MLB 15 The Show: Recapping the First Full Game Stream (Pirates vs. Cubs)
Submitted on: 02/21/2015 by
Jayson Young
If you missed Thursday's extra innings, hour-and-a-half stream of MLB 15: The Show, and you don't have time to watch the entire event in full, here are some handy cliff notes covering everything that was discussed on Sony San Diego's latest demo session:
Menus
- You can now play/sim games directly from the main Franchise menu without having to search through the entire season calendar
- A rotating "league updates" panel will let you see scores, stats, and transactions from your Franchise without having to page through multiple menus
- All of the Franchise panels have been reorganized so that more information is readily available without needing to dig through several different screens
- Like on last week's stream, it took exactly 21 seconds to load into a Franchise game from the "set your lineup" screen
Interface
- You can now check your pitcher's energy while you are batting by pressing the d-pad. This will make it easier to decide whether or not to pinch-hit for a tired pitcher
- All of the game's pitching/hitting interfaces can be used online
- Visible pitch trails create a better visual representation of how the ball is going to move from the pitcher's glove to the catcher's glove. This is an option that can be toggled on/off
- Pitchers can hold the R2 button to use an abbreviated "slide step" delivery if they think that a runner might be stealing. Slide step pitches will naturally have a lower velocity, and will also be tougher to control.
Differences between the PS3/Vita editions and the PS4 version
- Licensed equipment will only show up in-game on PlayStation 4 this year, due to memory restrictions on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita
- The "Inside the Show" radio show will only appear on PlayStation 4 this year
- Players will see a lot more animation variety and cutscene variety on PlayStation 4
Miscellaneous notes
- The universal rewards level cap is 30
- The new home run derby format is in the game
- Manager challenges are an option now, and they will mostly occur during force outs to first base. The game will show a scene of your skipper talking to the first base umpire, then it will cut to a replay of the disputed call, at which point you can decide whether or not to issue a challenge
- Hitters, fielders, and pitchers can all be injured if they are struck by the ball
- Roster updates will continue to happen every week, and they will still be predominantly based on real-life performance. Remember that all MLB rookies have to play a full game in the majors before they can be added to the MLB 15: The Show roster.
Presentation
- Night games no longer use a detailless black abyss for the background. Each ballpark's skyline will appear darker or lighter depending on the camera's distance
- New post-pitch replays will highlight questionable calls and well-placed throws
- Not every player will automatically receive a batter walk-up cutscene; these will appear more situationally this year
- The commentary in Franchise mode will talk about your last 8 to 10 games, plus it will discuss how well your team is doing in the season standings
- Play-by-play calls have been tuned to be shorter, with less run-on sentences
- Post-pitch commentary is more likely to talk about what just happened instead of going off on long, unrelated tangents
- MLB: The Show's commentary designer/scriptwriter recently left the team, and in December of 2014, Kirby St. John took over those duties.
- Every MLB player who has a contract with the game's available sponsors will have licensed equipment in MLB 15: The Show. The fictional minor leaguers will mostly use licensed equipment, but there is still some generic gear being used in the minors.
- There are some new team-specific celebrations and cutscenes
- The developers captured lots of signature home run swings and home run celebrations for "all the big power hitters in the game."
- Pitchers and batters will show more emotion this year while reacting in the post-play cutscenes
- Every MLB team has the same number of uniform slots as last year, but most of the new alternate uniforms should be in the game. The Franchise mode logic that decides when teams will wear certain outfits is based on their real-life uniform schedules.
Next Week's Stream
At 8 PM EST on Thursday, February 26, Sony San Diego will discuss Franchise mode, Road to the Show, and their new in-game radio show called "Inside the Show."