OurColony.net

Fun game with a few too many bugs

Customer Rating:
I have had this game for a pretty long time now. It was really fun at first even though it was hard getting used to it. Hitting was much tougher than all the other games I had played (last game being All-star baseball 2003 in the Xbox). But after getting used to the game, I got pretty good at hitting and pitching and the game became even more fun (funner?). The problem all started when I began in "franchise mode". Instead of being fun, the game became extremely annoying and frustrating. For one, the catcher does a terrible job calling pitches. I had a 0-2 count on a batter and the catcher asked for a cutter up but in the middle (inside the strike zone). Terrible decision, and I gave up a home run. Of course, after a while I started choosing which pitches to throw and I started getting more strikeouts and a lot less hits. Then the next problem: I was pitching and had the bases loaded with one out. The batter hits the ball straight to the shortstop, so I think, "perfect, double play to get out of the inning". Wrong! the ball hits the runner and bounces away from me, I still have time to get the runner at first but I lost the double play and the run scored! I know what you're thinking, the runner is out because the ball hit him, right? well he SHOULD HAVE been but no, he's standing at third like nothing happened. But it gets worse! With this being "franchise mode" everything matters, from errors to rbi's to walks, everything is important. Which brings me to the next problem. I was pitching again, no one on base, and the batter gets a single to left field. That's fine, except that my left fielder (Josh Hamilton), boots the ball. It's not a big deal because the runner didn't advance to 2nd base and it was already a single, it's not like he dropped a fly ball. Well he gets charged with an error!!! Look, I understand if the umpire calls balls strike and strikes balls (when they're borderline pitches), that's part of the game. Or if the umps call a runner safe when he's supposed to be out or the other way around (again, on close plays). I can live with that and it makes the game that much more realistic, but those bugs, calling errors when there was obviously NO error, or not calling an out when the runner gets hit with the ball is unacceptable! It ruins my stats and in close games gives the other teams runs that shouldn't have happened. I'm almost to the point where I'm just going to get rid of the game.

If you like baseball and just want to play around a few games then this game may be too hard for you (you need to give it quite a bit of time to get good at hitting and pitching). But then, if you're a really big baseball fan and are playing this game for hours, these bugs may come out and annoy the hell out of you! Who knows, maybe no one else has experienced this and everything is great for them. But being in the third game of the franchise and having experienced these bugs already has made me stop playing franchise and has me thinking that I should get rid of the game. I have been playing road to the show and that has been really fun. I moved to triple A in my first season and got drafted by the Rangers soon therafter (even though I wasn't added to the 40 man roster). Towards the end of the season, I got traded to the Reds and was brought up as a backup shortsop and even started a few games before the season ended. I am now the starting shortstop of the Reds in barely my second full season (double and triple A included). I just wanted to also pitch and play more defense, so I started the franchise.

I'm 50-50 on whether I would recommend this game or not. On the one hand, road to the show is very fun and challenging. Once you master hitting and pitching, the game is very realistic and you can't just cruise striking everyone out or hitting homeruns whenever you want (for me that's a good thing). But on the other hand, there are some bugs that really take away from enjoying the game (specially to those that really worry about stats and know quite a bit about baseball). And also the game may be too hard for many and they will be turned off by it so they won't give it the chance it deserves. I would recommend that if possible, you rent the game, play it as much as you can before you have to return it and then decide if it's worth buying it or not.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has experienced any of these bugs (or any other ones).

MOSTLY PROS BUT A FEW CONS

Customer Rating:
I just finished a complete season playing half the games and simulating the other half.

I will list the cons as most of the game are all pros

First "tagging up" takes a little while to get used to, but once you figure it out how to activate the runners you wont get doubled up on fly balls trying to advance runner

Second after a whole season I was never able to steal second base while another guy was on base without sending all the runners. Why they dont just make Triangle the steal for second Im not really sure

Third I was never able to have my infielders jump for line drives as the A.I. does.

Fourth A.I. makes too many comebacks in the 9th inning. Mariano still arguably the best closer in the game got rocked way too many times. NOT REALISTIC. I can see here and there but come on nobody owns Mo that much.

Fifth you have to make sure check swing appeals is OFF as you will get called out way too many times.

Finally player progression and retirement are very aggrivating. I had a monster season and postseason w/ Jeter but they gave him a -7, I guess due to his age. Thats LAME. Also had a good season with Posada and they automaically retire him.... LAME. Lastly ARod was MVP of the league batting over .300 with 54 homers and 150 RBIs and stayed the same.... Come on, thats ridiculous.

Game is def worth playing if you love baseball, but beware it can be frustrating at times.

Great Game

Customer Rating:
It's been out for awhile now, but I thought I would add my two cents for anyone still considering it.

