[Joey]

"We also saw some titles rest on their laurels a bit (MLB 10: The Show comes to mind)."

Really? Maybe something didn't get in that you thought should, but out of all games you could have mentioned I can't believe you would say that The Show rested on its laurels. One thing that makes the series stand out is the fact that they listen to the consumer AND THEN try to incorporate what people want into the game. In most cases if it's not in there in a particular year, it's not because they've been sitting on their hands. It's because either A) There are other items of higher priority. or B) They don't have it perfected enough to incorporate at that time.

While others may be inclined to go ahead and place a halfway done feature into the game, SCEA has never done so - and I applaud them for that.

I'll end this by pasting '10's new features. Maybe you have different ideas of what "resting on their laurels" means, but last year was a pretty solid "new feature" set if you ask me.



MLB 10 The Show NEW Features:

•HR Derby – The Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Futures Game are now available during the All-Star break in our season modes and as a stand-alone experience.

•Catcher Calling the Game – Call pitches and play as the field general, just like Joe Mauer.

•Online Gameplay Improved – This year the online gameplay experience has been vastly improved and will detect and respond better to adverse network conditions along with reduced bandwidth to help the speed and flow of online gameplay.

•User Controlled Pick-Offs – Surprise a base runner with a quick move or lull him to sleep with our new pick-off mechanism.

•Custom Music, Fan Yells, and Chants – Assign music or a recording to an entire team, edit tracks to assign batter walk-up music, or record your own voice and assign it to play for the team or player during the situation of your choice.

•Movie Maker – Select up to ten replays to add to a single movie and do all the editing for your own highlight reel.

•New Stadiums – Five new Minor League stadiums as well as classic parks including Forbes Field, Crosley Field, Polo Grounds, Shibe Park, Sportsman Park, and Griffith Stadium.

•New Fielding/Pitching Training Modes and Practice Drills – New pitching and fielding training sessions will be part of our Road to The Show training suite.

•Road to The Show Version 4.0 – New option settings (Game Watch and Game Completion) allow users to set how much of the game they wish to view, our mistake tracking system and new Green Light system reward and penalize good play, and our new stat tracking system keeps stats for your player’s career versus every pitcher or batter faced during the current season that can be accessed at any time.

•Full Online Season Leagues – Fully functional online season leagues, save and display MLB Player stats, track player energy, allow for trades/injuries, and offer 40-man roster functionality.

•Weekly Live Roster – An updated live roster will be available every week throughout the entire season.

•Online Game History – View every game you’ve ever played online, complete with opponents, box scores, and game logs.

•1-30 Player Season Modes – Control one or all 30 teams right from the start of your franchise or season.

•New Camera System – The most realistic camera system available will make you double take and make sure you’re not watching a live MLB telecast.

•Real-Time Presentations – More than 1,250 new gameplay animations, more than 1,000 new presentation animations, and more than 400 personalized pitcher and batter animations.

•Stadium Realism and Experience – Details, details, details! MLB 10 The Show offers daytime transitional lighting, shows all players on field in real-time (including players in the dugout and bullpen), and offers improved stadium ambiance with HR/splash counters, fireworks, steam,
noisemakers, towels, thunder sticks, working digital and analog clocks, crowd reaching over the rails, and crowd detail, such as interaction with vendors and placing K signs