Review: MLB 09: The Show is the envy of the town
MLB The Show is one of the longest running licensed baseball game franchises out there. The game set the bar for baseball games last year with MLB 08: The Show. Now, with MLB 09: The Show, the game sets to raise the bar once again. With other games out there such as MLB 2k9, can the franchise stay on top?
One of the biggest differences between MLB 09: The Show and other baseball games is that it is a true baseball simulator. You can really tell that the developers at SCE San Diego truly are sports fans with top notch franchises such as NBA and MLB The Show. The game is as realistic as it gets with unforgiving opposition and detailed stat tracking.
Visuals
MLB 09: The Show refines what was in MLB 08 with a smoother framerate and improved dynamic lighting. The game actually reflects the changing of the day onto the field and players, which is rarely seen in other sports games. The terrain also deforms from the wear of the game as well. The character modeling is also the best seen to date in a baseball game.
The attention to detail from the fans in the stands to the signs and logos in the stadium is meticulous. The collision detection is much better than other games such as MLB 2K9 which suffers greatly from this issue. In MLB 09: The Show players will fall down and wither in pain when hit in the face by the ball. This contrasts to MLB 2K9 where the player will just stand there even if a ball hits the batter squarely in the face.
MLB 2K9 vs MLB 09: The Show
Controls
The game offers many great modes to extend the replay value of the game. The modes available in the game are: Exhibition, Road to the Show, Franchise, Manager Mode and Rivalry. There is even a new practice mode, which is great for mastering the timing of each player’s pitch.
The game relies on your ability to time the pitches in order to hit the ball. As a pitcher you will have some degree of control by aiming in the box. Overall the controls are great for gamers to jump right in and start playing. However, don’t be fooled by the controls as they do take a good deal of time to truly master against all the different pitchers.
Design
The Road to the Show (RTTS 2.0) is probably the best mode in the game. You can track and follow your player’s progress throughout his career. You can view and track stats as well as customize the character. The customization has improved significantly over the previous iteration. The mode allows you to determine your batting stance and pitching style.
The game also has a good deal of perks that really elevate it into the upper echelon in terms of game quality. The ability to record and save replay movies is a nice option especially if you want to gloat your triumphs against your rivals. There is even a music and chant editor in the game to customize on the fly, which is pretty rare in other sports games.
The multiplayer mode is pretty decent if you can get a good connection on both sides. Last year’s version had huge lag issues, and while this problem isn’t completely avoidable, it seems a bit improved. I have tried playing the game over fiber optics and cable Internet.
There is some lag while playing over cable Internet especially if you and the other person has a slow connection. Playing over fiber optics against other players with good connection seems to yield the best results as far as smooth gameplay. However, SCE San Diego really needs to step up and improve their net code. One can only hope for a patch to fix the lag issue.
Other great perks such as the in-game SportsConnect Headline News feed is present which makes living in the game all the more tempting.
Wrap-up
MLB 09: The Show is by far the best baseball game to date period. The game not only looks beautiful, the framerate is also rock solid. With great modes such as The Road to the Show and the extensive online League draft system, the game will keep you playing for a long time. For those looking for a less arcadey and seriously addicting baseball game look no further than MLB 09: The Show. “The most realistic baseball game” is finally here.
Score
4.5/5
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32 Responses to “Review: MLB 09: The Show is the envy of the town”
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March 18th, 2009
Meh.
Never seen the point of games about games/sport.
Surely its more enjoyable to drag your pale, pimple ridden backside outside in the sunshine (Yahovah forbid) and play a game for real?
March 18th, 2009
Baseball sucks!!!!
March 18th, 2009
“Baseball sucks!!!!”
On the 360 it does.
March 18th, 2009
Pretty much all American sport sucks.
Viva la football.
March 18th, 2009
lock – that’s how we feel about soccer, cricket, curling and the other weird european sports…..
chilly – we do play sports. altho i will never hit a golfball as well as i do in sports games. it’s relaxation and a hobby…
take a breath…..
March 18th, 2009
Europeans themselves don’t understand curling or cricket…unless we happen to win something, in which case said sport will be the most important sport ever invented.
March 18th, 2009
Thats because when you suck at every sport, you have to hold onto the ones you win.
We’re damn good at the Teen Pregnancy game tho…
March 18th, 2009
Kev,
Holy BUTT, I am so behind you on this one. We have never agreed more, nor I dare say shall we ever agree like this again.
I love playing tennis, but that doesn’t mean I’ll refuse to play Virtua Tennis ‘09 when it comes out.
-Arvis
March 18th, 2009
I don’t care what system or what year it still sucks. It’s more fun to actually play Baseball for real. I’m with Kev on the European Sports suck. I guess they are OK but compared to American Sports European pales in comparison. At least in America the baseball team won’t get killed. But in crickett & soccor you better make sure come with a bullet proof vest.
March 18th, 2009
By the way I think Curling is Canadian.
March 18th, 2009
All I’m gonna say:
Rugby > Heavily padded, tight pants, American Football.
