MLB 09 The Show
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEA
Genre: Sports Simulation
Release Date: March 3, 2009
Platforms: Playstation 3, Playstation 2, PSP
Reviewer: Dan
I guess a lot of baseball fans out there could consider me somewhat
Masochistic. That's because I've been a fan of Pittsburgh Pirates
(what could loosely be considered) baseball for many years now. I
have been and will continue to be a fan in the hopes that I may one
day be able to say "I'm not a fair-weather fan" when they actually
start to do well. While my beloved Pirates may not do baseball well,
Sony Computer Entertainment of America does it very well in MLB
09 The Show.
The gameplay is smooth and very realistic, but can be both pleasantly
simple and rather tricky. Batting is fairly simple if you're used
to it. While simply pressing X to swing will get you a few hits here
and there, choosing where to swing with the left stick can be very
beneficial to your batting average if you know what you're doing.
Once on base, you're treated to a rather complicated baserunning control
scheme which I've yet to master. I can see potential in it, but I can't
say I like the learning curve. Pitching is simple enough to do, but like real
pitching, it can be hard to do effectively. Fielding is really the
easiest thing to do in the game. Either you get under the ball or
in front of it. However, my biggest complaint is the button choices
they made for throwing to each base. To me, they seem inverted, but
I guess it's because I'm not used to it.
The Show features the standard grouping of game modes that
most every decent sports simulation. You have your quick-play and season,
which should require no explanation as to what you can do in those modes.
You also have a rather deep franchise mode which has a meticulous
attention to the details. You play as the owner of the team of your
choice. Not only is your goal to play winning baseball, but you must
also make your team profitable. This includes not overpaying players,
adding food stands, adujsting ticket prices, and choosing what types of
advertisements to run to get people to the games.
Then there's the joys of player management. Your first task in the
season is to go through the First-Year Player Draft, followed by the
draft pick signing period. Then you get to go through trade deadline
deals, which I didn't particularly care for since it seemed rather
difficult to get the computer owners to agree to a trade. The fun
really begins after the season is over. This is where the attention
to detail really comes out. An owner must deal with nearly every type of
end-of-contract situation that exists in the MLB rulebook. Not only
do you have your typical free agents, but you also have to deal with
arbitration-eligible players and several types of contract renewable
players. You can even grab players from other teams through the
Rule 5 draft.
While Madden had been doing it in a limited way for years,
NHL 09 gave us a real
taste as to what it took to become a professional athlete. The
Show takes what we saw in NHL 09 and really expands on it.
In the Road to the Show mode, you start your baseball career with
either the team of your choice or on the team that drafted you. You
begin your career in spring training; doing your best to make your
team's major league roster.
The best part about this mode is the fact that you only play
"situational" baseball. While the other modes offer the full-length
game, RTTS only puts your player in the situations where he's in the
lineup and involved in the play. This means that if you're a bench
player, you may only be called upon to pinch hit. If you're a relief
pitcher, you may only make an appearance to get a guy out late in
the game. Even if you're an everyday player, you'll only be out in
the field if the ball will be hit to you or if it's your turn to bat.
But the important thing to keep in mind is that you must make
every opportunity count. Each positive play that you make will earn
you experience points (RPG Element, YAY!) which you use to improve
certain aspects of your game. The best part is that you can actually
tell your player is getting better, unlike NHL 09 which seemed
to take AGES to improve an attribute by 1 point. But you need to take
care when spending your points. During the season, you're required to
improve certain attributes to keep your spot on the team, whether it's
contact against left-handed pitching or your arm strength.
The graphics in this game are top-notch. The player models of
existing players are simply amazing. Every existing player I've seen
in the game so far looks exactly like they do in real life. The lighting
effects in this game are also something to behold. The much-advertised
twilight transitions are very neat. Even the crowd is well done. The
sound in this game is also very detailed. You can even tell how well
you hit the ball by the sound it makes off the bat. But the best part
of the sound would have to be the customization. If you have music
stored on your PS3, you can use those tracks in the game, and not just
as a replacement soundtrack. My RTTS player has his own walk-up and
home run celebration music. You can even record custom cheers and jeers
for your player.
Final Verdict
If you're a Playstation 3 owner that's looking for a baseball game, then
MLB 09 The Show should be your first and only choice. The level of
detail in this game is mind-boggling. True, there is a rather steep
learning curve, but fans of sport will probably overlook that. If you're
worried about that, give it a rent, but if you really want to explore
everything in the game, then it's really a must-buy.
Rating Breakdown
Gameplay: 9 out of 10
+ Sports Sim nuts will love the details.
- It's not Mt. Everest, but the learning curve is a bit steep
Graphics: 10 out of 10
+ Probably in the top 10 in terms of overall sports game graphics
- Not much wrong. Even the crowd looks good.
Audio: 10 out of 10
+ Custom music: Always a good thing
- Haven't found any
Replay Value: 8 out of 10
+ Franchise and RTTS modes can have you playing season after season...
- ...which can get repetitive.
Overall
9.25 out of 10
