MLB 14 The Show Video and Screenshot Captures - Baseball Is Better on PS4

[A_Quiet_Pro]

Quote: Originally Posted by aguero90

You didn't get Price, but the Yanks do tonight. Seems like Cc and him always face each other.

They're both the team aces, both on the same rotation schedule, they always face each other.

[Clarke99]

Quote: Originally Posted by tnixen

Team mascots are back and looking better then ever!

The Giants fan in the first row made me laugh, doesn't seem to impressed by Mr. Met lol


Great Video, here's hoping that panned shot from the fenway concourse is in every stadium! eh Ramone

[decga]

Checkout the screenshot of the ump coming life. The emotion Its So real!

[tnixen]

Quote: Originally Posted by tsbmolina

The lighting on the jersey and the grass and cloth textures holy crap! Two finger fastball!

That grass looks so good I can almost smell the cut grass.

No joke I may never turn off my PS4 again after MLB 14 The Show is installed!

[boogie2266]

It looks great and I'm really looking forward to the game, but watching the videos there are two things to complain about.

1. The objects in the distance like buildings seem to be less detailed than the rest of the game
2. If you look at players with long hair or a pony-tail...the hair doesn't seem to move a bit (Seems to be a general problem, Madden has it too)

But these a just small things which don't destroy my exitement for the game

[tnixen]

Quote: Originally Posted by boogie2266

It looks great and I'm really looking forward to the game, but watching the videos there are two things to complain about. 1. The objects in the distance like buildings seem to be less detailed than the rest of the game 2. If you look at players with long hair or a pony-tail...the hair doesn't seem to move a bit (Seems to be a general problem, Madden has it too) But these a just small things which don't destroy my exitement for the game

In those very early videos released back in October the players hair was moving. So perhaps Sony just could not get it to look right and decided to remove it for now. Maybe the players hair moving will return in MLB 15 The Show?

[Cowboy008]

Would have been nice to see my Rays in the video or a shot of Tropicana Field. Great video though can't wait until the 6th.

[Blzer]

Quote: Originally Posted by ryanmc564

Dude, just stop it already and let it go, you almost (and should of) got banned last night and kehlis gave you a free pass, these arguments are doing nothing but derailing these threads.

I'll be honest, short of the PC comparison, I have no reason not to defend him. He is not doing anything wrong. People's comments toward his comments (and now my comments toward people's comments toward his comments) are what is derailing any thread. Some posts are progressive, others are constructive. He is a yin to the majority's yang. I think that "blind praise" (and I use that term loosely, because I don't want it to be thought of the wrong way) is just as unfathomable as constant negativity. Neither serve their purpose.

Like ZM, I'm being real about things. I'm also loving many things though, too. This trailer was of superior quality in terms of production. The in-game lighting is, in a nutshell, orgasmic. We have not seen a console game come even close to what they are doing on this PS4 game. That shot of McCutchen and the building's reflections had me rewind about six times. The individual lighting on the crowd as well is definitely what is selling the realism with everything. It is just that on point. Shoot, every sky shot was great as well (except one throwdown shot). Where can we see bad in the technological improvements for year one? They are on a correct path.

At the same time, ZM might be looking for things that are very "in your face correctable" that haven't been addressed for years. Who knows the limitations, though? I agree with what he says about losing detail when not close up, but I don't know if the console has that kind of power. And unfortunately ZM, that's just something we're going to have to live with in the console world, and this game isn't coming to PC so there really isn't anything that can be done about that. Now, colors and models are a different story altogether (along with other nitpicks we can see), but as we have both said, these will have to hold off until the next season.

I do think he made the greatest point of all, though: this game is not perfect, and if we treat it like it is perfect then there is little for the developers to be extrinsically motivated by. I know they are craftsmen in their own right and they wouldn't stop the wheels from turning anyway, but if we truly are the community that they respond to (did you see that Blue Jays uniform change?), then they will listen to the "but" aspects of our posts. That does not mean we are not grateful, that does not mean we will not purchase their product, and that does not mean we do not love every minute of time spent playing the game as well. I have said it before... my talk is all pre-release, and once I have the game I say nary a thing about any "issues." I simply look toward next year, and might make the comments the next pre-release. Until then, I salivate over this franchise's titles. They are just that good.

