Customer Reviews

MLB 09 The Show

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I am a little late to the "show" but I am sure glad I finally arrived here! I just picked up the PS3 system 2 weeks ago. I am from the school that felt MVP baseball 2005 was hands down the best baseball game ever made for console gaming. I read numerous reviews on this game at various sites and was really shocked at the clear line of love it or hate it type of write ups. A little background on my gaming expereince for you youngens out there. I have been playing video games since the Atari 2600 (I still have that thing in fine working condition in a box with over 100 carts). Back then Intellevision was the bomb for baseball.Nintendo had Baseball Stars, and Bases Loaded the Second Season (both classics). On Sega Genesis we had RBI Baseball, and the sweet World Series Baseball. Then the Playstation had EA's Triple Play baseball,All Star Baseball and of course the legendary MVP 2005 for PS2. For this review I can tell you this game is being played on a 32' Sony XBR Bravia 1080P LCD with Digital Surround and HDMI video.

I will list my custom settings which I have found to be very challenging and at the same time very rewarding. These settings thus far have made for a very realistic gaming experience without the extreme amount of frustration that some have shared. Over time I am sure I will turn down and turn up these various settings as my skill in the game gets better with repeated play. I recommend these particular settings if you have had a good amount of baseball video gaming experience with either The Show or the MVP series, have a good working knowledge of the game and also if you are/were a ball player.

All Star difficulty

No hot/cold zones

No Strike Zone marker

No hitter zone marker

Yes - to ball marker to line up the pitches - even though the controller shakes if your out of the strike zone it does make things a tad easier and more enjoyable.

Yes - to 1/6 guess pitch and location - I believe part of baseball is to anticipate certain pitches and location at crucial times and to be rewarded like you would in real life with a solid hit or a majestic blast out of the park! This allows you to sit on a pitch that you guessed right. Or if you don't want to guess the pitch but know he will pitch you down and away that helps and you should be rewarded. Knowing location has it's rewards too! I played a game last night and just knew this pitcher was going to come at me inside....I promptly crushed one over the right field wall BOOYA!!!!!!

New Running control set up - very easy to use as I will explain below.

Yes - to API (Adaptive pitching intelligence) where the cather calls the game for you and you can either shake him off or follow his lead. I like this a lot! And don't be afraid to shake off your catcher. They do call for more fastballs then they should....shake him off and throw that change up or breaking ball!

All throwing, fielding, running, and sliding set to manuel

Yes - to the Fielding ball marker and steal the HR marker.

Yes - to umpire strike zone variabilty

No - CPU comebacks.

As far as my sliders go without being long winded the only adjustments I made were:

Turning up 2 clicks each:

Hitting Power
Solid Contact
Starting Pitcher Stamina
Relief Pitcher Stamina
Foul balls

Turning down 3 clicks:

Throwing errors.

Turned down 1 click

AI Pitch speed - if your a novice turn it dowm some more to get a feel for what different pitches do. Once you get the hang of it...turn it up!

On to the game.

Presentation - Never have I been so blown away by a sports games presentation than MLB 2009 The Show. From the moment you load in the game and hearing all the great radio calls to the opening lineup introductions, the umpire crew calling the game, the panning in the stadiums, the lighting and shading....I mean this is top notch stuff. The play by play is great. Without question you feel like your watching a baseball game. The menus are very in depth and easy to navigate. I love seeing in spring training games the beach balls being hit around. The crowd is very active and looks so real! The player models are nothing short of beautiful. The fielding animations are so life like...back hand stabs, flips to turn 2, scoops, fist pumping after a great play, dives and slides....all the most realisitc I have ever seen. Guys getting thrown out of arguing calls, Replays are awesome!!!! Custom walk up music, and recording your own cheers and jeers.....friggin sweet!

Gameplay - this is where the biggest debate has been on the reviews. I will say this. MLB 2009 is not for pick up and play gamers, gamers who do not have much baseball knowledge, and gamers who do not have patience. This is a game that was designed for true baseball fans, players, and sports gamers who want the ultimate in true realisim. If you don't fit into that description....buy MLB The Bigs.

