MLB 09 The Show Sneak peek

WillHunting · Post by **WillHunting** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:29 am

I am having problems hitting as well. I am starting to do better by these 2 things.

First, batting practice. It is boring but do get you accustomed to avoid bad pitches. Maybe do like 60-100 pitches before a game.

Second, I focus my eyes on the pitcher's hand as he release the ball... I seem to judge ball vs strike much better. Timing is still a b*tch for fast ball but I get a few more hits per game doing this.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:34 am

Is anyone having success in franchise?

I'm playing a default All-Star franchise with the Cubs and I'm 8-24. I just lost a 7-5 game against the Brewers where I scored 4 in the 8th to make it 5-4, only to give up a single, walk, and HR at the bottom of the inning. That was my seventh loss in a row, and nearly all of my losses have been by 3 runs or less.

As much as I love this game, the close losses have really gotten frustrating. I feel like I'm playing well enough to compete in each game, but inevitably I make some pitching or hitting mistake and lose. I'm just wondering if anyone is doing well consistently, because I'm close to quitting this game even though I love it.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:53 am

Brando70 wrote:Is anyone having success in franchise?

I'm playing a default All-Star franchise with the Cubs and I'm 8-24. I just lost a 7-5 game against the Brewers where I scored 4 in the 8th to make it 5-4, only to give up a single, walk, and HR at the bottom of the inning. That was my seventh loss in a row, and nearly all of my losses have been by 3 runs or less.

As much as I love this game, the close losses have really gotten frustrating. I feel like I'm playing well enough to compete in each game, but inevitably I make some pitching or hitting mistake and lose. I'm just wondering if anyone is doing well consistently, because I'm close to quitting this game even though I love it.

Move down a difficulty level and play on Veteran. Seriously. I owned this series on HOF level for the last bunch of years, and I was hoping that this year's legend mode would be what I was looking for.

Er...no, not quite.

Not only did I not need to worry about Legend, I had to bump it down from HOF! I've been playing on All-Star and finally getting Yankee-like results. I'm around 5-6 games over 500 now, and though my batting AVG are pretty high compared to real life, the games feel much better.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:32 am

Brando70 wrote:Is anyone having success in franchise?

How does 40-95 sound?

That's on All-Star with the Tribe. At first my goal was to not lose 100, but that's going to happen. Now my goal is to not have any of my starters lose 20. Three of them are dangerously close.

I just won three out of four at Baltimore.

As far as losing close games late, I haven't really noticed any sort of comeback AI out of the ordinary. Kerry Wood is 25 out of 27 save opportunities for me. Most of my losses I either get blown out, or if it's a close loss I can usually trace it back to something stupid I did.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:10 pm

Brando70 wrote:Is anyone having success in franchise?

I'm playing a default All-Star franchise with the Cubs and I'm 8-24. I just lost a 7-5 game against the Brewers where I scored 4 in the 8th to make it 5-4, only to give up a single, walk, and HR at the bottom of the inning. That was my seventh loss in a row, and nearly all of my losses have been by 3 runs or less.

As much as I love this game, the close losses have really gotten frustrating. I feel like I'm playing well enough to compete in each game, but inevitably I make some pitching or hitting mistake and lose. I'm just wondering if anyone is doing well consistently, because I'm close to quitting this game even though I love it.

I'm playing on veteran and my Padres are 4-12 in the regular season. Numerous times I've restarted my franchise because I simply couldn't win many games. Recently I started up yet another franchise with the pads to see if I could win a few more but after 4 spring training games I'm 1-3. I've started simming all my pitching and now I just bat (with auto base running). I sim the pitching because I can't hit the perfect release spot very frequently and I'm consistently giving up 5-10 runs a game. I really love this game but the difficulty is very frustrating at times. At some point I'll probably drop it down to Rookie and just beat the crap outta the cpu to boost my MLB 09 self esteem a bit:)

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 2:16 pm

I'm 60-65 on All-Star w/ the Braves. The game is brutal. Go on a nice winning streak, thinking I can bump it up to HOF, but then get brought RIGHT back down to earth and lose 5 in a row. It's crazy...but it's almost exactly how the "real" Braves are going right now, so I can't say it's not realistic. Sheesh.

