Must Read: Whats old and whats new in the 09 features list.

[plote]

Bold And Underlined = What they say is new.
Italics = What is really new.

Progressive Batting Performance -- Reward players for superior performance and penalize them for hitting slumps. Specific to each individual batter, players are rewarded with contact bonuses for each batter that performs beyond his "natural ability" while under user control. Conversely, the user will be punished with slight decreases in contact for each batter that performs below his natural ability.

In 08 features list.

Post Game/In Game Pitcher and Batter Analysis -- Available both in-game, post-game, and throughout Road to the Show, the Pitch Analysis is a breakdown of all the pitches thrown during the current game being played. Gamers will be able sort by pitcher, LHB or RHB, pitch type and result. This feature is also available for Batters, and the batter analysis allows for a breakdown of how a batter has performed based on LHP or RHP, Pitch Type, and result.

Throughout RTTS? Sweet! That seems like a lot of date to store, though.

Pitch Grips -- MLB 09 The Show details various pitch grips and arm angles that a pitcher has when throwing each pitch. 17 different pitch types including four fastball variations (four-seam, two-seam, cutter, split), six breaking pitches (10-4 curve, 12-6 curve, slider, sinker, slurve, screwball), four change-ups (straight, circle change, palmball, forkball), and three specialty pitches (knuckle, knuckle-curve, and Gyro).

A Downgrade. Nothing new, and they took away the straight curveball .

SCOUT [SportsConnect Online User Tracking] -- SCOUT allows gamers to set their game preferences, stores them on the server, and then allows the system to look for a Quick Match with an opponent that fits their criteria.

In 08 features list.

In-Game MLB Live Scores -- Gamers will get up-to-date reports on what is going on in the Majors including scores and notable status, such as HRs, complete games, etc.

In 08 features list.

SportsConnect Headline News -- Stay on top of news around the league and receive all current happenings in sports today. Information is updated a few times each hour with news, trades, and events from 31 different feeds, each containing 25 unique items. Select General MLB headlines for updates from the entire league so news is not missed while online with MLB 09 The Show.

In 08 features list, under name of Online News Service / MLB.com Headline News.

Key modes -- Rivalry, Career, Season, and All-Star game are once again available to provide players a chance to challenge friends or the Artificial Intelligence in a variety of settings.

In 08 features list.

Multi-Branch Fielding -- Branch Point Technology goes to a new level as gamers you can now take full control of fielders and break out of any animation in the process. Change a fielding decision and branch out of any animation after the first branch point.

In 08 features list.

Adaptive Pitching Intelligence (API) -- Catchers will call the game based on individual strengths and weaknesses of each pitcher and analyze tendencies of batters. Gamers will have the ability to trust the pitches called by the catcher or shake them off. (The catcher's recommendations are based off of thousands of actual MLB stats.)

In 08 features list.

Pitch Command System (PCS) -- A pitcher's "pitch comfort" will be predetermined based on a best to worst pitch scenario. The more a player works on a pitch, the better it becomes, and the more a gamer neglects a pitch, the harder it becomes to work the zone.

In 08 features list.

Release Point Pitching -- Gamers must utilize a timing mechanism to learn and realize each pitchers pace and release point, which varies from pitcher to pitcher.

In 08 features list.

Pitching Confidence Meter -- The ultimate pitcher/batter interface returns. Additionally, Pitcher Confidence plays a role in a gamer's ability to hit release points in the all-new pitch meter, while frequency of mistakes will impact the confidence level of a gamer's hurler, making it more difficult to paint the corners of the strike zone.

In 08 features list, including part about "all-new pitch meter".

Guess Pitch -- Baseball fans can attempt to master the ability to knock one out or hit the grounder to advance the runner by checking pitch history and correctly guessing which pitch and location that the pitcher will throw next. If a correct pitch is selected, the power attribute is increased to give the batter a higher chance of hitting one out of the park.

In 08 features list.

PlayMaker Fielding -- Based on fielding attributes, but it's ultimately up to each player to decide how to play to each team's strengths and weaknesses. Excellent fielders will track down the ball for you while sub-par fielders will require some concentration.

