The Quest to 162 - coopsta007's Blog

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coopsta007's Blog

The Quest to 162

Posted on April 3, 2015 at 12:37 AM.

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Every year during March Madness, I think of how the upcoming baseball season is right around the corner. From a gaming perspective, this means the annual release of MLB The Show and the �Quest to 162�.

Most of you are probably wondering, �What is the Quest to 162?� Every year I have purchased The Show, my goal has been to play a full 162 game season without simulating any games. This goal has been attempted four times and accomplished zero times.

MLB 08 The Show: 122 games (88-34 Minnesota Twins)
MLB 10 The Show: 12 games (5-7 Washington Nationals)
MLB 12 The Show: 5-10 games (started seasons with four different teams)
MLB 13 The Show: 16 games (6-10 Boston Red Sox)

My best crack at achieving this goal came back in 2008 when I played The Show religiously from March-October and completed 122 games. The following spring, I contemplated finishing what I had started, but ended up purchasing MLB 09 The Show instead. If year-to-year saves were available in MLB 08 The Show, I probably would have continued towards my goal, but instead was left with a nostalgic game save on my PlayStation 3.

In the years following MLB 08 The Show, I have not come close to achieving my goal. If you add up the games played from 2010-2013, it does not even amount to half of the games I played in 2008. With the total number of games thinning in recent years, one would wonder why I would even bother attempting the Quest to 162 again. The answer can be found looking back to my days before The Show.

In the days before The Show, my go-to baseball games were All-Star Baseball (Acclaim), High Heat Baseball (3DO) and MVP Baseball (EA Sports). Each game provided its own unique feel, and they all fueled my baseball gaming addiction. More importantly, the last time I completed the Quest to 162, it was playing All-Star Baseball 2002 with the Chicago Cubs on PlayStation 2.

Although I don�t have any physical records of this fabled season, I remember it like it was yesterday. The season itself was lengthy as I played ASB 02� from March-November. I completed the regular season in early October, and took a brief break from the game before completing the playoffs and ultimately winning the World Series in mid-November.

My Cubs team won 120+ games and Sammy Sosa broke the all-time home run record with 82 home runs. Although the real-life Cubs missed the playoffs in 2001, they acquired Fred McGriff before the trade deadline and I added him to my team�s roster as well. Needless to say, I have never gotten more out of a baseball video game then I did playing ASB 02�.

After completing the Quest to 162, I will never forget the sense of accomplishment that followed after completing this dubious task. When the final out was recorded, I let out a well-deserved sigh of relief and stared at the TV screen in silence. I felt like a senior who had just played their final college basketball game as ASB 02� only had a single season feature. After returning to the game�s loading screen, I sat in my chair processing the journey taken over the last nine months. Ten minutes later, I moved onto a season of Madden football.

Looking back at the Quest to 162, I consider it to be one of my top-ten gaming achievements of all-time. Having the strength and perseverance to complete such a task is a characteristic many do not have. It was extra special for me as I typically don�t play sports games for such an extended period of time.

Every year I pickup a copy of The Show, I wonder if the Quest to 162 will ever be completed again. This year is no different as I preordered the 10th Anniversary Edition of MLB The Show 15 and have narrowed my team choices down to the Cubs/Twins. I feel good about completing the Quest to 162 this year as early impressions of the game have been positive and this will be my baseball gaming debut on PS4. As to whether or not I will complete The Quest to 162, only time will tell.

Do you have you own stories about the Quest to 162? Mention them in the comments section below.