles and 4 stolen bases. Roy Halladay is having quite a year and could be our second straight Cy Young winner if he keeps it up.

That game is fun, actually I think I'm going to take a night off and play it.

EDIT: Also wanted to mention that there are some very nice stats being kept. Pitchers against whom we have success and those that are tough to play against, career stats against each team, etc. The RPG part of life mode is less pronounced, right now my player has a nice family car and the family house (10 years, 8,300$/month payment) and I tried to ask the doctor to marry me but she declined because I didn't have a nice house enough. So I'm gonna try and get with the shopkeeper instead. But as I said, it's much less of a RPG then success mode. There are no events, rather you just select what you want to do when you have free time.

thesloppy · 08-07-2008, 05:55 AM

I created a 3rd baseman today as my first player in success mode, and he pretty much spent every spare second pumping weights, resulting in an 'A' rating in power, and 'F's pretty much everywhere else. I spent a year playing AA ball, got moved up to AAA ball for season two, whereupon my team missed out on the championship, but I was thankfully able to sign a major league contract at the end of the year and move my player into 'Life Mode'.

In Life Mode I started out in training camp and had a decent enough showing, but nothing spectacular, and found myself starting opening day playing AAA ball again. After 24 games I dialed in my hitting a bit and was hitting .481, and come All-Star break I got called up to play in the big show.

Game day comes, and the lineup is released, with myself not-all-that-notably absent. I'll just have to hope I can get an at-bat or two later in the game, which is exactly what happens in the seventh inning, when I lineup for my first major league at bat against a visibly tired Angels pitcher. I whack off a couple foul balls, and then the pitcher let's a sloppy one slip right down the pipe and I knock it 488 yards out of the park! Woohoo!

Surprisingly, after the game, my manager notes how unusual it is to hit a HR in your first at-bat, and gives me $3,000 (which isn't all that special, but it's still cool that their was logic to recognize that achievment).

Godzilla Blitz · 08-07-2008, 11:52 AM

I've been playing the Japanese PSP version of the game and have been having a blast with it. It has the MyLife mode as well, and this makes the game, IMHO.

It took me three tries to get a player successfully through the success mode and drafted by a Japanese team. Finally, though, I got a shortstop drafted by the Hanshin Tigers.

My first year, I hit .290 with 2 HRs in very limited action. My second year I managed .310 with about 20 HRs. Both of these seasons I spent bouncing back and forth from the parent club to the farm team.

In my third year, I finally managed to break into the starting lineup about a third of the way into the season, and racked up a league-leading 39 homeruns while hitting .320. We won the division and the Japan Series, although I played terribly in the series.

I'm in my fourth season now. I'm hitting .340 and on track to hit about 50 homeruns. We're in first place again. I'm dating five women, one of whom is a television announcer who is totally in love with me. I just bought a sports car and made my first television commercial. Somehow I got tricked into agreeing to donate 100,000 yen to charity for each homerun I hit. If I hit 50 homeruns, it'll eat up about 40% of my salary, which sucks because I'm saving to buy a huge mansion. Easy come, easy go.

Great fun, though. I also bought the Wii version yesterday and hope to check it out soon. Highly recommended.

Godzilla Blitz · 08-07-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I created a 3rd baseman today as my first player in success mode, and he pretty much spent every spare second pumping weights, resulting in an 'A' rating in power, and 'F's pretty much everywhere else. I spent a year playing AA ball, got moved up to AAA ball for season two, whereupon my team missed out on the championship, but I was thankfully able to sign a major league contract at the end of the year and move my player into 'Life Mode'.

In Life Mode I started out in training camp and had a decent enough showing, but nothing spectacular, and found myself starting opening day playing AAA ball again. After 24 games I dialed in my hitting a bit and was hitting .481, and come All-Star break I got called up to play in the big show.

Game day comes, and the lineup is released, with myself not-all-that-notably absent. I'll just have to hope I can get an at-bat or two later in the game, which is exactly what happens in the seventh inning, when I lineup for my first major league at bat against a visibly tired Angels pitcher. I whack off a couple foul balls, and then the pitcher let's a sloppy one slip right down the pipe and I knock it 488 yards out of the park! Woohoo!

Surprisingly, after the game, my manager notes how unusual it is to hit a HR in your first at-bat, and gives me $3,000 (which isn't all that special, but it's still cool that their was logic to recognize that achievment).