In 08 features list.

My Sliders (Up/Downloadable) -- The My Sliders option gives users the ability to create their perfect game settings offline by adjusting game sliders. Gamers can then save these adjustments to memory and, when online, upload to for other users to try and let the online community be the judge on finding the perfect game.

In 08 features list.

Unrivaled Player Creator -- An infinite amount of options for creating players including everything right down to your own face with EyeToy (PS2 only). But it doesn't stop there. You can also adjust your personal rituals, swings  even emotions as you create Mini-You.

Sweet! I hope PS2 only is a misprint, though. I hope they give more hair options.

MLB Player Motion Captures -- MLB 09 The Show features authentically captured motions from dozens of professional athletes including David Wright, David Ortiz, Eric Chavez, Roger Clemens, Trevor Hoffman, Tim Hudson, Darryl Hamilton and more.

In 08 features list. Roger Clemens and Darryl Hamilton? WTF?

Revamped Umpire Personalities -- Each umpire will have his own definition of the strike zone, and it's up to the gamer to figure out if the umpire is calling the zone high, low, or giving the corners.

In 08 features list.

3-Man Booth & Progressive Commentary -- Rex Hudler, Matt Vasgersian, and Dave Campbell return to provide the most comprehensive commentary available. Additionally, the game's Progressive Commentary system changes dialogue by adapting to current actions and situations.

In 08 features list.

[PLite14]

Not once did they ever say any of the stuff you listed is new. That information is from a fact sheet given to ESPN by SCEA. Even though that stuff was in MLB 08, they are also features in MLB 09, and that's why they are listed.

You just wasted a long time writing that post of yours. Honestly, why are you and others so worried that SCEA has done nothing in the past year? They've been nice enough to be here and listen to our input, and are working to make a game even better than the Show 08 for 2009.

I think you should remove 'Must Read' from your title, because this is most certainly NOT a must-read.

[bodhiball]

just to give you another opinion, since you've already herd ChicagoCubs thoughts, It doesnt seem completely useless to me and I can understand why you posted this....there are a few people on the other thread who were getting confused about the features list. I actually see it as a good attempt to clear things up.

Not to mention, we are all "buzzed" about the new info! So, glad you are as excited as me and wanting to examine everything.

[jim416]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChicagoCubs720

Honestly, why are you and others so worried that SCEA has done nothing in the past year? They've been nice enough to be here and listen to our input, and are working to make a game even better than the Show 08 for 2009. .

Bingo.

[ARMORALLL]

Id rather they work on the features they already have and improve them before they move on to other features.

[bcruise]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChicagoCubs720

Not once did they ever say any of the stuff you listed is new. That information is from a fact sheet given to ESPN by SCEA. Even though that stuff was in MLB 08, they are also features in MLB 09, and that's why they are listed. You just wasted a long time writing that post of yours. Honestly, why are you and others so worried that SCEA has done nothing in the past year? They've been nice enough to be here and listen to our input, and are working to make a game even better than the Show 08 for 2009. I think you should remove 'Must Read' from your title, because this is most certainly NOT a must-read.

Agree on all counts. It's the first wave of information about the game, and already words and statements are getting twisted.

Gonna be a fun next couple of months.

[countryboy]

someone went through an awful lot of work to explain to us whats really new...

Trust me when I say this, the guys on this site already knew what's new and whats a carryover. And anyhow, who cares? Does it really matter? I mean, if you already like the game are you going to pass on it because some of the features are carryovers, even if some of what you're hoping was in the game is listed as well? I guess I don't understand the intention behind the OP's idea of bringing this to attention.

People get too hung up on feature's lists and whatnots.

[theaub]

Quote: Originally Posted by bodhiball

just to give you another opinion, since you've already herd ChicagoCubs thoughts, It doesnt seem completely useless to me and I can understand why you posted this....there are a few people on the other thread who were getting confused about the features list. I actually see it as a good attempt to clear things up.

Bingo. Not to mention people who are buying a PS3 and know nothing about The Show.