MLB The Show 16 Has Officially Arrived, Post Your Impressions Here

[WarningTrackPower]

I've played about 10 games or so and think I've seen enough for at least some quick impressions...

Stride is back and so is my timing. I hit about a million billion foul ball homers last year. Just couldn't get my timing down at all (abandoned analog hitting all together because I thought it was too cheesy).

Hit variety is much improved and of the homeruns I've seen, I have yet to see the moon shot wall scraper. You can actually drive the ball with good trajectory and I've even hit some dingers 440'+. Just nice to see some actual no doubters.

Speaking of no doubters, I hit a homerun and saw the "bat flip" homerun camera. I was really hoping it was removed, or there was an option to disable it like in years past. I just don't think it belongs in the broadcast style presentation. I think the only time I enjoyed that camera was in MLB '06.

I've seen some framerate dips but nothing too drastic as others are seeing. Usually while fielding but nothing game shattering.

Perhaps I don't toggle the runner quick enough on hit and runs, but I can't seem to keep the runner from sliding into the next base automatically. I've been doubled off on fly balls that I should have been able to get back on because my runner slid into the base, had to get up and then run back. I've had the opposite happen too, where I got the hit on the hit and run but couldn't move my runner past the next base when he should have easily been able to make it (1st to 3rd).

Pitching is awesome this year. I've rediscovered my love for pitching. I use analog here as well and it feels much more rewarding than the past years. Maybe it's the precision input or maybe it's the fact that opposing hitters will actually swing and miss this year, or both. It seems like I'm better able to control offspeed pitches and pitch out of the zone when I want to. I gave up so many 0-2 hits last year when I was just trying to bounce one in the dirt. The umpire personalities help add to the fun and I'm not always up 0-2, even though I feel like I'm more in control. It's a good balance. Plus, it feels like there's a difference between an ace and a number 5 starter now.

It's nice to see the Swing/Pitch feedback in the game again. The addition of exit speed is nice to see as well. There seems to be a bug with this but I'm hoping it will be patched... at least there's a workaround for it though.

Corner infielders still have weakly hit balls easily make it by them. I feel like they get stuck in the mud and the play happens in slow motion. All in all, plays down the line could get better both in terms of ball physics and fielder reactions.

First basemen could still use some better pick animations while covering the bag. Maybe just my opinion though.

The new crow hop animation looks nice, but I'm not sure I see many outfielders crow hop like that anymore. I could be wrong and maybe they still do it IRL but I can't recall an outfielder taking such a massive "hop" before throwing in quite some time.

I've seen some strange cut offs already. These were present last year as well. There were times where I'd throw to the cut off on a single to right field and it'd go to the SS because the 2B decided to cover second on a ball hit to the right side and no one on base.

Stadiums are cathedrals. They look awesome.

The lighting is awesome. Best to date, especially night games and the glow around the light towers looks much more natural now. The fading sun in the west looks really nice as well. One complaint I have is that the sun hits the batters eye and brightens it up quite a bit. I just played a game in July in Detroit at 7PM.. Innings 2-5 I was literally guessing. I'd like it if in '17 that the baseball is dirtied and "rubbed in mud" like IRL. Those cue balls disappear in the bright back drop and even when a pitch crosses a home pitcher's jersey (depending on your hitting view - I was using the new fish eye).

I kind of like the player models this year, even though there's only a few body types, but some of the face scans look a bit odd to me. It's not so much the face, more the facial hair. Dustin Pedroia is a good example; it looks like him but his scruffy facial hair looks washed out. Almost like a water color painting or a picture drawn with pastels. I noticed Joe Kelly and Clay Buchholz have sort of matted down hair. Maybe it's a new face scan tech that they're using and they haven't tapped it's potential yet? A design choice? It seems odd given the detail and attention given to the stadiums. Only a small gripe though... I used to play RBI baseball for NES.

