MLB: 10 The Show -- First Look

snaz16 · Post by **snaz16** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:10 pm

So does this patch fix the Tropicana Field/bullpen freeze,and the double switch bug? Wasn't overly specific.
I've picked off 2 runners at 1st for the first time ever. One on a straight pickoff,and the other when the runner broke for 2nd on a steal(Vasgersian said he was going on 1st movement). Got the guy in a pickle,and had to think about my throws as it took 3 throws to get him,with the SS coming over to take the throw the 2nd time.
Started a 15 game season with the Cubs and with Marmol in a save situation was an adventure. He was all over the place,but managed 2 K's,but went 3-2 count on every batter. Typical Marmol

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:12 pm

TCrouch wrote:I don't "get" baseball. Never have. Football I know in and out--hockey and basketball even. But baseball, I'm clueless on tendencies, what to pitch in what order to "set up" batters, what to expect at the plate as a hitter, etc.

Unlike the other sports you mentioned, which are all completely team-encompassing, baseball is an individual skill game (more like bowling or golf) wrapped up in a team-based package. The pitcher-batter matchup and what a batter does with his limited at-bats is a key gameplay element that The Show conveys extremely well.

In order to have success in The Show, you really have to be patient at the plate and work counts in your favor. Swing at everything and from deep pitcher's counts and your experience will be largely frustrating. But waiting on and getting a pitch to drive with a favorable count is very satisfying in the game.

Likewise on the other side of the ball, not only working the strike zone for strikeouts, but inducing double play grounders in big spots is very rewarding.

Other things about The Show that standout are the way it captures the stadium atmosphere. Ballparks and their unique dimensions have a character all of their own and are well represented in the game. There always seems to be a huge "little things" thread as OS that highlights the attention to detail given to everything from signature playing styles, to stadium specifics.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:12 pm

I've picked off two in my time so far as well, after never, ever picking off a single dude in five years with this series.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:15 pm

TCrouch wrote:This may be a really basic and ridiculous question, but I'm going to ask it anyway.

I don't "get" baseball. Never have. Football I know in and out--hockey and basketball even. But baseball, I'm clueless on tendencies, what to pitch in what order to "set up" batters, what to expect at the plate as a hitter, etc.

That means every baseball game I ever play kind of has me swinging at random crap, striking out a lot, throwing whatever I feel like throwing, and I typically get bored after 10 games or so.

But I keep hearing year after year how The Show is the best thing since sliced bread. So is all the realism going to be lost on a player like me, or is there something in here that somehow gradually clues you in on the nuances of the sport?

I keep going back and forth on whether or not I should try it, but to be perfectly honest, I can't usually tell the difference between each version of 2K baseball from year to year, let alone something like The Show, so maybe I'm a lost cause. I'd just really like to "get" what makes The Show the be all, end all of sports games like a lot of people say it is.

I have had trouble sitting down and really getting into a good ball game the last few years but while playing the show i'm completely tuned in. With that being said, I'm not the biggest baseball fan on the planet, used to be back in the day. What the Show does for me is that it reminds me of the beauty of what baseball is all about and all the strategy that goes with it. Also when growing up, video baseball games were always front and center for me and my friends when it came to video gaming. We always looked for the perfect baseball game. I think in order to truly appreciate the game, you would have to have been a baseball fan at some point in your life because you have to play real baseball in this game to succeed for the most part. I will say that the Show has gotten me fired up for the real MLB season and I'm very much looking forward to it. As far as what to pitch and what to look for at the plate, its an ongoing experience that will change every game depending on who's pitching and who's batting. I'm sure there are others here that will help you out much better than I can but I would say that based on your statement of "I don't get baseball" then truthfully the game probably isn't for you. If you want "to get baseball" and learn the game and have the patience to do so, it's a very rewarding experience...one that I'm not sure any other sports video games I've ever played can really touch.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:30 pm

It's such a mental thing for me and I am sure for most of you. How does A. Rodriguez cope with Halladays' curb ball? What pitch will he throw next? Who's on first? Does he have enough speed to steal? Do I walk a batter?

