MLB 09 The Show Sneak peek

[Pete]

I absolutely love this game. It is the best baseball game I have ever played and probably the best sports game.

Speaking of detail, Votto struck out and they showed the replay. As he swung and missed his cheeks blew out. Incredible.

I knocked out 20 hits and 12 runs today as the Reds vs the Nats. I have been playing against 3-4-5 starters to get better at hitting. I think the key is swinging at good pitches. Pitches low in the zone or inside just let go. You will pop out or hit a weak grounder. I am going to start to play against the number 1 or 2 starters eventually moving to All-Star.

[Leebo33]

Since JRod apparently offended Bdoughty so much that he left the site again , I'll report to you that you can get the Show (or Little Big Planet or Kill Zone 2) for free with a PS3 purchase at Best Buy.

[Murph]

Since JRod apparently offended Bdoughty so much that he left the site again , I'll report to you that you can get the Show (or Little Big Planet or Kill Zone 2) for free with a PS3 purchase at Best Buy.

So what you're saying is The Show will cost me $300.

Great game, but not quite worth that much.

[Leebo33]

Since JRod apparently offended Bdoughty so much that he left the site again , I'll report to you that you can get the Show (or Little Big Planet or Kill Zone 2) for free with a PS3 purchase at Best Buy.

So what you're saying is The Show will cost me $300.

Great game, but not quite worth that much.

Oh, of course not. No game is worth that. But, I've enjoyed dozens of Blu-Ray movies, the exclusives The Show, LBP, F1, and Uncharted are 4 at the top of my list in this system generation, and I'm playing NHL09, FIFA09, Tops Spin2, and NBA 2K9 without having to worry about RROD. As with anything, YMMV.

[btmmayor]

But now when I check the swing analysis my indicator is always in the middle. WTF? Since my indicator isn't moving, unless the ball is down the middle I'll get sky high popups or weak grounders.

After almost 2 weeks of playing this game, I still cannot get my indicator out of the center. I guess I'm pushing the swing button before I move the indicator, but it sure doesn't feel like it. I cannot adjust to this for some reason and if I am facing a pitcher who is successfully painting the corners I'm done. Has anyone else found some tips to help correct it? Its really starting to affect my enjoyment of the game while at the plate.

[Brando70]

The attention to detail in this game is utterly amazing. It's really evident when you go into the replays. Take a look at the actions of fielders backing up a play or throw, cutoff men, the umpires, base coaches, crowd, etc. They are all realistic. It may seem minor, but it really adds to the overall realism in the game. I also think it is great that they added some occasional "human error" elements into the game...something that is sorely lacking in team sports games.

I saw a great example of this last night. I played the Cubs opener at Houston. Roy Oswalt shut me down for 8 innings, giving up just 3 hits and a walk. Luckily I pitched well with Zambrano, who have up 2 runs, and was still in it. Houston left Oswalt in to start the 9th, and I drew a walk on my first at-bat. Next batter, Ryan Theriot hit a bloop fly to the left-center gap. CPU Carlos Lee made a dive for the ball but just missed. He was backed up by Michael Bourne, but like an outfield backup would, he was well back of where Lee was, allowing me to get a double and runners on 2nd and 3rd. It was such a realistic play and exactly what you would expect to see in a real game.

That realism comes from the organic feel of the AI. You just don't see a lot of head-scratching decisions in this game. The AI players in particular react the way you would often expect them to. The last game to achieve this level of realism was High Heat, and The Show offers so much more control than HH did, without sacrificing authentic play. Even NBA 2k9, which I like a lot, can't approach the depth and complexity of The Show's AI.

I don't think any single game is a "system seller," but I bought a PS3 primarily to play Blu Ray discs and play this game. It has been worth every penny.

[LAking]

But now when I check the swing analysis my indicator is always in the middle. WTF? Since my indicator isn't moving, unless the ball is down the middle I'll get sky high popups or weak grounders.

After almost 2 weeks of playing this game, I still cannot get my indicator out of the center. I guess I'm pushing the swing button before I move the indicator, but it sure doesn't feel like it. I cannot adjust to this for some reason and if I am facing a pitcher who is successfully painting the corners I'm done. Has anyone else found some tips to help correct it? Its really starting to affect my enjoyment of the game while at the plate.