Games have a lot more uncertainty to them this year. I'm not saying games were scripted in anyway in years past, but there was a certain "flow" to them. Almost like you knew the outcome before it happened because you've played that type of game before. If I score in the top half of the inning, the AI doesn't seem to storm back with a series of hits on well placed pitches and my pitcher doesn't all of a sudden fall apart out of no where either. It can still happen but it doesn't seem as forced as it has in the past. (For the record: I'm not one who believes in comeback code).

[Beatles]

I am using fisheye also for batting and that's where most of the frame rate hit is coming from. I didn't even think about changing it since I was pretty sure they built the game around this new camera view. I will switch to a different camera and report back. Thanks for the suggestion!

[willithome]

Game is,absolutely great! But please San Diego studios put back the season stats on the overlay after the first at bat! Please please please! Who else is with me on this?!?!? The more we get people to complain the better we can get it fixed or put back in from a patch! I am used to checking that with every batter but now I have pause to see what it is. Very frustrating!

[Stolm]

Pretty disappointed in the Online.

Haven't even attempted to play an Online game since 2012, and this year I've yet to see an online game actually come to completion without some sort of freeze or black screen.

At least I seem to be getting rewarded with wins, but I'm sitting here in the 9th down by two and the game is running still, my guy is moving around in the batters box, but no inputs are being registered.

Edit: happened again in the next game, camera is just following my shortstop around, and no input can be registered.

[headzapp]

I'm not understanding the washout or dull comments for the graphics. Are your TV's on factory settings? My settings are warm, brightness 44, contrast 80, color 52, tint 0, sharpness 77 and the game looks great and real.
I put the game in. Played a few games. Then put 15 back in and you can really tell the difference in visual and animations. Going into replay in 15 you can see edgy shadows, blurred gloves, blurred everything. 16 is all smooth and beautiful.
I love the pitcher when he gets a strike out he does the spin and fist pump. I am so happy that when you throw with the catcher, that ball is thrown fast and straight, instead of before it was thrown slow and almost like it was tossed. I like the catcher standing up for high pitches. The realistic body movements. The crowd looks real since they all are doing their own thing in the stands. When you are pitching a big inning they will stand up, which is cool.
Sounds of the show is great. I never used it on ps3, but when I saw a pack with tbs and fsn sounds I did it and it makes the game so much better! Most stadiums are fsn, and then about 7 are tbs sounds to mix it up. I am going to add the espn music later.
Having the stride back feels so great and hitting is fun. Different kinds of foul balls instead of the one down the line.
I can see how people don't like the circle stats for players and pitchers. Maybe if the area where the loss is was brighter, it would be easier to see. Know what I mean?
I love the dynamic dirt.
This my my favorite version of the show ever.
Edit.
Two little gripes. Busch stadium center field says, i believe 336 instead of 400. I think that was brought up before. But I love that we finally have the left field wall with retired players. Big thanks to them for that.
People want new bodies. That doesn't bother me. I'd rather see something done to fix the players eyes. Find a way to make them look real.

[WISports]

Not liking the framerate issues while throwing the ball from the outfield to the infield.

Also, it seems way too many hit balls rocket to the outfield way too fast. It's crazy.

[WISports]

And something minor, but a pet peeve. I hate how they advertise The Show during gameplay. Fans holding up signs that say "MLB The Show". In Miller Park on Bernie Brewers slide, there's a huge sign that say "The Show". Why? One, it isn't realistic. Two, what are you advertising for? We already bought the game.

[Beatles]

So I used the strike zone and wide camera for batting and yes, the frame rate is much better. I only noticed one dip. I won't be using fisheye again until they fix it.
I have become fully aware of how low rez the runners in the little box are. I was hoping for more detail with the power of PS4. Have they always been this low detail on PS4?
The announcers made 2 mistakes. They said a guy was late on a swing on a strikeout when he went down looking and they said a guy hit a ball hard at a fielder when he really struck out.
A cool thing I saw was a graphic on screen showing the remaining guys on the opposing teams bench.
The ball looks like a softball still. I really noticed it this time at Yankee stadium. I am pretty sure this is intentional and not a bug.
Has anyone else noticed the weird records that show on the winning pitchers when the game is over?