Three Attention Grabbers in MLB 12: The Show

[RaychelSnr]

So far, I’ve spent a handful of hours with the newest edition of MLB: The Show. And, so far, my impressions will report that I’m, in fact, “impressed.” Most of the changes this year are sort of “under the hood,” but I think for the serious baseball fan, there’s a lot to like.

On the other hand, if you are a casual fan, you may miss what really makes this game stand out. Similar to NHL 12, there are a lot of aspects that look and feel the same as last year.

The Show’s approach has been gradual and effective refinement, as opposed to blowing things up for the sake of a bullet point on the back of the box. One could argue that these changes have come too slowly; others would say they are just hard to see.

Here are three aspects of MLB 12: The Show that have grabbed my attention thus far....

Read More - Three Attention Grabbers in MLB 12: The Show

[econoodle]

good stuff.

excited on where the presentation can go in future versions.

as far as commentary, personally i am digging eric karros.
soup? not so much.

what did this mean though?

the “video” that plays under transitional screens looks surprisingly low-res compared to everything else in the game.

[thevaliantx]

Please, Caley, tell us about the actual gameplay. Are pitchers tiring when they should? What are the pitch counts like? Does the opponent TAKE balls or let close ones go, or do they swing at anything that is precisely on or in the strike zone? What about substitution patterns? Is the opponent manager leaving his starter in 'til the guy is shelled or shot (fatigued, lol), or is the guy being yanked after the fifth inning in 2-0 game? What about manager-only mode? Does it exist, or has it been taken out? Last year the MOM was like watching paint dry, it was that boring. No life whatsoever. I feel these are legitimate concerns, other than that The Show has so much potential.

[mikemck09]

Great write up dude... Agree tremendously... Commentary is going to be the next thing to be improved, I am just so happy that they nailed the physics down. That is a humongous step in the right direction for any sports game.

[WVUnick]

Please, Caley, tell us about the actual gameplay. Are pitchers tiring when they should? What are the pitch counts like? Does the opponent TAKE balls or let close ones go, or do they swing at anything that is precisely on or in the strike zone? What about substitution patterns? Is the opponent manager leaving his starter in 'til the guy is shelled or shot (fatigued, lol), or is the guy being yanked after the fifth inning in 2-0 game? What about manager-only mode? Does it exist, or has it been taken out? Last year the MOM was like watching paint dry, it was that boring. No life whatsoever. I feel these are legitimate concerns, other than that The Show has so much potential.

From my brief game play: I had to pull my pitcher (Jonathan Sanchez) after about 85-90 pitches (6 IP). The opposing pitcher was pulled when the game got "close" (within 2 runs in the 9th) despite having plenty of energy left to keep going for the CG. The computer would take all types of pitches, sometimes freezing on a 3rd strike breaking ball that comes back to the middle of the plate. The new physics of the ball take some getting used to... it moves around like crazy.

I haven't tried MOM, so I can't help you there.

[Armor and Sword]

No doubt the ball physics and upgraded sound effects have stood out and truly changed the game. The polish on the visuals is also very evident. This game is peaking on this system and this is hands down the best console baseball game ever made. And i said that about 2009 and 2011. It just shows the commitment by this team to continually enhance and refine what is already a strong foundation.

Commentary is good. I can't wait to get into franchise mode with the OSFM roster and see and hear all the new franchise OSD's and commentary on the season, players etc. I am sure it is improved.

Also the ball spin and pitcher grips are standing out this year for me. I love it.

[RaychelSnr]

Please, Caley, tell us about the actual gameplay. Are pitchers tiring when they should? What are the pitch counts like? Does the opponent TAKE balls or let close ones go, or do they swing at anything that is precisely on or in the strike zone? What about substitution patterns? Is the opponent manager leaving his starter in 'til the guy is shelled or shot (fatigued, lol), or is the guy being yanked after the fifth inning in 2-0 game? What about manager-only mode? Does it exist, or has it been taken out? Last year the MOM was like watching paint dry, it was that boring. No life whatsoever. I feel these are legitimate concerns, other than that The Show has so much potential.

Caley will totally touch on that stuff. He's just getting started!

[thaSLAB]

Re: Three Attention Grabbers in MLB 12: The Show

Great write-up Caley. Especially the point about how a lot of the changes we have seen aren't "Boom! in your face!" type changes. Glad to see you mention how some presentation effects have an ESPN feel to them. And it can be noted that the overlays are pretty similar to what you see on the MLB Network too.

good stuff.

excited on where the presentation can go in future versions.

as far as commentary, personally i am digging eric karros.
soup? not so much.

what did this mean though?

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</td> <td style="background-image: url('/vBulletin/images/quotes/00.gif');width:100%;height:1px;" width="100%"> the “video” that plays under transitional screens looks surprisingly low-res compared to everything else in the game.
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I think he means the MLB 12 THE SHOW banner art, like on the team intro. I asked about that too, and I think that was the effect they were going for... kind of an LED background look (if that makes sense).

I definitely agree that presentation is headed in the right direction. I actually had Matt V. talking about the Giants 2010 run, call the next pitch "as Verlander gets this one in for strike 1", then go into the new commentary line asking EK if he felt they could make another run this year. I said it before too, I think Soup is the weakest link now, unfortunately.

[CPRoark]

Thanks guys....there will be more impressions coming this weekend or early next week.

What I meant by the lo-res screens are the transitions screens that flash a team logo right before a replay. Behind the logo is a "warp engine" type device. It looks good, and like something you'd see on tv, but it seems really grainy. It's a minor thing, but a little jarring if you pay attention to it.

I'm loving this game so far...

[enice128]

i also am enjoying the amount of stats that matty v spits out from last year's mlb season!

[houstonsdream]

The Show’s approach has been gradual and effective refinement, as opposed to blowing things up for the sake of a bullet point on the back of the box. One could argue that these changes have come too slowly; others would say they are just hard to see.


2k needs to adapt this strategy with their basketball game instead of dramatic changes every year

[apps80]

Surprised that no one is mentioning the new bullpen features. I like the "stretch and toss" and the "ready and waiting" features. Don't seem like much, but they add a lot I think.

[go tribe]

Re: Three Attention Grabbers in MLB 12: The Show

IMO the presentation has gone backwards - far less replays and the cuts to the pitcher or batter after EVERY pitch gets so old so fast. They don't even do it that much in a real TV broadcast. show the crowd, the dugout, a fielder, etc. all i ever see is the pitcher or batter.

[teebee]

Time to retire Soup; prob not the best selling feature for the game when one of the guys is so old he's talking about going to bed and the game is the only thing keeping him up

Get rid of this old POS

[Eski33]

They added my last name in the audio....Awesome!!