The degree of difficulty in hitting is just that. It is not easy. This is not dependent on button mashing and pure timing. You must understand the sweet science of hitting, taking pitches, going with the pitch, fighting off pitches, having some sense of what pitch is coming depending on the count, the baserunners etc. The hitting aspect of this game is just flat out amazing. If you are patient and willing to practice you will be able to be successful. One of the biggest keys to hitting on this game is the left stick. You need to understand that if a pitcher is throwing it down and away and you swing at it....you better have the left stick pressed down and away as you time your button push and then maybe you either fight off the pitch, get a dribbler down the line you can leg out, hit an opposite field single...pop up, line out, my point is there is no guarantee you will get on base...but if you don't press that left stick down and away chances are you will whiff. If you have a man on third....tap the right stick up to induce a fly ball to tag up that runner!! Drag bunts are awesome on this game and they work well (tap your right stick either left or right before the pitch). I wish you could move the hitter around the box though...amazing a game with this much detail left that out. The hitters eye is a nice touch to see how the defense is playing you. Back to the hitting aspect. What I love is that even if you get the timing right sometimes your going to hit it hard....but it is going to find a glove. That is baseball. No one hits .375 year round....most hitters hit .275 to .280. Sometimes you time it right but you don't swing your bat high enough or low enough with the left stick. Again...ultimate realism. I still have not hit a HR using the power swing. I have hit a dozen (in 14 spring games) though using the normal swing button, with perfect timing and placing the sweet spot of the bat in the right area. I also do not like to use the power swing button because you can't check your swing at all. Check swinging is a major aspect of this game. The batter/pitcher duals are flat out sick!

Pitching - Wow...I love this. Even when you line up the ball right....sometimes your pitcher just does not have his best stuff. Know this and start thinking about getting your long reliever up earlier than you would like! I love the fact that you must work the zone....throw pitches high and away, low and outside, or give them a sweet splitter down the middle...whoops and then it drops like a rock! Also....make sure you get ahead in the count...because the great hitters will make you pay for mistakes all the time. Study your hitters with the pitcher/batter menu....amazing the amount of info you can gather from those screens. Also check the streak arrow direction next to their name and stats as they approach the batters box....is A-Rod on a cold steak? Then challenge him!! If he's hot and first base is open....pitch him carefully. Watch your pitchers confidence closley. If he is getting into trouble...get out there and talk to him. If he can't seem to get out trouble....send him to an early shower!

The plethora of pitches in the game is sweet. Screwballs, slurves, 2 seamers, 4 seamers, 12-6 curves, spliters, sliders, sinkers, knuckleballs, knuckle curves, changeups....awesome. The variability on the umpires is also a very nice touch. Sometimes you get calls...sometimes you don't. Adjust and adapt just like in real life!!!!

Fielding - Ok here is where there are a couple of quirks. Sometimes the AI chooses the wrong fielder for you intially and you need to hit that L2 quick...also sometimes you hit dive and meant it let's say for your 3rd baseman but the AI chose your LF instead and he is flat on his face and it turns into a double. It does not happen that often. In fact it is becoming less of an occurence as you get used to the speed of the game. The fielding though for the most part is very solid. I love the smoothness of the animations and man it feels so real. Throwing is a breeze as is diving and jumping. Throwing errors were happening too often on the "out of the box settings" so take my advice on the slider adjustments mentioned above. The fielding guide marker is very helpful and a must for novices and even vet's like me...it makes for a more enjoyable experience. Last night I perefectly timed a R2 dive for Hanley Ramirez to lay out up the middle on a grounder... he then flipped the ball up from his stomach to Uggla who was getting taken out on the throw to turn the 6-4-3 DP. AMAZING FIELDING ANIMATIONS!!!!!

Baserunning - Ok MVP 2005 has the best baserunning controls hands down with the use of the game pad....why MLB 2009 does not use that same scheme is anyone's guess....but the new running control scheme that uses the left stick is a breeze.I have never played any previous version of MLB The Show and read the classic controls and was getting dizzy. Just point to the base runner you want with your left stick and hit the button of the base you want him to go to. L1 for all advance...R1 for all retreat. After a dozen spring games for practice I have had no issues with base running. Stealing is also very easy. Point the stick to the runner you want and touch the button of the base you want him to steal. I have not tried a double steal as of yet....so no comment on that as of now.


Franshise mode - I am dizzy at the amount of options you have here. I actually let the CPU handle the training options, budget and stadium stuff....I am too busy with rosters, signing players, drafts, and scouting!!! In other words I like being the GM and Manager and I let the CPU handle other stuff.....for now (:
The 40 man rosters are great. I will miss the MVP minor league systems though. I look forward to my first draft as well as free agent signing peroid. I play the Marlins BTW.


