The Show "MLB 07" Thread

[Chris_SCEA_Sports]

...The animations in this game are flat out unreal and spot on. ... Example 2) Big Papi steps to the dish. He digs his back foot hole, steps out, spits into his right hand and slaps his hands together before heading in to hit. Awesome.

I'm glad we got that one right....it was actually Big Papi that did the motion capture. And I don't want him to come looking for me....

Chris
Lead Animator
MLB Series
SCEA Sports

[Blublub]

My $600 copy is here and thank god you guys were right and the reviewers wrong

I'm in baseball heaven.

Player graphics are passable, face mapping can be pretty awful. Stadiums are gorgeous. New animations and cut scenes are excellent. Framerates are butter.

Gameplay seems rock solid - nothing out of the ordinary that I've seen in three games. Sliders seem very close to just right on default.

A few small animation glitches here and there but definitely nothing to worry about. I'm still getting used to the six-axis control thing in general, not only in the game - anyone having any luck with this on?

Since I only have the PSP version of '07, there's a lot of nice surprises for me that may have been in the PS2 version, like playable minors.

Only disappointment so far is that hits still seem to be a bit on the high side, at least with default sliders. Hopefully this can be fixed with a few slider tweaks.

This is baseball. 2k7 was pretty in spots but never seemed right on the field.

[10spro]

I prefer this review better:

http://ps3.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r30892.htm

How's stealing bases for you guys? I think if you got an HDTV, the game will look great but even though some may not call it 'Next Gen' graphic wise, the overall gameplay will finally keep my PS3 away from the dust. I am tired of the homers and pass balls of 2K7.

Now, here I have pre-ordered a copy with EB, yet when I called, they told me that they were delayed and that it would arrive tomorrow for sure. Here, I am doing errands at a nearby Superstore and I already see the game in their electronic department. EB sucks.

[Leadfoot5]

...The animations in this game are flat out unreal and spot on. ... Example 2) Big Papi steps to the dish. He digs his back foot hole, steps out, spits into his right hand and slaps his hands together before heading in to hit. Awesome.

I'm glad we got that one right....it was actually Big Papi that did the motion capture. And I don't want him to come looking for me....

Chris
Lead Animator
MLB Series
SCEA Sports

Chris - good to see you following the boards looking at the user reactions. Must have been a tough couple of days at the office for your team with the early website reviews coming in so low. Hopefully the glowing comments here and at OS are lifting the teams spirits. You guys did a real good job of bringing a great game of baseball to the PS3. Thanks. I work around the corner from you guys at Qualcomm, so it's cool to know such a great game was developed right around the corner.

Al

[ScoopBrady]

Well, I haven't had a PS2 for the past 2 versions and have only played 06 and 07 on the PSP. The PSP versions were both excellent but this game is outstanding. Man, I had a lot of fun with MLB 2k7 but this game is just on another level. The player models aren't the greatest but the player faces (at least on the Sox) looked like the players for the most part. The stadiums, crowds, commentary, and animations are insane. The pitching, hitting, AND fielding are top notch. Everything plays out so smoothly and like real baseball.

I played a Twins/Sox game at Comiskey and Santana made me his b*tch. I struck out 9 times while scoring 2 runs (1 HR and 1 driven in) on 8 hits. I lost 7-2 due to a poor first 2 innings from Buehrle. He gave up 5 runs, 1 in the first and 4 in the second. He started to settle down for 2 innings but gave up a solo shot in the 5th to make the game 6-1. I should have brought in the long reliever but I wanted at least 5 innings out of him. One very cool thing was when I did a mound visit to give the bullpen some time and Coop came out to the mound instead of Ozzie. I don't think I've ever seen the pitching coach in a baseball game but they probably had this in the Show on PS2. I had plenty of opportunities to score more runs but all I could muster was 2 runs. I easily could have tied it or at least made it close with some clutch hits but Santana kept me on my heels.

Obviously I need to play more games to see if there's any weird AI issues but as of now I am stunned at the reviews this game has been getting and want some of the pot they have been smoking.

[greggsand]

"New baseball games in a forum" recipe:

1.Bad/mediocre reviews hit the web
2.Everyone says 'screw the reviews'
3.One week of people posting how awesome the game is
4.Next week people start posting flaws/wish-list items
5.Next week people post how their game is going on ebay
6.Eight weeks later the hardcore post how they are still loving the game

Sprinkle in some slider discussion to taste and bake for 45 minutes...

enter phase 3...

[Danimal]

Played several games. It's really good baseball game, but it's not anywhere near next gen in terms of visuals. Anyone who says the graphics in this game are solid is seriously drinking the fan boy kool aid. Sure it looks better then the PS2 version but that's not saying much. Aside from the stadiums the whole thing has a carton feel to it.

The animations are outstanding, but there are some quirky things that happen occasionally. Here was my first play for the PS3 version. Ground ball to Derek Lee, who could have easily took a few steps and got the out, but he decided to flip the ball to the pitcher covering, the toss was so slow and high that the runner beat this out. I have seen this same animation occur occasionally on flips to second base with two outs as well. Certainly not a game killer, but I've seen it 3 times in 3 games and it is a bit annoying.

