MLB 12 The Show

[Slumberland]

...do you keep the same camera angles for hitting and pitching as the Vita?

I do.

[macsomjrr]

Mac, I am on the Vita also so we should hook up for some games soon.

Definitely. I've been tied up with work and non-gaming related activities but I've been itching to play some online baseball. I did play a single game online after picking it up. The lag was improved but still not perfect. It's strange to me that lag can be minimal to nonexistent in most twitch fest online shooters but still seems to plague the MLB online experience. Hopefully if we do match up it'll be better.

[Brando70]

As much as I love this game, it can be so frustrating when you're on a losing streak. I got swept in back-to-back series. After five straight games of having my pitching pounded, I four-hit the Dodgers and still lost 2-0. They scored on a play that looked like a double-play, but my second-baseman whiffed on the ball. Then I had the bases full with two away when David DeJesus pulled a screamer down right field line, only to have the first baseman reach up and snag it.

[Brando70]

I think it's a sign of a great game when I get genuinely excited about snapping an eight-game losing streak. I not only won, but also hit three consecutive home runs with Geovany Soto, including a grand slam. He went 4-4 and had 7 RBIs, best performance I think I've ever had with a hitter in this game. I was more pumped up than Superior Man taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl in GameDay.

[Slumberland]

I need offense. I lose every game 3-2 it seems like. Was just down 3-0 to the Orioles before working the bases loaded with two outs and then hitting a grand salami with Ike Davis to go up 4-3. Then I promptly gave up 5 runs and am down 8-5 again. I don't know what this game wants from me! Had a promising trade being considered for an offensive minded catcher and then one of my trading pieces went down to an injury in-game and put the kabosh on the trade. Should have known better on that one.

[Brando70]

I am doing poorly offensively, but I think the biggest strategy is to avoid striking out. It takes pitchers a lot longer to increase confidence if you're getting out with just hits. I'm trying to use the contact swing a lot more, especially with fast guys who are not hitting that well.

I also have tried to improve my plate discipline a lot in the last few games. My pitching has been bad, but I actually was making better contact with the ball during my losing streak. I started being more conservative early and more aggressive late. I took a page out of the real-life Cubs and started drag bunting with Tony Campana a lot more, being more aggressive with steals, hitting and running, and so on.

I'm also done with the power swing. I haven't used it much, but the PCI reduction is really severe this year. I hit six homers in my last two games, all with the contact swing, after hitting four total in the first month.

[dbdynsty25]

I was more pumped up than Superior Man taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl in GameDay.

Were your wife and kids cheering you on from the couch?

[Brando70]

I was more pumped up than Superior Man taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl in GameDay.

Were your wife and kids cheering you on from the couch?

Ha, I forgot that detail.

[Slumberland]

Six losses in a row.

This game is like a failure machine.

The best thing about the Vita version is that now I never have to not be miserable!

[macsomjrr]

Six losses in a row.

This game is like a failure machine.

The best thing about the Vita version is that now I never have to not be miserable!

I now describe this game as the "Demon Souls," or "Dark Souls" of the sports gaming universe. Brutally unforgiving.

[webdanzer]

Six losses in a row.

This game is like a failure machine.

The best thing about the Vita version is that now I never have to not be miserable!

I now describe this game as the "Demon Souls," or "Dark Souls" of the sports gaming universe. Brutally unforgiving.

Except in the Souls games you know what you did wrong... I really believe a lot of what happens in the Show is more caused by the game than by the player. It's why the series has gotten less and less playtime from me in each of the last few release years.

[Brando70]

Six losses in a row.

This game is like a failure machine.

The best thing about the Vita version is that now I never have to not be miserable!

I now describe this game as the "Demon Souls," or "Dark Souls" of the sports gaming universe. Brutally unforgiving.

Except in the Souls games you know what you did wrong... I really believe a lot of what happens in the Show is more caused by the game than by the player. It's why the series has gotten less and less playtime from me in each of the last few release years.

Yes and no. Hitting is by far the hardest aspect of this game, and it is the one where the user has the most control outside of maybe analog pitching (and assuming you're not using timing only). A human player with good plate discipline will succeed in this game.

And with analog pitching, you can have a lot of control over your pitching. I have stuck with pulse this year because I like the challenge, and also because I think it's very hard to have a pitching interface where there's a lot of user input that still produces walks consistently. What I really wish was that there was a hybrid of pulse and analog, where I could have the analog motion but the spread potential of pulse.

[dbdynsty25]

Yeah I clearly know why and when I struggle at hitting, yet I cannot correct it. As Brando said...it's all about patience and recognizing pitches. I suck at that and I fully accept it. There's nothing that I can do to fix it so I just give my players a bit of a bump in attributes in the sliders and then go crazy. I refuse to take pitches for some reason...everything just looks so perfect to hit!

