The Show on the road.If I were going to describe last year’s Vita version of MLB: The Show, I would probably liken it to a AA ballplayer; it showed potential, was clearly talented, but fell short of the big leagues. This year’s game doesn’t quite make it to the majors, but it certainly gets promoted to AAA. An improved presentation, a host of new modes, and improved gameplay help make this a solid second entry for Sony’s powerful handheld.This year’s version of The Show adds some new flavor to a well-established formula. The overall presentation has been ratcheted up a notch. Although missing some of the presentation bells and whistles of its big brother, new camera angles, new between action and pre-game cutscenes, and a host of improvements to what was already the best animation system in sports gaming are all here.
Enough can’t be said about how much the realistic animations add to the dynamics of the visual aspects and game play.Visually, the game is a slight step up from last year, but still below par from what I would expect. The graphics look like an up-port from the PSP, and the game still doesn’t run at native resolution. They have corrected the strange softball-sized ball from last year, although on the Vita’s smaller screen, I don’t know that the change is a net positive.One of the big changes to this year’s iteration is the addition of online support for nearly every mode. While your standard online exhibition matches still exist, there is also online co-op against the computer, leaderboards in Road to the Show mode and a really awesome Vita/PS3 cross-play feature that allows Vita users to play directly against PS3 users in the Homerun Derby mode.
Mar 05, 2013 MLB 13: The Show Review. Still the highest WAR in the league. Posted: 5 Mar 2013 3:59 pm. Fans of other teams might wince, but Sony’s long-running MLB: The Show baseball sim is almost New York Yankee-like in its ability to deliver a playoff-caliber product every year.
If this gets expanded for next year’s game it’ll be a big win. Of course cross platform saves also return which makes this almost a must purchase for PS3 players who want to take the action on the go. It’s a shame Sony didn’t put together a strong combo deal for the two titles this year.The most obvious online addition is in the new The Show Live feature that apes a similar inclusion in 2K’s baseball series. In this mode, it’s easy to stay on top of the baseball season by playing games beamed straight to your PS3 from the MLB’s real schedule, complete with actual lineups and starters. Of course, there isn’t much to speak of here just yet, but it should be fun once the season kicks off.Road to the Show is the major attraction with this franchise, and this year it’s no different. The presentation upgrades across the other modes are most readily apparent here, as just about everything is different.
There are several new player creation options, including customizing their walk-up and between pitch animations. Once the game starts, instead of presenting created players as if they are on television, the goal this year seems to be to enhance the “put you in the game” mindset. Everything is presented from the perspective of your slugger. Between appearances, there is a new interface to keep players abreast of what’s going on in the game during downtime. It still moved quickly enough that I never felt like my time was being wasted.
When it’s time to play, there is a really great zoom in/zoom out function that seamlessly transitions from watching to playing.When making solid contact with the ball, I noticed a huge and jarring (at least at first) change. The view changes to a close-up, over the shoulder view of the ball in flight. This is meant to mimic your player watching the ball as it soars through the air. It can be interrupted with button presses to look at the third base coach for instruction or switch back to broadcast mode. Once I got used to it, I found it to be a pretty cool addition (particularly for the base coach stuff), but it definitely required an adjustment. I also found it to be a bit clunky when attempting to field fly balls over my head.Of course, there are never any questions about the way the game plays.
The controls are smooth as butter, and new tweaks to the ball physics that were overhauled last year mean more possible ball flights and quirks. Sony has also altered both the visual presentation and behind the scenes mechanics for the “Guess Pitch” feature. I’ve noticed a couple of clipping glitches, as I did with its big brother.Perhaps the biggest change to the way the game plays is the fact that they’ve made hitting much easier than in last year’s game. Instead of the Sisyphean task that time in the batter’s box often felt like, this year’s outing feels like it’s paying attention to the selected level of hitting difficulty. This was particularly obvious during the early part of my RTTS career. Those of you afraid this will lead to ridiculously high scoring games and.500 averages need not fear. Selecting the correct difficultly for my talent level still yielded a realistic experience.
This should be more welcoming for new players or those who stuck to pitchers because of this issue.The other major addition is the new Postseason mode. This mode allows players to focus exclusively on the postseason. It features special presentations that give the game a much grander feel. Sony has put a lot of work into increasing the atmosphere for these games, and it really shows. Crowds build to a fever pitch and swing their rally towels in anticipation of each swing of the bat. This doesn’t have the same impact on the Vita as it does on the big screen, but it’s still a much more realistic way to represent the excitement of October than in the past. It’s a fun mode and a great way for players to take their favorite team to the Series without having to play through a full season or franchise.While it’s still working to catch up to its console big brother, MLB: The Show 2013 on the Vita is a very solid game and a great way to take the experience on the go.
If next year’s version can continue to improve the visual fidelity and expand on the cross platform functionality, it will be an impressive feat. If you only have a Vita and crave baseball action, you need to pick this up. If you are like me and can’t get enough of the PS3 version, this is an excellent supplement (and you don’t even have to go to BioGenesis or BALCO to get it).Review copy of game provided by publisher.tab:Screenshotstab:END.