Dola...

488 yards is some amazing power!

I've tried the same strategy with my current player as well. Max the power in success mode, then fill in the pieces as I move through MyLife mode.

In the Japanese PSP version I was playing, when I got called up to the parent club I would almost always get one at-bat per game as a pinch hitter. I had an All-Star shortstop playing in front of me, which I'm guessing didn't help. I spent most of two years getting only one at-bat per game, which made it very hard to break into the starting lineup.

I hit much better when I get several at-bats against the same pitcher, and if I didn't get a hit in five or six pinch hit appearances, I'd almost always find myself shipped back down to the farm club. I'd then generally destroy the farm pitching and get called back up to the parent club a month later.

flere-imsaho · 08-07-2008, 12:07 PM

How's the Wii version?

tarcone · 08-07-2008, 12:26 PM

It would be cool, if you owned the japanese version and the U.S. version, to be able to jump to the U.S. or end your career in Japan.
Im getting this for my PS2. I need to sneak that one and Civ:Revolution by my wife at the next pay period.

thesloppy · 08-08-2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I created a 3rd baseman today as my first player in success mode, and he pretty much spent every spare second pumping weights, resulting in an 'A' rating in power, and 'F's pretty much everywhere else. I spent a year playing AA ball, got moved up to AAA ball for season two, whereupon my team missed out on the championship, but I was thankfully able to sign a major league contract at the end of the year and move my player into 'Life Mode'.

In Life Mode I started out in training camp and had a decent enough showing, but nothing spectacular, and found myself starting opening day playing AAA ball again. After 24 games I dialed in my hitting a bit and was hitting .481, and come All-Star break I got called up to play in the big show.

Game day comes, and the lineup is released, with myself not-all-that-notably absent. I'll just have to hope I can get an at-bat or two later in the game, which is exactly what happens in the seventh inning, when I lineup for my first major league at bat against a visibly tired Angels pitcher. I whack off a couple foul balls, and then the pitcher let's a sloppy one slip right down the pipe and I knock it 488 yards out of the park! Woohoo!

Surprisingly, after the game, my manager notes how unusual it is to hit a HR in your first at-bat, and gives me $3,000 (which isn't all that special, but it's still cool that their was logic to recognize that achievment).

This guy battled away as a pinch hitter during the beginning of his first season, but eventually chewed his way into the Tigers starting line-up as a DH, about half-way through the year. He spent much of the season batting near .380, which ironically kept me from swinging for power because I wanted to maintain average, and I had a nasty late slump anyway, finishing at .348 with 7HR, 39RBI, and 19SB. Not bad for a rook (although I should admit I do still use 1 lvl of lock-on), but most importantly we made it into the playoffs, leading to my dude's crowning moment about 5 minutes ago, when I bounced a walk-off homer off the top-of the center-field fence, to end the 3rd game of the World Series, in the 13th inning. Woohoo!

I'm enjoying life mode a ton...but there sure is a lot of menu navigation, and your 'free time' options aren't all that entertaining, but the ability to blast through 20 games a sitting, and track your little guy's development, is good fun. Now if I can just git with that hot lego-lookin' reporter bitch.

thesloppy · 08-08-2008, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesloppy

most importantly we made it into the playoffs, leading to my dude's crowning moment about 5 minutes ago, when I bounced a walk-off homer off the top-of the center-field fence, to end the 3rd game of the World Series, in the 13th inning. Woohoo!

We ended up sweeping the series, and although I didn't do much else, outside of some solid batting, it was enough to make me series MVP, surprisingly enough. As a reward I got a 'super sleep capsule', which looks to be some sort of sensory deprivation tank. YES! Now I'm officially walking in Terrell Owens footsteps, which should be every athletes goal (I love me some me).

In a way it's almost a let down to win the series in the first year, but what are you gonna do, my team was stacked and they were even actively trading while I twiddled my thumbs. I suppose there's still plenty of individual accolades to chase, and I only managed to start half the year at DH, so the success was more despite my talents, rather than because of them.

PurdueBrad · 08-08-2008, 12:47 PM

Does anybody know what the mirror of truth does? I bought the fake one for $50k (dumb mistake) but the real one is still available.

Calis · 08-08-2008, 12:56 PM

Had no idea this was out already until I opened up this thread again yesterday. I immediately went out and grabbed it.

