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Product Description
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
Amazon.com
MLB 11: The Show is a multiplayer baseball game that delivers a true Major League Baseball experience for gamers on the PlayStation 3 platform. MLB 11: The Show features a new analog stick default controls for pitching, batting and fielding that instead of just relying on buttons requires timing and rhythm. This focuses the attention of the player, just as if you were on the field. It also features PlayStation Move support in its Home Run Derby functionality. Additional features include: 4-player co-op support both online and offline, additional online modes, improved Road to the Show functionality, stereoscopic 3D game support* and more.
The #1 selling and highest rated baseball franchise is back with MLB 11 The Show.
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All your favorite Major Leaguers coupled with improved game functionality.
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The Best in Baseball is Back
The #1 selling, highest rated baseball franchise is back in MLB 11 The Show. Experience new ways to play The Show with the new Pure Analog controls. Team up in all-new co-op play, get called up to the Big Leagues with new and improved Road to the Show features and compete for real world prizes in MLB The Show's all-new Challenge of the Week.
Pure Analog Control
Unlike the face button controls for hitting and pitching found in earlierMLB The Show games, MLB 11 The Show utilizes default analog stick controls. When at the plate on offense batters hold the right stick down and push it up to swing. The intent is for the batter to physically connect with the pitcher's rhythm - possibly even stretching your out at the plate by altering your swing on the fly as you angle the stick to the right or left in attempt to make contact with breaking pitches. When pitching the analog stick is used to aim the type of pitch you have chosen as your delivery gauge reaches the optimal point. The analog stick is also used in fielding as players point to the base they want to throw to. For players who prefer the face button control method, the analog stick control configuration can be disabled at any time.
PlayStation Move Support
MLB 11 The Show features optional PlayStation Move support within its Home Run Derby functionality. Peripherals required for this support are the PlayStation Eye camera and the PlayStation Move motion controller. When activated the Move motion controller projects a transparent bat on the screen, allowing the player to measure the oncoming balls, knock dirt from their spikes or literally point to the spot in the bleachers that they are aiming for.
Key Game Features
- All-new Analog Pure Hitting and Pitching – Use the DualShock 3 analog sticks as a new way to experience MLB The Show
- All-New Co-op play – MLB 11 The Show features a 1-4 player co-op mode, with 2-on-2 online multiplayer
- New and Improved Road to the Show Functionality – Increase your skills with instant player performance evaluations and get called up to The Big Leagues
- Challenge of the Week Online Mode – The weekly baseball fix for hardcore fans eager for a chance at big-time prizes
- PlayStation Move Support – The new Home Run Derby built into MLB 11 The Show features optional PlayStation Move support (Move Motion Controller and PlayStation Eye camera peripheral sold separately)
- 3D Compatibility - MLB 11 The Show is a Stereoscopic 3D compatible game*
- An Authentic MLB Experience - Enjoy an authentic MLB experience not found in any other baseball video game
Additional Screenshots
 Pure Analog controls. View larger. |  Authentic MLB action. View larger. |  Co-op play support. View larger. |  PlayStation Move support. View larger. |
* PS3 system software v3.30 or higher, HD 3D display with compatible 3D active glasses and highspeed HDMI cable (sold separately) required for 3D features.
Product Description
For the Traditional Sport Gamer, MLB: The Show 11 is the number 1 sports game because it instantly immerses the consumer into the excitement of sports.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This will be short and sorta sweet- refer to the comments I'll tack on for a much more detailed critique of this game, for those who are interested (ie: serious baseball geeks, like me).
This year's version of The Show is again clearly aimed at serious baseball gamers- meaning people with a somewhat fanatical interest in a baseball game that plays out like a real MLB game. Meaning accurate player models/performance, believable gameplay, reasonable statistical outcomes, and most of all, challenging to play. Arcade gamers should look elsewhere- this is clearly a very serious baseball sim- and as for the "fun factor" (many criticize The Show series for this), I'd offer that it will likely be a lot of fun, but only for fans who are looking for a challenging game of video baseball, with all the ups and downs that entails. One guy said it perhaps most succinctly: if you grew up, as I did, playing the heck out of the Strat-O-Matic baseball board game, you will recognize MLB The Show 2011 as the visual representation of what you used to love about that game: real stats from real players, and real baseball game outcomes. And, I might add, outcomes that you have a lot of control over, but NOT complete control. More on that in my comment section.
