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MLB '11: The Show Demo Impressions Stuck
Posted on February 23, 2011 at 03:21 PM.


The team at SCEA's San Diego Studios has always said they wanted to do analog controls in The Show at a time which made sense for them and which they could do a fantastic job with them.

Well SCEA San Diego, mission accomplished.

I've played three games in the demo and at this point, I can honestly say the analog controls are easily every bit as good as those found in Major League Baseball 2K11, and some will be able to make a compelling argument that they've surpassed the 2K series.

I've read through the impressions thread and it seems like pitching is a 50/50 proposition among OSers, where half are having serious issues picking it up and the other half are finding it to be a godsend. Put me in the latter group, I had the system picked up from the get go -- but if you are in the former group, just give it time. Once you pick up the controls you will find they are actually quite easy and intuitive.

The hitting is a different story for me, but I've always had issues hitting in The Show at the start of the season for some reason. This year though, I've already had more walks in the demo than I did through my first ten or so games last year. The only problem I'm having is getting solid contact -- and I'm afraid I might be in store for some practice to get up to speed with the analog hitting controls. However, I can see the system will probably be quite deep and intuitive once it becomes second nature.

Of course, if I were reviewing the game (I'm not) I'd probably consider it a slight negative that it takes so long to get the controls down for so many. Those who don't have the patience will be turned off by this game after not picking it up in the first few tries. However, those with a deep appreciation for the game of baseball will likely find that MLB '11: The Show is probably the most realistic game ever....again.

The game in the field will take getting used to for many -- although I admittedly have yet to have a throwing error through three games. I like the flick of the analog stick instead of the button push personally, so the change is a net win for me.

Baserunning controls are still the most frustrating aspect of The Show. I had one situation where after a swing, my players took off back to their bags because the controls for baserunning and hitting use the analog stick to varying degrees -- that's a pretty big design flaw for people who kind of get "stuck" or who follow through in their analog stick movements. So beware of the baserunning controls -- again.

Commentary and graphics are going to be fine again -- and the presentation remains probably the best in our genre. It will feel quite stale in some degree to people who have played the game for years like yours truly -- but there is just enough new commentary to make it seem new for this year.

Of course, there's a lot more which needs to be touched on in some degree -- which I just can't spend time on right now for length reasons. But if you own a PS3 and you are even a ****** fan of baseball, MLB '11: The Show is going to be a must buy for you in just a couple of weeks.
Comments
# 1 davis420 @ Feb 23
The 1st time I played the demo last night, I wasn't to impressed. When I played a game this morning it started to feel alittle better. I just played a game now and the game feel real good for a demo. This makes me wish March 8th was here. The game looks good, the players look better then last year. The game feels good with the analog controls. Pretty much ready for"SHOW" season!
 
# 2 PhillsPhan26 @ Feb 23
I loving this game but like you said the hitting going to have to take alittle getting used too. I posted in the Impressions thread last night and Russell quoted me on my troubles with fielding and said to bump the difficulty down to rookie and try and get used to it like that. I must say I like the fielding on Rookie, call it what you want but I had 3 errors in an inning my first game so this is the route I am going to have to take for now.
 
# 3 Blitzburgh @ Feb 23
Well, I have to say that the hitting is in my opinion the best of the additions to analog controls. The pitching to me is actually boring. It's just picking a high/low spot and then flicking the stick up in a certain direction. The high point of this game again is how clean and sharp the graphics and the stadiums are. Also, the animations are very smooth and everything just flows really smooth. The negatives to me are the boring pitching mechanics, stale commentary and the difficulty/confusion in running the bases. It just doesn't feel fun for some reason at least with the demo.
 
# 4 SeerMagicX @ Feb 23
I dunno how you can thing pitching is better than the 2k games. Analog pitching in 2k is still miles ahead of the's show... I mean NCAA 06's Rock N Fire pitching. Which got old in 1 demo game.
 
# 5 gigadkc @ Feb 23
"Commentary and graphics are going to be fine again"

haven't u seen the pixel fans behind home plate while using the broadcast or pitcher cam when u pitched? That's probably the worst crowd ever on PS3 but I think that'll be fixed in the final version. I thought that was pretty hilarious. The rest of the game is fine but not much of an upgrade besides the new controls.

btw: I also think that analog pitching is still better in 2K's game but The Show is okay. At least a lot of room for improvement over the next years
Sad to see that 2K isn't a real challenger for SCEA because The Show didn't improve a whole lot (some may argue if at all) over the past 2 years. Damn, I wish Konami had an MLB licence, they would kick some ***
 
# 6 radney @ Feb 23
My issues is with fielding and throwing on target to get runners out. I've figured out pitching after I thrown a few meatballs and you know how that turns out. Timing is still off with hitting but I think I'll get there. I've played 4 games with only 6 hits between them with 1 being aa home run.
 