Presentation is great, but several things leave me scratching my head. You have an all around good presentation but when you sub in a pitcher he just changes on the mound, really don't get that. Obviously another year of development will improve the bells & whistle aspect to the game. But it has a long way to go before it looks anywhere near as good as MLB2K7.

On the field is a different story, the game plays fantastic. My first game was a 2-1 pitcher duel which was outstanding. My next game neither pitching staff could do anything and it was a see saw affair that saw 4 lead changes before I lost 8-6. My 3rd game was 2-2 in the 11th when I got a runner on first by a passed 3rd strike and then triples him in on the next batter to win it.

So far I am pretty impressed with everything except the graphics. There os much depth to the franchise I don't even know what half the stuff does.

[Sport73]

NEGATIVES/ISSUES:

- Too many dropped balls during double-play transitions
- Too many up-the-middle hits
- Disconnects during online play
- Bland textures & player models
- Guess Pitch system alters online pitcher/batter interface negatively by removing the pitch meter when the correct pitch/location is guessed by the batter...Since when does the batter's thought alter my ability to hurl it in there FAST? (Hopefully this can be disabled).
- Online system (PS3 in general) is clunky and impossible to find friends.
- Slight aliasing in stadiums
- Poor field/grass textures


However, all of the POSITIVES already stated still ring true and this is the best and most realistic baseball game on the market...Just thought someone should bring things down a little.[/list]

[grtwhtsk]

You guys are killing me. My Gamestop didn't get it in yesterday, and working late prevented me from hitting some other places. Needless to say, but I'm looking forward to getting some serious gameplay tonight.

As for the impressions, please keep them coming.

[GTHobbes]

My biggest negative is the Cards suck in real life...I played parts of 4-5 games last night and can easily see myself playing a game or two a night the rest of the summer, but if the Cards keep falling it's just going to be too depressing to stay with baseball. Figures this game would come out the year AFTER my favorite team wins the world series.

[sportdan30]

My biggest negative is the Cards suck in real life...I played parts of 4-5 games last night and can easily see myself playing a game or two a night the rest of the summer, but if the Cards keep falling it's just going to be too depressing to stay with baseball. Figures this game would come out the year AFTER my favorite team wins the world series.

That is so true. But then, year after year you read about Pirate and Cub fans playing full seasons of video game baseball. Might just be something we have to get used to. I'll gladly take a down year if that meant we won the W.S. the season before.

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, even in baseball mogul the game doesn't know we suck this year. or The Show on the psp for that matter.

RTTS saved this game for me on the psp, wow is it addictive. Keep us updated on your season GT.

[Leebo33]

That is so true. But then, year after year you read about Pirate and Cub fans playing full seasons of video game baseball. Might just be something we have to get used to. :wink

Yeah. I usually play with the Pirates and probably have just as much fun as anyone else. It's really the opposite for me in football. I can't really say I have more fun playing with a team that has a recent title and winning seasons in 14 of the past 20 years as compared to playing with a team that has had 4 winning seasons in the past 20.

[AJColossal]

Wow, from the positive reviews here you wonder what game the reviewers were playing. If I recall correctly, they were complaining about issues in NBA 2K7 like the CPU not shooting at the end of games, and that turned out to be wrong as well.

Some of the descriptions here also sound like they put in a bunch of on field animations that weren't in the PS2 version.

So no one is seeing these AI gaffes the reviewers are talking about?

[Blublub]

You're right. We need to come back down to earth a bit here. But I'm fairly sure that this is for real. If what I got was a high-def version of the excellent PSP version I've played to death then I'm satisfied. I've logged close to 100 games so far in the PSP version and it still feels fresh. I don't see any reason why the PS3 version won't have the same shelf-life.

It's worth noting that some of the things mentioned in the review are just flat-out wrong, like there being no HR replays. In one game I had a towering shot off the foul pole. Not only were there replays, but from three different angles including a great cut-scene of the bench trying to waive it fair. I also have not seen the AI glitch reported by IGN, and have had the same situation come up a couple of times.

I don't know why the huge disconnect between "official" and user reviews - it's odd.

[sportdan30]

There are definite A.I. issues, but I think they are few and far between. If you have the time to read through the many garbage impression pages on OS, you'll find people mentioning such issues. I'm just thankful to hear that I haven't read about the problem with the ball going through the legs of the outfielder. That was irritating!

[ScoopBrady]

The animations are outstanding, but there are some quirky things that happen occasionally. Here was my first play for the PS3 version. Ground ball to Derek Lee, who could have easily took a few steps and got the out, but he decided to flip the ball to the pitcher covering, the toss was so slow and high that the runner beat this out. I have seen this same animation occur occasionally on flips to second base with two outs as well. Certainly not a game killer, but I've seen it 3 times in 3 games and it is a bit annoying.

If you just tap the button the throw will be slow, if you hold the button longer the throw gets faster. The longer you hold the button the faster the throw will be and the more likely it is to sail into the crowd.

