OS Staff Roundtable - MLB '11: The Show Demo Impressions

[Pared]

Quote: Originally Posted by ped3328

Hopefully, some of your precious suggestions and ideas will be implemented in the final version.

They were. Again as I've mentioned in other threads previously this is just something you'll never see.

There's no way that you can understand what goes on "behind the curtain." I personally try my best to give you some insight on the changes being made there, as do the other invites. But ultimately, there is so much changed and suggested to keep track of it all would be a waste of everyone's time.

The final game being as good as it can be is always the goal. It's part of the reason I try to avoid posting while at CD, but then even that is taking the wrong way when people are foaming at the mouth for information.

You have to take the good with the bad. You take them both and then you have...

+2 'net points for those that get that corny joke.

[tvman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pared

And for all the individuals asking for cursor hitting, it's actually a very antiquated hitting mechanic, given the controls we have now compared to in the past.

Play PYS and you'll soon see that their cursor hitting system is far and away the best hitting system out there.

Sticks are different and new but that doesn't make them better.

[gigadkc]

Quote: Originally Posted by tvman

Play PYS and you'll soon see that their cursor hitting system is far and away the best hitting system out there. Sticks are different and new but that doesn't make them better.

so true. I also understand people that don't like cursor hitting because they it's too hard, "unreal" or because they just prefer another style of hitting. I love cursor batting, tvman loves it, other people love it, why not add it to the game? It won't make the game worse to have another hitting option and some people that hate it might actually like it.

I don't know how many guys here have played or still play PYS but hitting in that game is just awesome. Give it a try and you know what I mean.

[Dazraz]

I think the main gripe with The Show 11 isn't that it plays the same as it's predecessor, Sony would be crazy to meddle with the awesome gameplay, it's that it looks & sounds the same. A new voice in the box has done nothing to refresh the presentation. As we found with Madden, putting a new voice in the box is not enough. The Show's commentary needs a complete overhaul to bring it up to date. It also needs to be dynamic keeping up with news highlights throughout the season. Why is it when a pitcher gets introduced in a playoff game the commentary is still focusing on what he achieved in his last real life season & not what he had done in the season just played.
I would also like more variety & better presentation with regards to stat overlays. Elements such as these can really give the game a fresh feel without making changes for changes sake within the actual gameplay.

[wrigleyville33]

I'm with the first guy. I am still underwhelmed with the demo. I hate people that are on here warming up to the devs claiming this is the best game they have ever played. Then 8 other users also throw their comments claiming it's the best. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I hate that saying. You guys have been saying that since mlb '09. We are on our third year of saying that. If you don't like a game, go to the previous one. Also, if someone criticizes the game, all of the users who glorify this game gangs up against him shooting him down. The commentary is still horrible, the foul ball camera is so stale, the game overall just plays out stale as well. I'm really not sure if I'll dish out 60 to buy this game. That is saying something considering I bought my ps3 for this game. Users should criticize this game, because criticism ignites improvement. The presentation has been the same, still no highlight tv like show. Matty V bores me to sleep. The equipment received no upgrades. Still the same. I played over 200 games of mlb '09. I played probably 100 in '10. Is it worth it to pay another 60 and probably play less games due to me getting bored of the gameplay? They need to spice it up. They need to suck it up and purchase rights to equipment brands. Overall the menu system. I swear the graphic designer who designed the menus, overlays, etc needs to get a face lift. They changed the colors, yipee, I want an overhaul. Why not make different overlays to keep the game fresh? Different overlays meaning maybe have a local market tv overlay and a nationally televised production. I feel nothing when I hit a home run. Why is that? I swear the presentation is what is keeping this game down. I could fall asleep when I listen to Matt V. Wrigley looks the same for the third consecutive year. It looks awful. Anyways, I will probably buy this year's version if the price is right.

[nemesis04]