# 7 blakenation11 @ Feb 23
I can't wait for this game.....oh yea I only own a Xbox.....damn
 
# 8 Dazraz @ Feb 23
The feedback on the demo seems to be pretty 50/50 this year unlike previous years where it was all mostly positive. I'm in the UK so have no access to the demo. The general consensus appears to be MLB the Show 11 hasn't gone backwards but hasn't made massive steps forwards either. I plan to pick up both baseball games when I visit the States at Easter. For the first time in a while I'm not sure which game will get most of my playing time.
 
# 9 B-Man1985 @ Feb 23
I really like the demo so far. I find going up against the pitcher that smokes the "devil's lettuce" a great challenge just like it would be in real life. I can't wait to jump into practice mode and really master the analog fielding controls and hitting controls.

One concern I do have is the angles the outfielders on the CPU take. It seems like they always take the perfect angle and get a head start. For example, the CPU hit a shot in the gap and got a triple with EASE and when I hit one into the same gap I could only manage a double, the CPU ran that ball down FAST...can sliders fix this issue???
 
# 10 ahoythere @ Feb 23
After playing this demo, I went back and played MLB 10 (full version) to compare graphics.

San Diego Studios definitely removed the textures on player's uniforms and equipment. Cloth textures are in 10 but not in 11 resulting in a flat look. And in 11, they made the colors more vivid and blacks more bold resulting in more cartoonish/arcade game look. Definitely a step backwards in the looks of the players. I think they also removed the texture from the stadium, too. The faces looks better, though, and the helmets are shinier.
 
# 11 mac8204 @ Feb 23
The demo seems pretty good to me. I find the hitting to be very frustrating but hitting is often frustrating in real life too. I also like the analog pitching. I like the fact that on any pitch I could leave one down the middle and it could get knocked out of the park. I never had that feeling in previous years. I found the fielding to be really easy with the analog stick so I moved it up to HOF level and it made it a little more challenging. I really enjoy the new catcher animations with passed balls and pitches in the dirt.

Justin I've pitched a lot of games and NONE of them were boring at any point. I think it's just very difficult to capture the emotions of pitching, and I do agree that pitching does get repetitive in any video game including The Show.
 
# 12 menos9 @ Feb 24
I am a huge fan of the Show series. I really enjoyed MLB 10 and felt like the game was near perfect. The MLB 11 demo feels like them same game, except for the controls and the graphics. I don't really care about the analog controls because I won't use them. One thing I really like is being able to change camera angles, especially the batter's. Now you can choose an angle that gives you a real hitters perspective like in the old World Series baseball. A true hitter's view makes a huge difference on those close pitches. You can also see the ball come out of the pitchers hand better. MLB 11 will be an awesome game and I can't wait until it comes out!
 
# 13 DubTrey1 @ Feb 24
Awesome demo... awesome game. My only complaint is the commentary at this point. It sounds disjointed and a bit off in places. Other than that, the gameplay, which matters the most - is again outstanding. SCEA has put them at a level that cannot be measured in terms of success. They always produce a quality product and it is no surprise to any of this that this is the case.
 
# 14 Golds @ Feb 24
The pitching and fielding haven't dampered my abilities much, especially the fielding. I honestly don't see the difficulty alot of people are discussing about throwing errors. Like the OP, I didn't throw a single error my first game. I think alot of ppl are just slamming the stick to the direction and not realizing all they need to do is flick it or give it a soft touch (think of how long you held the buttons down for certain periods of time on older versions).

The batting is a little different. I've always been a great batter in the show. The biggest learning curve for me is remembering/visualizing that on a low pitch I need to push the analog stick up rather than follow the ball down (like in zone batting mode). I find myself hesistating on the pitches, making my decision-making and reaction time slower than normal. Obviously with practice it will become second nature to me.

What would I change? I would love if the analog batting required you to still use the left analog for your "batters eye" and hit the correct zone, while you still needed to ignitiate the pull back and up movement on the right stick (only requiring you to push it straight up rather than directions).
 
# 15 chrismckone @ Feb 24
As someone who only has a 360, this series is close to the only reason why I want a Playstation. I know people will have their opinion on what is wrong with this game. Two things though, this series is BY FAR the best baseball series that EVER has came out.....also its JUST a demo! Stop the hating
Now, imagine if SCEA's San Diego Studios got a hold of a football license (no offense 2k, NFL 2K5 was remarkable) or even basketball or hockey. They have something special over there and we have to praise their YEARLY efforts.
Plain and simple...this cat is buying a playstation ASAP
 

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