Enjoying it a lot. The Life mode manages to take most of the things I found annoying with The Show and removes them. It has some issues still sure, but perfect for just blasting through games as mentioned.

Not having to manually do the baserunning on Life mode alone is enough for it to move ahead of The Show's imo.

I made a CF and was tearing up AAA. I thought maybe I had it set to be too easy, and was about to up the difficulty when I got called up to the majors. First at bat in the majors it's the bottom of the 13th and tied. I end up cranking one almost dead center. Just smashed it, which was doubly impressive because I had never hit for power at all previously. No homers in AAA and only a couple doubles. I was pretty happy, until I got the start the next day and went 0-4, and then continued that tear eventually going I believe 0-18 before finally picking up a single. I got sent back down right after that and am now working my way back up.

Am I crazy or am I seeing lots of ties in AAA? Anyone else noticed this?

MikeVic · 08-08-2008, 01:17 PM

Dammit I think I have to pick this up...

stevew · 08-09-2008, 01:34 AM

Totally picking this up tomorrow and borrowing my brothers ps2. Wish they would just make it for the 360.

thesloppy · 08-09-2008, 06:47 AM

I've got my guy up to an 'A' in CON as well as an 'A' in POW, and I'm still having a hard time hitting homers, even after a couple hundred 'games' which is a good sign. On the other hand, I think I'm probably progressing a bit too quickly, as this is the first guy I tried success mode with, and the first guy I tried life mode with, and without figuring out even the simplest exploits I'm already up to an 'A' in CON and POW and a 'B' in SPD, after only a season and a half, which seems too accelerated. Admittedly, I do have E's anf F's in all the fielding categories, but frankly there's not much incentive to bump those up in life mode, seeing as how you don't control fielding (thank god).

Big Fo · 08-09-2008, 08:35 AM

If you notice your player hitting a bunch of line drives and grounders even with the high POW rating, you may want to bump up his TRJ rating, that should see your player hitting more fly balls.

Ajaxab · 08-09-2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Fo

If you notice your player hitting a bunch of line drives and grounders even with the high POW rating, you may want to bump up his TRJ rating, that should see your player hitting more fly balls.

Is there a way to do this in Life Mode? In success mode, working on strength improves TRJ, but I haven't found a way to improve it in Life Mode.

I'm wondering if thesloppy hit on a potential problem with Success Mode. I spent some time practicing fielding there, but after importing my character into Life Mode realize that it might be completely unnecessary. Does fielding matter at all? I'm just beginning season 2 of Life Mode and my character only has a B in contact and and F in power. I wonder if I wasted resources on fielding practice in Success Mode...

gstelmack · 08-09-2008, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

I'm wondering if thesloppy hit on a potential problem with Success Mode. I spent some time practicing fielding there, but after importing my character into Life Mode realize that it might be completely unnecessary. Does fielding matter at all? I'm just beginning season 2 of Life Mode and my character only has a B in contact and and F in power. I wonder if I wasted resources on fielding practice in Success Mode...

That was my issue in success mode in last year's version. I tried to make a good second baseman, but putting any points into fielding attributes is a waste since all you ever do is hit, and I needed to be a better hitter to keep the game going.

Big Fo · 08-10-2008, 01:32 AM

By the end of the AAA season my B in CON, B in POW, and 3 in TRJ beast of a first baseman was ruled not good enough for Major League Baseball, pretty annoying really. At least I saved halfway through, if it doesn't work next time I may be forced to cheat by repeated saving and loading.

thesloppy · 08-10-2008, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Fo

By the end of the AAA season my B in CON, B in POW, and 3 in TRJ beast of a first baseman was ruled not good enough for Major League Baseball, pretty annoying really. At least I saved halfway through, if it doesn't work next time I may be forced to cheat by repeated saving and loading.

If you're not already using them, there's a necklace, and I think some sort of spray, that affect coach evaluations in the shop, both of which can be very useful in giving you the extra push to get into the majors (so long as you keep getting hits, of course). The earlier and more often you can use 'em the better.

saldana · 08-10-2008, 12:35 PM

how is the actual gameplay on the wii....i had the last version and used to get really pissed that the players had no momentum in the field, and the player that would get picked to make the play on a ground ball was often not who I would have picked, while the ball would have really odd physics (slowing down, odd bounces)...i had more problems with fielding than i did anything else in the game

gstelmack · 08-10-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saldana

how is the actual gameplay on the wii....i had the last version and used to get really pissed that the players had no momentum in the field, and the player that would get picked to make the play on a ground ball was often not who I would have picked, while the ball would have really odd physics (slowing down, odd bounces)...i had more problems with fielding than i did anything else in the game

I let the AI handle fielding. I just hit and pitched. That was lots of fun for me. I just couldn't deal with me almost always having the stick pointed the wrong way when it would switch to the fielder, leading to way more hits than there should have been.

