Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2012: Is the Japanese Baseball Sim Right for You?

[anonex]

How much of it is actually in english, though? I'm thinking of ordering this.

[lhslancers]

Quote: Originally Posted by anonex

How much of it is actually in english, though? I'm thinking of ordering this.

Next to none of it is in English but once you set your game up the way you like it it won't matter. The guys over at Spirits Translation walk you through the menus line by line. The gameplay itself requires no knowledge of Japanese. I just started playing the series in March now I have every edition. Buy an older one first used on eBay see if you like it. It eats The Show's lunch all day. You can make the game as hard or easy as you want and anything in between.

[Spirits Translation]

Thanks for the update, it's always nice to see PYS getting some attention on OS. I just wanted to give a rundown of the previous versions so newcomers can make the right choice on which one to buy.

PYS 6: This has the regular game along with the WBC mode so there's MLB players (team USA) and of course other teams from around the globe. It is the only version where you can play with MLB players (there is no player editing or community DL's which would replicate current MLB team rosters in any version.) The drawback here is that we didn't start posting translations until the 2010 version, so you might get stuck in places - and graphics & cut-scenes are much better in 2011 & 2012.

PYS 2010: This the first year Muka and I created spiritstranslation.com so you should have no problem figuring things out. It's bug free, playing really well out of the box and scores are wide open (you'll have 1-0 days and 12-8 days.) I'd say this is the funnest version I've played, and it has all the top players like Darvish that have moved on to the MLB. Also, it's the last version which has the option to use either the light ball, normal ball or heavy ball (in 2012 the NPB adopted a heavier ball which is similiar to the MLB's. Back in 2010 the ball was lighter so scores were higher.) Anyway, with 2010 you had the option to make hitting more or less of a challenge by changing the weight of the ball.

PYS 2011: Basically the same as 2010 with upgrades to graphics, cut-scenes, and a simpler & refined player progression system. Some experienced players found it too easy to jack homers out of the box, but Konami fixed this with game updates. Basically the NPB moved to the heavy ball in 2011 and scores were way down. Thus, Konami adjusted to this by nerfing the batters ratings in their roster updates. It plays well with the final update but you have to be ok with lower scores.

PYS 2012: Very polished game and like 2010 it plays great out of the box. Smoother graphics and animation along with some refinement to contact hitting (more pop.) Many hardcore Japanese players hail it as the best version ever. But that's the thing, JPN players are hardcore and PYS 2012 is the most challenging of them all so they are happy. Again in 2011 NPB scoring was way down due to the heavy ball being used, and Konami did what it took to keep scoring in line with real life. For example a batter who had "A" power in 2010 is now rated "C", and pitchers sharpness ratings are increased across the board. You have to really work hard to get runs, and you have to be ok with old-school baseball where 2-1 scores are common. If you muff a bunt or get a bad lead on a steal you'll kick yourself because every decision is so important. Also one thing to consider here is that 2012 is available for the Vita and it's really an amazing game. On the downside some top players moved on to the MLB and are gone from the game.

One thing I keep hearing is "PYS is too expensive" so I'd recommend starting with 2010. It will be cheap ($30 or so) and give you a nice intro to the series.

Also if you dont know how the game works here's the link to our introduction video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5rHW...ture=endscreen

While you're there be sure to check out the other vids in our youtube channel. 'Field Play' is another reason to check out PYS. If you have any questions the baseball/other forum on OS is good or you can always find veteran players hanging around in the spiritstranslation.com forum

[lhslancers]

5K gets no love. Both 4 and 5K are great games though some might think some of the graphics are a little dated. I happen to think not. 4 actually gives you an option for manual cursor change. Only game that allows it.

[kingsofthevalley]

I've never played this title but I already know its probably one of the deepest sims ever. Anybody ever actually been to Japan? Their devs DO NOT play around. Another Centuries episode, Scramble Commander, Hajime no Ipp victorious road 2 (Deepest boxing game ever created), just to name a few. They don't make their games for the ADHD crowd like American Devs lol.

[gigadkc]

I'm playing both The Show and PYS for years but when it comes to realism PYS just owns The Show imo. The gameplay is more realistic in pretty much any part of the game. The Show has better graphics and of course an MLB-licence, which is pretty much the only reason why I still buy this game.

Once you have worked your way through the translations and found the perfect settings you'll just love PYS. It's pretty much as good as a baseball sim can get right now (aside of the average graphics). Anybody who loves playing baseball games should give PYS a shot, I promise you won't regret it.

[bigdoc85]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spirits Translation

Thanks for the update, it's always nice to see PYS getting some attention on OS. I just wanted to give a rundown of the previous versions so newcomers can make the right choice on which one to buy. PYS 6: This has the regular game along with the WBC mode so there's MLB players (team USA) and of course other teams from around the globe. It is the only version where you can play with MLB players (there is no player editing or community DL's which would replicate current MLB team rosters in any version.) The drawback here is that we didn't start posting translations until the 2010 version, so you might get stuck in places - and graphics & cut-scenes are much better in 2011 & 2012. PYS 2010: This the first year Muka and I created spiritstranslation.com so you should have no problem figuring things out. It's bug free, playing really well out of the box and scores are wide open (you'll have 1-0 days and 12-8 days.) I'd say this is the funnest version I've played, and it has all the top players like Darvish that have moved on to the MLB. Also, it's the last version which has the option to use either the light ball, normal ball or heavy ball (in 2012 the NPB adopted a heavier ball which is similiar to the MLB's. Back in 2010 the ball was lighter so scores were higher.) Anyway, with 2010 you had the option to make hitting more or less of a challenge by changing the weight of the ball. PYS 2011: Basically the same as 2010 with upgrades to graphics, cut-scenes, and a simpler & refined player progression system. Some experienced players found it too easy to jack homers out of the box, but Konami fixed this with game updates. Basically the NPB moved to the heavy ball in 2011 and scores were way down. Thus, Konami adjusted to this by nerfing the batters ratings in their roster updates. It plays well with the final update but you have to be ok with lower scores. PYS 2012: Very polished game and like 2010 it plays great out of the box. Smoother graphics and animation along with some refinement to contact hitting (more pop.) Many hardcore Japanese players hail it as the best version ever. But that's the thing, JPN players are hardcore and PYS 2012 is the most challenging of them all so they are happy. Again in 2011 NPB scoring was way down due to the heavy ball being used, and Konami did what it took to keep scoring in line with real life. For example a batter who had "A" power in 2010 is now rated "C", and pitchers sharpness ratings are increased across the board. You have to really work hard to get runs, and you have to be ok with old-school baseball where 2-1 scores are common. If you muff a bunt or get a bad lead on a steal you'll kick yourself because every decision is so important. Also one thing to consider here is that 2012 is available for the Vita and it's really an amazing game. On the downside some top players moved on to the MLB and are gone from the game. One thing I keep hearing is "PYS is too expensive" so I'd recommend starting with 2010. It will be cheap ($30 or so) and give you a nice intro to the series. Also if you dont know how the game works here's the link to our introduction video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5rHW...ture=endscreen While you're there be sure to check out the other vids in our youtube channel. 'Field Play' is another reason to check out PYS. If you have any questions the baseball/other forum on OS is good or you can always find veteran players hanging around in the spiritstranslation.com forum

Wow! Thanks for the info! I found 2010 on ebay for under $17 including shipping. Figured I would give it a try and then if I really like it I'll look at getting 2012.

[mpt54]

After reading this I purchased 2012 can't wait to play this game