RTTS - I have not yet ventured into this mode as of the writing of this review. I first want to complete a couple of seasons (which will take me probably a few years since I only can play maybe 8 hours a week) with my Marlins and then I will delve into that whole other world this game has.

Overall - the game is a 10 out of 10 for me. I don't think I have ever been this excited about a sports game since Madden and MVP 2005 for the PS2. This is a true innovative gaming experience. I played ball through college and still play softball on Sundays, It also helps I am a huge basbeball fan. This game is for baseball lovers...I do not reccommend this game for any casual gamers, casual baseball fans or a gamer who has little to no patience. However if you want a true baseball simulation that has more features than you know what to do with, and that also has replayability for the next 10 years look no further than MLB 2009 The Show. A game that truly rewards you with every game you play. The more you play the better you will get and the more fun you will ultimatly have! Quite possibly the best sports video game ever made. Now pass me some mustard for my red hots!

Have fun at the ball park everyone!

Here we are, another long winter over and another amazing spring to begin, and what better way to ring in the best time of year than with MLB 09 The Show.

Sony has done it, they have taken an amazing franchise and made it perfect. I could tell you about the perfect graphics and amazing sounds, but this game has literally everything. They have batters that react like their real-life counterparts and pitchers that are accurate down to the grip of the ball. Each player is rendered with extreme precision, and with the ability to manually add their actual walk up music and HR celebration music, nothing is more life-like.

They team at Sony has added well over 400 animations to an already extraordinary library of ones that existed previously. I could probably play 100 games and still see something new. From speaking to one of the developers, there are now over 100 animation simply for the first baseman catching a throw to first. That's just unreal. Also, as you play the game the infield wears down, if you dive for a ball on the back of the infield in the third inning, that large swipe of dirt will still be there the rest of the game, this is amazing. Score a runner from second base, and you'll see the footprints in the dirt until they get covered by even more footprints.

The crowd is intenase this year, it's dynamic. If there's a blow out, they might leave early. Also, you'll see Yankee fans in Fenway and vice-versa, as that's how it really is. Sony has made this as close to reality as possible. Also, the fans dress for the weather. I was playing an early April game in Chicago, and the announcers stated it was 43 degrees. Everyone in the crowd had hats, sweaters and jackets on. For a game in late May, it was t-shirts and shorts.

The lighting is another VAST improvement this season. The game actually has lighting that transitions throughout the game. It doesn't just go from light to dark, it follows a real nights subtle changes. Also, the lighting will hit players at certain angles that mimic a real sun, so the shadows will make a difference this year.

Add to all this, online leagues and Road to the Show 3.0, and yes you have a perfect baseball game.

Thank you Sony.

First of all, my review is not gonna tell you why this game is perfect because of how great the stadiums look, or how lifelike Manny Ramirez's dreads look. I love graphics as much as the next guy, but that is not what I am looking for in a baseball game. I am an obsessive Baseball fan and the only thing I am looking for is realism...and this game has done baseball perfectly.

You hear that a lot in reviews of this game don't you? Perfect. How many times have most of the reviewers of anything said something like that?

The only baseball game I have continued to play since like 1999 has been High Heat Baseball for PC. I have seriously continued to update the rosters year after year for the 2003 edition, keeping it current. Well, this game not only made me finally put that game away, but single-handedly made me buy a PS3.

That is saying a lot! Console Baseball games have continued to get it wrong, time after time, after sad disc throwing time for me. I can not say enough for how amazing this game is. The batter/pitcher battle, the most important part of baseball, is excellent. High pitch counts, countless foul balls, CPU actually throwing balls, strike outs looking, amazing.

The trajectory of batted balls is great too, lots of balls up the middle, and looping fly balls, like real baseball. Lots of little things too with feeling, balls are bobbled but plays are still made... adding more of a human feeling to the game. One of the other cool features on the game, is that on the higher up difficulty modes.. you are to use actual catcher signs to call pitches, 1 for fastball, 2 usually for curve etc.. and your catcher even calls what side of the plate its going too.

This game is perfect, 10 out of 10, 5 out of 5, whatever the ratings are. This game looks equally good when compared to how atrocious that Major league Baseball game is. Go BUY NOW.