This review will be mostly for people who like to play out a full season vs: the CPU, with their favorite team (single player Franchise mode). I'll mention the other game modes (Road To The Show, Home Run Derby, on-line play, co-op play) only in passing, since I don't use those modes much. I also think it's useful to state one's own background and baseball experience, when offering a critique of this game for others, as what people will/won't like about this game will largely be directly related to that. I am 56 years old, played competetive baseball from age 7 up through a college level, and have remained an avid fan to the present day. I have played most of the pc/PS baseball videogames over the years, starting with DOS-based pc games, up to the present PS3 generation of games. I play through a full season vs: the CPU on All Star level of difficulty, using my home town Chicago White Sox, and ensure each year before I start the season that all the rosters are up to date, and accurately reflect the current real teams. What I want out of any baseball game (board games through videogames) is a realistic baseball experience, that isn't easy to master after a few tries. MLB The Show 2011 is clearly for players like me- those seeking an arcade style baseball game, where you can win games, hit home runs, and strike out everybody with regular ease, should look elsewhere- you'll be incredibly frustrated/annoyed/humiliated by this game, if that's what you're seeking. But for those baseball fans like me, THIS is your game: read on.
The new addition to this year's game is the use of the right analog stick to control hitting, pitching, and fielding (baserunning still largely button controlled, same as last year). However, one of the best things about this game is the flexibility it offers: you can play with the old button controls if you don't like the right stick, or you can play with any combination of old/new gamepad controls. For instance, I am playing this current season using last year's zone control/buttons for hitting, but the right stick for pitching and fielding- more on this below.
To hit, you pull the right stick back(down) as the pitcher is in his windup, and push forward(up) to "swing". It's largely a matter of timing that affects the outcome of any swing, as the only "aiming" you have to do with the right stick is left or right, as you push it forward, to hit pitches on the inside/outside part of the plate. The CPU automatically adjusts for whether the pitch was high or low. I went back to the old button control for hitting after a number of games, but not because I was having all that hard a time with it....it just simply didn't "feel" like hitting to me, especially because of not having to consider whether the pitch was high or low. "Swinging" with the left stick, and having to aim the left stick to a specific zone where the pitch is, to successfully hit the ball (last year's mechanism) just feels more like hitting to me. But to each his own- hitting has always been challenging in The Show series, and this year is no different, regardless of what control you choose. See my comment section for WHY hitting is hard. Hint: it's not because of the controls.
Pitching with the right stick is a major upgrade, IMO, compared to last year. You still select the type of pitch you want with a button, but then pull back on the rt stick to start your windup- the height of the pitch(high or low) depends on how close you come to releasing your pitch (forward on the rt stick) when a meter bar approaches a white line- hitting the white line exactly when you push up on the stick means a pitch on the level- too soon or too tardy on the release affects the up/down location result. You are also required to aim your upward push of the rt stick to hit the spot laterally, where you aimed before the windup started- hit it exactly, and the pitch USUALLY winds up where you intended- the more off the target you are with the upward stick motion, the less accurate the lateral location of the pitch. I have stuck with the rt stick for pitching, as I find it much more challenging and interactive than the old model. It IS harder to avoid walking CPU batters, as a result, but much like hitting, success with the analog stick for pitching depends on more than just accuracy with the stick. Comment section for more on that, but in short: strategy, and some baseball know-how/experience counts.
