Customer Reviews

MLB 08 The Show

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was a huge fan of MLB The Show 07, and didn't think Sony could really improve upon itself. Boy was I wrong! Here are just some of the improvements made.....

1. Improved graphics - not as much of a cartoony look. Amazing looking fields, background animation (people playing with beach balls in the stands, just as examples) And this time people actually go for foul balls hit into the stands.

2. Improved stats - This game track EVERYTHING, including how your player fares at the plate with various pitches, locations, pitchers, etc. It also has a better "training" mode in my opinion. Similiar to last year's, but a little more specific.

3. You can import your own soundtrack to play in the game. And the manual makes it very easy to do so.

The only thing that I found that was a negative so far is when you are fielding. If the batter takes a ball or strike, many times the at-bat starts over, with a 0-0 count.

They did say that you can play an entire game, and even save the game before a full game is completed. However, this DOES NOT APPLY to the "Road to the Show" mode.

If you want a baseball game that is realistic in just about every aspect, you need to buy this game. I played 07 until today, when I bought 08. And I am certain I will be playing this one until 09 comes out.

Hands down, this is the best baseball game on the market. Sony has taken the time and effort to perfect a baseball game with every aspect of realism you can have! From the people in the stands to the signiture moves of the players, to the unique not often repeated announcers... no game has ever gotten you closer to actually being at a ball park. I am an avid baseball fan, and I can say that I really look for authenticity when it comes to my sports (especially baseball games). The controls are perfect, not too crazy as well, which is very important. Overall, I'd say Sony has a huge winner when it comes to this game!

I have been waiting for a quality MLB game to come out for the PS3 and saw that The Show was getting more attention than 2K8, so I preordered The Show. I played it today and I am blown away. This game is great. I love how simple basic gameplay is. You can get really good at this game, but at the same time, someone who has not played this game before will be able to pick it up and compete. HD graphics and THX sound. This game is excellent.

This is simply the best baseball game ever made. Is it perfect? No, but it's close.
Everything it does, it does well. Hitting takes some practice, but after awhile it comes pretty easy. AI seems excellent. Graphics are great. The game will online and download the latest rosters for all the teams. ...Just get it.

Here's a real quick look at my credentials for this review, so you know I'm not biased: I played baseball for 15 years, including college. I have all 3 systems, and have played MLB 2K8 (on 360) and 08 The Show.

This game has no rival. If you played the MVP series back when EA made excellent baseball games (before Take Two scored exclusive rights to the MLB with the exception of the already-standing agreement with Sony to make this one), then you remember what fluid, fun baseball can be like on a home console. The framerates are stellar, in 3 months worth of a season (haven't been able to stop playing yet) I have seen no reduction at all - with broadcast presentations turned on. The presentations are as close to a real TV broadcast as it gets. The animations are spot-on, even the umpires are real (I saw a second baseman drop the ball when he was trying to get ready to throw it to first on a double play, the umpire actually signalled that it was on the transfer, and the runner was out - I've never seen anything like that in a video game before).

In Road To The Show, with my player standing on third base, it really did feel like I was there. Instead of pausing the game to check how many outs there are, I simply had my player turn to look at the scoreboard in left. Coach requests make sense, you have to cover bases and back-up throws like you normally would, and your role actually feels like you're part of a team - but still an individual trying to make it to The Show.

I took MLB 2K8 back within a few minutes of playing this gem. Highly recommended.

PROS:
* Realism in animations, presentations, and gameplay
* Road To The Show - like a game within a game, or for most people THE game
* Controls are simple and feel natural to a baseball video game - especially when controlling one player in RTTS
* Online with multiplayer and roster updates (a big deal when you have accurate rosters without having to force trades or manipulate the game)
* Improved coaching in RTTS
* Improved menus and stats all around
* Umpires and crowd react realistically (crowd plays with beach ball and reach for foul balls, umpires signal, duck, are inconsistent... just well done)

CONS
* Too many foul balls
* Some repeated dialogue (inevitable)
* Some bad minor league stadiums
* Long load times

Overall - this is easily the best baseball game of this generation of consoles, and possibly within the last 5 years. A true next-generation experience.

