The pop of the mitt and the crack of the bat could mean only one thing; baseball must be back. MLB The Show returns with another solid entry in the best baseball series there is. Not content with just being the best baseball game available, the team at Sony implemented several changes big and small, and for the most part they were very successful.
On the field, MLB plays almost exactly like last years entry. Pitching still uses the pulse mechanic, though the classic single click is still available for those that don’t like pulse pitching. For those that don’t know, in pulse pitching there is a circle that pulses faster or slower depending on a variety of factors including skill, weariness, and pressure. You want to click the pitch button when the circle is at its smallest. If you don’t your pitch may not go anywhere near where you intended, including right down the middle for the opposing batter to crush out of the park.
Hitting is the same as always except they added a third type of swing. Joining the regular and power swings is the new contact swing which is great when there are 2 strikes on you and you just want to make contact so you don’t strike out. Behind the scenes the hitting has received a bit of an overhaul though. In previous entries pitching very much had the edge on hitting. Far too many games turned into 2-1 or 3-2 pitching duels even when there were only average pitchers on the mound. This year Sony increased the likelihood of 10-6 or 8-4 games, which are quite common in today’s game.
Hitting home runs was also a bit of an issue in previous games where even the best power hitters in the game would hit far fewer home runs than they should and would instead hit lots of doubles or just fly out. In my opinion they have gone too far in the other direction however as seemingly three quarters of the balls I hit in the direction of the Green Monster in Fenway Park went over the fence. I actually would have preferred a couple more wall-balls and a few less home runs, but it’s not a crippling deficiency by any stretch.
A beginner difficulty mode has also been added for hitting. When playing on beginner, the opposing pitcher will start the game throwing fastballs right down the middle of the plate. Once you get the hang of that and start having success, the computer will start moving the ball around a little and eventually add more pitches. It’s good for beginners, as the name implies, and people who are rusty and just need to get back into the flow of things.
The broadcasters received some attention this year. While never bad before, the commentary was limited and occasionally wouldn’t come close to matching the action on the field. In this year’s game, a third broadcaster has been added to the team, Steve Lyons who currently does the LA Dodgers pre and post game shows. The amount of dialogue has also been greatly increased so there is more variety now and less repetitiveness. There still is the occasional completely wrong call. In one game I played the announcer said I caught a line drive to end the ball game. The only problem with that was that I didn’t catch the ball, it landed in front of my outfielder and 2 runs scored on the play.
Franchise mode wasn’t forgotten. The biggest tweaks in that mode involve team budgets and team specific tendencies. Player scouting also received a bit of an overhaul. In previous games the appeal of using small market teams was pretty low because their budget wouldn’t increase nearly as quickly as that of teams like the Red Sox or Yankees, so you were always at a disadvantage financially. In this year’s game, budgets are tied to winning and making the playoffs.
If you make the playoffs and make it through a round or two, you budget will get bigger the next season. If you keep winning, within a few seasons a team like the Twins could have a budget as big as the Yankees. This may not seem like that big of a thing, but it’s great news for fans of small market teams like the Marlins and Twins.
Team specific tendencies deals with the personality of teams. No longer will you be able to trade an again veteran to a team for a young stud just because the veteran has a slightly higher overall rating. In MLB 13, the Yankees will be more likely to trade away their best prospects for a veteran player whereas if you tried to trade for a young player on the Nationals or Baltimore you’ll have to give up a heck of a lot more than normal because they put a much higher value on young players than other teams.
MLB 13 adds a couple new modes this year to go along with the usual play now, franchise, online franchise, etc. New this year are the Show Live, the Postseason, and Challenge of the Week. The Show Live essentially lets you play with the exact lineups and pitching matchups as are being used in real life that day. Prior games are also available to play. The game gets the info directly from MLB.com to ensure the best possible accuracy.
The Postseason is exactly what it sounds like, you play through the playoffs with whichever team you choose. The new wild card rules are implanted in this mode for some added fun and excitement. Lastly, Challenge of the Week pits players from across the world against each other, in an indirect way. Your performance in that weeks given challenge is scored and put on the leaderboard. Whoever performs best each week will win a prize, including a signed MLB 13 game case.
While not a perfect, MLB 13: The show is still a great baseball simulation worth buying if you are a fan of baseball. It plays great on the field, has made some great strides off the field. The graphics are so impressive at times that during one of the short cutscenes, a family member actually asked who was playing because they thought it was a real game.
Lastly, there are only a few minor issues with the game and none of them are major by any stretch of the imagination.
Our Honest View gives MLB 13: The Show a 4.5 out of 5. It is by far the best baseball game out there. If you are a baseball fan and own a PS3, you should get this game. Only minor issues like the occasional excessive amount of home runs, and broadcast miscues keep this game from being a 5/5.
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| By: Adam Zimmerman |
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