And just like the real Braves...my pitching has been fantastic, but I can't hit a lick. I've got three starters under 3.25 era, yet none of them have a winning record (and Lowe is 4-11 w/ a 2.90...unreal). Crazy.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:11 pm

I'm 142 games into my season, I figured by now I had seen every animation/cut scene there is to see in the game, but I saw a new one this weekend I hadn't seen before. My pitcher just got his sixth strikeout and they showed some fans hanging the sixth "K" sign in a row in the stands at Progressive Field. The announcers even made a comment about them.

It's probably no big deal, maybe you guys have seen that scene several times already, and maybe it's just that I've fast-forwarded past it and missed it all season long, but I just found it pretty cool to still be seeing new stuff this late in the season.

I also hit into a triple play. I had the bases loaded and hit a grounder to third, he tagged the runner coming from second, then threw to second, then to first. It was during my 100th loss. I'm really getting my ass kicked by this game, but I still keep coming back for more.

snaz16 · Post by **snaz16** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:07 pm

lexbur wrote:I'm 142 games into my season, I figured by now I had seen every animation/cut scene there is to see in the game, but I saw a new one this weekend I hadn't seen before. My pitcher just got his sixth strikeout and they showed some fans hanging the sixth "K" sign in a row in the stands at Progressive Field. The announcers even made a comment about them.

It's probably no big deal, maybe you guys have seen that scene several times already, and maybe it's just that I've fast-forwarded past it and missed it all season long, but I just found it pretty cool to still be seeing new stuff this late in the season.

I also hit into a triple play. I had the bases loaded and hit a grounder to third, he tagged the runner coming from second, then threw to second, then to first. It was during my 100th loss. I'm really getting my ass kicked by this game, but I still keep coming back for more.

Kinda mirrors the Tribe's real season

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:50 am

I saw the hanging Ks scene last night. I fanned 5 of the first 7 batters, and that's when they showed it.

I have yet to get past 2-3 games of a franchise. Up until last night the Show still hadn't grabbed me. I wass still having more fun with MVP 05 on the Xbox. Then I decided to give it another go.

This time I tried the meter pitching instead of classic (which I like better now). I also had to get myself in the right frame of mind. I realized that I was expecting to blaze through a game in 30 minutes (ala MVP), and when it didn't happend I'd get restless and end up turning off the game before I was finished. I have tried the fasst play feature, but then it removes all of the interesting scenes (and batter wallups to you know who's hitting). This is one of those games I can't play just to get in a quick fix. A full game just takes too long. I need to go into it knowing that and making sure I'm not watching the clock when it's on.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:47 am

matthewk wrote:I saw the hanging Ks scene last night. I fanned 5 of the first 7 batters, and that's when they showed it.

I have yet to get past 2-3 games of a franchise. Up until last night the Show still hadn't grabbed me. I wass still having more fun with MVP 05 on the Xbox. Then I decided to give it another go.

This time I tried the meter pitching instead of classic (which I like better now). I also had to get myself in the right frame of mind. I realized that I was expecting to blaze through a game in 30 minutes (ala MVP), and when it didn't happend I'd get restless and end up turning off the game before I was finished. I have tried the fasst play feature, but then it removes all of the interesting scenes (and batter wallups to you know who's hitting). This is one of those games I can't play just to get in a quick fix. A full game just takes too long. I need to go into it knowing that and making sure I'm not watching the clock when it's on.

It would be nice if they had more customization for quick play. I miss all the walkups and stats, so I leave the full play feature on and just skip scenes.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:05 am

snaz16 wrote: Kinda mirrors the Tribe's real season

Yeah, that's probably why I've gotten so far in my season in The Show this year. Most nights I have to choose, watch the real Tribe get their butts kicked on TV or pop in The Show.

The real Tribe's been hard to watch this year. At least in The Show I know how to hit a cutoff man and I don't have my firstbaseman playing left field.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:49 am

Brando70 wrote:It would be nice if they had more customization for quick play. I miss all the walkups and stats, so I leave the full play feature on and just skip scenes.

Yeah, I really wish they gave us something in-between or let us customize it more ourselves. Yes, it is realistic, but in my baseball games the one thing I do not want to mimic is the pace of an actual game. Fast play makes the games more boring, but with it off I end up hitting X after every pitch in order to get to the next pitch quicker.

That's one of the great things about MVP. You could play a realistic game along with replays, walkups, and other extras in less than 45 minutes.