I think many of the people who wrote previous reviews have given this game a fair assessment. I got back into playing console games recently and picked this game up b/c it was last years game and I didn't want to break the bank on video games. As a baseball fanatic, I really enjoyed this game. I really think they hit the mark on a great baseball game more than others that I have played. Granted there are concerns that other reviews have already written, but I just want to add that two things I hate about this game is 1. online play has been canceled. I can't play against other MLB 09 players since MLB 10 is out. 2. I also can't update my rosters. I guess that's their nice hint to go buy MLB 10 which I won't. I am not going to pay $50+ each year for updated rosters and maybe better gameplay. Here's a suggestion, perhaps charge a small fee for roster updates since I know the reason you canceled online play is about making money. And why cancel online play against other players after one year? I can understand maybe after a few years, but after one year? If this is the trend, I won't be buying future MLB games unless I buy it used for dirt cheap or get it for free.

Last year, MLB 08 was the best baseball game I ever played. It was so good, I had reservations spending another $60 for the new version. Honestly, I'm not sure it was really worth the money, but MLB 09 is another incredible baseball game that makes minor improvements to last year's, and adds a few new features. You can record your own chants and music for individual players. The graphics and animations have been tweaked. The gameplay has been slightly enhanced. Pitching seems the most improved. The Franchise Mode has been enhanced with transactions such as salary arbitration, waiver transactions, and September call-ups. I feel the game will have a lot of replay value. The game is well worth the price if you don't own last years. $60 might be a lot for those upgrading though.

Have been reviewing video baseball games for the past few years (including MLB The Show 07 and 08 versions)with a special emphasis on those who enjoy playing through a full season with their favorite team- concentrating on gameplay issues primarily. I usually wait to review a game until I have played quite a few games, so as not to miss any of the special nuances that might not come up right away.

However, this year, after playing just 15 games or so on the franchise mode, I felt compelled to offer this preliminary review, with comparisons primarily to MLB The Show 08 (see my review from last year). Bottom line for those of you wondering if the 09 version is worth the $60 (if you already own MLB The Show 08): YES, IT IS !!!!! The 09 product has improved in so many ways, I can't wait to see what unfolds through another full season of play.

#1- The nagging gameplay aspect in previous versions of low # of walks (both by the CPU and the human controlled player) has largely been remedied- mainly in that it is now a bit easier to detect borderline strikes by the CPU, so it's possible to get a reasonable # of walks vs: the CPU. Likewise, human controlled pitching is now not quite as reliable regarding pin-point control of your pitches, so there is a lot more tension when you fall behind in the count vs: CPU hitters. See the excellent review by William Abner at the Gameshark site in this regard, too.
#2- Fielding is now more challenging, in that both human controlled and CPU fielders don't routinely suck up everything they get near- hot shots get past fielders with lower fielding ratings, balls get over the head of outfielders like Manny Ramirez, but not Tori Hunter, and animations for bobbles and errors are vastly improved over the 08 version.
#3- Rosters are more complete than previous years, requiring very little editing out of the box- and again, for those who are online, they are updated weekly during the regular season. And again, they are very editable, so you can fix player ratings as you wish- one thing I have noticed is the speed (baserunning) ratings tend to be uniformly low, so you might check those out for players on your favorite team before playing a season. The addition of 40 man rosters and September call-ups is also a welcome addition to last year's game.
#4- The graphics, as good as they were in 08, are simply amazing, with the addition of numerous new animations for all gameplay aspects, and many individual player animations that are spot-on perfect. The player models are the best I've ever seen in any sports game, period. The replay camera views for homeruns are also much better, finally showing a more panoramic replay view than last year (when all you got was a close-up of the player's swing, and then tracking the ball as it flew through the sky). You just have to see these graphics to believe it- this is as good as it likely gets, with the ONLY frustration that there STILL are no collison graphics.
#5- The addition of an additonal difficulty level (Legend, one higher than Hall of Fame) and the numerous adjustable slider bars to tweak gameplay also make this game very accessible to players of all levels of previous video game experience. The explanations for the slider adjustments are also better than last year- for instance, when you are adjusting a pitchers pitches for speed, the slider bar will tell you what speed results from each adjustment you make: nice touch.
#6- The addition of a batting practice mode, where you can pick any player you want to take 20 batting cage tosses from any pitcher you want, and pick which specific types of pitches you want to see (fastball, curve, slider, etc) is a welcome additon too- particularly as hitting against the CPU seems a bit more difficult this year. So far in about 15 franchise games with the White Sox, my team BA is only .240. Practice will help, so it's nice to be able to do that on "off days" in the schedule.
#7- Stadium graphics and sounds, and dynamic lighting/texture changes on the field as the game progresses also add to the total immersion in the MLB experience this game offers. There are none better, when it comes to sports video games.