I have trouble with it as well. I think they should have allowed you to move the location it even after you start your swing, similar to how high heat allowed you to move your bat as you were swinging.

My only real suggestions is to guess the pitch location, therefor you might have a general idea of where it's going beforehand. I only use the left stick maybe %25 of the time yet I manage to get my fair share of hits.

[HipE]

But now when I check the swing analysis my indicator is always in the middle. WTF? Since my indicator isn't moving, unless the ball is down the middle I'll get sky high popups or weak grounders.

After almost 2 weeks of playing this game, I still cannot get my indicator out of the center. I guess I'm pushing the swing button before I move the indicator, but it sure doesn't feel like it. I cannot adjust to this for some reason and if I am facing a pitcher who is successfully painting the corners I'm done. Has anyone else found some tips to help correct it? Its really starting to affect my enjoyment of the game while at the plate.

Drop the pitch speed slider to the minimum, this will give you more time to aim. Trust me, you will still strike out plenty, but you won't have any problem swinging in the zone you are aiming for. I've been playing this way for the last two years now, and hitting is about perfect for me. Last year I did it on Hall of Fame for good results, and this year I'm playing on All Star.

[webdanzer]

But now when I check the swing analysis my indicator is always in the middle. WTF? Since my indicator isn't moving, unless the ball is down the middle I'll get sky high popups or weak grounders.

After almost 2 weeks of playing this game, I still cannot get my indicator out of the center. I guess I'm pushing the swing button before I move the indicator, but it sure doesn't feel like it. I cannot adjust to this for some reason and if I am facing a pitcher who is successfully painting the corners I'm done. Has anyone else found some tips to help correct it? Its really starting to affect my enjoyment of the game while at the plate.

Drop the pitch speed slider to the minimum, this will give you more time to aim. Trust me, you will still strike out plenty, but you won't have any problem swinging in the zone you are aiming for. I've been playing this way for the last two years now, and hitting is about perfect for me. Last year I did it on Hall of Fame for good results, and this year I'm playing on All Star.

I'm stubbornly clinging to HOF with default pitch speed, and this is still an issue for me, but it is becoming less so as I train myself to think of hitting the ball in two separate steps:

1) Left stick location
2) Button swing

I almost think '1!' '2!' in my head as I do this, and because I was usually early on most pitches anyway, it slows me down helpfully too.

Depending on the pitcher's control, waiting for a pitch that is centered and not moving the left stick at all also helps, but I don't really like playing that way. Moving the bat to hit the ball where it is pitched is one of the big joys for me in a baseball game, so I hate not doing it.

[btmmayor]

Drop the pitch speed slider to the minimum, this will give you more time to aim. Trust me, you will still strike out plenty, but you won't have any problem swinging in the zone you are aiming for. I've been playing this way for the last two years now, and hitting is about perfect for me. Last year I did it on Hall of Fame for good results, and this year I'm playing on All Star.

I've always dropped pitch speed in the past, but this year I was determined to go 100% out of the box with the game. That's a great suggestion though HipE. As long as I lay off the guess pitch feature (very tempting when I'm struggling) I can see that doing the trick.

[btmmayor]

Moving the bat to hit the ball where it is pitched is one of the big joys for me in a baseball game, so I hate not doing it.

I agree, which is why not being able to move the indicator has bothered me so much.

I almost think '1!' '2!' in my head as I do this, and because I was usually early on most pitches anyway, it slows me down helpfully too.

Thats most of my problem. I'm so late on anyone with a good fastball its ridiculous.

[lexbur]

I'm starting to get some wins on All-Star default!

I played five games this weekend and won three. My Tribe is now 5-12. My pitching's come around, but now I can't score. I'm getting alot of 2-1, 3-2 games. It was the opposite of that the first few games of my season.

As far as hitting being too hard on All-Star, I feel it's still my fault. I'm still swinging at too many pitches. There have been plenty of balls out of the strike zone that I hit weakly into DPs. There was a game yesterday I had two outs, bases loaded and I swung at three straight balls, mostly because I was overanxious.

