Re: Conjecture: From what we've seen, will MLB 12 miss an opportunity for a huge leap
I don't think they should scrap the engine, but there are things that would improve the "feel" of the game significantly, IMO... things that would make it feel shiny and new, and less like last year's game.
I feel like I've personally been harping on the same couple issues for about 4-5 years now... but the main one is the lack of precise/manual fielding.
The game has looked, sounded, and played largely the same since 2007. Of course that's to be expected using the same engine -- and don't get me wrong, the gameplay is still the best out there. But every year I feel like the ball gets put into play, I nonchalantly move my player within 5 feet of a giant spinning ball graphic, and he automatically makes the catch. There's really no skill required or any sort of interesting involvement with fielding. And the giant spinning ball just looks old and out of place now, as it's been basically the same since about MLB 06 on PS2.
I was really hoping that after 5 years, this would be the year we got true manual fielding -- to actually get to CONTROL your player all the way until the catch. Move him to a small (shrinking?) spot where the ball will land and actually have to pay some attention and not just have the CPU automatically control your player for half the sequence. Other games, from High Heat to MLB 2K11, have had much "tighter" fielding (I even remember editing High Heat's famous text file to have a smaller catch region), but The Show still feels very similar in the field to how it did 5 years ago... the '12 demo TBD.
Hell, maybe even an optional "Catch" button, like having to time pressing/releasing R1 when the ball reaches your glove, where the window of opportunity is bigger or smaller depending on the fielder's ratings. Just something to make fielding more involved, lively, interesting, and under the player's manual control. Something to make it FEEL new and different, even if it's the same solid engine underneath.
Anyway, sorry for the long tangent that sounds half like a wishlist. :o But there are lots of things to answer your question, which I don't think are lofty expectations... New manual fielding controls, maybe button-tapping to sprint down a gapper or beat out a bunt single, a new user interface, menus, and franchise setup (still using newspapers from MLB 06?), even just some new fanfare intro music (been that exact same orchestral theme on the XMB and title screen for years)... along with this year's ball physics and real-time TV presentation... that would definitely go a long way toward feeling like a truly NEW game while continuing to build on what already works.
I don't think they should scrap the engine, but there are things that would improve the "feel" of the game significantly, IMO... things that would make it feel shiny and new, and less like last year's game.
I feel like I've personally been harping on the same couple issues for about 4-5 years now... but the main one is the lack of precise/manual fielding.
The game has looked, sounded, and played largely the same since 2007. Of course that's to be expected using the same engine -- and don't get me wrong, the gameplay is still the best out there. But every year I feel like the ball gets put into play, I nonchalantly move my player within 5 feet of a giant spinning ball graphic, and he automatically makes the catch. There's really no skill required or any sort of interesting involvement with fielding. And the giant spinning ball just looks old and out of place now, as it's been basically the same since about MLB 06 on PS2.
I was really hoping that after 5 years, this would be the year we got true manual fielding -- to actually get to CONTROL your player all the way until the catch. Move him to a small (shrinking?) spot where the ball will land and actually have to pay some attention and not just have the CPU automatically control your player for half the sequence. Other games, from High Heat to MLB 2K11, have had much "tighter" fielding (I even remember editing High Heat's famous text file to have a smaller catch region), but The Show still feels very similar in the field to how it did 5 years ago... the '12 demo TBD.
Hell, maybe even an optional "Catch" button, like having to time pressing/releasing R1 when the ball reaches your glove, where the window of opportunity is bigger or smaller depending on the fielder's ratings. Just something to make fielding more involved, lively, interesting, and under the player's manual control. Something to make it FEEL new and different, even if it's the same solid engine underneath.
Anyway, sorry for the long tangent that sounds half like a wishlist. :o But there are lots of things to answer your question, which I don't think are lofty expectations... New manual fielding controls, maybe button-tapping to sprint down a gapper or beat out a bunt single, a new user interface, menus, and franchise setup (still using newspapers from MLB 06?), even just some new fanfare intro music (been that exact same orchestral theme on the XMB and title screen for years)... along with this year's ball physics and real-time TV presentation... that would definitely go a long way toward feeling like a truly NEW game while continuing to build on what already works.
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