Fielding with the rt stick has some issues, IMO. I use it again because it is much more interactive than the old push-a-button-and-hope-for-the-best mechanism. You move your fielder with the left stick, and throw with the right. You push the stick in the direction of the base you want to throw to, and then a tricolor meter bar will rapidly appear below your fielder. Throw when it is green, and the throw is always on the mark. Throw in the yellow, and it usually is, but better fielders will have better throws when it is yellow, and the chance for an error higher with a less skilled player. Throw in the red, and it is almost always an error, and usually a seriously wild throw, no matter who the fielder is. Pure fielding errors/bobbles on batted balls still seem rather random to me, however- though this is supposedly based on the individual fielder's real MLB skills, I'm not entirely conviinced of this yet (ie: I've already had to watch Sox fielding wizard, and future Hall of Famer, Omar Vizquel, bobble a number of routine ground balls). So this is OK, since it's way more engaging now to field, and PERHAPS takes into account more of the individual player's fielding skills, but it has some serious issues, IMO, that affect gameplay a lot- see my comments again for details. Just be prepared for making LOTS of errors, when you first start playing the game. The learning curve isn't all that steep, though, so keep at it. It IS more engaging than last year.
The graphics are again stellar, and easily the best of any sports game on the market currently. Player models are unbelievably accurate and detailed, as are individual player batting stances, pitching motions, and mannerisms. There are a number of new gameplay animations from last year, which add to the fun factor in playing a game. The stadiums are also more detailed and individualized, as are the crowds. The noises of the ballpark and gameplay are also spot-on, with the result being that the incredible visuals in this game greatly add to the gameplay experience. It's totally immersive, and looks like the real thing. All they need to add now are the smells of hot dogs, peanuts, and beer......
The announcers, alas, remain the single weakest aspect of the game, and a main reason why I don't give this game 5 stars. Eric Karros has replaced the annoying Rex Hudler, but Matt Vaskurgian and Dave "Soup" Campbell are back. Karros stuttering, gee-whiz delivery is probably an upgrade from Hudler's ridiculous schtick, but the other two unfortunately have very little new scripting involved in their announcing of a game. It's obvious that very little effort went into upgrading this aspect of the game, and it's too bad, because it was old last year. MLB2k does this WAY better, though the rest of that game remnains inferior to The Show. More in my comments again, but for now, that's all I have to say about THAT.
Rosters are fairly complete, though again most minor league players are fictional characters. It seems that real players exist only for players who have played some games at the MLB level- likely a licensing thing, I suspect.
Not a big deal, though, since again a major strength of this game is that you can edit just about everything, and create players to your wishes as well. Players are all rated for a number of skills, that affect individual performance and gameplay results, and you are free to edit any player that way, should you think the ratings are wrong. I have found that most ratings are OK, with the consistent exception that many fairly fast players have relatively low speed/running ratings- so I edit those accordingly, as I come across them. For on-line users, the game again updates rosters, based on real MLB changes, on a weekly basis.
Other modes again include Road To The Show (I don't use this, but consensus I hear is it's also much improved from last year), Home Run Derby (to satisfy, somewhat anyway, the arcade-game seekers), and on-line play (still apparently a serious lag problem, though), and co-op play, where up to 4 players can play a game at the same time. Read more ›
This year's version of The Show is again clearly aimed at serious baseball gamers- meaning people with a somewhat fanatical interest in a baseball game that plays out like a real MLB game. Meaning accurate player models/performance, believable gameplay, reasonable statistical outcomes, and most of all, challenging to play. Arcade gamers should look elsewhere- this is clearly a very serious baseball sim- and as for the "fun factor" (many criticize The Show series for this), I'd offer that it will likely be a lot of fun, but only for fans who are looking for a challenging game of video baseball, with all the ups and downs that entails. One guy said it perhaps most succinctly: if you grew up, as I did, playing the heck out of the Strat-O-Matic baseball board game, you will recognize MLB The Show 2011 as the visual representation of what you used to love about that game: real stats from real players, and real baseball game outcomes. And, I might add, outcomes that you have a lot of control over, but NOT complete control. More on that in my comment section.