Quote: Originally Posted by wrigleyville33

I'm with the first guy. I am still underwhelmed with the demo. I hate people that are on here warming up to the devs claiming this is the best game they have ever played. Then 8 other users also throw their comments claiming it's the best. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I hate that saying. You guys have been saying that since mlb '09. We are on our third year of saying that. If you don't like a game, go to the previous one. Also, if someone criticizes the game, all of the users who glorify this game gangs up against him shooting him down. The commentary is still horrible, the foul ball camera is so stale, the game overall just plays out stale as well. I'm really not sure if I'll dish out 60 to buy this game. That is saying something considering I bought my ps3 for this game. Users should criticize this game, because criticism ignites improvement. The presentation has been the same, still no highlight tv like show. Matty V bores me to sleep. The equipment received no upgrades. Still the same. I played over 200 games of mlb '09. I played probably 100 in '10. Is it worth it to pay another 60 and probably play less games due to me getting bored of the gameplay? They need to spice it up. They need to suck it up and purchase rights to equipment brands. Overall the menu system. I swear the graphic designer who designed the menus, overlays, etc needs to get a face lift. They changed the colors, yipee, I want an overhaul. Why not make different overlays to keep the game fresh? Different overlays meaning maybe have a local market tv overlay and a nationally televised production. I feel nothing when I hit a home run. Why is that? I swear the presentation is what is keeping this game down. I could fall asleep when I listen to Matt V. Wrigley looks the same for the third consecutive year. It looks awful. Anyways, I will probably buy this year's version if the price is right.

You lost me at the end here. To feel so strongly that game has not progressed and has a stale feel to it, you end it off by saying "I will end up getting at some point"? If you are going to run and jump in the pool don't stop at the edge! Buy it, don't buy whatever, does not affect me either way but if you feel so strongly against something the right way to go about it is to pass on it. Why support something you don't really enjoy?

[PVarck31]

Quote: Originally Posted by wrigleyville33

I'm with the first guy. I am still underwhelmed with the demo. I hate people that are on here warming up to the devs claiming this is the best game they have ever played. Then 8 other users also throw their comments claiming it's the best. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I hate that saying. You guys have been saying that since mlb '09. We are on our third year of saying that. If you don't like a game, go to the previous one. Also, if someone criticizes the game, all of the users who glorify this game gangs up against him shooting him down. The commentary is still horrible, the foul ball camera is so stale, the game overall just plays out stale as well. I'm really not sure if I'll dish out 60 to buy this game. That is saying something considering I bought my ps3 for this game. Users should criticize this game, because criticism ignites improvement. The presentation has been the same, still no highlight tv like show. Matty V bores me to sleep. The equipment received no upgrades. Still the same. I played over 200 games of mlb '09. I played probably 100 in '10. Is it worth it to pay another 60 and probably play less games due to me getting bored of the gameplay? They need to spice it up. They need to suck it up and purchase rights to equipment brands. Overall the menu system. I swear the graphic designer who designed the menus, overlays, etc needs to get a face lift. They changed the colors, yipee, I want an overhaul. Why not make different overlays to keep the game fresh? Different overlays meaning maybe have a local market tv overlay and a nationally televised production. I feel nothing when I hit a home run. Why is that? I swear the presentation is what is keeping this game down. I could fall asleep when I listen to Matt V. Wrigley looks the same for the third consecutive year. It looks awful. Anyways, I will probably buy this year's version if the price is right.

So because I think its the best baseball game I have ever played that means I am "warming up the the devs." Blanket statements like that bring nothing but trouble.

Look, I get why people want the presentation changed up a little. I think that would be great. However it doesn't ruin my experience with the game. Don't mistake my love for the game as complacency. I am all for any improvements or enhancements that are made. I would love licensed gear, new commentary, and more animations.

I know the devs read this forum and take the wishlist thread seriously. You are free to criticize the game all you want. As long as its constructive criticism and there will be no beef from me or any of the other mods.

[metallidevils]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pared

Quite honestly, you don't understand the sports video game business model then. Why would you completely ignore your loyal customers and try and capture new ones, at the risk of alienating those that actually ENJOY the way the game is? You made this same claim in the Madden forum a while back. I remember because it was off the mark then as well. You simply don't ignore the individuals that buy your game every year - you cater to them and add items to capture the external market as well. SCEA did that this year with the inclusion of Co-op, the PSMove, etc. You won't see this on the demo, but there's a lot in the game to make it more accessible to just the "hardcore" market. They also spent a ridiculous amount of time catering to individual fans on their specific nitpicks, such as ad placement and wall colors in stadiums. I hate the "me too" posts that follow someone's tirade. Mob mentality at its finest here. Instead of taking a step back and objectively viewing what has been done this year, they focus on that one thing that they wanted and whether it met their expectations. People did this same thing in the NBA 2k11 forum despite that game being the best it has ever been. Simply put... unbelievable.

I don't know for a fact, but I do not believe that this message board represents the fan base as a whole for this game. This might be the most 'loyal' fan base, but there aren't enough people who regularly post here to make it the biggest. Catering to the people here, if that is what they are doing, is probably a bad business model. Sooner or later sites like IGN that presumably have more of an influence on which games become popular, are going to catch on that not much is happening from year to year, and the reviews are going to get poorer.

At some point just being the best baseball game cannot be enough.