[Sully]

So no one is seeing these AI gaffes the reviewers are talking about?

I've yet to see anything in the 4+ games that I've played. On a couple occasions, I had a runner on second with less than 2 outs. Groundball to the left side, and I purposely advanced the runner on 2nd to see if the AI SS/3B would make the play on the runner advancing from 2nd. Both times they did.

[Danimal]

The animations are outstanding, but there are some quirky things that happen occasionally. Here was my first play for the PS3 version. Ground ball to Derek Lee, who could have easily took a few steps and got the out, but he decided to flip the ball to the pitcher covering, the toss was so slow and high that the runner beat this out. I have seen this same animation occur occasionally on flips to second base with two outs as well. Certainly not a game killer, but I've seen it 3 times in 3 games and it is a bit annoying.

If you just tap the button the throw will be slow, if you hold the button longer the throw gets faster. The longer you hold the button the faster the throw will be and the more likely it is to sail into the crowd.

Scoop I should have been more clear, this situation was always with the AI not myself. It seems to happen almost always when:

- There are two outs and there is a force play at second
- The 1B fields the ball close enough to take it to the bag, but instead floats it to the picture.

Like I said not a game killer, but playing 3 games and seeing it every game is annoying.

Either way I am sitting here at work and all I can think about is playing some more games tonight so that's always a godo thing.

[grtwhtsk]

There are definite A.I. issues, but I think they are few and far between. If you have the time to read through the many garbage impression pages on OS, you'll find people mentioning such issues. I'm just thankful to hear that I haven't read about the problem with the ball going through the legs of the outfielder. That was irritating!

A thing I keep in mind when reading impressions is that there are "haters" who like to throw b.s. stuff out there. We all know when there's a problem...when guys like us step up and say something.

[AJColossal]

Scoop I should have been more clear, this situation was always with the AI not myself. It seems to happen almost always when:

- There are two outs and there is a force play at second
- The 1B fields the ball close enough to take it to the bag, but instead floats it to the picture.

Like I said not a game killer, but playing 3 games and seeing it every game is annoying.

Either way I am sitting here at work and all I can think about is playing some more games tonight so that's always a godo thing.

I'm trying to remember if this was in the PS2 version.

[Leadfoot5]

Presentation is great, but several things leave me scratching my head. You have an all around good presentation but when you sub in a pitcher he just changes on the mound, really don't get that.

In the two offline games I've played, when either myself or the CPU brings in a releiver, I get a cut scene of the manager coming out of the dugout or a cutscene of the manager and the infielders at the mound and the reliever getting the ball... Now, in on-line games with quick play "on", yes, the pitcher just changes on the mound.

[Leadfoot5]

In the interest of full-disclosure for folks still on the fence about this one, I will support some of the negatives raised so far, but none of them are game-killers by any stretch...

- Players seem to float just a bit above the ground due to their cleats not actually going into the turf. Looks a bit odd.
- The field textures are pretty poor
- Player models are just ok
- Some stadiums look great, but I wan't terribly impressed with PETCO
- While the crowd does react well, there are still too many "clones" in the crowd. Still don't get why they can't come up with enough crowd models to get rid of that effect.
- On-Line has been a laggy experience, and the worst came last night where I battled a guy to a 5-5 tie (A's vs. Padres) and we lost our connection in the 12th inning. ARGH!!!
- They programmed it so that you hear the players footsteps on the grass and dirt during cutscenes. Now maybe it's my audio setup, but it's certainly loud enough to notice it and it doesn't make sense. You don't hear footsteps on grass, and certainly not from a camera in the stands. I'd love to know what they were thinking here.

On the flipside, I have seen no AI issues yet and the gameplay is just so much fun. Everything moves along at 60fps, and if we have to trade some graphics for the speed, I'm ok with that. I just hope we can get an upgrade in player models and field textures next year without sacrificing the frame rate.

[Danimal]

Presentation is great, but several things leave me scratching my head. You have an all around good presentation but when you sub in a pitcher he just changes on the mound, really don't get that.

In the two offline games I've played, when either myself or the CPU brings in a releiver, I get a cut scene of the manager coming out of the dugout or a cutscene of the manager and the infielders at the mound and the reliever getting the ball... Now, in on-line games with quick play "on", yes, the pitcher just changes on the mound.

I've had multiple pitching changes and I always see a cut scene with the CPU. But if I'm on the mound and go to the quick menu, then move over to where you see your current pitchers energey etc, and I select sub in from there. The guy literally changes on the mound. I mean he doesn't even come out of his set or stretch position.

So while I'm happy you're seeing something different, I most certainly am not.

[btmmayor]

Some of the descriptions here also sound like they put in a bunch of on field animations that weren't in the PS2 version.

On top of the new on field animations there are swing animations that were not in the game before (the PSP version at least). Its very cool when a batter gets jammed.

I had a play last night where the ball was blooped over the pitchers head. The pitcher tried to make the catch but the shortstop went to cover second even though the bases were empty. In about 8-10 games that is the first A.I. goof that I've seen. I'm really, really enjoying this game.