MLB 10 News Post

Does MLB 10: The Show Belong in the Text-Sim Hall of Fame?

01:08 PM - March 17, 2010 by RaychelSnr

MLB 10: The Show is one of the most impressive looking sports games ever made. Stadiums are re-created almost to perfection, player models look nearly identical to their real-life counterparts and the game of baseball’s little nuances are captured throughout each game. The gameplay is also refreshingly realistic. You are rewarded for working the count while batting and punished if you do not mix up your pitches on the mound.

Simply put, The Show deserves most of the praise it gets. But how does the game stack up as a text sim? Text simmers are notoriously finicky and often nerdy. That deadly combination makes text simmers some of the most critical and hard to please gamers out there. Text simmers need realism, customization and screens that are easy to navigate. If we do not have those three core elements, our attention span shrinks exponentially.

That said, can baseball text simmers add The Show to the baseball text sim hall of fame? Does it fit in with greats like Out of the Park Baseball, Strat-o-Matic and Diamond Mind?

Read More - Does MLB 10: The Show Belong in the Text-Sim Hall of Fame?

Game: MLB '10: The ShowReader Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3Votes for game: 66 - View All

MLB '10: The Show Videos

Member Comments

# 1 jbaldwin311 @ 03/17/10 07:23 PM

No, and I'm kinda confused why this would be mentioned (even after reading)

I buy THE SHOW and OOTP every year. They both entertain me in different ways.

The Show- Actual gameplay, with real at bats..basically like playing a real baseball game. No TEXT SIM fill whatsoever.

OOTP- For one it is a TEXT SIM and the reason I play it is because of the depth of its option as a owner.

The two game are completely different play styles and are good in their own rights but should not be compared or put into the same type of game. (outside of both being a baseball game)

# 2 Buckeyes_Doc @ 03/17/10 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbaldwin311


	No, and I'm kinda confused why this would be mentioned (even after reading) I buy THE SHOW and OOTP every year. They both entertain me in different ways. The Show isn't a text-sim therefore it would make absolutely zero sense to place it in the text-sim hall of fame. The Show- Actual gameplay, with real at bats..basically like playing a real baseball game. No TEXT SIM fill whatsoever. OOTP- For one it is a TEXT SIM and the reason I play it is because of the depth of its option as a owner. The two game are completely different play styles and are good in their own rights but should not be compared or put into the same type of game. (outside of both being a baseball game)

Agreed. Completely different games. The Show is not a text-sim game therefore it would make absolutely zero sense to be put in the text-sim hall of fame.

# 3 Dreifort @ 03/17/10 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbently


	Agreed. Completely different games. The Show is not a text-sim game therefore it would make absolutely zero sense to be put in the text-sim hall of fame.

The Show shouldn't even be considered as a great "Sim" regardless text or graphics.

While the Show posses the ability to sim games or simulate baseball, it is far from any of the more reliable baseball sims when it comes to accurate statistical totals. The Show has sim features built upon a FP game system.

# 4 SoxFan01605 @ 03/17/10 08:08 PM

Definitely not. I also don't think it will be any time in the foreseeable future. There is just so much you can do on a console to push the visuals and game play along with the ridiculously deep stats and customization of an OOTP.

The Show belongs at or near the top of console baseball game HOF (and sports games as a whole for that matter), but it doesn't even belong in the same league as a text sim. In fact, in terms of stats and customization, there are other console games that have had The Show beat.

It does offer a great balance though and if the two concepts ever do meet to such a large extent, I will cease to exist outside of my home gaming area.

# 5 Bahnzo @ 03/17/10 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMChrisS


	That said, can baseball text simmers add The Show* to the baseball text sim hall of fame?*

Ummm.....No.

You guys hurting for story ideas?

# 6 ehh @ 03/18/10 01:16 AM

Hmm, this article is a hell of a head scratcher. Makes no sense, The Show isn't a text sim. Is Madden getting inducted into the basketball video game Hall of Fame next?

# 7 JT30 @ 03/18/10 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondoman


	. Ragardless of what you think, The Show is considered a sim video game.

It is? Please explain.

# 8 Bahnzo @ 03/18/10 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srudoff


	Tomorrow's story, can OOTP be added to the graphically based baseball game hall of fame! Friday - How does the Show stack up against other first person shooters?

