MLB 09 The Show (PS3)

[aruljothi]

Release Date: 03/09/2009
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Genre: Sports
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEA

This review isn't going to be a comparison between this and last year's version of The Show -- I only bought a PlayStation 3 a few months ago, so this is the first time I've had a chance to step up to the plate (pun intended) with the series outside of preview coverage. Having been an avid supporter of 2K Sports for the last few years (and of EA with its MVP series before that), I feel I have a good grasp of what I want from a baseball videogame. MLB 09: The Show gives me a plethora of things that I've always wanted in a baseball videogame. In fact, The Show sets the bar so high this year, that it truly is the baseball game that all others should be judged against, and I can't wait to see what the developers have in store for next year. The only things missing are the smell of Cracker Jacks and hot dogs.

What makes this title so great is that it provides an enjoyable experience for every type of baseball fan. If you prefer to call the shots as a manager, you can do that. If you want to pitch and bat every out, go ahead. Pick your favorite team and guide it through the regular season and into the playoffs? Yep, that's here too. But the most impressive feature by far is the ability to craft your own player from scratch, and have him try to break into the big leagues.

Road to the Show is where you roleplay every moment your star is on the field. While playing as a pitcher instead of a fielder lends itself to a more challenging and hands-on game, it doesn't take away from the experience of knowing how hard it is to try and crack the roster of your favorite team. You'll learn firsthand to admire the tenacity of real-life rookies trying to break into the majors, which gives you a deeper appreciation for the players as part of the sport that you love.

But for a lot of people (including myself), it's the pitcher-versus-batter match-ups, along with the defensive prowess of your fielders, that make or break a baseball game. Nothing is overly revolutionary here -- not that it needs to be. While 2K Sports has spent a considerable amount of time with pitching and swing-stick mechanics for its games, The Show retains what has worked for a number of years: power meters for the pitcher and fielders, swinging the bat with a press of a button, and using the triggers to advance runners around the bases. This also helps to make the game very approachable for those who've never played a baseball game, and everything works to a T here. To date, I have yet to encounter any fielding or base running gaffs.

The Show also gets a lot of little things right, such as the "Sounds of the Show" feature where you can customize your own batter walk-ups, home run songs, and reliever entry music by pulling from whatever music you have (legally) ripped to your PS3's hard drive. For me, I picked Cheap Trick's "Stiff Competition" as my entry music; I also completely geeked out when I saw my created character run in from the bullpen -- working to protect a lead late in the game while Rick Nielsen's riffs blared on. There's also a really quirky feature where you create taunts using your PS3 headset; I only recorded a few taunts, like the classic "swing battah, battah, battah swing!" (I'll invite some friends over to create more colorful ones), but that feature works overall. The only downside is that you have to spend time searching for a specific player to attach these taunts to, rather than being allowed to throw these taunts into the rotation with the other crowd sounds from the game. But if you really hate Derek Jeter that much, you'll take the time to make sure he gets the special greeting that you recorded for him.