MLB '09: The Show Review

[BlackRome]

If The Show is only about simulation offline then why attempt to make the game playable online. From your answers it seems as though i'm expecting to much.

I guess It's my fault for expecting a great baseball game that I can play against a human being online. It's only 2009. I guess I'll have to wait for the next next generation of sports games to fulfill that need.

The reason the game is broke online has nothing to do with it being a simulation or not. That argument is pointless.

The great simulation is there. It's just being destroyed by lag. When you look on the box of The Show it says it has online play. I guess spending 60 bucks on a game and expecting online play is just to much to ask. I'm glad I didn't.

A simulation is great. Your excuses for online being broken are silly.

[bjmiles]

This game is great. However, I feel like the hitting is a tad bit to touchy. It seems like pitches that should be drives to gaps are not always happening. I was playing with Boston v. Twins last night, Bottom 9 man on 1st and 3rd, 1 out 3-2 score (I'm losing) Varitek at bat. They threw a 90 mph fastball down the middle of the plate and I pop out to the pitcher. After looking at the swing analysis it said I was perfect timing and wheelhouse swing and right in middle of the egg. Safe to say I was a little pissed. But this seems to be happening more often than not. I just feel like they tried to make this part a little to touchy.

[allgames]

I can't understand how someone can give this game a 9.5 and call it the best sports game ever, while acknowledging so many flaws.
The online is a mess. How about a bat sticking to the players forearm like a syringe. How about the twitchy mess that a check swing provides. How about the players walking and running right through each other many many times per game. What about the fact that if a batter guesses the correct pitch type, the pitcher DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE THE PITCH. The meter disappears. Why are the developers removing the pitch meter at that point? Why can I see the opponents pitch meter when I am batting. Why are you giving the player 5 minutes to pause the game as many times as he wants? Why can't I make a change on my own when he is paused? Why do the announcers sound like they are talking to kindergarten kids. Why can't we pitch from the mound? Why are you showing me a close up of the hitter when some home runs are hit. Why is there a bullseye target at the wall on some home runs that are not even possible to jump catch? Why can someone dive around the field over and over like a ****** and not get injured or drop the ball? Can you also explain why there is a depth of field option in replay mode that does nothing when it's clicked. Has anyone gotten that to actually create the depth of field effect??
Want to pinch hit for your pitcher in an online game? Forget that and guessing pitches if you're playing someone who fires pitches so fast you're not even able to bring up the pinch hitter menu. It took less than a week for people to figure out how to exploit this and keep you from doing those essential things.
9.5??? Are you serious?

[Yankees_CT]

@allgames

Yes he is serious, and he's right......
I never had a sports game where I had to strategize at every pitch and sit and wait for the right pitch to come or a will be hitting a dribbler to the pitcher. When you actually can feel the tension of the ball coming to the plate….that my friend is impressive. I have never experienced a baseball video game that is so life-like in the pitcher/batter dual. I recently went 4 games in a row without me or the computer hitting a homerun and having to manufacturer every run that I did get….that is exciting and very realistic compared to the homerun arcade fests of just about every other baseball game ever made. I think a true baseball fan would be willing to acknowledge that and the people here who have played the game of baseball for real can appreciate how they nailed it.

On pure gameplay alone this game deserves a 10, I have played just about every baseball game out there since good ol’ Earl and nothing has ever come close to capturing the authenticity of the sport. I haven’t played online nor do I intend to, that’s not what I purchased it for. You can get lost in the Franchise and RTTS to keep you busy for the next couple of years. That aside the gameplay is what keeps most people coming back for more and nobody has ever done it better then this game has. It absolutely deserves every bit of that 9.5.

By the way Chris, great review….and thanks for the batting tip! You were right, by pushing the slider for pitch speed to it’s max I am already hitting better, the timing feels a lot like it did last year after making the change. Thanks!

[allgames]

Another apologist who thinks the review should be for a single player only experience where you have to adjust sliders to get it to behave properly.
The game isn't sold for single player and then they add in online as some kind of freebie that doesn't deserve critique.
That's like buying a car and finding out it won't go over 60 and the trunk only opens some of the time. Just because you drive 55 and don't use the trunk doesn't mean the car deserves a perfect review score from a real critic.
Sorry but you seem to dismiss some things that are part of the software package these developers sold to customers.

[Yankees_CT]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

Wow...you might as well just return the game then....if you can't appreciate this game for what it is and how well it captures the sport then you should go grab a copy of the arcade game created by 2K...I hear their online home run fest plays very smoothly.

[bfindeisen]

the commentary is not better than mlb 2k9 I'm not trying to start a war. I haven't played either game but from watching the videos of both games I think 2k9 has the better commentary, but the commentary is still great in this game from what I have heard and from playing 08 on psp

I agree completely, and I'm a Show fan. MLB 2k9 announcers are much better in real life, and in the game.

