Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

[da_centa_fielda]

They make great additions to making the game replicate a real life broadcast. That's great in its own right. But so much of the game keeps looking and feeling more and more similar every year. I watched the history of MLB The Show yesterday. I was amazed at how similar the game is today to games over 5 years ago.

I hate Madden because of their lack of looking like a real broadcast and some other things. But the gameplay at least feels different year after year (for better or for worse). They offer new ways to play. Players move different. Physics have become more and more part of the game over the years. New mechanics. I feel like I have to learn a bit before I can be successful.

The only new mechanic I remember from the Show is analog pitching and hitting. I've never been a fan of it though.

I have a few hundred in Amazon rewards points. But I can't even bring myself to use them to buy it right now. All the streams I've seen look too similar. The only difference I'm seeing from hitting, pitching, or fielding, is the new swing analysis. I'll probably eventually get it once it goes on sale because of my love for the sport and this being the only real simulation.

I'm not sure what the game needs. But it needs something.

[countryboy]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

Doesn't feel stale to me.

New presentation this year, new physics, new player emotion, more animations, the game feels extremely fresh to me.

I'm not sure what people are looking for in the game to not make it feel stale, outside of the wishlist stuff like expansion, relocation, and a host of other items that are wished for to be in the game but aren't. At its core the game is going to play baseball. The sport itself isn't going to change. It will always be throw ball, hit ball, and catch ball. I think SDS does a great job year in and year out to expand upon the sport as it is played on the field, thus making each game a new, well game.

Before anyone accuses me of such, I'm not saying anyone is wrong for feeling the game is stale, just that I don't understand that feeling or have that feeling.

[underdog13]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

Doesn't feel stale at all especially with the new presentation imo.

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[Skyboxer]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

If The Show was stale then I might as well give up gaming.
Not sure why sports games these days are supposed to be groundbreaking different every year.
Yes things can get (and I hope they do) added but stale..? Nope.
IMO if you love Baseball... hell no to "Stale"

[jada855]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

I think it feels stale because of some of the legacy animations are around! For example you know that every base runner is going to lead off, run and dive back to the bag.

If you have been playing the series since MLB 14 you will definitely notice this as evident in the youtube video you described.

However if you picked up a MLB 17 and MLB 18 you would definitely think different.

I personally wish they would address some of the legacy animations which is probably why when mentioned ton's of new animations have been introduced yeah I notice a few here and there but otherwise I don't see a ton as someone who has been playing the series for a long period of time.

[breakfastcat]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

I sometimes feel like the gameplay can get stale at times. It might just be because I play so much of it, and any game can feel stale after hundreds and hundreds of hours. I think my main issue is that I'm not really a huge fan of any of the pitching meters. I try to rotate between them to freshen up the game, but I think we're due for a new gameplay mechanic. I personally would prefer something similar to the gesture pitching from the MLB 2k series.

Another thing that would make it feel more fresh to me would be a new play by play commentator. I like Matt in real life, but he's been in the game for so long saying the same lines for ever and ever while never really sounding very natural. His commentary pretty much gets tuned out since I've heard pretty much every line he's ever said.

Other than that it's baseball and will always be baseball so there's not a whole lot that can be done to change the game for the better as it already does a stellar job of recreating its sport, and has done so for many years.

[CujoMatty]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

Definitely a little on the stale side but it’s honestly not the actual gameplay that makes me feel that way. I don’t want to beat a dead horse here but franchise needs to change. It’s not like it’s bad as is it’s just blah at this point for me.

I know there probably aren’t a lot of FIFA or PES fans in here but the way they handle the end of transfer windows with a clock that winds down really gives a sense of urgency and excitement that the MLB trade deadline really exemplifies. I also like how FIFA has negotiation cutscenes.

They should also steal player meetings from nba2k and a nice draft that has some meat to it. Every major date in the MLB represented in the show is just plain forgettable.

I feel like this phases thing is a stepping stone to more in the future.

[da_centa_fielda]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

Doesn't feel stale to me.

New presentation this year, new physics, new player emotion, more animations, the game feels extremely fresh to me.

