MLB 11 The Show News Post

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

07:03 PM - February 22, 2011 by Pared

The MLB 11 The Show demo is available now. It weighs in at roughly 3 GB and features the Texas Rangers vs. the San Francisco Giants, in a 4 inning World Series rematch.

Please post your impressions here.

DO NOT post that you are downloading the demo, what % the download is at, the fact that you are starting to install it, etc.

IMPRESSIONS ONLY please.

Game: MLB 11 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3Votes for game: 57 - View All

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Member Comments

# 521 tommyjesus @ 02/24/11 08:34 PM

looks like i will be using analog pitching, which i think is a lot of fun, and traditional button hitting/fielding. i'll give it more a try soon, but i didn't have a good feel for the game using the new analog controls for hitting/fielding.

one thing i noticed is it was a lot easier for me to control where pitches were spotted with analog pitching; for example the 12-6 curve which i couldn't control well in previous games, is a lot easier to control now with analog controls.

love zito's new delivery, and the new models, but no striped socks for zito makes me sad.

# 522 SmallBall @ 02/24/11 08:41 PM

I've played a couple of games so far and I like what I see.

The good:

I sent Aubrey Huff from first to third on a medium-depth hit to right field. The RF came up throwing to third, but the throw was slightly to the side of third base, causing Beltre to step off to make the catch. He managed to dive back over and tag out Huff, but the way this play worked out is a great improvement; in the past, both user and AI throws seemed to go straight to the baseman.

I love that you can finally make plays at the plate thanks to strong, realistic throws from the outfield. No more soft tosses well up the line (unless you make a throwing mistake, that is).

It seems like the AI pitcher throws an appropriate amount of balls on All-Star without any need to adjust the sliders.

It also seems like we won't have to lower the fielder reaction down to zero this time around; fielder reactions seems to be perfect on the standard setting.

The bad:

I'm having a lot of trouble achieving lower pitch speeds and softer breaking balls by moving the right stick up slowly on my pitches. If I'm unable to master this, I might just go back to the meter, which I always liked anyway. Otherwise, analog pitching is great.

By the time 11: The Show comes out, I'll have played as the Giants and Rangers so many times that I won't want to use them ever again the entire year

# 523 Shakedowncapo @ 02/24/11 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmallBall


	I'm having a lot of trouble achieving lower pitch speeds and softer breaking balls by moving the right stick up slowly on my pitches. If I'm unable to master this, I might just go back to the meter, which I always liked anyway. Otherwise, analog pitching is great.

Don't you think there should be some sort of threshold? I mean, I wouldn't want someone throwing 94mph FB then breaking off a 62mph breaking ball when they aren't capable.

# 524 econoodle @ 02/24/11 08:55 PM

more stuff:

+ i can't believe how rockin this play with sliders on default.
Wayy better than 10, which for me required, reaction time, fielder speed, USER foul frequency and solid hits tweaked, among others. So far NOTHING needs changing, the CPU even walks guys on default! then again it is CJ WIlson out there. But still.

+ with more time on hitting analog style I have come to the conclusion that its gonnan be a tough road for me.
My achilles heel has always been swinging at junk/pitch perception. Having to do a 3 step analog approach isnt helping, but its fun trying.
Lot of good tips in here regarding that so thanks to all out there
. Being able to set my own camera has helped immensly with picking up movement on pitches [I use a mix of catcher 5 and wide offset] now I can concentrate a bit more on getting good timing on my analog swing. Hitting sucky has never been so fun.

As far as fielding, its still a mystery, my first game I had 4 errors and none since then.
Not even anything close. I didnt learn how to do it, wonder why its soo easy? Maybe I altered settings by mistke, we will see. Otherwise, its shallow for me right now because I dont fully understand it.
waiting on a tutorial.
this is the hold up for me in purchasing 11. Hate the fielding in 10, so much that i set it to auto. Looking for this to breathe life into that part of the game.

# 525 Skyboxer @ 02/24/11 08:58 PM

Played a couple more games and am happy to report I'm getting better at analog hitting.
Hard to tell if I will go strictly analog when I start my RTTS though.

On Legend fielding I haven't had any errors yet except for a cutoff overthrow. Then again though I'm not giving up many hits.
Going to try and play a few more but I'm under the weather (101 temp) and feel pretty weak...figures.

# 526 andrewochs615 @ 02/24/11 09:07 PM

am I the only one who hit on rookie? lol

# 527 Heroesandvillains @ 02/24/11 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyboxer


	Played a couple more games and am happy to report I'm getting better at analog hitting. Hard to tell if I will go strictly analog when I start my RTTS though. On Legend fielding I haven't had any errors yet except for a cutoff overthrow. Then again though I'm not giving up many hits. Going to try and play a few more but I'm under the weather (101 temp) and feel pretty weak...figures.

I wouldn't worry just yet about not giving up many hits.

Honestly, you're choices are either to pitch to a relatively weak offense, or a pitch as Tim Lincecum. So far, my hits allowed seem pretty balanced.