And like most have said earlier, being patient and working the pitches to your favor is key to a successful game. I don't care too much about the cosmetics part of the game, how realistic a particular stadium looks like, although it's a beautiful part of the game, but the battle between a pitcher and a hitter. How deep should the outfielders be, who's at bat, etc.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:33 pm

GameSeven wrote:
Likewise on the other side of the ball, not only working the strike zone for strikeouts, but inducing double play grounders in big spots is very rewarding.

I had one of my most memorable examples of this happen last night. Bases loaded, one out, the right-handed batter had two strikes on him and had fouled off a few fastballs away, some weren't even in the zone, I could tell he was anxious.

So I decided to throw a changeup on the inner half of the plate, but before I threw the pitch I sort of said to myself, "Heads up Peralta (my thirdbaseman), this one's coming to you." And sure enough, he grounded the changeup to third, Peralta stepped on the bag and fired over to first for the DP, I was like, "WOW!"

And even though I felt like a genius for two seconds there, I still lost the game in extra innings, ha!

vinny-b · Post by **vinny-b** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:40 pm

as per normal, late to the party...

playing the demo

wow.

AJColossal · Post by **AJColossal** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:43 pm

vinny-b wrote:as per normal, late to the party...

playing the demo

wow.

Vinny -- is this your first experience with the game on PS3?

vinny-b · Post by **vinny-b** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:53 pm

AJColossal wrote:Vinny -- is this your first experience with the game on PS3?

AJ: actually, no. I played a career of MLB 09 The Show (ps3), this past fall/winter.

however based on my first impression of 2010 The Show am noticibly impressed. The graphics look much better (didn't believe it would be possible), the crowd is loud & into every pitch, and the broadcast camera/real-time make this indistinguishable from an actual game. Almost literally

if the gameplay holds up to MLB 09, then wow...

_

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:59 pm

Slumberland wrote:I'm finding the new version sort of transcendent, but it can be so realistically frustrating at times (just like following your team over a hundred sixty-two) that I think I've been an angrier person since it came out. No joke.

LOL at that. I haven't played enough of MLB 10 to get that way yet, but no doubt that was true with 09 when my Cubs franchise went down the toilet. I found myself in a postgame state of rage that I haven't had since the days when games really had comeback code. I would be furious at the lollygagging virtual players as if I was a real coach, and I'm almost 40.

AJColossal · Post by **AJColossal** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:57 am

Check out these rate stats from my White Sox season vs. actual 2009 stats:

my season: .252/.320/.420

actual: .258/.329/.411

Wow.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:50 am

Had my first semi freeze last night...of course it comes AFTER the patch.

It's semi because I was pitching in the 7th inning of a scoreless game...the batter grounds the ball foul down the third base line according to the announcers...but in reality the ball went right up the middle. It cut to some weird outfield upper deck camera and then just sat there. I couldn't do anything to get it to move to the next pitch or anything. Reset. F*ck.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:42 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
matthewk wrote:Antone else having problems with some of the settings not sticking? Some of my adjusted settings stay, but there are a few that I have to reset before each game. I have a profile saved.
Yes, you have a profile saved, but you literally have to manually save from the main menu, the profile for settings that are changed "in game" to stick.

So, DB, if I'm reading this correctly, you need to set up your overall profile from the main menu to have the same settings as the franchise settings, correct? I keep having the issue of the game starting with the wrong settings.

Had a very cool game last night, Cubs at Braves. I actually walked five batters last night using the meter, four of them coming in just 4 innings with Ryan Dempster. And in facing Tim Hudson, he started off the game throwing something like 8 balls to just 2 strikes, and having a very close ball/strike ratio for the first few innings. Despite making good contact I had one of those games where I couldn't get many hits, and it was 3-0 Braves heading into the 9th. Wagner came in for the save, got two outs, then hit two batters in a row, allowing me to tie the game on a 3-run homer by Soto. Lost the game in 14-innings but it was a classic Show chess match.

Oh, and Brian McCann hit into 4 double plays in 6 at-bats! I hoped they had some commentary recorded for that but sadly there was none.

vinny-b · Post by **vinny-b** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:35 pm

picked-up MLB 10 PS3, today

does anyone know which 10 stadiums are included in the $9.99 Bundle (on PS3 network) ??

at this time i don't need to have the classic stadiums, however would like to have access to all the new spring-training/minor league stadiums. Have initiated a new RTTS career, does anyone know if i'll have access to these new parks?