This review will be mostly for people who like to play out a full season vs: the CPU, with their favorite team (single player Franchise mode). I'll mention the other game modes (Road To The Show, Home Run Derby, on-line play, co-op play) only in passing, since I don't use those modes much. I also think it's useful to state one's own background and baseball experience, when offering a critique of this game for others, as what people will/won't like about this game will largely be directly related to that. I am 56 years old, played competetive baseball from age 7 up through a college level, and have remained an avid fan to the present day. I have played most of the pc/PS baseball videogames over the years, starting with DOS-based pc games, up to the present PS3 generation of games. I play through a full season vs: the CPU on All Star level of difficulty, using my home town Chicago White Sox, and ensure each year before I start the season that all the rosters are up to date, and accurately reflect the current real teams. What I want out of any baseball game (board games through videogames) is a realistic baseball experience, that isn't easy to master after a few tries. MLB The Show 2011 is clearly for players like me- those seeking an arcade style baseball game, where you can win games, hit home runs, and strike out everybody with regular ease, should look elsewhere- you'll be incredibly frustrated/annoyed/humiliated by this game, if that's what you're seeking. But for those baseball fans like me, THIS is your game: read on.
The new addition to this year's game is the use of the right analog stick to control hitting, pitching, and fielding (baserunning still largely button controlled, same as last year). However, one of the best things about this game is the flexibility it offers: you can play with the old button controls if you don't like the right stick, or you can play with any combination of old/new gamepad controls. For instance, I am playing this current season using last year's zone control/buttons for hitting, but the right stick for pitching and fielding- more on this below.
To hit, you pull the right stick back(down) as the pitcher is in his windup, and push forward(up) to "swing". It's largely a matter of timing that affects the outcome of any swing, as the only "aiming" you have to do with the right stick is left or right, as you push it forward, to hit pitches on the inside/outside part of the plate. The CPU automatically adjusts for whether the pitch was high or low. I went back to the old button control for hitting after a number of games, but not because I was having all that hard a time with it....it just simply didn't "feel" like hitting to me, especially because of not having to consider whether the pitch was high or low. "Swinging" with the left stick, and having to aim the left stick to a specific zone where the pitch is, to successfully hit the ball (last year's mechanism) just feels more like hitting to me. But to each his own- hitting has always been challenging in The Show series, and this year is no different, regardless of what control you choose. See my comment section for WHY hitting is hard. Hint: it's not because of the controls.
Pitching with the right stick is a major upgrade, IMO, compared to last year. You still select the type of pitch you want with a button, but then pull back on the rt stick to start your windup- the height of the pitch(high or low) depends on how close you come to releasing your pitch (forward on the rt stick) when a meter bar approaches a white line- hitting the white line exactly when you push up on the stick means a pitch on the level- too soon or too tardy on the release affects the up/down location result. You are also required to aim your upward push of the rt stick to hit the spot laterally, where you aimed before the windup started- hit it exactly, and the pitch USUALLY winds up where you intended- the more off the target you are with the upward stick motion, the less accurate the lateral location of the pitch. I have stuck with the rt stick for pitching, as I find it much more challenging and interactive than the old model. It IS harder to avoid walking CPU batters, as a result, but much like hitting, success with the analog stick for pitching depends on more than just accuracy with the stick. Comment section for more on that, but in short: strategy, and some baseball know-how/experience counts.
Fielding with the rt stick has some issues, IMO. I use it again because it is much more interactive than the old push-a-button-and-hope-for-the-best mechanism. You move your fielder with the left stick, and throw with the right. You push the stick in the direction of the base you want to throw to, and then a tricolor meter bar will rapidly appear below your fielder. Throw when it is green, and the throw is always on the mark. Throw in the yellow, and it usually is, but better fielders will have better throws when it is yellow, and the chance for an error higher with a less skilled player. Throw in the red, and it is almost always an error, and usually a seriously wild throw, no matter who the fielder is. Pure fielding errors/bobbles on batted balls still seem rather random to me, however- though this is supposedly based on the individual fielder's real MLB skills, I'm not entirely conviinced of this yet (ie: I've already had to watch Sox fielding wizard, and future Hall of Famer, Omar Vizquel, bobble a number of routine ground balls). So this is OK, since it's way more engaging now to field, and PERHAPS takes into account more of the individual player's fielding skills, but it has some serious issues, IMO, that affect gameplay a lot- see my comments again for details. Just be prepared for making LOTS of errors, when you first start playing the game. The learning curve isn't all that steep, though, so keep at it. It IS more engaging than last year.
