MLB 09 The Show Sneak peek

ansonlee · Post by **ansonlee** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:42 pm

I'm on default and am lucky to get a hit per inning. Hr I can't hit even with power swing. Last year I thought hitting was fine. This year it's impossible. Sliders aren't even help me out with maxxed settings. I suck at hitting so no fun for me. Pitching on the other hand is the best in baseball game history.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Thu May 07, 2009 3:33 pm

Wait, didn't you just ask if they made it harder this year?

Are you a bot?

Do androids dream of electric sheep?

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Fri May 08, 2009 1:51 pm

Three things are beginning to affect my enjoyment of this game. Keep in mind when i say that i mean it goes from "Greatest Sports Game Ever" to "*Greatest Sports Game Ever".

1) The number of arbitrary drops by my middle infielders on the exchange when attempting a double play and the timing of them. It feels as though when they happen they ALWAYS extend an inning and a rally ensues immediately following when the DP would have gotten me out of it.

2) The number of throws by my SS that sail into the stands for an error. And i'm not talking about a ball in the hole that i have to jam on the button to beat out a runner. I'm talking a routine ground ball that is fielded cleanly, two steps toward first, and then launched into the head of the popcorn vendor in the front row.

3) How often I make "Solid Contact" and have "Prefect Timing" and hit balls foul, or slow rollers, or just all around outs. I mean i have a hard enough time hitting and am so far away from the ball most times, how about a reward when i am on the damn thing!

Anyway, like i said, i am still loving this game, just needed to get that off my chest. Now back to my six game losing streak.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:02 pm

Yes, sometimes it feels like SCEA's method for making hitting harder was to simply take the number of times you successfully meet the criteria for good contact and then throwing in some other variable that reduces getting that actual result by about half. Hence the 15-16 hits games of yore, and now 7, 8, 9... that range. I'm cool with it though.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:58 pm

Rally there is no come back AI in this game, just keep repeating that too yourself and your mind will convince your eyes and heart they are wrong.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu May 21, 2009 11:38 am

I threw my first CGSO last night, and it was one of the most satisfying feelings I've had in a sports game. I pitched as Ted Lilly at home against the Cards, and had the no-no going through five and a 1-hitter through 7. Ankiel and Pujols got back-to-back hits with 2-outs in the ninth, but I struck out the last better to finish the game. I also tagged a grand-slam with Aramis Ramirez for good measure.

The more I play, the more I think this is my favorite sports game of all time. The level of care and detail surpasses anything I've seen since the heydays of Front Page Sports football and High Heat.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu May 21, 2009 11:44 am

Brando70 wrote:The more I play, the more I think this is my favorite sports game of all time. The level of care and detail surpasses anything I've seen since the heydays of Front Page Sports football and High Heat.

Yeah, it's a no brainer that it's the best sports game of all-time if you dig baseball games. Detractors would pick other games, but that's just because they aren't a fan of baseball games. It's a select group.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Thu May 21, 2009 12:22 pm

This is the one game that keeps me thinking about a ps3.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Thu May 21, 2009 12:37 pm

Brando70 wrote:I threw my first CGSO last night, and it was one of the most satisfying feelings I've had in a sports game.

That's weird, I also got my first CGSO just the other night. It took until game number 97 of my season!

Jake Westbrook got it for my Tribe at Seattle. I was up 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the leadoff Mariner got a single, I was STRESSIN', I wanted the CGSO bad but I figured if the tying run came to the plate I'd HAVE TO go to my closer. But luckily the next guy hit into a DP and then I got a game-ending called third strike, it was SWEEEET!!!!!

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Thu May 21, 2009 10:12 pm

lexbur wrote:
Brando70 wrote:I threw my first CGSO last night, and it was one of the most satisfying feelings I've had in a sports game.
That's weird, I also got my first CGSO just the other night. It took until game number 97 of my season!

Hell, I just pitched my first complete game, forget a shutout.

TIN FOIL HAT ON!

Curious, did you both do this after the patch released on the 19th?

bkrich83 · Post by **bkrich83** » Thu May 21, 2009 10:32 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
Brando70 wrote:The more I play, the more I think this is my favorite sports game of all time. The level of care and detail surpasses anything I've seen since the heydays of Front Page Sports football and High Heat.
Yeah, it's a no brainer that it's the best sports game of all-time if you dig baseball games. Detractors would pick other games, but that's just because they aren't a fan of baseball games. It's a select group.