[jim416]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

Another apologist who thinks the review should be for a single player only experience where you have to adjust sliders to get it to behave properly.
The game isn't sold for single player and then they add in online as some kind of freebie that doesn't deserve critique.
That's like buying a car and finding out it won't go over 60 and the trunk only opens some of the time. Just because you drive 55 and don't use the trunk doesn't mean the car deserves a perfect review score from a real critic.
Sorry but you seem to dismiss some things that are part of the software package these developers sold to customers.

Apologist, for a video game review? Lighten up. He explained his review quite well and the reason for it. You disagree. Made your point. People disagree with you. And please stop the $20,000.00 car analogies that fall apart after warranty, lol.

[allgames]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

Wow...you might as well just return the game then....if you can't appreciate this game for what it is and how well it captures the sport then you should go grab a copy of the arcade game created by 2K...I hear their online home run fest plays very smoothly.

What are you talking about? Why are you telling me to go play 2K? It's not about 2K it's about THIS GAME. You're acting like 4 Major League games without a single home run being hit is realistic. Why did you have to change the slider to get it "realistic".
Your narrow minded opinion of the game is just that, narrow. You obviously don't care about online options and act as though people who do, only want "home run fests". You are entitled to your opinion but disregarding the criticism of features that are SOLD as working, but are not, only shows you to be a narrow minded customer. If the online was perfect but your franchise mode sucked, I think you'd have a different opinion. If you feel good about yourself beating the computer AI instead of a thinking individual then great. I like to challenge real human beings who do things that a computer might not be programmed to do. It's 2009, every sports game has online, there are shooters that support 32+ players at the same time. Baseball is one of the SLOWEST sports on the planet up there with Golf. This is not a trivial element of gameplay for many people who enjoy playing against human beings instead of AI.

To the above poster
<<And please stop the $20,000.00 car analogies that fall apart after warranty, lol.>>
Maybe you should re-read it. I didnt say the car was falling apart. I said there were features that didn't work and limited enjoyment of said purchase. You can replace it with a book that costs 60 dollars and some of the chapters have paragraphs so smudged you can't read it. Or maybe there are pages missing or stuck together.
But I guess for you as long as you get the few chapters that have your titillating sex scenes you'd be a happy customer.

And yes, I rented it and will return it. I am done rewarding either one of these studios for releasing games that don't perform as they say in their "previews"

[Pared]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

And please stop the $20,000.00 car analogies that fall apart after warranty, lol.

The worst analogy that gets abused here at OS.

[Yankees_CT]

Nevermind, please continue your banter, it's quite riveting. You will obviously never see the game the way most do and thats a shame.

[EnigmaNemesis]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

<and please="" stop="" the="" $20,000.00="" car="" analogies="" that="" fall="" apart="" after="" warranty,="" lol.="">

And yes, I rented it and will return it. I am done rewarding either one of these studios for releasing games that don't perform as they say in their "previews"

You will never be happy in the gaming world it appears.
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[ehh]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

I can't understand how someone can give this game a 9.5 and call it the best sports game ever

Name a better sports game.

[allgames]

By all accounts that would be NHL 09

[mgoblue678]

Re: MLB '09: The Show Review

I think the people saying NHL 09 is very realistic need to watch hockey a little more. It isn't even close to being a true sim like The Show for a number reasons.

1. There is no board play whatsoever in NHL 09 this is a large part of hockey.

2. Every pass is tape to tape unless intercepted, that is not hockey.

3. Faceoffs are extremely simple lack any kind of fighting for the puck.

4. The goalie play in 09 is pretty far from being realistic.

5. I should not be able to make the same kind of dekes with Kirk Maltby as I can with Pavel Datsyuk. Player attributes need to be better at seperating player skills.

6. This is the biggest one. There is absolutely no neutral zone play in NHL 09. You can skate into the zone without any resistance whatsoever most times. Show me the last real hockey game where you saw that. There is a ton of resistance in the NHL when trying to enter the zone. The NHL is primarly played in the neutral zone except on powerplays. In NHL 09 most of the play is in the offensive zones.

7. The puck has an overall magnet behavior to players sticks. Obviously this much different in real life.

NHL 09 is a fun game but I cringe every time I hear somebody call it realistic. The Show 09 by a wide margin is better at replicating the sport of baseball and what we see in MLB.

Not to be overly harsh but I think only casual hockey fans or non hockey fans would consider NHL 09 realistic. The people who know a little bit more about hockey and watch it more on a regular basis can see the important things that are missing.

^^^Bro if you think The Show is a bad game, I say good luck enjoying any sports game. Then again maybe you just don't care for games that are true sims or maybe you don't like baseball. Either way your loss.