MLB The Show 16 Trailer, Josh Donaldson is the Cover Athlete - Ships 3.29.16

[BravoSir]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stolm

I really hope that "Showtime" feature is not some Max Payne slow-mo for batting and fielding.

I don't think so. From the Playstation Blog post:

"We kicked off 2016 at PlayStation Experience, where we gave fans a first look at what’s coming to next year’s game. In MLB The Show 16, you’ll experience baseball’s most epic moments like never before with ShowTime. Using ShowTime, you can slow down critical moments for maximum control. ShowTime offers gamers a powerful new tool to help them excel in those big baseball moments.

You’ll be able to make diving plays, react at the hot corner, and step up for a clutch at bat with finer and more focused control."

Looks like they're only using this ShowTime feature for those 3 things listed right above.

[Spokker]

SDS does like four or five live streams before release. You'll know everything you need to know about the game before it comes out. They don't hide loading screens or bugs during the live streams. There was even a moment last year where there was a bug that they discovered and said they will have to fix it.

As far as consumer friendliness goes, SDS is above the rest. There's nothing to fear in that regard.

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by BravoSir

I don't think so. From the Playstation Blog post: "We kicked off 2016 at PlayStation Experience, where we gave fans a first look at what’s coming to next year’s game. In MLB The Show 16, you’ll experience baseball’s most epic moments like never before with ShowTime. Using ShowTime, you can slow down critical moments for maximum control. ShowTime offers gamers a powerful new tool to help them excel in those big baseball moments. You’ll be able to make diving plays, react at the hot corner, and step up for a clutch at bat with finer and more focused control." Looks like they're only using this ShowTime feature for those 3 things listed right above.

While at first blush I didn't like the sound of this feature AT ALL and, like many, decided outright that I'll simply ignore it, upon considering it for a bit, I can perhaps see its potential use...even for a "sim" experience.

IF:

A) it's isolated to to very specific areas that, traditionally, have been more difficult for users to manually execute (fielding hot shots down the line, leaping/diving catches, turning a fancy dp...personally, I don't think ANY hitting scenario should be included, but that's just my take).

and

B) It is further restricted (or can be, by way of options) to players whose ratings justify such plays being easier to pull off (either via ratings-like 90+ in fielding and/or reaction, depending on the play- or some new trait/badge type system to further individualize players) and NOT simply available across the board for any old scrub to routinely pull of highlight reel plays...

Then, I can see it being a reasonable way to further bridge the gap between the control afforded to manual fielding and the accuracy/efficacy of auto-fielding in reproducing what we see on the field.

Still gimmicky or noticeably "videogamey" (that should be a real word ), perhaps, and I'm still wary of these kind of things as a whole, but with the above considerations, when combined with the history of this team and how they typically tend to consider features, I'm at least willing to wait out a more thorough description before writing it off as merely a ploy to lure the oh-so dreaded "casuals".

I mean, there are OS members who use "Guess Pitch" and still aim for a "sim" experience overall and, while I don't use it personally, I don't think its presence in the game has hindered the direction or approach of SCEA in trying to represent baseball as accurately as they can. So, we'll see.

[Blzer]

Quote: Originally Posted by SoxFan01605

...personally, I don't think ANY hitting scenario should be included, but that's just my take).

Clearly you've never been a professional hitter. The greatest stars of the game have the illusion of the ball appearing to come in slow and big, so they can do absolutely anything they want with it!


Exhibit A:

[justin23IU]

This might be nitpicking, but they need to fix the size of the left field video board at Wrigley. In the video, it looks just a little bigger than the center field scoreboard. I'm a season ticket holder right behind home plate, and I can tell you the video board dwarfs the scoreboard. Again, nitpicky, but it was the first thing I noticed.

[Blzer]

Quote: Originally Posted by justin23IU

This might be nitpicking, but they need to fix the size of the left field video board at Wrigley. In the video, it looks just a little bigger than the center field scoreboard. I'm a season ticket holder right behind home plate, and I can tell you the video board dwarfs the scoreboard. Again, nitpicky, but it was the first thing I noticed.

At first I thought you were talking crazy... I thought you were trying to say the center field scoreboard in real life was bigger than the board in LCF, and I wanted to say the opposite. I now realize that you were in fact saying that opposite thing, and I'd agree with you... but it's really all about perspective. Maybe we're just not seeing it right. Otherwise, that stuck out a bit to me too.

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blzer

Clearly you've never been a professional hitter. The greatest stars of the game have the illusion of the ball appearing to come in slow and big, so they can do absolutely anything they want with it!

And here I thought I had everyone fooled.

I would think that, regardless of my views of hitting mechanics in video games, it would have been a safe bet to assume that I was never a professional hitter...lol.

[ARMORALLL]

Really happy about the announcements so far. Everything else they add is gravy. This will be the newest baseball game for me since MLB 13 TS.