The graphics are again stellar, and easily the best of any sports game on the market currently. Player models are unbelievably accurate and detailed, as are individual player batting stances, pitching motions, and mannerisms. There are a number of new gameplay animations from last year, which add to the fun factor in playing a game. The stadiums are also more detailed and individualized, as are the crowds. The noises of the ballpark and gameplay are also spot-on, with the result being that the incredible visuals in this game greatly add to the gameplay experience. It's totally immersive, and looks like the real thing. All they need to add now are the smells of hot dogs, peanuts, and beer......
The announcers, alas, remain the single weakest aspect of the game, and a main reason why I don't give this game 5 stars. Eric Karros has replaced the annoying Rex Hudler, but Matt Vaskurgian and Dave "Soup" Campbell are back. Karros stuttering, gee-whiz delivery is probably an upgrade from Hudler's ridiculous schtick, but the other two unfortunately have very little new scripting involved in their announcing of a game. It's obvious that very little effort went into upgrading this aspect of the game, and it's too bad, because it was old last year. MLB2k does this WAY better, though the rest of that game remnains inferior to The Show. More in my comments again, but for now, that's all I have to say about THAT.
Rosters are fairly complete, though again most minor league players are fictional characters. It seems that real players exist only for players who have played some games at the MLB level- likely a licensing thing, I suspect.
Not a big deal, though, since again a major strength of this game is that you can edit just about everything, and create players to your wishes as well. Players are all rated for a number of skills, that affect individual performance and gameplay results, and you are free to edit any player that way, should you think the ratings are wrong. I have found that most ratings are OK, with the consistent exception that many fairly fast players have relatively low speed/running ratings- so I edit those accordingly, as I come across them. For on-line users, the game again updates rosters, based on real MLB changes, on a weekly basis.
Other modes again include Road To The Show (I don't use this, but consensus I hear is it's also much improved from last year), Home Run Derby (to satisfy, somewhat anyway, the arcade-game seekers), and on-line play (still apparently a serious lag problem, though), and co-op play, where up to 4 players can play a game at the same time. Read more ›
31 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Mike Fields
Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3|Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe it's the fact that I've purchased this game since '08. Maybe it's because this game is so good that it has spoiled me. But I can't help but feel this franchise has reached its peak and is starting to level off.
First things first, as usual, the graphics are amazing. You've seen the screen shots, watched the YouTube videos, and maybe have even played the demo. If there's one thing The Show fans can count on, it's photo-realism. One graphical complaint I do have is the sky textures. Would it kill them to put in some clouds? Or in night games, maybe the moon? Stars? With so much of the game taking place from the batter's point of view, the sky is constantly on screen. It's just so.. blah.
The new gameplay mechanics utilizing the analog controls require suburb timing, making pitching and hitting challenging yet engaging. Analog controls are also added for fielding.
Also, a pretty important change I'd like to mention: no longer can you simply guess the pitch type and have the game automatically give you the location. For example, in previous versions, you could guess fastball and sit changeup. If the pitcher threw a fastball, an indicator would flash at the exact location where the pitch would end up, whether it was a ball or strike. In '11, you now must guess the location along with pitch type. Simply correctly guessing the pitch will not reveal the pitch location, upping the difficulty of hitting even further.
Returning this year are Road to the Show and Franchise.
RTTS has improved somewhat. Remember those annoying goals, like "Hit and Run" or "Drive in the Run"? Those are a thing of the past. It was a broken system. You'd attempt a Hit and Run, but the pitch could be far out of the strike zone. If you swung at it, you'd invariably miss the ball, failing the goal in the process. Now, each at-bat is rated as Poor, Good, or Excellent. From my experience, there is NO way to gain negative points during an at-bat. Even if you end up hitting into a double play, you could still earn points (albeit, not many).
As usual, you'll spend about two seasons in the minors before being called up to The Show. If you're lucky, a player in your position will get injured or traded, allowing you to ascend the ranks much more quickly.
Franchise allows players to manage everything from ticket prices to concessions. It's essentially the same as last year. Running a team can become a little tedious, especially dealing with injuries. If a player on your MLB roster needs to spend time on the DL, you will have to call up a player from your AAA roster, call up a player from AA to replace the AAA player, and basically do it all over again in reverse once the MLB player returns. And injuries are COMMON. Of course, you could always set all of the tedious decision making to AI control, which is what I did.