I feel like I'm getting better though, more patient at the plate. I'm going to stick with All-Star. Although it was kinda funny, I played a weeknight home game against the Royals and there were only 6,000 people there. Who needs all that crowd noise anyways?!?!

[Leebo33]

I'm using the default guess pitch feature guessing location only and it is doing wonders for my hitting. Right now I have feedback on but will probably eliminate it soon. I use it until I get a strike. I don't use the pitch type guess and the CPU will still throw well outside the strike zone so it's still challenging. The good thing for me is that it automatically moves the PCI to that zone so I can just focus on timing for now. Eventually I will just go to a "manual" type of location guess but it's working now so I'm not messing with it until I'm hitting too well. I'm also hitting much better now that I totally stopped using the power swing and just upped the power slider up a few ticks. The only other sliders I've really messed with subtle changes to the fielder speed, reaction, and throw power as well as baserunning speed and errors to get more realistic results, more "bang-bang" plays at first, and more standup doubles. I originally messed with the "throw strikes" slider, but found that I was actually getting more walks with it at default. The slider description does say more balls "early in the count" and I was finding too much "catchup logic" from 2-0, 3-0 counts for my liking. I don't mind tweaking sliders in this game because the sliders are logical, well documented, actually work and are not being used to fix broken elements but rather tweak gameplay to my personal preference.

[Brando70]

One thing I like is it seems when pitchers start getting shelled, they really have a hard time bouncing back. I've had a couple starters and a reliever get pounded early, and their location goes all over the place. I played my third game of the opening series with Houston, and Ted Lilly got destroyed. I gave up 8 hits, 3 walks, and 9 earned runs in 3 innings.

I am walking a fair number of players, but I need to work on my discipline at the plate to draw more myself. There are definitely walks for the taking if I can get better at recognizing pitch types and trajectories earlier than I am.

I am using guess pitch and location with feedback for now, until I get a little better at hitting. Once I do improve I'll keep them on but turn off the feedback.

[btmmayor]

I'm so in between when it comes to the guess pitch feature. When I use it on All-Star default I consistently post double digit hit totals. When I don't, I'm lucky to get above 5 or 6.

I've decided on a house rule for now of 1 guess pitch (location, pitch or both) per at bat to try and find some kind of balance.

[dbdynsty25]

It's crazy...I can't remember a game where I have ever lost 7 games in a row and then run off 5 wins in row. It's the beauty of baseball I suppose. I've never been so up and down in a game before. I'm still only hitting .259 as a team...but it would be a lot higher if new addition Garrett Anderson wasn't hitting .090 through 25 games. Yikes.

[JRod]

It's crazy...I can't remember a game where I have ever lost 7 games in a row and then run off 5 wins in row. It's the beauty of baseball I suppose. I've never been so up and down in a game before. I'm still only hitting .259 as a team...but it would be a lot higher if new addition Garrett Anderson wasn't hitting .090 through 25 games. Yikes.

.090

That's like less than 10 hits in 25 games.

[dbdynsty25]

It's crazy...I can't remember a game where I have ever lost 7 games in a row and then run off 5 wins in row. It's the beauty of baseball I suppose. I've never been so up and down in a game before. I'm still only hitting .259 as a team...but it would be a lot higher if new addition Garrett Anderson wasn't hitting .090 through 25 games. Yikes.

.090

That's like less than 10 hits in 25 games.

That is correct. LOL. Tho he's been replaced a few times against lefties, but still. It's probably 20 games of regular at bats.

[eman]

The attention to detail in this game is utterly amazing. It's really evident when you go into the replays. Take a look at the actions of fielders backing up a play or throw, cutoff men, the umpires, base coaches, crowd, etc. They are all realistic. It may seem minor, but it really adds to the overall realism in the game. I also think it is great that they added some occasional "human error" elements into the game...something that is sorely lacking in team sports games.