First of all, I am a casual gamer so I can't add anything technical. I can tell you as a baseball fan this is the most fun/frustrating game you can play.Much has been made about how hard it is to hit, and I would surely agree with that. As has been said, it is hard--it's supposed to be. I play franchise exclusively against the CPU, and I have played every pitch of every inning in a 162 game season.I started out on the Veteran level which I found became too easy. I switched to AllStar which the game says is the "normal" setting, and I am plenty challenged. When I made the switch my Cubbies were 5 games in front. I now trail the hated Cards by 11.5 in late August.I lost ten in a row, partly, I am convinced, because I was playing mad which you cannot do. It takes INCREDIBLE PATIENCE which you can't muster if your miffed at the CPU. If you calm down and you work the count and wait for a pitch to hit you will be rewarded, at least 25-30% of the time, as in real baseball. Always? No. If Tim Lincecum is on, you will get called out looking on a wicked curveball that paints the black,or pop it up harmlessly all day long. What is frustrating playing with the CPU is that there are some days when you just "won't have it" and whatever you do you will lose. Nothing makes me crankier then when I rope a ball into left field and I "just got under it" or it gets pulled out of the stands, or the other team gets three runs 'cause I walked the pitcher on 4 straight, my second baseman threw a grounder into the stands, and the next batter hits the first pitch onto Waveland Avenue.And nothing is more exhilerating then hitting a 2-0 fastball over the wall to take the lead. The biggest downside of CPU play for me is the inescapable feeling that the outcome is often predetermined and I have become a spectator. When that happens I try to force myself to be patient and take 'em one at at a time. It doesn't always work (since no one has ever gone 162-0) but the game will let you come back on occasion IF YOU'RE PATIENT. But it does not feel sorry for you and it will not tolerate mistakes or anxious swinging at bad pitches. As Crash Davis said, "sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.....sometimes it rains."

That said, this game is a truly amazing reproduction of what it's like to be at the ballpark on a sundreched afternoon. The graphics are stunningly beautiful. I'll sit down with a beer and start a game at Wrigley Field, and I swear I am practically there.The parks really come to life, and when you are playing the game with the real time presentation it has the pace and feel of the real thing. If you love baseball, and if you are willing to take the time to master the art of hittng the 95 mph fastball this game is the closest any of us armchair ballplayers will ever get to being on the field.

Still the Best

Customer Rating:
I've played every version of MLB The Show extensively with the exception of '09. What makes this version different?
HITTING: More difficult this year. Timing is everything. It's frustratingly simple to get ahead of a pitch inside and pull it foul, or try to wait on a pitch outside and end of fouling it off. I have been angered to guess a pitch correctly then pop out to the outfield, only to check the swing analysis and find out I made solid contact with perfect timing... Huh? The computer is also a much better hitter and agonizingly patient at the plate. It's almost unrealistic to get ahead 0-2 on Alfonso Soriano, then watch him take a fastball 2 inches off the plate for ball 1. It seems the best count to get the AI to chase is 2-2, which also leads to high pitch counts.
PITCHING: Also more difficult. Even with a pitcher with great control, it's very hard to paint the corners. Doubled with the previously mentioned incredible eye at the plate by every CPU batter, this can lead to either walking guys or being forced to groove a fastball on a regular basis. However, it seems patience is rewarded at the plate, as the CPU rarely pumps 3 strikes in a row over the plate either.
FIELDING: I really can't tell you much about this, as I got frustrated 3 years ago on '07 and turned fielding to auto. It does seem a little more realistic vs the CPU when you smoke a line drive in the air to actually be able to burn an outfielder. I had to roll my eyes in '07 when the ONLY way to get an extra base hit was to put one in the gap; if it was in the park and in the air over an outfielder's head, they'd run it down.
BASERUNNING: The default controls have given me fits the last few years, so I've taken to turning the controls to classic, which is a little easier to manage. It's a lot harder to steal bases this year, as it seems every CPU pitcher has an incredibly fast pickoff move to every base whether they're right or left handed, which is a little unrealistic. I don't see too many baserunners in the Major Leagues get picked off by a right-hander standing up 5 feet off the bag. In addition, the catcher's throws seem sped up somehow, as a runner will get a great jump, be 10 feet from second before the catcher throws the ball, yet will still be gunned down by 2 feet.
As usual, the graphics are incredible, and the incredibly customization of the players is better than ever. Multiple options for bat color (barrel and handle), bat tape, cleat colors, pant styles, sleeves, batting gloves etc are great. Hundreds of batting stances and pitching motions to choose from. Complaint: with all this detail, why is the Record Book so simple and random? Records for Home Runs, RBI's, Runs Scored and Stolen Bases are the only ones listed in Batting; Wins, Strikeouts and Saves are the only ones in pitching. There's no list of batting average,doubles, scoreless innings or shutouts, yet Gagne's consecutive saves streak is listed as record?
Overall, the game is a bit better this year as far as realism and definitely better than 2K10 but there's still room for slight improvement. Worth buying at the newly reduced price on Amazon

Realistic ???????

Customer Rating:
Game isnt very realistic at all...I used the silver stars on rookie(rated 100 across the bored), played a bad farm club team just to learn how to play and couldn't get any offense going at all...they honestly threw me nothing i could hit and swung at NOTHING but strikes. Felt like i was playing the mlb all stars on legend.