Macaroni and cheese.....can it be considered as good as steak?
Toyota Camary? Is it as cool as a Ferrari?

etc...add your own absurd comparisons.

# 9 mwolin @ 03/18/10 03:36 AM

I dont think its such a crazy question. A combination of OOTP and MLB would be close to the perfect simulator; and its clearly achievable. Some of us strive for complete realism and part of that is the watching rather than simply imagining what is going on. Text sim presentations are just boring, just a few steps above reading a spread sheet. What they do is great, but they are abstract and removed from the game. The sole exception is Football Manager which is in many ways the complete package. Ironically 2k10 has the best presentation I have seen in a sports game and much more statistical depth than the Show, it's just that the game engine is poor and thus the stats rendered and reported are virtually meaningless.

So yes, text sims have developed a devoted niche and they are great at what the do. Imagine if they had the presentation of a console sports game. There have been a few attempts, such as head coach, and football manager. Let's hope baseball can pull it off; is there a market?

# 10 Buckeyes_Doc @ 03/18/10 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srudoff


	Tomorrow's story, can OOTP be added to the graphically based baseball game hall of fame! Friday - How does the Show stack up against other first person shooters?

I think the Show has better maps then MW2 and Bad Company 2. Fenway Park is awesome. I love noob toobing (the hot dog machine they use to launch hot dogs into the stands) off the Green Monster. Oh and don't even get me started on all those guys who camp in the bullpen at Great American Ballpark.

I do wish the Show had a wide variety of weapons though. A 100 mph fastball, hot dogs, peanuts, baseball bat, and a beachball just doesn't cut it for a FPS.

# 11 PurdueBrad @ 03/18/10 08:49 AM

I agree with most of the above who say that it doesn't belong in the text sim conversation.

The other reason I find this to be a head scratcher is that it seems like a step backward from '09 in terms of overall quality. Of the two, '09 would be more worthy of a HOF nod then '10, at least at this point (yes, I know there's a patch coming today).

# 12 findinghomer @ 03/18/10 09:10 AM

not even honorable mention. Even if the show were a text sim, it would fail. Not even close. Have you played a text sim? They are unbelievably realistic and very very in depth. Closest to real baseball managemen you could get.

# 13 NAFBUC @ 03/18/10 09:51 AM

The one area that The Show is lacking: STATS!!!

Until they improve the stat overlays, historical stats and boxscore, I would not even consider the text sim angle.

# 14 Two Seamer @ 03/18/10 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srudoff


	Friday - How does the Show stack up against other first person shooters?

# 15 findinghomer @ 03/18/10 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NAFBUC


	The one area that The Show is lacking: STATS!!! Until they improve the stat overlays, historical stats and boxscore, I would not even consider the text sim angle.

totally agree. even the layout of those stats, to be presented more realistic, like sim games. but honestly since sim games are ran on CPU they have ALOT more space avail, and the fact graphics dont consume any space , text sims have tooooooons more room to add stats/ history.

i dont think a console games will ever compete to this standard. baseball video games are meant for human skill interaction, sims are based on baseball wits and knowledge. i think we are lucky console games have come as far as it has franchise wise.

# 16 findinghomer @ 03/18/10 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwolin


	Text sim presentations are just boring, just a few steps above reading a spread sheet.

depends on how you play them. try playing an ootpb online league. its very appealing. personally i even like "playing" out texts sims, but it does get a bit easy playing vs ai. but building a franchise against human owners in 10 plus years is really fun, and challenging.

# 17 findinghomer @ 03/18/10 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srudoff


	uhhhh what part of mlb would make this combination the perfect SIMULATOR? i think what you meant to say was that a combination of these two would make this the perfect baseball game - mlb brings nothing to the table that ootp doesn't cover and do better from a simulation stand point

would imagaine he meant graphics/gameplay of the show , mixed with ootpb sim, progression, and stat tracking

# 18 HiNeighbor @ 03/18/10 11:36 PM

I noticed a pretty glaring oddity when simming a few seasons in Franchise. In one season, I had a pitcher win the league MVP award but not the Cy Young. How would this be possible? He's the best player in the league, but not the best pitcher? This made absolutely no sense to me.

# 19 teebee @ 03/19/10 10:17 AM

NEEEERDS

# 20 KingV2k3 @ 03/19/10 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srudoff


	Friday - How does the Show stack up against other first person shooters?

Regardless, this is VERY funny...

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