ADD & baseball do not mix

snaz16 · Post by **snaz16** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:44 pm

matthewk wrote:
Brando70 wrote:It would be nice if they had more customization for quick play. I miss all the walkups and stats, so I leave the full play feature on and just skip scenes.
Yeah, I really wish they gave us something in-between or let us customize it more ourselves. Yes, it is realistic, but in my baseball games the one thing I do not want to mimic is the pace of an actual game. Fast play makes the games more boring, but with it off I end up hitting X after every pitch in order to get to the next pitch quicker.

That's one of the great things about MVP. You could play a realistic game along with replays, walkups, and other extras in less than 45 minutes.

ADD & baseball do not mix

Matt.., you do know that in season or franchise mode you can save the game in progress,and pick up at that point later.And you can also play any game on the schedule,not just your own teams games.

snaz16 · Post by **snaz16** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:50 pm

lexbur wrote:
snaz16 wrote: Kinda mirrors the Tribe's real season
Yeah, that's probably why I've gotten so far in my season in The Show this year. Most nights I have to choose, watch the real Tribe get their butts kicked on TV or pop in The Show.

The real Tribe's been hard to watch this year. At least in The Show I know how to hit a cutoff man and I don't have my firstbaseman playing left field.

I feel your pain Lex,they've been deadful to watch. With the MLB package and the Rays up the road an hour or so, I have options.

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:42 pm

Everyone here knows I've been a big supporter of the 2k baseball series. I've really enjoyed the series even with all of its warts, bugs and glitches. I've never thought it to be as bad as the critics have made it out to be. I've completed seasons in 2k7 and 2k8 and was 3/4 of the way through 2k9. However, I've now had The Show for just about a week, and I must admit that this game is everything its been pumped up to be. The attention to detail is just incredible. I was enjoying the game, but it took my first win to really fall in love with the game. A 4-3 come from behind win against the Brewers.

While I like the right stick pitching from 2k9, I really enjoy what you have to do to pitch in the Show. Its really more challenging, and I think it takes more concentration to have success.

I suck at hitting. But I did have a good game against the Rockies where I scored 8 runs in one inning with two 3 run homers. What's funny is I feel as though I'm having more success hitting HR's so far in this game than I was in 2k9.

Its nice to be able to field a routine flyball without fearing that my outfielders are going to watch it sail over there heads. This was the one glitch in 2k9 that frustrated me the most. No matter what fix that was discussed in the community, this glitch always occurred at the most inopportune time. It felt like a cheat as it always happened in clutch situations.

In a few days time, I've realized that The Show 09 is the best baseball video game I've ever played.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:53 am

TheGamer wrote:Everyone here knows I've been a big supporter of the 2k baseball series. I've really enjoyed the series even with all of its warts, bugs and glitches. I've never thought it to be as bad as the critics have made it out to be. I've completed seasons in 2k7 and 2k8 and was 3/4 of the way through 2k9. However, I've now had The Show for just about a week, and I must admit that this game is everything its been pumped up to be. The attention to detail is just incredible. I was enjoying the game, but it took my first win to really fall in love with the game. A 4-3 come from behind win against the Brewers.

While I like the right stick pitching from 2k9, I really enjoy what you have to do to pitch in the Show. Its really more challenging, and I think it takes more concentration to have success.

I suck at hitting. But I did have a good game against the Rockies where I scored 8 runs in one inning with two 3 run homers. What's funny is I feel as though I'm having more success hitting HR's so far in this game than I was in 2k9.

Its nice to be able to field a routine flyball without fearing that my outfielders are going to watch it sail over there heads. This was the one glitch in 2k9 that frustrated me the most. No matter what fix that was discussed in the community, this glitch always occurred at the most inopportune time. It felt like a cheat as it always happened in clutch situations.

In a few days time, I've realized that The Show 09 is the best baseball video game I've ever played.

Glad to hear you are enjoying it. 2K is a solid game but, as you have found out, The Show is really THE game.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:27 pm

Finished my Tribe season last night with a 3-1 win at Fenway. My final record was 51-111. On the bright side, I won 29 games the second half of the season, compared to only 22 the first half, so I guess I'm improving.

My team BA was .265, which was in the middle of the pack, but I was last in team ERA (5.07).

