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Rookie
OVR: 3
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Pittsburgh
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Re: MLB The Show 19 First Impressions Thread (IMPRESSIONS ONLY)
I have been playing MLB The Show ever since the first version in 2007, PS3 to PS4.
Anyway, My impressions and review of MLB The Show 2019, concentrating not on all the new game modes (Moments, Road to October, etc), but again just for those who like to play a franchise mode/season with one or more teams, against the CPU, on Franchise mode (basically a season mode- you can automate any of the other franchise chores to the CPU, as you wish, and then just play your season like before, when there was a separate "season" mode option).
The graphics have always been stellar, and somehow seem to be even better this year, and I didn't think that was possible. More animations, particularly with fielding, though many of them are silly things still, that you would never see in a real MLB game- like fielders making lazy underhand throws to first base after fielding a routine grounder, or fielders trying to make a bare-handed pickup of a batted ball for a quick throw to a base, when no such hurry is required on the play.
Catchers are still unrealistically lightening-quick in getting out of their crouch to field balls tapped in front of the plate, and can get off throws to those bases from impossible body positions. Double-play fielding animations at second base are also a hot-dog show of silly behind-the-back flips and such, that you never see in real MLB games. MOST of the rest is great, though- but WHY do they still keep these other silly animations in this game? Also still some pretty ridiculous swing-and-miss animations for batters, that you might see in a Little league game, but not from a MLB pro- you'll know them when you see them.
They only stand out, btw, because so much of the rest is so spot-on, and very realistic. But these silly animations are the same as have been in this game for a number of years now, and if there is one constant thing I have noticed about this game over the last 12 years of playing it, a lot, the game developers have problems getting rid of anything they have used before. This year looks to be no different that way, but at least they have ADDED some new stuff, and it's all good.
Analog pitching (I do this on the highest/most challenging Legend level of play) is the best aspect of this game, IMO. Very hard to consistently locate your pitches, but very realistic in giving the human player a feel for the pitching motion: rearing back and firing a high hard-one past a hitter is totally cool, and the sounds of the ball hitting the catcher's glove, and the crack of the ball of the bat, are spot-on, and really add to the immersion in the game.
The game also incorporates variability in how well your pitch goes, too- so even if you do everything right with your pitch with your gamepad, the ball doesn't always wind-up where you intended- but the results may also vary quite a bit- the so called "Hey, that's just baseball!" element of any real MLB game. And I like that, a lot, as if results depended ONLY on how well you used your gamepad, it would be hard for you to ever lose a game against the CPU, and the stats would also be entirely unrealistic- which might please people looking just for an occaissional arcade style baseball videogame, but not what harder-core baseball gamers want. My main beef against The Show, since about the 2007 game version, however, has been that the game developers have gone a bit overboard on the "random factor"- a little bit more on that below.
Zone hitting, without using any visual aides like strike zones, guess pitch stuff, etc (you can set these any way you like, though) is again very challenging, but somewhat more forgiving than the last few years- and slider adjustments can help you get started with this, then adjust them down as you get better- and I always do get better, after playing a number of games.
Players who are only in this for a rare game against the CPU will still probably have a hard time hitting, though, and even for experienced Show gamers, it can still be frustrating at times- but mainly not because of what YOU are doing at the dish, but what the GAME is doing (again, see more on this below).
One noticeable improvement in the fielding mechanics: last year, if you dove with an infielder to try to stop a hard hit ground ball and missed, the player control icon would IMMEDIATELY switch to the corresponding outfielder who would have the next shot at fielding the ball. Unfortunately, it changed so fast that the dive direction that you had used for the infielder would then cause the outfielder to also be moving in that same direction, until you could correct that motion.
The result was that what should have been a ground ball single to the outfield turned into a triple, or worse, as the outfielder was so out of position by the time you could correct the previous player motion, that the ball would usually roll way past your outfielder, often all the way to the OF wall.
But THIS has been corrected this year- the outfielder now has a pause, not affected by the dive motion you tried with your infielder, so the outfielder is not out of position to field the ball once the human takes control again. This may seem like a minor thing, but it's not- players who have played a lot of games last year will know what I mean.
Another nice new addition to fielding- used to be that it was hard to see any difference between elite fielders and less accomplished fielders, but now, especially with outfielders, they have incorporated a distinguishing gameplay feature that is way overdue: elite fielders get great jumps on batted balls, but less accomplished ones have a pause before you can start to make them go after a ball- which makes it harder for the lousier fielders to get to balls that better fielders would get with no problem.
Also, for balls that are going to carom off the OF wall, and remain in play, for the better outfielders you will get a white-line as the ball approaches the wall, which will guide your better Outfielder to where the carom will wind-up, so you can get to the ball faster. This doss not show-up for the less accomplished Outfielders. So, FINALLY, there is also some merit to the well-known, real MLB late-inning strategy of putting in a fielder solely for defensive purposes. About time.
The announcing team is the same, but they have added a number of new lines of dialogue, at least- so its passable as is, though still far short of what it could/should be. Only noticeable to people who play a lot of games, though. Play a season, as I do every year, and the repetitive lines set annoying pretty fast. Even the new added female "sideline reporter", who gives you an update on what she learned from talking with each team's manager during the game, is very repetitive, very quickly.
And once again, they have deleted almost NONE of the same tired old lines we have been hearing for many years now- I am just about to puke if I hear another line about "ambush tactics", or "spitting on" a pitch. Best to just get your barf-bags ready.
But overall, after playing about 30 games so far, this is the best iteration of MLB The Show in many years. There still is the obvious and frequently frustrating/annoying/maddening thing with the CPU taking control of the gameplay in any game, where human input doesn't matter for variable periods of time (see any of my past yearly reviews for an expanded comment about this- ALL sports videogames suffer from this, too), but so far, it seems to be a bit less than last year- and I have found that it can be corrected by simply saving the game at the point when you see you are no longer in control, and then restart it again at that point- this seems to "reset" the gameplay mechanism, and on restarting, you might get a fair shot at the gameplay results.
The 9th inning CPU comeback mechanism is still alive and well, BTW. This is what I was referring to above, regarding outcomes for pitching, hitting, etc, by the human player. Also often referred to as gameplay "scripting", and it remains the single main issue, IMO, that makes this game less than a 5-star game. Only noticeable for those who play a lot of games, though.
That's all for now- But the bottom line for Show veterans, who like to mainly play through a season vs: the CPU: this year's game is a must buy.
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Playing FIFA 19 PS4 Pro With OS Sliders Set V6B1
World Class, 10 Minute Halves.
LaLiga Santander League Mode
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04-19-2019, 10:32 AM