Super Mario Galaxy drives me nuts with that as well, where at critical game junctures they start spinning the camera while you're trying to do something, which makes it just that much harder to move the way you want...

Mizzou B-ball fan · 08-10-2008, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I let the AI handle fielding. I just hit and pitched. That was lots of fun for me. I just couldn't deal with me almost always having the stick pointed the wrong way when it would switch to the fielder, leading to way more hits than there should have been.

I've always let the computer do the fielding when I play a baseball game. Going the wrong way on a routine ball was always frustrating. Only problem I've had is when I run into a game that has goofy fielding AI. That can ruin a game for me since I usually don't like to control it.

spleen1015 · 08-10-2008, 01:45 PM

I got this earlier today for the PS2. My first attempt, as a 1B, failed to get out of AA. It took me a bit to figure out that I had to go eat to refill the Vitality, etc.

Big Fo · 08-10-2008, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesloppy

If you're not already using them, there's a necklace, and I think some sort of spray, that affect coach evaluations in the shop, both of which can be very useful in giving you the extra push to get into the majors (so long as you keep getting hits, of course). The earlier and more often you can use 'em the better.

Thanks for the advice, both of these were crucial in getting my relief pitcher to the majors, where he is now closing for the Braves and has a .93 ERA and nine saves in the first month of the season.

I love this new MLB Life Mode, it has really sucked me into the game. Everytime I control my player through another routine, three-out save I feel like throwing my arms in the air and celebrating like K-Rod.

Pumpy Tudors · 08-10-2008, 08:23 PM

I've rented the game, but I haven't played it yet. I'm a little disappointed to read here that there's no real benefit to improving fielding in success/life mode.

PurdueBrad · 08-10-2008, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I've rented the game, but I haven't played it yet. I'm a little disappointed to read here that there's no real benefit to improving fielding in success/life mode.

I came up as a slugger BUT was only a PT player or DH until I got my fielding up. Once that happened, I became a middle-of-the-lineup, starter at shortstop.

spleen1015 · 08-10-2008, 08:48 PM

I wonder if no one is having success getting their Success mode players to the majors because they're ignoring fielding.

Pumpy Tudors · 08-10-2008, 08:59 PM

Hmm. I actually had hoped that they would withhold playing time from players with poor fielding ratings. If this is happening (or even if it appears to be happening), I'm happier.

PurdueBrad · 08-10-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I wonder if no one is having success getting their Success mode players to the majors because they're ignoring fielding.

That's possible, once I got my fielding up some, I never got sent down again, regardless of my hitting performance. I think, between my first and second year, I yo-yoed four times between AAA and ML, and then I took over as the starting shortstop the last time and never went back down.

thesloppy · 08-10-2008, 10:13 PM

Oops, I didn't mean to give the impression that I thought the game had made fielding entirely useless. I do think it's made it so that you CAN ignore fielding if you want, and since the fielding in life mode is entirely invisible, there's not as much incentive to develop a heavy-fielder if you're looking to specialize, but I do think it can still be used effectively if you want to, and more balanced players will probably always have better success in making the roster, which really is the ultimate measuring stick in the early game. The AI for figuring out the rosters seems actually pretty decent, and obviously if you have higher fielding than your competition at a position (and relatively similar talents otherwise) it'll definitely get you a spot in the lineup. However, the game does allow for you to pump all your stats into hitting and settle in as a DH and completely ignore fielding, if that's your desire, and provided that you put yourself in the right situation (since some teams have just as much competition at DH).

I'm still having a great time, midway into my second season. After struggling to hit more than 1 HR a month I finally bumped myself back up to the default level of 'auto-lock' and had much more success...almost too much, as I hit 3 homers including a grand slam in the next game...aside from that it seems like it's been much more reasonable. I was afraid that increasing the lock-on would make it too easy to hit without power, but that hasn't been the case...I guess because the normal strike zone is so 'fat' lock-on hasn't made much of a difference to my abilities, but it's made it a lot less frustrating to use the 'big swing'. If you're having troubles hitting for power, try bumping up your auto lock-on a lvl.