I can't believe how fast I blew through the season. What a great video game.

snaz16 · Post by **snaz16** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:17 pm

lexbur wrote:Finished my Tribe season last night with a 3-1 win at Fenway. My final record was 51-111. On the bright side, I won 29 games the second half of the season, compared to only 22 the first half, so I guess I'm improving.

My team BA was .265, which was in the middle of the pack, but I was last in team ERA (5.07).

I can't believe how fast I blew through the season. What a great video game.

Like I said Lex, mirrors thier real season.
Currently the "real Tribe" batting .261...middle of the pack, and 5.21 era,which is dead last in the league,even worse than the Nats.
With that said they are on a 4 game winning streak

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:22 am

snaz16 wrote: Like I said Lex, mirrors thier real season.
Currently the "real Tribe" batting .261...middle of the pack, and 5.21 era,which is dead last in the league,even worse than the Nats.
With that said they are on a 4 game winning streak

Yeah I guess it did mirror the real Tribe's season pretty close, except one GLARING exception... you'll never guess who led my Tribe in BA, HR and RBIs... Kelly Shoppach of all people! HA! He was a BEAST!

Pretty funny considering the horrible season he's having in R/L, he can't even hit .200, and strikes out almost half the time.

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:59 pm

Trying to update the rosters in my franchise with all the trade movement. Is it possible to do multiple player trades and how do you release players without having to sign someone from the free agent list that doesn't belong to the team? Thanks for any help guys.

snaz16 · Post by **snaz16** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:37 pm

TheGamer wrote:Trying to update the rosters in my franchise with all the trade movement. Is it possible to do multiple player trades and how do you release players without having to sign someone from the free agent list that doesn't belong to the team? Thanks for any help guys.

With all the flurry today,good luck. Don't know how far along you are into the franchise,but if your not to far,it may pay to start over and DL next tuesday's update from the show.
Check the OS boards,they may have some better answers.
Glad your enjoying the best Baseball Game ever.

eman · Post by **eman** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:12 pm

WillHunting wrote:I am having problems hitting as well. I am starting to do better by these 2 things.

First, batting practice. It is boring but do get you accustomed to avoid bad pitches. Maybe do like 60-100 pitches before a game.

Second, I focus my eyes on the pitcher's hand as he release the ball... I seem to judge ball vs strike much better. Timing is still a b*tch for fast ball but I get a few more hits per game doing this.

One of my biggest grips with the game - practice modes are excruciatingly slow - especially batting practice. Back in the day I could hit 100 balls in HH in five minutes. In "The Show" the delay between pitches is dreadful. Very frustrating...

icvu42 · Post by **icvu42** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:18 pm

I am playing with he Yankees on the PSP and thought this was pretty cool cool. I started the season with Joba as a starter, then moved him to the pen... Well last nite I moved him back as a starter and in the pre-game intros they said, "On the hill tonight the starter turned reliever turned back to a starter, Joba Chamberlain."

Rick

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:22 pm

icvu42 wrote:I am playing with he Yankees on the PSP and thought this was pretty cool cool. I started the season with Joba as a starter, then moved him to the pen... Well last nite I moved him back as a starter and in the pre-game intros they said, "On the hill tonight the starter turned reliever turned back to a starter, Joba Chamberlain."

Rick

He did that last year too...so I'm sure it was already in the commentary and it was a coincidence that it said that. Would be damn cool if it actually could track that, but it didn't.

TheGamer · Post by **TheGamer** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:47 pm

snaz16 wrote:
TheGamer wrote:Trying to update the rosters in my franchise with all the trade movement. Is it possible to do multiple player trades and how do you release players without having to sign someone from the free agent list that doesn't belong to the team? Thanks for any help guys.
With all the flurry today,good luck. Don't know how far along you are into the franchise,but if your not to far,it may pay to start over and DL next tuesday's update from the show.
Check the OS boards,they may have some better answers.
Glad your enjoying the best Baseball Game ever.

I'm only about 15 games into the season, but I hate to restart a season once I get going. Anyway, I'm actually using Knight's rosters and its amazining the obscure minor league players he has named on this game. I've been able to complete most trades that have happened prior to the deadline.

Good game though. Just lost a game 1-0 in 10 innings. I let Harden go 9 1/3 since he had such few pitches and he gave up the winning run. He did so well, I didnt have the heart not to at least try to get him a win.