[Zeppo]

I don't play a ton of games, but I'm convinced a big part of my difficulty with discipline at the plate is that far too few pitches are way, way off target. In real life, not evey pith that is a ball is super close and requires a legendary, Wade Boggs level of "good eye" to lay off of, but I feel like in the game, it's very rare that I immediately know when I leaves the pitcher's hand that it's a ball. It happens, but not nearly as often as it should. Another big part of it for me is that in the graphical representation of pitches, even in my wide angle offset camera, low pitches, even ones that hit the dirt before reaching the catcher, don't look all that low.

[dbdynsty25]

I don't play a ton of games, but I'm convinced a big part of my difficulty with discipline at the plate is that far too few pitches are way, way off target. In real life, not evey pith that is a ball is super close and requires a legendary, Wade Boggs level of "good eye" to lay off of, but I feel like in the game, it's very rare that I immediately know when I leaves the pitcher's hand that it's a ball. It happens, but not nearly as often as it should. Another big part of it for me is that in the graphical representation of pitches, even in my wide angle offset camera, low pitches, even ones that hit the dirt before reaching the catcher, don't look all that low.

100% agree...the difference between balls and strikes is so minuscule at all times it makes it difficult...which is definitely the reason that it usually takes 20 or so pitches for the computer to throw a ball against me. LOL. I wonder if lowering one of the pitching sliders for the cpu would make the wildness exaggerate a bit. Hmmm...

[Brando70]

That's why it is so important to be conservative early in the game. If a pitcher gets overall confidence high and does the same with two or more pitches, it's so tough to get to him. Early on, I think it pays to just take pitches, unless you get an absolute meatball down the middle. Pitch counts go up more quickly and you aren't trying to hit tough pitches.

The other thing I'm trying to drill into my X thumb is that at least half of all breaking balls wind up out of the zone. The more break, the more likely it will finish for a ball. Most curves that start lower than chest high finish outside the zone. It's easier said than done, which is why this game is so damn hard.

The changeup is the only pitch that I think is overpowered. It is extremely hard to pick up and time. Luckily most pitchers in the game don't throw it that much.

I do miss MVP's color-coded pitches. Arcadey, yes, but the only system that added value to a batter's eye rating.

[Slumberland]

I admit I just turned the hitting back down to Veteran on the Vita at least. Ten losses in a row with what feels like a piece of balsa wood in my hitter's hands was just too much to take.

Oh and did I just pry Joe Mauer from the Twins in an unrealistic trade? YES I DID.

I scored from second at Wrigley on a sac fly where the momentum carried the outfielder into the wall. That was fun.

I'm in last place but having some fun, trying to position my roster and settings for a better run in 2013.

[sportdan30]

Steve Lyons is going to be added to MLB The Show 13. I like his style and voice. Looks like finally Dave Campbell is gone! Didn't Lyons do voice work in ASB?

His twitter confirming his inclusion:

https://mobile.twitter.com/SteveLyons12 ... 7219650560

[fanatic]

Steve Lyons is going to be added to MLB The Show 13. I like his style and voice. Looks like finally Dave Campbell is gone! Didn't Lyons do voice work in ASB?

His twitter confirming his inclusion:

https://mobile.twitter.com/SteveLyons12 ... 7219650560

Good to hear they are changing things up a bit - keeping it fresh.

I have a question for you experienced Road to the Show players....I'm currently in my 6th pro season (3rd in majors). I'm playing each at bat, so I'm in it for the long haul. Specifically, I'm wondering if my skills will eventually regress due to age. At the moment, I'm probably about a 90 in each of Contact/Power vs. R/L categories. Based on how I'm progressing, I should be maxing out these and other categories at some point. Will they stay high until I retire? If so, that kind of kills the realism a bit...Hoping they make it a bit more difficult to keep your skills as you age.

[fanatic]

Just announced - Mar. 5th for MLB The Show 13.

More importantly...Playoff Mode confirmed. Sweet!

[Slumberland]

'BOUT TIME

[FifaInspected]

Nice!

[Pete]

I am still playing this years.

With the Reds, I am 2-2 versus the Cards in the NLCS. Yanks are waiting for the winner.

My favorite game of all time.

[Gangrel]

With the death of 2k baseball, is there any chance of this coming to the PC? I'm guessing not, but thought maybe Sony might port it eventually........

[Diablo25]

I've been playing a franchise with a drafted Mariners squad on both the PS3 and Vita. The cloud upload is great. Superb game.