Agreed 100%..

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Fri May 22, 2009 9:18 am

webdanzer wrote:Curious, did you both do this after the patch released on the 19th?

No patch for me.

And I agree with you guys about it being the best sports video game ever.

BTW, last night I played my first game since my shutout, my starter Aaron Laffey's dealing, he's got another shutout going through five innings, but then he implodes in the sixth, the bullpen's no help at all, I wind up losing 8-4. Back to reality.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Fri May 22, 2009 10:44 am

I actually find it sort of un-enjoyable. A beautiful way to watch a virtual season play out, but not that much fun to play. User input just doesn't seem to have enough impact on the proceedings. If David Wright is going to overthrow first base 15 games in 50 games when I'm only tapping the throw button, why is there a throw meter at all?

I'm still playing it though.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri May 22, 2009 10:56 am

Slumberland wrote:I actually find it sort of un-enjoyable.

Are you one of them there mythical detractors?

For me the game beautifully recreates baseball and is fun to play but Im not ready to call it best sports game ever. Somehow I always manage to find something else to play.
Could be db is right and its cause Im just not as big a baseball fan as I was 20 years ago...or that I dont want to travel all the way to the living room to play.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:00 am

XXXIV wrote:Are you one of them there mythical detractors?

More of a skeptic than a detractor.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:17 am

Slumberland wrote:I actually find it sort of un-enjoyable. A beautiful way to watch a virtual season play out, but not that much fun to play. User input just doesn't seem to have enough impact on the proceedings. If David Wright is going to overthrow first base 15 games in 50 games when I'm only tapping the throw button, why is there a throw meter at all?

I'm still playing it though.

We've talked about this a little before and elsewhere, Slumber, so you know I'm thinking a little bit along the same lines. I like to have my baseball games decided by a combination of user ability and player skillsets. To me, a lot of what goes on in The Show is determined more by other factors like 'confidence' or 'momentum' or the similar.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:26 am

I think infielders throwing to first has just as much to do with your timing in pressing the throw button in relation to the fielder's body position and momentum as it does to how hard you press the button.

I know if I just tap the button I can still sail the ball over the firstbaseman's head if in that exact instance I tapped the button my fielder was off balance or his momentum was disrupted because I mistimed the throw.

At least that's the way it seems to me. I think it's important to keep the fielder's throwing motion fluid by timing your throw just right, no matter how hard you press the button.

Plus, like with everything else in this game, it's very streaky. My SS Peralta will make five throwing errors in a week, then go a month without making one. So who knows?

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri May 22, 2009 2:40 pm

I don't know what sports game I would rank ahead of it. It's hands-down the best of this generation of games. I think it's better than High Heat. It's better than NBA 2k9. And it clobbers any console football game. I suppose Winning Eleven in its heyday might be close, but I am biased toward baseball.

I see where Slumber and Web are coming from, but I find the game makes more sense this year. There are certainly variables and randomness, but now, if I get great contact with a ball and don't get a hit, I can see why. Maybe I'm early and rip it foul. Maybe I crush it but right to a guy. Maybe the wind carries a home run shot back to the track. The only area where I think there is probably too much randomness is throwing, but I haven't seen the level of errors Slumber has.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Fri May 22, 2009 3:48 pm

It's certainly realistic though... error-prone defense and good hitting but no ability to drive anyone in is EXACTLY what the Mets have been all about so far. Be careful what you wish for!

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:55 pm

So, I've had this game for a week, and for the most part I am very impressed and very happy to have back in my life a quality baseball game I can play v. CPU without utter boredom.

However, the frustration is mounting as I repeatedly demonstrate that I cannot hit AT ALL! I've hit a couple of home runs, even a few that were hit squarely (vs the others that were late-swing stabs sneaking over a short porch the opposite way. . . ), but I just can't hit with any consistency at all.

'Guess the pitch,' while it seems like a handy tool on paper, seems to make me worse (a mental failure, to be sure). I can't get the hang of where the ball is in the strike zone, and I've cycled through the cameras (I didn't stick with 'high' for long at all, but I've played at least a few games in the others) and come back to the default 'catcher' view, and still can't seem to get any better at picth identification or location. I have a really bad eye.

