Developer/Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment San Diego
Price: $59.99
Genre: Sports
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: Nearly perfect in every realm of baseball simulation. A must own for the both casual and hardcore fans.
Pros: Improving on an already solid game engine leads to deeper levels of player immersion.
Cons: Audio commentary is beginning to show its age and umpire personalities feel like the computer is cheating.
If you are nothing more than a casual sports fan, this week might be more focused on the impending conclusion of March Madness (which ironically ends in April… go figure.) However, if you are hardcore fan of America’s Favorite Pastime, Sunday night marked the nirvana that is the kickoff Major League Baseball’s 2010 season. Never being one to miss out on the chance to milk a cash cow, Sony is once again suckling at the teat of their widely revered MLB: The Show franchise. Despite being exclusive to the PlayStation platforms, the series has been a runaway success. So has the team over at SCE San Diego once again delivered on the promise of prior seasons, or have they finally given into the complacency that plagues other yearly sports games?
Over the span of the last century, baseball has been frequently referred to as the “thinking man’s game.” Some would say that moniker is derived from the reasoning that watching a game is akin to observing a snail “sprint” forty meters, therefore requiring excessive daydreaming in order to stomach four hours of a glorified game of catch. The more dedicated fans would be quick to correcting this flawed logic, comparing the statistical battle to something of a game of chess, played out over the span of numerous drastically overpriced hot dogs and a mind numbing volume of cold beer. Fortunately for both parties, MLB 10: The Show, does its best to pacify both parties by tailoring the specific experience to your desires.
Want to just pick up and play a game between the Toledo Mudhens and the Kansas City Royals, just to see which minor league team would win? Then Exhibition mode is right up your alley; just be sure to give the Royals an extra five runs so the Mudhens don’t embarrass them too badly (Yes, internet smartasses, that factual mistake was made on purpose). Do you prefer to dig into the number game that has endeared the sport to a multitude of fans and bookies alike? You may prefer the season mode, where you can take control of any team of your choosing, either reversing their fortunes or once again contributing to their demise. Fans of both play styles should come away being satisfied with their experience, unless of course if they are a Yankees fan — lord knows they are NEVER happy.
As stellar as both modes are, the returning star of “The Show” has always been the “Road to the Show.” There wasn’t anything from last year that needed to be fixed, and the experience is just as immersive. To say that building a budding AA prospect from mediocre rookie to MLB veteran is gratifying would be like saying that midget pornography is disturbing; metaphors do fail when so obvious. Though there is nothing groundbreaking added for this season, the fourth iteration of this system proves that developers don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel in order to continue to draw the player in.
When the Minnesota Twins’ standout catcher Joe Mauer was named as this year’s cover athlete, the development team made the logical step to create a custom tailored “Catcher Mode.” From behind the plate, players get the unique opportunity to control virtually every aspect of the game. Everything from the pitch selection and placement to player alignment can be directed from the unique perspective of behind the mask. Sure, some may argue that this is a cheap gimmick used to sell more copies of a game, but if the box art bullet point matches the crime, then most likely you can connect the dots. While temporarily interesting, there is far too much depth in the rest of the game to get stuck in a permanently squatted position.
One dramatic flaw that became painfully apparent after the launch of 2009′s installment was an issue with the core online components. As evidenced by the comments on last year’s review, players were experiencing issues getting online leagues to operate properly. As with any other new feature, sometimes it takes a while to work out all of the kinks. All of those difficulties behind them, online leagues are back and better than ever, featuring full season play with up to thirty different players. Think fantasy baseball is intense? You aint seen nothing yet!
Any baseball fan can tell you: no matter how many hits a team can get, there are bound to be a few strikeouts along the way. The same is true with some of The Show’s trademark features such as the color commentary and dynamic umpire personalities. In the case of the three-headed commentary monster, consisting of Matt Vasgersian, Dave Campbell, and “The Wonderdog” Rex Hudler, there is a lack of the flow and energy of past seasons. Not to say that the commentary is overly bad, but when you have been using the same piece of dialog since 2008, it might be time to fire up the recording booth. Plus, it wouldn’t kill the development team to switch up the incidental dialog from time to time. For example, the phrase, “I was about to call that a strike, but I guess that’s why I’m not an umpire,” is uttered enough to make even the most dedicated fan want to pop their eardrums in protest.
In most competitive sports, close games can be won or lost on a split-second decision by an official. There also are numerous cases where a blown call has resulted in teams being completely screwed out of a win. As much as we all love realism in our sporting games, this inconsistency shouldn’t make the jump to simulation. The game knows beyond the shadow of a doubt if a pitch is a ball or strike, or if a base runner is safe or out. So why would you want it to purposely make the incorrect call? In the many cases where things work out in the advantage of the computer, this is nothing more than developer sanctioned cheating. Sometimes it is best to leave realism on the diamond, in favor of fairness.
Once again, Sony’s “The Show” franchise has failed to disappoint. Their attention to detail and refinement on prior perfection get players closer to the diamond than was ever believed possible. Whats next? A pierogi racing minigame? Whatever direction developers choose for next year, this season’s installment will appeal to both casual and hardcore baseball fans. With the fixes to online leagues and a few excellent additions like Catcher Mode, there is enough polish to make you want to dust off your favorite virtual bat and start swinging for the fences.
Popularity: unranked [?]
