Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

[Whitesox]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

Just wanted to do a short writeup of what I feel might be the best training tool I've ever seen in a baseball game - Discipline Hitting Practice. And this isn't limited to RttS - you can access it right from the main menu.

It goes like this: You get 20 "Chances" at the plate. The pitcher you selected for the practice will use his entire repertoire of pitches, throwing both balls and strikes in random locations. Depending on what you do at the plate, that number will either decrease or stay the same. This is what happens depending on what you do:

Strike Taken: Failure (-1 Chance)
Ball Taken: Retry
Ball/Strike Missed: Failure (-1 Chance)
Ball Fouled: Failure (-1 Chance)
Strike Fouled (usually foul tips): Failure (-1 Chance)
Strike Fouled (any other kind of foul): Retry
Ball Hit Fair: Failure (-1 Chance)
Strike Hit Fair: Success (-1 Chance, 1 point)

So, with the way this works you can potentially score 20 points in one session. Never more than that, because retries don't give you a point.

Obviously, with only one way to have a successful swing, you've got a lot of things going against you. But that's what makes this so useful - you HAVE to have a good eye or you will bomb at this game - HARD. The CPU will throw a bunch of pitches outside of the zone and it is your responsibility to lay off them and pick out the strikes. It's useful no matter what kind of hitting system or difficulty you use - the ability to see the ball and identify ball or strike doesn't change with hitting interface or difficulty.

So simple, and yet so effective - I love this this practice game.

All of the practice games are phenomenal. One of my favorite aspects.

[Bondsfan]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

One other thing. The addition of the contact swing is huge. I never used it in the demo, which is one reason why I think I was so bad at hitting with analog. When I get down 0-2, or 1-2, strike out counts, I guess pitch and if I guess wrong location, I quickly switch to contact swing. This allows me to foul most balls off around the strike zone as the pitcher nibbles at corners, and I can take the obvious balls. It lets me work my way back to a more favorable count and has greatly reduced my strikeouts. I even had a 10 pitch AB with Andres Torres and unlocked the trophy for the 10 pitch AB in my first game.

[JermaineDye05]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

The game is great. It looks beautiful.

Well, with the exception of the crowds behind home plate which have regressed significantly graphically. However, I'm sure that has to do with adding more detail to the field and the actual players which is fine by me.

[Bronx Johnny]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

Played HR DERBY with the Move, most fun i've had in a long time, you kind of get more into it with just the bat, to say more focused on the ball. Its extremely fun though be warned you end up really sore at the end of it.

[Bigsheen]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

i really like the cut scene on pickoffs that shows just the base, looks real good.

[sbmnky]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

All of the practice games are phenomenal. One of my favorite aspects.

I agree - this tidbit was a nice surprise and I love the fact that you can switch between each type of practice seamlessly without having to exit to the main menu. Easily one of the best features in this year's game.

[Bondsfan]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

Definitely agree on the practice modes.

[rckabillyRaider]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

Anyone else getting unrealistic amount of foul balls per at bat on default sliders? Haven't adjusted the foul slider though, but historically the sliders in the show are extremely subtle so I doubt it makes a difference

[bodhiball]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

simmed to the world series and watched the yankees win it with a walk off...

wow, as beautiful as this game is, it needs SO much work in the world series celebration. There is a new trophy presentation animation for the homerun derby, but not for the winning the world series?

Actually, because I simmed most of the games I thought maybe I only won one of the games in the series because not only was there nothing different about the celebration, the announcers didnt even mention the season being over or that the yankees won. It was only clear when the alert box came up after the game.

I'm begging SCEA to spend serious time with this next year.

[EnigmaNemesis]

I hit an inside-the-park HR with Dustin Pedroia against the White Sox @ Fenway! It was a shot that got over the CF's head and took a wicked haaad bounce off the Monster and rolled forever before the RF could get in position to pick up the ball. Pedroia beat the throw home by 2 steps.

I love, love, love the Broadcast cam for pitching @ Fenway, too.

I played a game in the rain @ Coors and I didn't see any noticeable raindrops; the sky was definitely overcast and gray, though.

Still adjusting to the Analog controls. I've been doing a lot of check-swings because I'm not pushing all the way up on the stick on my follow-through.

Wicked haaaaad, lol, love the pun!!!

Pedey is a beast!

And as for rain, it is dynamic. It will periodically not rain, then rain, lighten up, drizzle, stop, etc all in the same game. So it is nicely done.

[EnigmaNemesis]

The game is great. It looks beautiful.

Well, with the exception of the crowds behind home plate which have regressed significantly graphically. However, I'm sure that has to do with adding more detail to the field and the actual players which is fine by me.

It is just an issue with the broadcast cameras. The other cameras do not do that. Hopefully they can identify the cause and include a fix in a patch. But if not I can live. The angles are just so nice.

[NEOPARADIGM]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

Deduct one tenth of a point for each of the following:

1. Catcher slightly freezes after each pitch. It's subtle, and I suspect I'll stop noticing it eventually, but it completely interrupts the otherwise flawless fluidity of the pitcher-catcher exchange.

2. I'm sorry, but I need an option to turn off this ridiculous HUD. I don't know if it's different for meter or analog or whatever, but on classic/classic I have graphics all over my screen telling me what each button does the entire game. I even have graphics telling me that the circle button is the CPU's changeup, x is his fastball, triangle is his ...... Really? When I'm batting? I'm trying to concentrate here and I've got triangles and squares being shoved in my face for no identifiable reason. Oh, and they even make obnoxious swishing/swooping sounds as they fly on and off the screen between every pitch. This is anarchy. Seriously. Patch this. (For real, GT5 patched in HUD removal. Same request for the same sort of folks.)

3. Still only two (the same two) catcher's masks.

4. With men on, the pitcher should really have some animations for checking the runners by now.

Yup. That's about it.

9.6/10

[idrisguitar]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

Deduct one tenth of a point for each of the following:

2. I'm sorry, but I need an option to turn off this ridiculous HUD. I don't know if it's different for meter or analog or whatever, but on classic/classic I have graphics all over my screen telling me what each button does the entire game. I even have graphics telling me that the circle button is the CPU's changeup, x is his fastball, triangle is his ...... Really? When I'm batting? I'm trying to concentrate here and I've got triangles and squares being shoved in my face for no identifiable reason. Oh, and they even make obnoxious swishing/swooping sounds as they fly on and off the screen between every pitch. This is anarchy. Seriously. Patch this. (For real, GT5 patched in HUD removal. Same request for the same sort of folks.)



9.6/10

the pitcher interface when you're batting is very handy and definitely useful, as you can see:

1: what pitches he has
2: what pitches he is most confident with (allowing you to pretty much know what he is going to go with when he is in trouble, or where he is going to go when he has a few to throw away.

[BlackBetty15]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

the pitcher interface when you're batting is very handy and definitely useful, as you can see:

1: what pitches he has
2: what pitches he is most confident with (allowing you to pretty much know what he is going to go with when he is in trouble, or where he is going to go when he has a few to throw away.

That should be your own scouting skills BEFORE the batting. If anyting, if I wanted to really know I should be able to just press select and find out from there. I agree...I dont like the "busy" or cluttered screen either.

[idrisguitar]

Re: Official MLB 11 The Show - Impressions Thread

yeah good point, moving it to the select screen would clean it up a bit