I’m down with Ice Hockey tho all the way (I live in Canada, what can I do…)
March 18th, 2009
No Sport on Earth compares to Football (soccer to you lame americans)!! I even HATE the word soccer invented by you Americans.
What you Americans call “Football” is just a bunch of guys rolling around in the mud. And baseball is probably as boring as Golf.
NBA is good though. Its as fast paced as Football(soccer) so its fun and I love the All Star Weekend.
March 18th, 2009
Baseball and Football are the only sports I watch. Couldn’t care less for Basketball or Hockey. Theres no professional Soccer teams in the states or otherwise it might me more popular. I still wouldn’t watch it though. The only thing I find entertaining about Soccer is the hooligans.
March 18th, 2009
The thing I don’t get about American football is why all the coaches wear those preposterously large headsets.
March 18th, 2009
The players have headsets in thier helmets don’t they? I always thought it was so the coaches could tell them stuff. Such as ‘make your pants tighter!’.
March 18th, 2009
@lockdown
Because Motorola needs you to be able to see their logo.
March 18th, 2009
Soccer is “fast-paced?” I guess I really don’t understand the sport. How is it fast-paced when a score of 3 to 2 at the end is considered a high-scoring matchup?
Anyways, the ONLY sports I watch are American Football and Tennis. Sadly, the US doesn’t seem to think Tennis is a sport, considering our “sports networks” would rather show poker tournaments than any tennis outside of Grand Slams. *frustration*
-Arvis
March 18th, 2009
Fan of tight pants are ye.
March 18th, 2009
Tennis in Britain is quite funny because everyone supports Andy Murray…which gets all the Scottish in a proper little tizzy.
“He’s a Brit if he wins, a Scot if he loses.”
Something to do with that I think…
March 18th, 2009
I don’t like baseball. It’s basically 9 guys on steroids trying to hit a ball thrown by one guy on steroids. The 9 guys on steroids get paid stupidly amazing amounts of money to try to hit this ball. If you are batting at 300, meaning you hit the ball 30% of the time, you’re considered good. You can go a whole game without hitting a ball, and still make good splash money… probably for more steroids.
March 19th, 2009
Whatever happened to that ‘flash in the pan’, Tim Henman? I thought he was England’s tennis saviour? At least Lleyton Hewitt won a few grand slams before he decided to suck. I’d do his wife though, right in the cornhole.
March 19th, 2009
@Arvis
The score doesn’t have to be high for Football(Soccer) to be fast paced. Even a 0-0 draw game can be fast paced. Its how the teams constantly attack and defend as well as the intensity of the game.
In American Football on the other hand, players spend most of the time choosing plays. And each play lasts about 10s before the player with the ball is brought down. So thats Boring with a capital B.
March 19th, 2009
No one really expected Tim Henman to be a tennis saviour…although he was unlucky a couple of times at Wimbledon.
I don’t think anybody would want to do his wife though…she has a face like Stalin.
March 19th, 2009
i fucking love the show…best baseball experience
March 19th, 2009
What do they call American Football in Europe? Besides shit! LOL
Soccer?
March 19th, 2009
I like how you can record your own crowd chants and taunts.
March 19th, 2009
Curling is originally scottish, but has been most heavily adopted in Canada. More so than anywhere, here in Winnipeg. It is claimed that it is harder to win Manitoba than it is to win the worlds. Having played league here (and against some world champions) for a few years, I could understand that claim.
The real heart of curling isn’t the world level, but the weekend Bonspiel. It has to be experienced (and partially lost in an intoxicated stupor) to be fully understood. You can’t really cheat at curling, with strategy and consistancy being key to victory.
I agree with the europeans about american (and canadian) football and baseball, though. I also agree with the north americans about soccer.
Hockey is the fastest, toughest sport on earth. Footballs 10 seconds of brute force at a time has nothing on 60 minutes of 20mph(30kmph) skaters and 110 mph (190kmph) pucks. Not to mention 1 game a week versus 84+ games in 8 months, not counting playoffs.
March 19th, 2009
Harry,
For being the most disgusting Blorger here, you still make me laugh sometimes.
Anyways, yeah, Henman was the British #1 for some time, although he never won a Slam. In his defense, his best tennis came during Roger Federer’s best tennis.
Also, just to make sure we’re talking about the same guy, Lleyton Hewitt is Australian. Although I am sure you know that.
Andy Murray is an interesting fellow to follow, though. I know he’s an amazing player, I’m just not sure HOW he wins so much. I can’t quantify what makes him so good. It’s really odd to me, as a North American, all the racial tension that surrounds him.
…and that’s how you kill a thread.
-Arvis
P.S. Yes, SW, I love me some tight pants. They are the bomb-diggity, as the kids say.
March 19th, 2009
All this talk about tight pants are making my pants tight.
March 19th, 2009
I’ve got a raging clue right now…
March 19th, 2009
Southpark Hardly Boys reference +1
March 21st, 2009
Is a SCEA game what you expect. MLB 09: The Show is great looks so freaking a graphical master piece.