VPI97 · 08-10-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Hmm. I actually had hoped that they would withhold playing time from players with poor fielding ratings. If this is happening (or even if it appears to be happening), I'm happier.

It happens....I came out of success mode with B's for contact, power & speed and E's for Fielding and Arm Strength. As a result, the stuck me at 1B (and DH for interleague) in favor of more defensive oriented center fielders. Also, I'm getting subbed out for defensive purposes (I assume) 25%-50% of the time.

TCY Junkie · 08-10-2008, 10:36 PM

Can you create a knuckleball pitcher and how long does it take to play a game.

Big Fo · 08-10-2008, 11:16 PM

A regular 5-3 kind of game takes me around 25 to 30 mintues.

stevew · 08-16-2008, 06:30 PM

Okay. My first hitter sucked and got fired. Not a big suprise. My pitcher was pretty good tho. Like 6 earned runs in probably 25 IP. And I still got fired. No wins tho. Is there some sort of performance criteria to get promoted?

Big Fo · 08-16-2008, 06:51 PM

From the main screen, go to "Data" then "Eval."

Two bars will be on the screen, to get promoted to AAA/Majors you need to accumulate enough scout points to pass the mark that says "clear."

As thesloppy said earlier in the thread, there is a necklace you can buy to increase your the amount of points you get, grab it as soon as you have the $450 to spend.

Chubby · 08-16-2008, 07:15 PM

You don't "need" the necklace to pass as I can usually get my batters to clear without it but it does help. If you can't get in the lineup by the 2nd game in AAA you might as well start over because you'll never get enough scout points if you don't

stevew · 08-17-2008, 10:57 PM

Is there some sort of secret to this, cause i just got fired again. I usually practice, and then if my vitality gets low I go eat. Anyone care to do a quick breakdown on how they play order wise. My in game performance pitching is usually pretty solid. But im not getting halfway to the mark in scout evaluation.

TCY Junkie · 08-17-2008, 11:09 PM

Week 4 practice counts more . Also save up until 2 turns and try to keep vit full and do 2 of the same practices and most importantly do a practice with the coach icon next to it if there is one.

Ajaxab · 08-18-2008, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCY Junkie

Week 4 practice counts more . Also save up until 2 turns and try to keep vit full and do 2 of the same practices and most importantly do a practice with the coach icon next to it if there is one.

That's the golden ticket. Use the 'Progress' icon in week 3 to save up your turns for week 4 practices and follow TCY's advice here.

08-06-2008, 03:14 PM	#5
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	I've been playing it off and on. Got through Success Mode as a SP and am going through MLB Life mode. I still can't for the life of me get a batter to clear the Success Mode, but that's okay. I'm having fun winning Rookie of the Month in April. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

08-06-2008, 04:07 PM	#7
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I didn't know about this "Life Mode." That's reason enough for me to get this game. I played last year's version enough to get through Success Mode, but I didn't play it at all after I completed that. I wished I had rented the game instead. I will probably rent this one first just to be safe, but with this Life Mode feature, it almost seems like a certain buy for me down the line. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

08-06-2008, 06:28 PM	#13
duff88 College Prospect Join Date: Aug 2005	I'm really enjoying the game right now. I have been playing it way more than I would have wanted, even though I thought I'd get bored quickly. I managed to get through Success mode with a third baseman who's main strenght was as a contact hitter with good running ability. I started MLB Life with the Blue Jays, didn't manage to make the team out of camp and was sent down to AAA. Spent the year up and down, but after the first 20 games I spent most of the year with the Blue Jays as a pinch hitter. I finished my rookie year with 48 hits in 154 at bats for a .313 batting average with no homeruns and 2 RBIs, as well as 5 doubles. Scott Rolen, the starting 3B, had a pretty subpar year but he's a big name and I wasn't able to beat him out, although I got a game here and there as a substitute. We finished 81-81 and missed the playoffs while the Yankees won the World Series against the Cards. A.J. Burnett won the Cy Young. In my second year right now, I earned a position as designated hitter and I've been starting most of the games after a pretty rough start to the season. Right now the team is second in the division behind the Yankees with a 35-26 record. My batter has a .329 batting average with 3 homeruns and 21 RBIs, as well as 5 doubles and 4 stolen bases. Roy Halladay is having quite a year and could be our second straight Cy Young winner if he keeps it up. That game is fun, actually I think I'm going to take a night off and play it. EDIT: Also wanted to mention that there are some very nice stats being kept. Pitchers against whom we have success and those that are tough to play against, career stats against each team, etc. The RPG part of life mode is less pronounced, right now my player has a nice family car and the family house (10 years, 8,300$/month payment) and I tried to ask the doctor to marry me but she declined because I didn't have a nice house enough. So I'm gonna try and get with the shopkeeper instead. But as I said, it's much less of a RPG then success mode. There are no events, rather you just select what you want to do when you have free time. __________________ The Battle of Quebec [EHM:EA Dynasty] Last edited by duff88 : 08-06-2008 at 06:31 PM.