One thing that annoys me to no end in Franchise is the way MVP awards are decided. Just like in previous versions of The Show, pitchers are awarded the MVP award at an alarming rate. In real life, a pitcher has won the MVP only once since 1987 (Dennis Eckersley). Since there is an MVP award for each league, that's one pitcher out of the past 46 MVP awards bestowed. In The Show, I've played five franchise seasons and SIX pitchers have won the MVP. Yes, in three of those seasons, both the AL MVP and NL MVP were pitchers. That's unheard of!
The commentating is just foul at this point. Matt Vasgersian has probably not been in the recording studio since '08 other than to say a few new names. Dave Campbell is back to add absolutely nothing to the experience. Where's the excitement? Where's the inflection? Why does everything sound so forced? Eric Karros is new to the booth and an improvement over Rex Hudler (who WOULDN'T be an improvement over Rex Hudler?). But it's marginal. Karros has more energy, but his lines are still painfully generic. Of the three commentators, Karros sounds like he had the most fun in the recording booth.
There have been reports on multiple message boards that the game is prone to freezing. I've personally experienced instances of freezing. The very first time I loaded the game, it froze during one of those opening montages. Next time, it froze on the trade screen in Franchise mode. Luckily, the game hasn't frozen during an actual game.
One other minor gripe has to do with the Home Run Derby. First, there is absolutely no unique broadcaster commentary for this mode, just the muffled PA announcer in the background ("He's down to two outs!"). There's no golden ball as the final out, which could have been a cool touch. And there are no kids running around in the outfield shagging balls! Honestly, when I watch the home run derby on TV, I get a kick out of the kids diving for balls and trying to catch pop ups. I think that would have been such a great addition! Instead, you're just hitting balls into an empty outfield. It just feels a glorified session of batting practice.
Many of you die-hard fans probably think I'm being too tough on this game. But hey, if I buy this game four years running, my expectations are going to be high. Sadly, this game feels like what perennial sports games should never turn into - the $60 yearly roster update.
If you are new to the franchise, buy it, hands down. But if you own The Show 10, I'd wait for next year.
First things first, as usual, the graphics are amazing. You've seen the screen shots, watched the YouTube videos, and maybe have even played the demo. If there's one thing The Show fans can count on, it's photo-realism. One graphical complaint I do have is the sky textures. Would it kill them to put in some clouds? Or in night games, maybe the moon? Stars? With so much of the game taking place from the batter's point of view, the sky is constantly on screen. It's just so.. blah.
The new gameplay mechanics utilizing the analog controls require suburb timing, making pitching and hitting challenging yet engaging. Analog controls are also added for fielding.
Also, a pretty important change I'd like to mention: no longer can you simply guess the pitch type and have the game automatically give you the location. For example, in previous versions, you could guess fastball and sit changeup. If the pitcher threw a fastball, an indicator would flash at the exact location where the pitch would end up, whether it was a ball or strike. In '11, you now must guess the location along with pitch type. Simply correctly guessing the pitch will not reveal the pitch location, upping the difficulty of hitting even further.
Returning this year are Road to the Show and Franchise.
RTTS has improved somewhat. Remember those annoying goals, like "Hit and Run" or "Drive in the Run"? Those are a thing of the past. It was a broken system. You'd attempt a Hit and Run, but the pitch could be far out of the strike zone. If you swung at it, you'd invariably miss the ball, failing the goal in the process. Now, each at-bat is rated as Poor, Good, or Excellent. From my experience, there is NO way to gain negative points during an at-bat. Even if you end up hitting into a double play, you could still earn points (albeit, not many).
As usual, you'll spend about two seasons in the minors before being called up to The Show. If you're lucky, a player in your position will get injured or traded, allowing you to ascend the ranks much more quickly.
Franchise allows players to manage everything from ticket prices to concessions. It's essentially the same as last year. Running a team can become a little tedious, especially dealing with injuries. If a player on your MLB roster needs to spend time on the DL, you will have to call up a player from your AAA roster, call up a player from AA to replace the AAA player, and basically do it all over again in reverse once the MLB player returns. And injuries are COMMON. Of course, you could always set all of the tedious decision making to AI control, which is what I did.