And then, when I do look fastball and get one and it looks like a strike. . . I swing early some 9 times out of 10. On the fast ball.

I know I pretty much suck, but small things, like the CPU's uncanny ability to hammer my change up (meant to be low and away, I swear!) even when they are way behind on my heater, start to get to me as my team average sits near .150. I mean they drill it. And other little things build up to frustration, like when my infielders get stuck in some crazy-long throwing animation and thus are late on the throw, or outfielders running right past balls in the air without even making a stab, or. . . you get the idea.

If I could have any success on offense at all, these little issues wouldn't bother me as much, but the only games I have a chance to win are really close, so losing because of annoying little things that I'm too new to the game to be used to yet drives me well up the wall.

Ugh. OK, I had to vent.

For the most part, the game is very impressive and I'm very happy to have it. I will say that I love how inconsistent the pitching location tends to be, even when you are nailing that little yellow line, and I love the massive hit variety.

But back to how much I suck at hitting: outside of the obvious, real-world type of advice, is there anything that can help me hit in this game? Why am I so out of sorts at the plate, yet swing early on every fast ball and almost never late? Baaaaah! Frustration reigns!

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:13 pm

What level are you playing on?

I'd recommend perhaps ignoring the left stick completely to start out with, and just looking for pitches down the heart of the plate.

It's really hard. And even when you get the hang of it you'll then slide back into stretches where it's difficult to stay above the mendoza line.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:38 pm

I'm on All-Star or whatever is one up from the default Veteran, now. I had big problems swinging early on fast balls on Veteran, so I thought stepping up would help me there. It hasn't, really.

I am trying as much as possible to not use the L-stick at all, or more to select inside or outside and hold it there while I am in a count where I can look for a pitch. I try not to move the stick in reaction to the pitch. Nowadays, I try not to guess pitch type or location unless I have a good hitter's count, because I tend to get overanxious when I guess right and end up swinging at bad pitches or swinging way, way early when I get that double 'ding.' Of course, the vast majority of my quality hits have come when I'm not guessing, and when I don't move the stick at all. Everything I've hit with the power swing has been foul.

Essentially, I don't think there are any real tricks that will help me. I'm just venting. I am hopeful that I will get better at recognizing pitch type and location the more I play, but I'm just very frustrated right now as I begin the journey that is The Show. Most of you have had at least one or maybe two versions of the game already, but this is all new to me. That said, it's not really that different to me than Hight Heat, so for the most part it all seems very comfortable. But that isn't helping my powerful Mets lineup hit or score any runs.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:45 pm

I have a heck of a time moving the stick to hit so the main thing that helped me was using the guess location feature and only trying to swing when the ball is in that zone (or even better if I have a very favorable count I look for a pitch dead center in that zone). Using the guess location feature moves the PCI to the zone. I will do that until I get two strikes. I also stopped using the power button at all and just upped the power slider instead. Messing with sliders is really not that fun at all but a few little ticks here and there to give yourself a boost hitting will ease the frustration level.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:07 pm

I play on veteran. I push up for a flyball, down for a grounder, or don't touch the RIGHT stick at all. This is prior to the pitch. Then when the pitch is thrown, I don't use the LEFT stick at all. I've become a much better hitter, because I'm not trying to play joystick hockey. I simply time the pitch without worrying about moving the LEFT stick.

In addition, try and not get too anxious. Try and be as patient as possible. Going against the numbers 3, 4, and 5 hitters, take the first pitch. Get ahead in the count. Once you do, you can then sit on the fastball. Hits will definitely come if you're ahead in the count. If you're seeing a lot of first pitch strikes, every now and then hack at the first pitch.

Pay attention to your opponent pitcher's arsenal of pitches. Focus especially in on his two primary best pitches. Look only fastball and curveball if that's his best. Don't worry he has a sinker if it's his worst pitch.

TURN OFF GUESS PITCH. It truly messes with your head. If you guess right, then you're too anxious. If you guess wrong, you're guessing. Just relax and hold the controller really loose. It helps, trust me. It gets rid of that anxiety.

This game is a sim. It takes time, but you'll get it sooner than later.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:59 am

One of the problems with guess pitch is that even if you guess right, it's only indicative of where the pitcher is aiming, not where the pitch will end up.

I know you've tried all the views, but what did you think of offset, Zepp? I find that slight side view makes it easier to judge velocity.