MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

[maddeninyoeye]

WOW so finally got the analog hitting down, and this is by far the most fun game I will ever own.

Analog pitching is fun, and fielding is amazing too. And to top it off I can use any settings/views I want online.

Then today when hitting I began starting my backstride a second earlier than usual, and it gave me more time to read the pitch, easier to check swing, and a better hitter. and using the Wide hitting view has made this an amazing job by SCEA of taking a "been there, done that" game and turning it into something special again.

And I'm hitting on veteran and have managed a .265 average, so I cant wait to try all-star and improve my skills.

Thanks Russell and the rest of the crew....

[spitoon]

Quote: Originally Posted by Raskal

The locked audio sliders are unlocked if you have Music Mode On, so you can have seperate sliders for when that is enabled without having to adjust it every time. This is really cool actually, I hate having to adjust the in-game volume every time I just want to listen to music, now they're saved separately. I don't see any duplicate screen size settings, 2 for horizontal(Position and Size) and same for Vertical.

Ok. That makes sense now.

I stand corrected on the duplicate video settings...I was messing around with 2 controllers, and at one point I saw the video settings locked off, and then another time I was able to change them...I must have figured there were two sets, but in reality they were just locked off for P2.

[bxgoods]

I love the new analog controls and player models.

But the cutscenes and commentary is 80% the same as the last 4 years. It makes it feel like 09 and 10, they need to completely re-do their presentation,its stale.
I like the new commentator, but they should of gave the old guys some new lines.

[Drew127]

After extended time with the demo, I finally feel safe about stating my feelings on it, as I've had time to let things sink in.

1. The graphics are certainly improved. For reference, I popped in MLB 10 and started a night game at AT&T Park. First thing I noticed, the grass looks significantly better this year. Second thing, the lighting is vastly improved. From player shadows to how the stadium lights impact the stands. The stadium as a whole just looks lit correctly. Last year, during night games, parts of the stadium (and even parts of the field in the early evening, covered by shadows) were way too dark. An example of last year vs. this year, is last year during night games in lots of stadiums you couldn't even see the individual pads on the outfield fence, from the default hitting cam. The fence was just shrouded in darkness. This has been fixed and looks perfect this year. I think the lighting changes are huge.

2. The new player models look great, although I never really had a problem with the old ones to begin with.

3. The custom camera is great and really makes the game fresh, in my opinion. I originally was really disappointed at the lack of being able to adjust "focal point" on the custom cameras, but after playing with it more today I think I've found my perfect hitting cam. I love it, it adds a whole new element to the game. The new team broadcast cameras are superb, also. So far I'm favoring the straight-behind-the-mound angles, such as St. Louis, Boston and Minnesota.

4. Ball physics are improved, this is evidenced on foul balls and how they bounce off of the walls and other objects down the lines. It's not so much like a pinball anymore, where the ball will fire well back into fair territory. I think it looks spot on. The ball physics on hits is better also, already I've seen some choppers which were rare last year. And doubles down the line look picture perfect as they slice in the air and bounce around in the corner. Thing of beauty.

5. I'm loving the new analog pitching. For me, this might be the best pitching system I've experienced. Granted, I did not play MVP NCAA, nor have I played the 2k series so I don't have much basis for comparison to other analog schemes. But I'm actually walking people now and am seeing pitches that I just miss my location on, getting called for balls, etc. The pitch counts and ball/strike ratios seem perfect so far. An aside note, I struck out Nelson Cruz with a curveball that bounced in the dirt, and he chased. That was awesome.

6. Analog hitting will take some time. So far I'm on the fence with it. Same goes for fielding.

Now the things that disappoint me. The presentation is just stale, and I don't really understand why it's been left untouched for so long. In my opinion, that is the most glaring flaw of the game. Sure, three years ago the presentation was nice, but it's been mostly untouched since MLB '08 and now it's just looking dated. Someone mentioned the overlays are way too busy...which I agree with. They could be cleaned up and simplified a lot. 2k really has this done well, I think. And 2k did it in one year, so I don't really get why the design team at SCEA can't step up. Replays still have those same awkward angles that you would never see on a TV broadcast (not all of the replays, some do have a nice broadcast angle). The top two priorities for '12 should be presentation and franchise overhaul (better stat tracking, a meaningful spring training, etc). And yes, I know they added things like pitch sequences and the ticker this year.

Announcing obviously is stale also. I'm not so pressed about the announcing either way, I can take it or leave it. But this needs lots of work too.


Overall I'm impressed with the game and for me, the changes do warrant a purchase. The analog pitching and custom cameras alone are enough to freshen the game up for me. I hated meter pitching and always used classic pitching, but had my qualms with it and admittedly it was very boring. Analog pitching is fun AND realistic.

However, if you are talking about freshening up a game that lots will argue has become stale, presentation is the single biggest element that can be enhanced. The game play is stellar and doesn't need as much attention, next year. Let's get the other stale elements of the game brought up to date.

[highheatkingsb]

Absolutely love the new analog system.

[takki]

I'm not really noticing much. The demo appeared a bit smoother than the last game. The throwing is much improved (I think?).

I mean, do fans actually catch balls in the stands now? When a pitcher takes a baseball to the face, do they actually get injured instead of act like nothing happened?

[JBucc]

This demo is my first time playing this series on PS3, so stuff like presentation is all still fresh to me. The game looks awesome too, really love the lighting.

Add me to list of those who really like the pitching. It's got a good difficulty without being impossible. I've gone out and dominated with Lincecum and also gotten crushed once. Good amount of walks, and it's nice not having to throw balls on purpose just to up my pitch count.

Analog hitting and fielding controls I could take or leave. They don't have as big of an impact as the analog pitching does.

The only real issue I'm having is with fielding feeling generally sluggish and fielders not really having any urgency. On wild pitches and passed balls the catcher is sooooooooo slow to react. I had a play today where the ball bounced off his glove and rolled towards third. For some reason the runner on third still decided to come home. Should've been an easy out, but the catcher took so dang long to initiate movement by the time he got to the ball the runner was dead even with him, and then he didn't even attempt a tag animation. I've had similar problems with liners going right to guys who don't even attempt to grab it, letting it roll by them.

Other than those problems, this is the most fun I've had with a baseball game since MVP.

[nmycon]

Quote: Originally Posted by takki

I'm not really noticing much. The demo appeared a bit smoother than the last game. The throwing is much improved (I think?). I mean, do fans actually catch balls in the stands now? When a pitcher takes a baseball to the face, do they actually get injured instead of act like nothing happened?

fans don't actually catch balls, but i'm fine with the current animations (which have been improved for this year), at least in the stands all the fans who stood up get mad that they couldn't catch the ball, last year they just stood up and sat back down

and pitchers can get injured by a comebacker, but i don't think there are any in-game animations, but it can have affect their fielding abilities. I was playing as SF and Beltre hit a liner back at him, hit off his leg, he threw a rainbow to second (the throw bounced before getting to the base, im guessing this was because he was hurt), then a very long cutscene, about 30 seconds or so, follower, where the pitching coach came out to see Lincecum, who was kneeling between the mound and home plate, slowly stood him up and walked him back to the mound.

Pitchers have been able to get injured by comebackers for a few years now, i think last year was the first time they implemented cutscenes and ability penalties, but often you would get a message after the play saying the pitcher needed to be replaced.