# 528 Skyboxer @ 02/24/11 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroesandvillians


	I wouldn't worry just yet about not giving up many hits. Honestly, you're choices are either to pitch to a relatively weak offense, or a pitch as Tim Lincecum. So far, my hits allowed seem pretty balanced.

Yeah I'm not worried about the hits. Was just saying lack of errors was just due to not giving up hits. Wish we could sub in a 3rd or 4th starter

Could start hitting everyone lol

# 529 DodgerFanatic2K3 @ 02/24/11 10:26 PM

I was seriously starting to doubt my ability to bat just using timing on All-Star in this years game because I'm only getting 1 or 2 hits and striking out an average of 8 times in 4 innings and then I remembered that I'm facing an ace pitcher in Tim Lincecum every time and have little time to wear him down !!!

I'm not giving up on all star difficulty until I face a mid level starters and get owned

# 530 ryan36 @ 02/24/11 11:07 PM

Loving the analog throwing, lukewarm on the pitching, but it has promise... the swing mechanic is very realistic, but too much. Sometimes even on rookie my PCI is way off (In height, which is what the game is going to control).

I prefer the up/down hitting mechanic of the other 2 recent baseball titles. Although when you walk into a double, it feels sweet! It's like youre keeping your front shoulder closed and getting all your weight behind it, pushing in a direction, as opposed to straight up. I already had a hard enough time hitting in this game !

# 531 wrigleyville33 @ 02/24/11 11:13 PM

I'm starting to like the game more and more. I'm on HOF analogue batting, HOF pitching (even though I suck), and all-star throwing. I love the pickoff cameras... hopefully that is a clue for next year on the fact that they will improve presentation.

# 532 Gizmoduck @ 02/24/11 11:34 PM

After several miserable games at the plate, including one in which Wilson no-hitted me for in 12 innings, I think I finally got the hang of analog hitting. Though, sometimes I thought I swung for the outer part of the plate, but instead the batter would swing inside. Probably my fault, but I dunno...

Fielding is okay. Analog throwing is pretty easy as long as you're gentle. However, there were several times when a slow grounder is hit towards first, but instead of fielding, Huff would just walk right over it.

I have no real complaints about analog pitching. It feels solid and I can't find myself going back to meter pitching. Just an idea...maybe for next year's Show, analog pitching should also take account the point when the pitcher releases the ball. So, users would pull down for the windup, push up for aim/speed (arm action, I guess?), and simply release the stick to "let go" of the ball.

# 533 SoMiss2000 @ 02/25/11 12:15 AM

Like analog hitting a little bit. meh on the pitching and fielding. Going with the buttons on release day. The Show is a challenging game as is.

# 534 econoodle @ 02/25/11 12:53 AM

more stuff:

- i see the passed ball after strike out has made its return.

# 535 sroz39 @ 02/25/11 01:34 AM

Went back on what I said I was gonna do (play 10 till 11 comes out) and played a few more games with Analog Hitting but down on Veteran. Yes, I was making more contact and striking out less. But it felt unnatural to do so. Because the mechanic is completely foreign to me to roll the right stick at the ball reacting to the pitch, I'm still way off when I hit but because of the forgiving nature on Veteran, I'm making contact on pitches I have no business doing so.

A lot of you are saying that to aim the PCI with the left stick and stepping and swinging with the right stick would be too much to handle, but I couldn't disagree more. I do this already and find it very natural to do so. Kind of disappointed there is no option to bat this way.

Another comment somewhere in this thread implied that to allow a left stick aim/right stick swing mechanic would somehow give the user too much control, turning it too arcadey. I just don't see the correlation. It would be identical to the zone hitting in the game already, except you use the right stick instead of the X button (or square). If anything, it makes it tougher with having to time the step as it adds a third element to the whole thing instead of just placing your swing and timing your swing that is at the heart of zone hitting.

Part of the problem is that I find the analog sticks on the PS3 controller to be vastly inferior to the 360 controller's sticks, which is what I do 95% of my gaming with. Whereas the 360 analogs are indented, giving your thumb something to sit in, the PS3 controller sticks are rounded and an inconsistent texture. At times, I find my thumb slips right off the stick. This becomes an even bigger problem trying to react to a pitch and making a sudden movement to the right or left, for me anyways.

Some of you are probably thinking "the analog pitching works the same way, he's not complaining about that?" Yes, its the same mechanic but delivered in a different, more deliberate way. When I'm aiming my pitch, I know beforehand how far left or right I need to push the right stick in a particular direction to hit my spot. I can prepare my thumb to make that movement and even compensate with the position of my thumb on the stick, ensuring it won't slip off. Hitting is a twitch reaction.

Don't get me wrong, this game is all that and then some. I'm just very frustrated by the analog hitting and feel like if given the option to do so, I could more easily adapt to it if I could aim my swing with the left stick.