One thing that annoys me to no end in Franchise is the way MVP awards are decided. Just like in previous versions of The Show, pitchers are awarded the MVP award at an alarming rate. In real life, a pitcher has won the MVP only once since 1987 (Dennis Eckersley). Since there is an MVP award for each league, that's one pitcher out of the past 46 MVP awards bestowed. In The Show, I've played five franchise seasons and SIX pitchers have won the MVP. Yes, in three of those seasons, both the AL MVP and NL MVP were pitchers. That's unheard of!
The commentating is just foul at this point. Matt Vasgersian has probably not been in the recording studio since '08 other than to say a few new names. Dave Campbell is back to add absolutely nothing to the experience. Where's the excitement? Where's the inflection? Why does everything sound so forced? Eric Karros is new to the booth and an improvement over Rex Hudler (who WOULDN'T be an improvement over Rex Hudler?). But it's marginal. Karros has more energy, but his lines are still painfully generic. Of the three commentators, Karros sounds like he had the most fun in the recording booth.
There have been reports on multiple message boards that the game is prone to freezing. I've personally experienced instances of freezing. The very first time I loaded the game, it froze during one of those opening montages. Next time, it froze on the trade screen in Franchise mode. Luckily, the game hasn't frozen during an actual game.
One other minor gripe has to do with the Home Run Derby. First, there is absolutely no unique broadcaster commentary for this mode, just the muffled PA announcer in the background ("He's down to two outs!"). There's no golden ball as the final out, which could have been a cool touch. And there are no kids running around in the outfield shagging balls! Honestly, when I watch the home run derby on TV, I get a kick out of the kids diving for balls and trying to catch pop ups. I think that would have been such a great addition! Instead, you're just hitting balls into an empty outfield. It just feels a glorified session of batting practice.
Many of you die-hard fans probably think I'm being too tough on this game. But hey, if I buy this game four years running, my expectations are going to be high. Sadly, this game feels like what perennial sports games should never turn into - the $60 yearly roster update.
If you are new to the franchise, buy it, hands down. But if you own The Show 10, I'd wait for next year.
44 of 55 people found the following review helpful
By J. Safran
Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3|Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I've had every edition of this series since it started, and I've grown accustomed to the great graphics and the slick presentation. I've always found, though, that the playability needs quite a bit of tweaking to make the gameplay realistic. Thankfully, you have the ability to make these changes with the dozens of settings that you can customize with using the slider bar. I will say that this year's game seems the hardest to play in the MLB series and after hours of tweaking the gameplay settings, I still can't get this right. My beefs:
1. Hitting has become exceptionally hard - which is fine if it works both ways (i.e. hard for the AI as well), but it doesn't. I've abandoned the analog controls for now as they are not consistent and seem 'off' a bit (for lack of a better word). I was a very good hitter in the '09 & '10 editions but this year, it's much more difficult. I'm up for a challenge but I think the AI needs to be impacted as well. I'm scoring 0-3 runs per game and haven't hit double digits in hits 22 games into my season (with the Tigers, and there are some good hitters in that lineup). Too many grounders and soft pop flies to the shallow OF.
2. Piching is regressing year-over-year. The AI seems to have no issues hitting whatever I throw at the plate and has the plate discipline of Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs with every batter. Whereas my pitchers struggle to hit the corners consistently, the AI does so with ease. Guys with a 5.00+ ERA in real-life are studs in this game. There is absolutely zero forgiveness when pitching. I also think this game is to the point in its development where needs to improve pitch recognition and pitch physics. While it has always been tough to see balls vs. strikes on borderline pitches, this year it seems a little more difficult. I don't think there is enough recognition separation between pitches with 15 to 20 MPH differences. I actually think MLB 2K is better in this area. Other than 12-6 curveballs, pitches tend to be flat across the board.
3. Hits into the corner are seldom doubles. I think this game has always struggled with effectively scaling OF speed, throwing accuracy and throwing velocity. Not enough drives into the gap fall. This needs much tweaking to get right and, again, for some reason I have not yet been able to find that elixir in this year's edition.