I'm not sure what people are looking for in the game to not make it feel stale, outside of the wishlist stuff like expansion, relocation, and a host of other items that are wished for to be in the game but aren't. At its core the game is going to play baseball. The sport itself isn't going to change. It will always be throw ball, hit ball, and catch ball. I think SDS does a great job year in and year out to expand upon the sport as it is played on the field, thus making each game a new, well game.

Before anyone accuses me of such, I'm not saying anyone is wrong for feeling the game is stale, just that I don't understand that feeling or have that feeling.

My stance on these things are they aren't really gameplay related. They're cosmetic to add to the immersion of the game. Yes it's the game of baseball. That won't change. But we've been doing it EXACTLY the same for how many years now? If I'm not mistaking, the physics have nothing to do with the players themselves (momentum, players not passing through each other). But it's just revolved around how the ball comes off the bat.

I'm not really sure what the game needs.

[da_centa_fielda]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

I think it feels stale because of some of the legacy animations are around! For example you know that every base runner is going to lead off, run and dive back to the bag.

If you have been playing the series since MLB 14 you will definitely notice this as evident in the youtube video you described.

However if you picked up a MLB 17 and MLB 18 you would definitely think different.

I personally wish they would address some of the legacy animations which is probably why when mentioned ton's of new animations have been introduced yeah I notice a few here and there but otherwise I don't see a ton as someone who has been playing the series for a long period of time.

My PS3 was stolen a few years ago. So I had to skip a couple of years. When I got 17 on the PS4. Though the graphics were obviously better, I was disappointed by how much it felt the same from years prior. Even after not playing it so long. I could anticipate too many things with it being my first time playing again in years. I guess it is the animations.

Honestly, the biggest addition to me this year is the crowd logic. Fifa captured that and it makes the matches so much more engaging and life like. I just feel a bit burned out on the rest of the game. It's also very disappointing that they basically nerfed my favorite mode RTTS. I could make my own "realistic" player if I wanted to. I didn't want to be forced to.

[Arty23]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

It seems very stale to me as well, but that's primarily because I'm almost exclusively a franchise player and instead of fleshing out the mode with things like editable draft classes, international signings, NRI's, legitimate and editable coaching staffs, dynamic potentials, and editable contract terms they decided to dumb it down with "phases".

[hyacinth1]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

Its the announcers.

[Detroit Tigers]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

If The Show was stale then I might as well give up gaming.
Not sure why sports games these days are supposed to be groundbreaking different every year.
Yes things can get (and I hope they do) added but stale..? Nope.
IMO if you love Baseball... hell no to "Stale"

Hard to disagree. You could make the case that gaming itself is stale, or that baseball itself is stale, just as easily as you could for this game being stale.

To be fair, this franchise has always been big in incremental improvements and light on major overhauls, but that’s largely because the core game is so solid.

For my taste, I just wish they’d put some more love into the atmosphere (same umpire voices for going on how many years now, no distant aircraft in the ambient soundtrack for outdoor games, etc.) and god do I wish they’d address the game’s pacing: Please stop rushing me with your auto-cuts (catcher can’t even throw the ball back? Really?).

But overall maybe take a year or two off if you find things getting stale. Best baseball game of all time, arguably, and has been setting that bar for years.

[PhilliesFan13]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

What Skyboxer said.

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[Formula1Racing]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

I think you're right, even if Franchise wasn't touched or some things were removed and slight hick ups in the game bothers you but having the same announcer for 10+ years really makes the game that much more stale.

SDS really, I mean really needs to change in this department for some semblance of freshness to make you feel that newness that is missing right now. I just don't understand the reasoning why Matty V is still in their game. There are so many good announcers in MLB that are just as good as Matty V. I watch MLBTV and practically watch every team games and there some good PBP announcing in that bunch. Two of my favorites are Thom Brennaman From Cin Reds and Brian Anderson from the Brewers and these are just two of many more! Just my honest opinion guys and girls, don't crucify me...lol

Its the announcers.

[Bigwebb48]

Re: Does The Show not feel stale to anyone else?

This years feels better than past, but I mean we're currently pretty tapped out as far as technological advances for games at the moment, and I think the show has made leaps and bounds since even 2016.