[TheWatcher]

The one big and very noticeable advantage The Show has in the animation department, is that their animation sequences are very long. They make sure the sequence goes long and doesn't come to an abrupt end during the scene.

What they do with post-play stuff is make sure there is a camera switch to another scene before the animation ends and it gives the illusion that the action is happening live. Madden attempts this too but you catch the animations ending and going back to the first sequence (running/jogging) which gives it that awkward robotic feel. Basically, the animation sequences need to be longer and the camera's need to mimic the actions of what broadcast teams do. The Show nails that entirely.

And of course, overall, The Show just moves exponentially better than any sports game ever made, and certainly better than any video game I've ever seen including BackBreaker, to the point that it's virtually indistinguisable from real life. Although, it must be noted that re-creating this in a football game is many times more difficult, and since there is such a lack of contact in Baseball it's far easier to pull off long pretty uninterrupted animations in a Baseball game. So I do understand the challenge Madden Team has trying get something as crisp as The Show during a play, but I would think the post-play and pre-play animations would be on par with The Show considering there is little or no contact going on at that point.

I don't know how the MLB Team does it with traditional Mocap and Poly's, but they're certainly pushing the limits of the process.