I plan to offer another more complete review later in the year, after I've played all the game modes and can comment more completely on all the above and more- but for those of you contemplating whether to buy this game or not, DON'T WAIT !

This is as good as it gets, for serious baseball fans and gamers.

This has to be THE best baseball game out on the market today. The players look alot like their real selves. I love the fact that the game mechanics are realistic. Everything about this game makes you think you're actually at a real game. The game can be very difficult to play, but real baseball is difficult to play too, so that goes hand in hand. I was happy to hear all of the new game commentary this year from the three broadcasters. Another good addition was the game highlight reel after it's over. I enjoyed watching my crushing homeruns or my great hitting ability after defeating an opponent.

I'm rather picky about console sports gaming but this game really hits all the right spots. A vastly realistic simulation of the game that catches all the tiny nuances of baseball. From accurate pitch portrayals to proper ball physics. You'll feel like you're part of a real baseball game.

The bread and butter of the game is the Road to the Show mode that allows you to create yourself (or a random player) and begin your journey from a team's real AA affiliate on up through AAA and eventually the pros. You'll deal with coming off the bench at times or beating out your competition for the starting job. You'll have to make decisions on contracts and can even demand trades. It essentially allows you to play out your dreams of making it to the big leagues.

One of the other unique aspects of The Show is the amazing attention to detail. The Ivy at Wrigley will start growing in May. Bernie Brewer will glide down the slide after a Brewers homerun. You'll see former players get standing ovations when they come back to visit their old home ballpark. These "little things" are countless and you'll continue to unmask these gems over the months you play the game

There are of course minor bugs. Many of which seem to have been fixed in updates since the release of the game. Still, there isn't a sports game on the market that has this much simulation and attention to detail. Put side by side next to a game like Madden, it seems years ahead of its time. It is truly the best franchise in the sports video game industry today.

I didn't expect this game to be this good. I've been playing EA sports MLB baseball 2005 on the PS2 for years now because the other games have not lived up.

The Show 09 is everything I could ask for in a game. The best thing about it is that it is actually two games in one, Road to the Show and Franchise. Both are equally compelling and offer a completely different experience. In the first you play as a young ballplayer working your way up from the minors. The experience is so transcendent that it's eerie. You really FEEL like you're the young player vying for the Show. The coach wants you to work on fielding even though you'd like to spend those precious training points on power. You're stuck in Durham, North Carolina just because some past-his-prime veteran has come off the DL so there's no more room for you in the bigs. Then just when you've accepted your lot, BOOM they've traded you to the Twins. Brilliant!

The franchise mode is very similar to other BB games with extremely intricate owner tasks. Luckily, if you're more interested in playing and less interested in selling your team, you can just turn those modes over to AI. Gameplay is extremely fluid, player movements are uncannily realistic, and the AI has a slew of adaptations to account for momentum switches.

Now a word about difficulty hitting. It's hard. It is so hard to hit that there is an infinite future for fine tuning my skills. But the sliders allow you to custom-downgrade the difficulty to where anyone could hit a fastball if they wanted to.

I think I know why people get so upset about the difficulty of the game even though they know they can make it easier if they play on rookie with altered sliders. It's a matter of pride. Most people can't like a game they suck at without "cheating". But come on. This isn't your career or your love life or parenting or even real-life golf with people watching you. It's a VIDEO GAME. So if you can't hit a curve ball change the sliders until you get better enough to do it.

Pretty much the only complaints I have are minor graphics issues. Sometimes the baserunner walks right through the fielder. Also, as you're running the bases in RTTS the camera shifts and sometimes the direction of the stick reverses so you can caught in a run-down. I hope this is fixed for future versions.

This is the only baseball game worth considering.

Incredibly realistic settings and interactions that only get better with each release.

And the wealth of variations is amazing -- career, franchise, various practices, on-line, etc.

Simply great.