08-07-2008, 11:52 AM	#15
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	I've been playing the Japanese PSP version of the game and have been having a blast with it. It has the MyLife mode as well, and this makes the game, IMHO. It took me three tries to get a player successfully through the success mode and drafted by a Japanese team. Finally, though, I got a shortstop drafted by the Hanshin Tigers. My first year, I hit .290 with 2 HRs in very limited action. My second year I managed .310 with about 20 HRs. Both of these seasons I spent bouncing back and forth from the parent club to the farm team. In my third year, I finally managed to break into the starting lineup about a third of the way into the season, and racked up a league-leading 39 homeruns while hitting .320. We won the division and the Japan Series, although I played terribly in the series. I'm in my fourth season now. I'm hitting .340 and on track to hit about 50 homeruns. We're in first place again. I'm dating five women, one of whom is a television announcer who is totally in love with me. I just bought a sports car and made my first television commercial. Somehow I got tricked into agreeing to donate 100,000 yen to charity for each homerun I hit. If I hit 50 homeruns, it'll eat up about 40% of my salary, which sucks because I'm saving to buy a huge mansion. Easy come, easy go. Great fun, though. I also bought the Wii version yesterday and hope to check it out soon. Highly recommended. __________________ Current Blog Projects: Final Fantasy: Lost in Japanese Kaboom Review

08-10-2008, 08:23 PM	#36
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I've rented the game, but I haven't played it yet. I'm a little disappointed to read here that there's no real benefit to improving fielding in success/life mode. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

08-06-2008, 01:18 PM	#2
Mizzou B-ball fan General Manager Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Kansas City, MO	Agreed. It's a great game. The nice thing about the PS2 version is that it's only $20 (Wii version is $40). Great value for that price with the only real difference being the motion controls aren't in the PS2 version.

08-06-2008, 01:23 PM	#3
thesloppy Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PDX	I really loved the previous version, and especially the 'Success Mode', so I'm stoked to try out the 'Life Mode'. I'm going to have to go track this sucker down.

08-06-2008, 03:50 PM	#6
Celeval Pro Starter Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Cary, NC, USA	Picked it up last week, but have been crazy busy so haven't had a chance to play yet. Really looking forward to it.

08-06-2008, 04:10 PM	#8
MikeVic Head Coach Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hometown of Canada	What's life mode

08-06-2008, 04:46 PM	#10
PurdueBrad Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: DeKalb, IL	Yeah, for Success Mode this year, you start out in AA. Once you get a big league deal, that mode is over. Then you can enter Life Mode with the same player and do an MLB career.

08-06-2008, 04:46 PM	#11
Big Fo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2005	Life Mode is heavier on the baseball side of the baseball:RPG ratio than Success Mode, and you can your successful Success Mode players into Life Mode. How are the player ratings, sim stats, and difficulty to draw walks in the 2008 version? Those were my main gripes with the first game which I really liked.

08-06-2008, 06:24 PM	#12
Ajaxab College Benchwarmer Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Far from home	I had a tough time in Success Mode trying to get my 2nd baseman promoted to AAA and then finally finishing AAA. I was playing on Normal difficulty, but found the strike zone to be pretty big. I was either hitting single after single or striking out. Life Mode has been similar. I am still in my 1st season, but have been bouncing back and forth from AAA to the majors because I strike out way too much. I was able to hit better than .400 at AAA, but MLB pitchers have a tendency to hit the corners so regularly that a K is next to my name far too often. I think I was hitting .240 before being sent down again after playing yesterday. I'll be curious to see if I improve as my ratings improve. Fwiw, I have yet to try either mode with a pitcher. Maybe pitching is a bit easier than hitting.