4. Stealing is, as always, tough. Not enough separation in catcher skills between those you cannot run on and those you can thieve all day. It's been this way for years.
All in all, I do enjoy the game but I'm now looking at MLB 2K11 as a diversion to the somewhat unrealistic gameplay that The Show is becoming more and more. The Show, graphically, blows away 2K11 but in my opinion playing the game is why we buy them.
1. Hitting has become exceptionally hard - which is fine if it works both ways (i.e. hard for the AI as well), but it doesn't. I've abandoned the analog controls for now as they are not consistent and seem 'off' a bit (for lack of a better word). I was a very good hitter in the '09 & '10 editions but this year, it's much more difficult. I'm up for a challenge but I think the AI needs to be impacted as well. I'm scoring 0-3 runs per game and haven't hit double digits in hits 22 games into my season (with the Tigers, and there are some good hitters in that lineup). Too many grounders and soft pop flies to the shallow OF.
2. Piching is regressing year-over-year. The AI seems to have no issues hitting whatever I throw at the plate and has the plate discipline of Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs with every batter. Whereas my pitchers struggle to hit the corners consistently, the AI does so with ease. Guys with a 5.00+ ERA in real-life are studs in this game. There is absolutely zero forgiveness when pitching. I also think this game is to the point in its development where needs to improve pitch recognition and pitch physics. While it has always been tough to see balls vs. strikes on borderline pitches, this year it seems a little more difficult. I don't think there is enough recognition separation between pitches with 15 to 20 MPH differences. I actually think MLB 2K is better in this area. Other than 12-6 curveballs, pitches tend to be flat across the board.
3. Hits into the corner are seldom doubles. I think this game has always struggled with effectively scaling OF speed, throwing accuracy and throwing velocity. Not enough drives into the gap fall. This needs much tweaking to get right and, again, for some reason I have not yet been able to find that elixir in this year's edition.
4. Stealing is, as always, tough. Not enough separation in catcher skills between those you cannot run on and those you can thieve all day. It's been this way for years.
All in all, I do enjoy the game but I'm now looking at MLB 2K11 as a diversion to the somewhat unrealistic gameplay that The Show is becoming more and more. The Show, graphically, blows away 2K11 but in my opinion playing the game is why we buy them.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
this game like others who buy, are very good, worth a great rate, I liked everything about this product, I recommend it to anyone who is immersed in the world of games .... Read more
Published 11 days ago by pedro8929
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
very good product, and the estimated transfer passed off without inconvenience. fully recommend buying through this company, very responsible ..
Published 1 month ago by Nazareth Hernandez
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love it this game
Me gusta escojo 5 estrellas. Por qué es una de los mejores juegos con tan real gráfica en vivo además de los personajes son tan reales que vivo jugando todo el... Read more
Published 1 month ago by francisco javier
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good game!
I choose the 3 star rating because the game has really good graphics but this is one of the hardest baseball games I have ever played. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Todd
5.0 out of 5 stars
PS3 is far superior
MLB 11 The Show on PS 2 was good....MLB 11 The Show on PS 3 is far superior. Amazing graphics!
Published 2 months ago by Indiana Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
its awesome the best game what i play in a few time, its awesome the best game what i play in a few time, its awesome the best game what i play in a few time
Published 3 months ago by Ramon B
4.0 out of 5 stars
Buen juego
Buen juego, buena imagen, muy real parece verdadero lo remomiendo aunque poco fanatico del beisbol el juego es bueno .
Published 3 months ago by RODRIGUEZ JIMENEZ, JORGE ENRIQUE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just as good as MLB 10
I thought the soundtrack was better on MLB 10, but MLB 11 provides updated rosters. Really excellent game on the PS3, the designers NAILED this game to get you to enjoy baseball.
Published 3 months ago by Mike C
4.0 out of 5 stars
mlb11
if you playing baseball you like this game me and my nephew who is 11 love playing the game differant settings make it more difficult or easy to plat
Published 3 months ago by Michael Andersen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
Great game with hours upon hours of replay ability. Very difficult game and a challenge for any sports video game enthusiast.
Published 4 months ago by Richard Sierra
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Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
- Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Games > Sports > Baseball
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