Anyway, as you all said, constructive criticism is allowed. I didn't see that kind of acceptance in Gruffy's post (no offense, Gruff). It's hard to stand as a loner when only the positive posts get the "likes." The thing that really has to be avoided though is the PC comparison. It's like trying to teach Omar Minaya to be a good GM: some things are just impossibly out of reach. The moderators have clearly stated what kinds of posts would be productive in this thread... and honestly, as long as all fellow OS'ers respond to the idea and not the user (and the posts stay on-topic), every opinion truly should be respected. As much as people don't like hearing him say the same thing over and over, maybe he doesn't like hearing you guys say the same thing over and over as well. You have to remember that it's not just positive opinions that are allowed here. If they were, the Madden forum would be dead.

That said, I would love to keep this train on its rails and point out the good, bad, and funny of this trailer:

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Good:

- Obviously, lighting. Simply cannot get enough of it. The contrasts and overexposure of some things is very reminiscent of MLB 2K7, and then it goes beyond what they were able to do on all walks of the stadium. Simply put, it has now dethroned any sports video game before it, and I hope it continues to improve from hereon out.

- The detail is astounding, from the inside of batting helmets to the backs of the lighting fixtures. I mean, frickin' grass blades dude! You know how they always limit us in replay one way or another? I really hope that we can maneuver all over the park on replays now, not just the field. If there truly is nothing to hide, that would be fantastic if we could roam in the stands and get the same epic shots they are able to show us here. I have a hard time believing all of these are just cut-scenes.

- The player likeness is just incredible. I'll be honest about Phillips though, there are still those three things which undersell my opinion about his appearance (the beard, lips, and high hat), but everybody else is instantly recognizable. In 1080p and everything else with close-ups, proper stances and accessories, etc. this is exactly what the 2K series was trying to capture with "signature style" a long time ago and failed to complete. These guys just have it down pat. Soon we will hopefully get animations tailored to specific attributes or specific kinds of guys, like a weapons system ala Madden. Until then, it's all gravy.

- Just the little things that make and capture the feel of this sport, and honestly this is a "Lifetime Achievement Award" of sorts, because this does not happen from the best of development teams even with a five year cycle. This game was "re-branded" with The Show back in 2006, and ever since then they maintained a consistent mold. You guys have to remember that they were riding in the backseat way back then the year before. There was 2K, MVP, ASB, and before that there was even competition with High Heat, Inside Pitch, SlugFest, and anything on the PC (whoa, let's not go there though!). They had to separate themselves from the herd and in a positive way. They have stuck with their tools, and although people will complain that the game feels the same as it always has, sometimes you just don't break what is working. Now they are finding that happy medium between making the game truly authentic and making the game very accessible to everybody. They are playing it right, and you can see it in every little detail that we are able to point out. The formula is working, and they are on the right tracks with it. Kudos, SCEA!

Bad:

- I seriously have no idea what goes into animating a swing, because obviously there are so many dynamics involved. I have yet to see a baseball video game capture a proper, mechanically possible swing-on-contact correctly yet, and I'm guessing it's because it's one of the hardest things to animate. This game still doesn't have that look of "damn, that's sexy" despite some awesome follow-throughs, but one shot I could not get my head wrapped around was the Lawrie shot down the line. Maybe someday this will be as they want it, but that will still poke its head out from time to time and it's just unavoidable to say that it actually looks good, despite the difficulties of getting it there. It was also kind of weird to see Cabrera get a hold of a ball that went up the handle of his bat, but that's neither here nor there.

- I'll say it again: outside of PNC Park, grass color just isn't what grass color is. You can show me the more beautiful grass in PNC Park all you want, but then just look at the other stadiums. I mean ZM is right, Target Field really does need a facelift in all of its colors, especially the walls. My home park at AT&T isn't accurate either. And it's not to say that these can't pass as something good either, otherwise more people would be up in arms. But, like the lighting and detail and models and everything else (including the Blue Jays jerseys), it just becomes one of those things where, once it's changed for the better, then everyone can sit back and say: "Oh, okay. I see what you mean now." Maybe it doesn't sway them one way or the other, but for people who see some things every day on television or in real life, when authenticity is the key, you just have to call it out until you feel the attention has been hit on that enough that the change will be made. I'm not saying it's as easy as sifting through the color wheel, but I really do feel like the priority needs to be raised or the issue needs to be publicly addressed, because to say that it is correct as is, in my personal opinion, is incorrect.