I saw a great example of this last night. I played the Cubs opener at Houston. Roy Oswalt shut me down for 8 innings, giving up just 3 hits and a walk. Luckily I pitched well with Zambrano, who have up 2 runs, and was still in it. Houston left Oswalt in to start the 9th, and I drew a walk on my first at-bat. Next batter, Ryan Theriot hit a bloop fly to the left-center gap. CPU Carlos Lee made a dive for the ball but just missed. He was backed up by Michael Bourne, but like an outfield backup would, he was well back of where Lee was, allowing me to get a double and runners on 2nd and 3rd. It was such a realistic play and exactly what you would expect to see in a real game.

That realism comes from the organic feel of the AI. You just don't see a lot of head-scratching decisions in this game. The AI players in particular react the way you would often expect them to. The last game to achieve this level of realism was High Heat, and The Show offers so much more control than HH did, without sacrificing authentic play. Even NBA 2k9, which I like a lot, can't approach the depth and complexity of The Show's AI.

I don't think any single game is a "system seller," but I bought a PS3 primarily to play Blu Ray discs and play this game. It has been worth every penny.

I'm on the fence - have no interest in the PS3 aside from this game. Everytime I look through this thread I want it more and more.

Must resist... must... enjoy.... MLB Power Pros & Nintendo Wii....

[Brando70]

Eman, the PS3 is worth it as a Blu Ray player alone if you're interested in that. But I would say it's not worth plopping down the money for just The Show. It's a great game but not a $460 game.

[Pete]

Does anyone have consistent problems finishing a game?

I can pitch great for 7-8 innings and then all of a sudden the CPU hits everything everywhere. Two situations happen a little too frequently. I will have a large lead late, then the CPU will make it close with multiple runs in the 8th or 9th; I will hold a slim lead and the CPU will string together hits to beat me in the 9th.

I understand that this happens in baseball, but it just seems to happen much more than a 1,2,3 9th. I try to work matchups, be careful, but just cannot close out a game. Frustrating.

Anyone see this as much as I do? Any suggestions?

[spooky157]

Does anyone have consistent problems finishing a game?

I can pitch great for 7-8 innings and then all of a sudden the CPU hits everything everywhere. Two situations happen a little too frequently. I will have a large lead late, then the CPU will make it close with multiple runs in the 8th or 9th; I will hold a slim lead and the CPU will string together hits to beat me in the 9th.

I understand that this happens in baseball, but it just seems to happen much more than a 1,2,3 9th. I try to work matchups, be careful, but just cannot close out a game. Frustrating.

Anyone see this as much as I do? Any suggestions?

This might open up Pandora's Box but there's a thread on OS that suggests the CPU Comeback option is actually reversed - having it set to OFF will actually give the CPU a boost when they are trailing. Very odd.

[Pete]

Does anyone have consistent problems finishing a game?

I can pitch great for 7-8 innings and then all of a sudden the CPU hits everything everywhere. Two situations happen a little too frequently. I will have a large lead late, then the CPU will make it close with multiple runs in the 8th or 9th; I will hold a slim lead and the CPU will string together hits to beat me in the 9th.

I understand that this happens in baseball, but it just seems to happen much more than a 1,2,3 9th. I try to work matchups, be careful, but just cannot close out a game. Frustrating.

Anyone see this as much as I do? Any suggestions?

This might open up Pandora's Box but there's a thread on OS that suggests the CPU Comeback option is actually reversed - having it set to OFF will actually give the CPU a boost when they are trailing. Very odd.

I saw that too, but I don't think that is the case, at least I hope it isn't. Maybe I just need to learn how to close a game. I just wondered if others struggled to finish and if they didn't, did they have a strategy that worked.

[lexbur]

I haven't been seeing an unrealistic amount of CPU comebacks. But Kerry Wood has been TREMENDOUS in my Tribe season so far. I only hope he can be this effective in R/L. I'm only 9-18, but Wood has saved 8 of those wins, with only one blown save.

One thing I have been trying to do is not use any reliever for more than one inning. Even if he's a long or middle reliever, they seem alot more likely to get lit up the second inning they pitch. It might just be a coincidence though, I don't know, but lately I'm happy if I get one good inning out of a guy, I'm not going to get greedy.

But you'd be wise not to take any advice from me, like I said, I'm 9-18.

[Slumberland]

More O.S. voodoo. They thrive on confusion, conspiracies and half-baked notions based on a "feeling" they had after one or two games.