08-07-2008, 05:55 AM	#14
thesloppy Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PDX	I created a 3rd baseman today as my first player in success mode, and he pretty much spent every spare second pumping weights, resulting in an 'A' rating in power, and 'F's pretty much everywhere else. I spent a year playing AA ball, got moved up to AAA ball for season two, whereupon my team missed out on the championship, but I was thankfully able to sign a major league contract at the end of the year and move my player into 'Life Mode'. In Life Mode I started out in training camp and had a decent enough showing, but nothing spectacular, and found myself starting opening day playing AAA ball again. After 24 games I dialed in my hitting a bit and was hitting .481, and come All-Star break I got called up to play in the big show. Game day comes, and the lineup is released, with myself not-all-that-notably absent. I'll just have to hope I can get an at-bat or two later in the game, which is exactly what happens in the seventh inning, when I lineup for my first major league at bat against a visibly tired Angels pitcher. I whack off a couple foul balls, and then the pitcher let's a sloppy one slip right down the pipe and I knock it 488 yards out of the park! Woohoo! Surprisingly, after the game, my manager notes how unusual it is to hit a HR in your first at-bat, and gives me $3,000 (which isn't all that special, but it's still cool that their was logic to recognize that achievment).

08-07-2008, 12:07 PM	#17
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	How's the Wii version?

08-07-2008, 12:26 PM	#18
tarcone Coordinator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pacific	It would be cool, if you owned the japanese version and the U.S. version, to be able to jump to the U.S. or end your career in Japan. Im getting this for my PS2. I need to sneak that one and Civ:Revolution by my wife at the next pay period.

08-08-2008, 12:47 PM	#21
PurdueBrad Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: DeKalb, IL	Does anybody know what the mirror of truth does? I bought the fake one for $50k (dumb mistake) but the real one is still available.

08-08-2008, 12:56 PM	#22
Calis College Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Kansas	Had no idea this was out already until I opened up this thread again yesterday. I immediately went out and grabbed it. Enjoying it a lot. The Life mode manages to take most of the things I found annoying with The Show and removes them. It has some issues still sure, but perfect for just blasting through games as mentioned. Not having to manually do the baserunning on Life mode alone is enough for it to move ahead of The Show's imo. I made a CF and was tearing up AAA. I thought maybe I had it set to be too easy, and was about to up the difficulty when I got called up to the majors. First at bat in the majors it's the bottom of the 13th and tied. I end up cranking one almost dead center. Just smashed it, which was doubly impressive because I had never hit for power at all previously. No homers in AAA and only a couple doubles. I was pretty happy, until I got the start the next day and went 0-4, and then continued that tear eventually going I believe 0-18 before finally picking up a single. I got sent back down right after that and am now working my way back up. Am I crazy or am I seeing lots of ties in AAA? Anyone else noticed this?

08-08-2008, 01:17 PM	#23
MikeVic Head Coach Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hometown of Canada	Dammit I think I have to pick this up...

08-09-2008, 01:34 AM	#24
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	Totally picking this up tomorrow and borrowing my brothers ps2. Wish they would just make it for the 360.

08-09-2008, 06:47 AM	#25
thesloppy Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PDX	I've got my guy up to an 'A' in CON as well as an 'A' in POW, and I'm still having a hard time hitting homers, even after a couple hundred 'games' which is a good sign. On the other hand, I think I'm probably progressing a bit too quickly, as this is the first guy I tried success mode with, and the first guy I tried life mode with, and without figuring out even the simplest exploits I'm already up to an 'A' in CON and POW and a 'B' in SPD, after only a season and a half, which seems too accelerated. Admittedly, I do have E's anf F's in all the fielding categories, but frankly there's not much incentive to bump those up in life mode, seeing as how you don't control fielding (thank god).

08-09-2008, 08:35 AM	#26
Big Fo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2005	If you notice your player hitting a bunch of line drives and grounders even with the high POW rating, you may want to bump up his TRJ rating, that should see your player hitting more fly balls.

08-10-2008, 01:32 AM	#29
Big Fo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2005	By the end of the AAA season my B in CON, B in POW, and 3 in TRJ beast of a first baseman was ruled not good enough for Major League Baseball, pretty annoying really. At least I saved halfway through, if it doesn't work next time I may be forced to cheat by repeated saving and loading.

