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I love going to Walt Disney World. I got hooked as a kid, and since then it has become my family’s favorite vacation destination. And after many trips, it’s easy to feel a sense of familiarity if there’s no groundbreaking new attraction on a subsequent visit. Yet, it’s still Disney World.

MLB 11: The Show is similar. The new thrill ride is analog controls. Beyond that, it’s pretty much the same place since my last visit. Still, however, it’s The Show.

An Old Friend Returns

The journey started, though, with a few unique surprises on the front end. When I first booted up the game, little tweaks like suggested default settings -- I selected Expert -- and customizable menu themes served as a fresh coat of paint. These are not earth-shattering additions, but they certainly help to minimize any initial feelings of having bought a $60 roster update.

Speaking of roster updates, I got a message warning me of a new downloadable roster. I like that the developers are continuing to provide weekly updates (which, by now has become the industry norm), and that the game will do a better job of letting you know when they are available.

The game also recognized that I had a 3-D TV and offered to turn that setting on. I declined because I have found that the 3-D, at least in the demo, strains my eyes a bit more. I will say, though, that the 3-D in The Show is and understated and elegant way to handle these effects. Basically, the HUD elements, like the score bar and pitch selections, pop out, while everything else falls back into the TV.

I did mess with the camera settings a bit, settling on Broadcast for pitching and fielding, and Offset Wide for batting. I’m not quite satisfied with the batting camera, and I may go into the custom editor sometime during the week.

As for the controls, Expert starts with every control set to analog, which, again, is the most touted feature this year.

Pitching

I jumped into a game using my hometown Phillies versus the Rays (by random selection). The uniform selector is nice, but I can’t see doing that much mixing, beyond maybe hat choice. I also noticed that the Phillies have an available alternate “away” hat that has not been used for years.

Anyway, in my first inning with Cliff Lee I quickly learned how hard the analog controls can be -- and it’s primarily a “good” hard. By now, a lot has been published detailing how analog pitching works, so I won’t recount the entire mechanic here. Basically, though, it is important to know that your vertical accuracy while pulling down on the analog stick affects the height of the pitch, while your horizontal accuracy on the “upswing” dictates left/right.

These are important to know, especially in relation to what pitch you have called. I kept missing the “golden” zone on my downswing, and as a result, hung just about every breaking pitch. When I’d gear up for the fastball, I would occasionally miss my target on the the upswing and groove it right through the middle. The Rays feasted on these mistakes, quickly putting up six runs on two homers, a triple, a few singles and a hit batsmen. By then, Lee’s confidence was shot, and it looked to be an uphill battle from there.

The point I quickly learned from all of this is that, at least on the default Expert settings, you have to think like a real pitcher. You have to predict where a bad pitch might end up, and you certainly have to stay out of the middle of the zone. The analog controls are intuitive enough, but at that difficulty level they are rather sensitive. I also like that if you want to “plus” a pitch with a little extra pop, you most likely will sacrifice accuracy by quickly jamming up on the stick.

After that disastrous start (and subsequent restart), my second attempt at pitching was much better. I still allowed too many hits, but I was able to minimize damage by being smarter with pitch selection and location. Still, at that level, I was punished by not getting a fastball up out of the zone to Longoria, who took me deep. And, by trying to work the corners more, I ended up walking a few batters (which to me is a good thing in a video game).

Hitting

On the other side of the plate, hitting using the analog controls seems relatively natural, but I did not have much success during my first few games. I suspect the pitch speed slider will need to be tweaked for my personal tastes, as pitches were coming in a bit too fast. And, as I mentioned earlier, I also need to find a batting camera I like.

I mentioned in the Show demo impressions article that I think the analog hitting controls force me to watch the pitches a little better because I need to interact throughout the entire delivery, not just as the ball arrives. I was pleased that I was able to work a few walks -- one of the four pitch variety.

My highlight on offense was an 11-pitch at-bat by Placido Polanco, which really fits his hitting style. I got down 1-2 in the count, so I started using the new contact swing. Over the next seven pitches, I managed to either take a ball or foul the pitch off. Eric Karros, the new commentator in the game, even had a line about fouling so many pitches off. Then on the 3-2 count, I roped a single into right field. Of course, I stranded him at first later in the inning, but it’s those kind of at-bats that make The Show so realistic. Whether it would have been possible without the new contact swing is another question -- of course Polanco’s attributes probably had an effect on this as well.

Fielding

Fielding seems relatively unchanged, outside of the throwing meter and analog controls. The meter is a nice addition. It makes sense, and it is easy to see/understand. I’m not sure there have not been better throwing meters in the past -- I liked MVP’s -- but this one is not bad.

Presentation

Lighting, player models and graphical flourishes like replays and transitions are vastly improved. I saw a great replay that froze the pitch as the batter made contact and highlighted the ball’s position in the strike zone; this particular replay gave off the vibe of something you would see on television.

However, commentary is much the same as last year -- and the year before that. Eric Karros does not do much except replace Rex Hudler, so he’s not much of an addition.

There are a couple of other nagging issues as well. I witnessed too many repeated batter animations after a pitch. They look good the first time, but does Raul Ibanez really pick up dirt after every pitch? I also saw a couple of hits that looked almost identical -- a liner hooking over a jumping first basemen. These repeated elements are not out of the realm of possibility, but they may be telling over the long term.

Wrapping It Up

Again, coming back to The Show might not be a mind-blowingly new experience. But, for now, it is proving to be another great baseball simulation. The analog controls change the game in ways beyond just a different sort of input. The visuals continue to be top notch, and the presentational elements seem to have been marginally improved. Only some repetitive animations and commentary have thus far marred my experience.

Welcome back to the most magical place, or rather, game on earth.


Check in on a daily basis this week as I begin taking an even deeper look at the various game modes and offerings in Sony's newest baseball title. These impression articles will culminate with the final review and score early next week.