When it comes to baseball video games you know what you are going to get, it’s just a matter of how it’s presented and what comes along with it. And when it comes to baseball simulators, there really is no question that the MLB: The Show series has the main aspect of the game locked down. Year after year the mechanics of the franchise keep bringing people back, and the new features keep them engrossed until the next offering.
The franchise is the Mark McGwire of the 90s, back when he could excite thousands of people just by showing up (and possibly crush naysayers with his giant, meaty fingers.) It was a simpler time.But the curse of any annual franchise like this is how to keep the game feeling fresh without straying too far from the core game being represented. It would be a odd to suddenly feature aliens and grenade launchers. Granted, that might make for an awesome variation and a way to break from the mold, but it might be a tad alienating to the core audience to see Derek Jeter turn a rocket launcher on the Red Sox – to most, at least.But with MLB 13, the newest offering in the franchise sticks close to what has been proven to work. Very, very close. The changes are minor – at least at first glance – but they do show a subtle shift in the direction of the series. There are no new features to speak of though, and while the Vita cross-play again offers some remarkable functionality, the real changes are tweaks to make the game more accessible.
It succeeds in that, but don’t expect a huge step up from MLB 12.MLB 13 is made for people that aren’t familiar with the series or who have dropped off in the last few iterations. Those that have played the games for years and look forward to the annual offerings are going to find the game much the same with a few key exceptions, especially regarding the batting. The graphics have improved a bit as well, especially in the lighting and shade, but the jump isn’t especially significant. Character models remain the same as ever though, for better and worse.When it comes to the character animations The Show is one of the best sports games out there, and in the sports genre that is really what matters.
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The player movements are smooth and fluid and they respond naturally, making it possible to play the game as it’s meant to be played. If you take control of the fielders, you can watch how they move to make a play, not just put the right bodies in the right general areas. It’s something we are fast approaching taking for granted in sports games, but that doesn’t make it any less remarkable.
The occasional glitches where a player suddenly develops superpowers and can teleport to catch a ball or run right through a wall like Kitty Pryde of the X-Men do crop up, but they aren’t common enough to be a huge issue. Perhaps the game is just bracing us for the next wave of player “enhancements,” when they begin to chew plutonium to gain a bit of an advantage.The glitches combined with the minor player details do show the age of the series. Body types, while sometimes hilarious, are often unnatural. Players’ guts often hang over their belts in geometrically improbable ways, and it’s universal.
The facial animations are also a bit horrific, as faces tend to look like the nightmare-fueled facsimiles of their real world counterparts. These are minor issues, but they do occasionally take you out of it.The audio remains a highlight, and the crack of a bat and roar of the crowd are well handled. Commentators Eric Karros and Matt Vasgersian return, and bring with them the occasional recycled line of dialogue. Much like real life.
It will only make a difference to those that played the previous game enough to grow tired of the commentary. To break it up, Dave Campbell has been replaced by Steve Lyons.The pitching remains the same, which is a good thing. MLB: The Show has fine tuned this for years. There may be a new innovation coming in the near future that will blow our collective minds and make us wonder how we ever survived while using such primitive pitching mechanics, but for now it is fun and engrossing, and feels like the top evolution of the mechanic. Mame arcade roms download.
For now, at least. Fielding also retains the previous feel, and a power gauge to help you throw makes this seem more like an important part of the game and not just a stop gap measure to prevent runners advancing.The biggest change to the gameplay comes in the hitting. In previous offerings, hitting was the thing that turned off most people. It wasn’t easy, and even veterans had troubles.
It was a double edged sword though. While it made it inaccessible to the impatient gamers that weren’t diehard fans to begin with, it also gave the series vets something to constantly try to improve at.
Each pitch was a challenge, and every game was different – if you had the patience to practice.The new batting system is much simpler and more streamlined. You can just swing away and hope for the best, or you can pre-select the general area you think the ball will go and swing. It will lead to a few more homeruns, but more often than not it will lead to fly outs. But at least you’ll make contact, which should help to bring new fans in.This reflects the biggest change for the series – not the new features or altered gameplay, per se, but the decision to try to be more appealing to a larger audience.
To this end, the game has introduced the “Beginner Mode,” a tutorial that helps you along every step of the way. The better you do, the more the difficulty increases. Once new gamers are hooked they can then move on to the game’s real highlight, the Road to the Show. The RPG-like mode remains a wildly addictive mode.Beyond that though, the changes are very minor. Online play returns as well, unchanged for the most part, and the Vita cross play returns with cloud storage that makes it possible to continue your stored seasons on the go.
This functionality isn’t new, but it does make the game more intriguing – assuming you own a Vita and don’t mind buying the game a second time. ConclusionThe franchise continues to dominate the baseball genre and remain one of the top sports series available, but it’s also geared for a new group of fans: Beginners to the franchise, rather than just the stalwarts that continue to keep the franchise viable.MLB 13: The Show does what it needs to in order to attract new fans to the series, but nothing more. With the next generation of consoles on the way, this will be the last MLB: The Show designed for this generation.
The next game or two will also be released on the PS3, but the push will be to introduce the Sony exclusive as a PS4 title. Hopefully, with the new console will come new innovations and features. If SCE San Diego can do that while still trying to lure new players, The Show is likely to remain on top for a long time to come.
Score: 8 out of 10( This game was reviewed on the PS3, on a copy provided by the publisher)Editors' Recommendations.