08-10-2008, 12:35 PM	#31
saldana Pro Starter Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bethlehem, Pa	how is the actual gameplay on the wii....i had the last version and used to get really pissed that the players had no momentum in the field, and the player that would get picked to make the play on a ground ball was often not who I would have picked, while the ball would have really odd physics (slowing down, odd bounces)...i had more problems with fielding than i did anything else in the game

08-10-2008, 01:45 PM	#34
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	I got this earlier today for the PS2. My first attempt, as a 1B, failed to get out of AA. It took me a bit to figure out that I had to go eat to refill the Vitality, etc.

08-10-2008, 08:48 PM	#38
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	I wonder if no one is having success getting their Success mode players to the majors because they're ignoring fielding.

08-10-2008, 08:59 PM	#39
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	Hmm. I actually had hoped that they would withhold playing time from players with poor fielding ratings. If this is happening (or even if it appears to be happening), I'm happier. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

08-10-2008, 10:13 PM	#41
thesloppy Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: PDX	Oops, I didn't mean to give the impression that I thought the game had made fielding entirely useless. I do think it's made it so that you CAN ignore fielding if you want, and since the fielding in life mode is entirely invisible, there's not as much incentive to develop a heavy-fielder if you're looking to specialize, but I do think it can still be used effectively if you want to, and more balanced players will probably always have better success in making the roster, which really is the ultimate measuring stick in the early game. The AI for figuring out the rosters seems actually pretty decent, and obviously if you have higher fielding than your competition at a position (and relatively similar talents otherwise) it'll definitely get you a spot in the lineup. However, the game does allow for you to pump all your stats into hitting and settle in as a DH and completely ignore fielding, if that's your desire, and provided that you put yourself in the right situation (since some teams have just as much competition at DH). I'm still having a great time, midway into my second season. After struggling to hit more than 1 HR a month I finally bumped myself back up to the default level of 'auto-lock' and had much more success...almost too much, as I hit 3 homers including a grand slam in the next game...aside from that it seems like it's been much more reasonable. I was afraid that increasing the lock-on would make it too easy to hit without power, but that hasn't been the case...I guess because the normal strike zone is so 'fat' lock-on hasn't made much of a difference to my abilities, but it's made it a lot less frustrating to use the 'big swing'. If you're having troubles hitting for power, try bumping up your auto lock-on a lvl. Last edited by thesloppy : 08-10-2008 at 10:18 PM.

08-10-2008, 10:36 PM	#43
TCY Junkie College Prospect Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: TX	Can you create a knuckleball pitcher and how long does it take to play a game. __________________ I try to open things I probably have no chance of opening.

08-10-2008, 11:16 PM	#44
Big Fo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2005	A regular 5-3 kind of game takes me around 25 to 30 mintues.

08-16-2008, 06:30 PM	#45
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	Okay. My first hitter sucked and got fired. Not a big suprise. My pitcher was pretty good tho. Like 6 earned runs in probably 25 IP. And I still got fired. No wins tho. Is there some sort of performance criteria to get promoted?

08-16-2008, 06:51 PM	#46
Big Fo Pro Rookie Join Date: Jan 2005	From the main screen, go to "Data" then "Eval." Two bars will be on the screen, to get promoted to AAA/Majors you need to accumulate enough scout points to pass the mark that says "clear." As thesloppy said earlier in the thread, there is a necklace you can buy to increase your the amount of points you get, grab it as soon as you have the $450 to spend.

08-16-2008, 07:15 PM	#47
Chubby Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Syracuse, NY	You don't "need" the necklace to pass as I can usually get my batters to clear without it but it does help. If you can't get in the lineup by the 2nd game in AAA you might as well start over because you'll never get enough scout points if you don't

08-17-2008, 10:57 PM	#48
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	Is there some sort of secret to this, cause i just got fired again. I usually practice, and then if my vitality gets low I go eat. Anyone care to do a quick breakdown on how they play order wise. My in game performance pitching is usually pretty solid. But im not getting halfway to the mark in scout evaluation.

08-17-2008, 11:09 PM	#49
TCY Junkie College Prospect Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: TX	Week 4 practice counts more . Also save up until 2 turns and try to keep vit full and do 2 of the same practices and most importantly do a practice with the coach icon next to it if there is one. __________________ I try to open things I probably have no chance of opening.

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