Sent from my MB300 using Tapatalk

# 536 ACE New York @ 02/25/11 02:09 AM

What's up everybody. I have never played any of the mlb the show games until the show 10. I picked up my PS3 slim in April of last year, and got the show 10 with it. Once i popped in the game, i fell in love with everything about it. I played the 2K games before, and i always liked them but it's the show from now on.I downloaded the demo for 11, but can't seem to make up my mind whether i want it or not. The demo isn't bad at all, but there are two things that are bothering me about the demo. First, there is no option for manually controlling your fielders like last years version. There is only an option for assist or auto. I really liked having full control over my fielders. With this new option the game makes me feel like i'm playing 2K baseball again(imo). Second, i put last years version in, picked the same teams and stadium, and i thought it looked better graphics wise. It looked more sharper for some reason. Just my opinion. The demo for 11 seems a little washed out. I have read that the demo was a build from December, so i'm hoping the retail version is more like 10. If they can add back an option for manually controlling fielders and sharpen up the graphics, then i will definitely buy it, otherwise the demo is very good. I'm wondering if we can get one of the developers or mods to let us know if graphics will be better in the retail version, and if they can add that option in a patch or update. Peace everybody, and enjoy the game when it hits March 8th.

# 537 sbmnky @ 02/25/11 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell_SCEA


	We have the fastest pitch speeds of any baseball game ever made its like that for a reason. A vast majority of the time MLB batters can't hit or make good contact on a fastball if they are looking for an offspeed pitch. We've always tried to emulate this. Since analog is a three step mechanic (stride and swing L,R,Center) you have less time to adjust. Which is why you should start your stride a split second before the pitcher releases the ball. I've read a lot of people have already figured this part out. It just takes time and you are going to strike out more and make worse contact playing analog because of the three step process. It just takes time, when we prototyped all the new controls we didn't want them to be mastered in a week. That would have been a fail.

This is what makes the game so similar to hitting IRL. When I play baseball IRL, I focus on the logo of the pitcher hat and when I see his arm start to move behind him, I shift my focus on to his release point and right as he's about to deliver the baseball, I'm getting ready to load my swing. I'm following the same technique using analog hitting.

One of the hardest things for me to do IRL is hit slow pitching because I'll start to lunge or move forward. I have this issue in the Show as well, as I have a hard time sitting back and crushing a 12/6 CB. Now I'm trying to drive the ball the other way if I see a breaking pitch - I'd rather be late on it than roll it over for a week grounder.

Custom cams are helpful to alter the perception of pitch speed without adjusting the slider. I can see a pitch much clearer with a slightly off-center camera than a camera directly behind the plate. This allows me to react to pitches quicker which gives the perception that the ball speed has slowed down.

I think analog hitting was a much needed addition and I feel it has been implemented nicely.

# 538 Shaffer26 @ 02/25/11 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by econoodle


	more stuff: - i see the passed ball after strike out has made its return.

Probably will be fixed in the actual game. This demo is a December build. I wouldn't worry about it.

# 539 stoncold32 @ 02/25/11 03:06 AM

Not about to read thru 500+ posts. But anyone else notice the crowd booing every time a ball is thrown by the Giants pitchers? Even if it was an obvious ball, they crowd still boos like it shoulda been a strike.

Not too keen on the analog hitting. I like the control of the button swinging and aiming with the other stick.

I dont like analog in general. This game is difficult enough to without having to worry about flicking the stick fast enough or flicking it too fast and in the wrong direction by accident.
I'm getting up there in videogame years and my reactions may not be as good anymore. LOL

Buttons for me. Much easier to turn double plays with buttons, IMO.

# 540 EnigmaNemesis @ 02/25/11 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACE New York


	What's up everybody. I have never played any of the mlb the show games until the show 10. I picked up my PS3 slim in April of last year, and got the show 10 with it. Once i popped in the game, i fell in love with everything about it. I played the 2K games before, and i always liked them but it's the show from now on.I downloaded the demo for 11, but can't seem to make up my mind whether i want it or not. The demo isn't bad at all, but there are two things that are bothering me about the demo. First, there is no option for manually controlling your fielders like last years version. There is only an option for assist or auto. I really liked having full control over my fielders. With this new option the game makes me feel like i'm playing 2K baseball again(imo). Second, i put last years version in, picked the same teams and stadium, and i thought it looked better graphics wise. It looked more sharper for some reason. Just my opinion. The demo for 11 seems a little washed out. I have read that the demo was a build from December, so i'm hoping the retail version is more like 10. If they can add back an option for manually controlling fielders and sharpen up the graphics, then i will definitely buy it, otherwise the demo is very good. I'm wondering if we can get one of the developers or mods to let us know if graphics will be better in the retail version, and if they can add that option in a patch or update. Peace everybody, and enjoy the game when it hits March 8th.

Assist is manual. And works just like last year. They just renamed it for this year due to a "full manual" now being in RttS.

The graphics are better than last year. This is just a demo. When we were there last month it looked better than last year.

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