_

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:43 pm

Brando70 wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:
matthewk wrote:Antone else having problems with some of the settings not sticking? Some of my adjusted settings stay, but there are a few that I have to reset before each game. I have a profile saved.
Yes, you have a profile saved, but you literally have to manually save from the main menu, the profile for settings that are changed "in game" to stick.
So, DB, if I'm reading this correctly, you need to set up your overall profile from the main menu to have the same settings as the franchise settings, correct? I keep having the issue of the game starting with the wrong settings.

No, that's not what I meant. If you change settings IN AN EXHIBITION GAME...once the game completes, you must go to the main menu and save your user settings/profile for them to "save" for use next time you start the game. Otherwise you will lose them. The game doesn't save changes made in game automatically.

If you start a season/franchise...the settings save along with the franchise, so nothing special is needed there. This is strictly a exhibition thing.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:38 pm

Thanks, DB. I'm having the issue where my franchise games are starting up without my profile settings or my franchise settings -- they're loading with the default Veteran settings. I must be doing something wrong.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:35 pm

Brando70 wrote:Thanks, DB. I'm having the issue where my franchise games are starting up without my profile settings or my franchise settings -- they're loading with the default Veteran settings. I must be doing something wrong.

You started your franchise w/ default settings then...and haven't manually saved them "inside" of the franchise, if you know what I mean.

Basically, go into your franchise, start a game, edit your settings, finish the game, stay in the franchise screens and save your profile. If you don't start your franchise with the settings you want, you have to do the manual save one time. Get it?

And yes, it's ridiculous that they don't just save with the franchise if you make an adjustment. I think I explained it wrong in my previous post.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:37 pm

Does The Show have auto-save throughout the game? I think it supports auto-saving in RTTS mode. That would solve a lot of problems wrt settings and such.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:38 pm

Rodster wrote:Does The Show have auto-save throughout the game? I think it supports auto-saving in RTTS mode. That would solve a lot of problems wrt settings and such.

It doesn't autosave profiles...just the "game mode" that you're in. (Franchise, RTTS, Season, etc.)

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:12 pm

I have begun to start doing an in game save after the 5th inning during every game. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, but the 30 seconds it takes are a lot less than losing a 1+ hour game. Damn freezing issues.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:14 pm

vinny-b wrote: does anyone know which 10 stadiums are included in the $9.99 Bundle (on PS3 network) ??

at this time i don't need to have the classic stadiums, however would like to have access to all the new spring-training/minor league stadiums. Have initiated a new RTTS career, does anyone know if i'll have access to these new parks?

_

The game comes with several spring training/minor league stadiums. I am not on PS3 network so I dunno what is in the bundle. What is your team of choice?

vinny-b · Post by **vinny-b** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:29 pm

fletcher21 wrote:The game comes with several spring training/minor league stadiums. I am not on PS3 network so I dunno what is in the bundle. What is your team of choice?

wzup Fletch. Initated a RTTS career: Center-field/Chicago Cubs organization

have noticed they really toned down the check-swing button, from 2 years ago (I only played as a starting pitcher in MLB 09)

btw, if you never tried RTTS mode, you need to give it a try. Depending on the postion you pick, it is very immersive

_

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:44 pm

RTTS is too in depth for someone like me who doesn't have much time to play now that I have a kid. I just like to get in there and play a full game and control the hitting and pitching aspect. If I was a single guy I would be on the RTTS like white on rice, but I'm not. Cubs would be a great team to play for. You can't say anything bad about 81 a year @ Wrigley.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:11 pm

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot and see how much I regret it

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:33 pm

fletcher21 wrote:RTTS is too in depth for someone like me who doesn't have much time to play now that I have a kid. I just like to get in there and play a full game and control the hitting and pitching aspect. If I was a single guy I would be on the RTTS like white on rice, but I'm not. Cubs would be a great team to play for. You can't say anything bad about 81 a year @ Wrigley.

It's just the opposite for me. I find in RTTS mode I can get in a game in 15-20 minutes max and that's as a pitcher. Another position might take a wee bit longer but I can promise you an RTTS game plays out shorter and faster than any other game in The Show.

The only problem I have with RTTS mode is that it's like a Sid Meirer Civilization game. It's tough to play just one game. You want to play another and another.