- On that note, there are some details that still feel a bit like PlayStation 3. I'm talking about you, dirt. I think people are impressed by the dirt specs, but beyond that there is not much to say about its texture. Look at what the PYS series has done with their dirt on the PS3. There is still more to be had there. Just a small thing, but if the grass got the attention this year, I'm hoping/thinking the dirt might get some next year. The only question is how much can this game render and yet still lock at 60 frames per second? There will always be some sacrifices here and there. Let's hope they make the right choices!

- As good as the faces are, we're still yet without players doing much emoting. In previous PS3 iterations, I have found some replays where I made a great catch and the guy shows a smile afterward or something, and it's always kind of cute. For these closeups though, especially during cut-scenes, it would be nice to get a variance of things they are doing, instead of being too close-mouthed or whatever. This takes some time and planning to get right so it doesn't really look awkward at the same time, but when it comes to putting life in the game and when facial detail is getting where it is, these "animations" I think are the next step.

Funny:

- "THE WOOD IS BETTER." Molina breaks his bat.

- First Werth tries to steal, then he tests McCutchen's hose. lol

- I think the running animations just look funny. I'm glad they don't slow up around corners anymore, but the problem is them standing upright. I've been telling this to my twelve year old softball players... when running around something, create that sharp angle, like a Moto GP racer or an airplane or something. Really curve in, and that will let you make tight turns at full speed. They don't angle here, and it makes the turns look, well, old-gen. Again, I'm not saying this is easy to do, because now that means they will have to find a way to get a player to recognize when they are supposed to turn, by how much, etc. and it's all user-controlled. Not easy, but it's yet another element of what would just look great. In the meantime, it sure looks funny hehe.

- Player models (that actual skeleton for which body proportions are derived) will still have some work to do in the future. I see a pitcher standing on the mound, and I'm thinking there are so few things that are stopping people from having a double-take to make sure what they saw wasn't real. I think the player models are one of those last things. They made a drastic improvement from the previous PS2 T-Rex models, but I think they still have more to do with them. As someone else said, there are changes to PS4 though, because now Heyward looks slimmer like he really does. It's just not as funny looking anymore, but if there was something to tread back to with what I notice, they still do look funny in the end. Just another thing that could be scratched and made for the best some other years down the road.

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This game is on the right track, and Russell and his seventy-five other colleagues should be proud of their first attempt on PlayStation 4. As people have alluded to, this is only the beginning. Still, I have hopes for some things to see the light of day ever since I started making yearly purchases in 2009. Maybe they will show, maybe they won't. If they do, you'll hear significantly less from me and ZM.

Now, just imagine the future of this product, though. You like the fan variation now? Wait until they actually reach 1,000 unique models, and less brainiac children! Haha you like the jersey texture now? What if they actually start getting animated cloth like 2K7 (only not as paper-thin as that stuff, gosh that was dramatic lol). You like the evening sky now? Wait ti... wait a minute, you really like it now? Oh, okay. That's alarming. Anyway, if they get what it most often looks like down pat, night games will always be preferred by everybody here.

I didn't much like their marketing campaign this year as far as the spots themselves, because they were a little hokey. I'm glad that they have player support behind them (all but Trout) for people who are representing the league well, and I hope that this continues. One thing that they did get right though was the slogan: Baseball is Better. This is not because I prefer baseball more than any other sport, but even as they say it in this, again, quality trailer, they really are selling it. They are hitting every single note of what baseball is supposed to look and feel like, and there just isn't any denying it. EA Tiburon has to take a lot of notes. The 2K guys making the basketball game certainly made something pretty, but they have some strides in nailing their sport a little bit as well. Nonetheless, I think we are seeing a hero of a title that will definitely sell systems. I'm not quite there yet, but you'll never see me talk about a game I don't own more than this game. That's how good it is. I don't think anyone here can deny that.

Way to go, guys!