MLB 08 The Show delivers an exciting game of baseball that truly puts you right in the stands.

Most noticeably, MLB 08 was given a huge upgrade in the presentation department. Refined player models, stadiums, colors and cut scenes deliver a believable experience. Better yet, these additions do not cause the frame rate to drop during the game.

Road to the Show also received a few updates, including coach signals as well as fielding impact. Last year, playing defense didn't mean a thing. You were essentially taking up space/time as it just didn't matter what you did (or didn't do). That's changed. You earn points for playing good defense and you lose points for bad plays. Don't forget to cover the base during a double play or steal.

Franchise mode is basically the same with the exception of additional stat overlays and displays. Franchise is still very deep as it was last year.

Online play is great. Remember, these games are peer-to-peer. IF YOU PLAY SOMEONE WITH A POOR CONNECTION, YOUR GAME WILL LAG. IF YOU LAG ALL THE TIME, IT'S PROBABLY YOUR CONNECTION. Games are lag-free (again, assuming you play someone with a decent connection). As of last night, there were many players online. You shouldn't have any problems getting a game going.

Maybe I'm just not a baseball video game kind of guy, but this game is ridiculously hard. The graphics are unreal and beautiful, and it has alll kinds of gameplay options, but just playing a game of hardball was (to me) impossible.

MLB 08: The Show has got all the bells and whistles you could want in a baseball game. The graphics are stunning and what you would expect from a PS3 sports title. Player models are accurate, I.E. Brandon Webb has a got a noticeably fatter body type than, the skinny Randy Johnson. The gameplay itself is great, there are a multitude of sliders you can change on top of four difficulty modes to really tune the game how you want it to be played. One problem was if none of the sliders were changed, you can get a ton of hits but only a few runs. So I've had lines like 3 runs 12 hits quite a lot. With the sliders I'm sure that this can be adjusted though.

Now on to the gameplay modes.

Franchise mode is exactly what it implies, you control everything about a team from its ticket and food prices to Double AA games that you can opt to play.

Season mode- Same as franchise except you don't control the minor leagues, or ticket prices, etc, only play the games and set the line-ups.

Manage Only Mode- You get to manage the game by watching it, and calling for hit and runs, steals, etc. This mode can also be played in your Season and Franchise.

Sportcast Simulator- This mode can only be assessed in Franchise or Season, if anyone is familiar with MLB.com Gameday, that's basically what this mode is. You can still sub players, and basic managerial moves except it goes along quite quicker than Manage Only Mode.

Road to the Show- This is the series signature career mode, where you start out as a scrub player and have to work your way to the majors. This is where the game loses some points, the series used to allow for the user to control the whole team (classic career) and now only allows the user to be their own player. So if you are a pitcher, you watch the team field. This is more realistic, however there is no reason they couldn't leave both career modes in, like MLB 07: The Show on the PS2, for those who liked it better.


Online play is the other thing that brings the game down some. The PSN service is free, however this game can lag very bad, making the online games not very enjoyable.

All in all if you like baseball this game will provide countless hours of fun, so don't hesitate to buy.

Finally, an HD sports game that actually looks like it's HD and takes advantage of the PS3's abilities. This is hands down the best sports game to come out for the PS3. Madden fans will be wondering why the hell hasn't EA come up with something that's even close to MLB 08 The Show. This game blows the doors off of any other sports game in the graphics department. The game is a bit challenging to learn if you haven't played it before, it takes a while to learn how to hit. It doesn't have the zillion jerseys you get with the 2K franchise, but what it lacks in that department, it makes up for visually. Download the demos first from the Playstation store and you'll see what I mean. It's like apples and oranges. This game really is worth the 60 bucks. I'd put it up there with Drake's Fortune. It is that good.

I am a casual video player (there is only so much time!)but this game makes your time worth while. Very life-like, as if you were watching it in TV, but being part of it. The play by play talk is very good.