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

MLB 11 The Show Videos

Member Comments

# 541 ryan36 @ 02/25/11 03:35 AM

I'll probably get this game just because...and I know some people are loving the analog controls. Russell_SCEA has said there's supposed to be a learning curve...but part of me wishes that they had done something else. At FIRST GLANCE, only over a couple demo games, the analog stuff doesn't seem natural. I'm kinda disappointed... if they had just hyped new player models and better franchise logic, I'd want it. But since I know there's supposed to be analog controls, and I'm not used to them yet, I feel let down. Still the best game on the market. Main concern: I hope Karros doesn't sound like he does in the demo

# 542 Tommyklaid @ 02/25/11 03:37 AM

I love how people seem to think this is a "clip" of the final build....it's been said, it's a DEMO and from December....

...of course things are "polished" completely for a DEMO.

..everyone needs to stop freakin' out already. It's NOT the final build.

# 543 ryan36 @ 02/25/11 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cc23klaid


	I love how people seem to think this is a "clip" of the final build....it's been said, it's a DEMO and from December.... ...of course things are "polished" completely for a DEMO. ..everyone needs to stop freakin' out already. It's NOT the final build.

I'm not that worried... best game out there, if you ask me. Just a little let down, I thought analog would be more pick up and play

# 544 Tommyklaid @ 02/25/11 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan36


	I'm not that worried... best game out there, if you ask me. Just a little let down, I thought analog would be more pick up and play

It'll be fine...the ol' learning curve.

RUSS did say he was glad we weren't able to "master" the thing in a day...he said that would have been a "failure".

# 545 Sco291 @ 02/25/11 04:28 AM

I thought this was very very very very cool.......I hot a an RBUI double with Hamilton that scored Andrus, and when he got to second base, they showed a cut scene of him doing the "Antlers" thing Texas had been doing last season.

Just....ridiculous.

# 546 jvalverde88 @ 02/25/11 04:53 AM

In about the 10 games that I have played, I have yet to see OFs magnetically collide with the wall when chasing down gappers.

# 547 Tommyklaid @ 02/25/11 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sco291


	I thought this was very very very very cool.......I hot a an RBUI double with Hamilton that scored Andrus, and when he got to second base, they showed a cut scene of him doing the "Antlers" thing Texas had been doing last season. Just....ridiculous.

That's very cool!! I NEVER get to see that kinda stuff, because I play (Real Time w/ replay) , so some of those cut-scenes slide by me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvalverde88


	In about the 10 games that I have played, I have yet to see OFs magnetically collide with the wall when chasing down gappers.

...and it's SUCH a beautiful thing, isn't it?

# 548 CujoMatty @ 02/25/11 05:56 AM

I couldn't be happier with this demo. I remember when I first read about the show switching to analog hitting and thinking uh oh. My thoughts were that it was going to be way to easy to hit kinda like 2k. I couldn't have been more wrong. I totally feel like when I get a hit l earned it. I can't tell you the gratification I get from connecting with a pitch clean because I read it and reacted properly with the stick. So many people groan and moan after 2 games that it's too hard to hit. That's the point!!!! The same people would be bitching that after a week they were jacking 15 homers a game and that hittings too easy "the shows broken". For 60 dollars I want this game to keep me invested till march 2012 and if it takes me till august to master the hitting I will say Well done SCEA!!!! And props to you Russell for commenting on your "joy" of people struggling with it. Alot of other companies would take these peoples comments negatively, cave in, and dumb it down with a patch. I fully believe in what your vision of analog controls should be and how they were implemented. Congrats SCEA

# 549 Tommyklaid @ 02/25/11 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cujomatty


	I couldn't be happier with this demo. I remember when I first read about the show switching to analog hitting and thinking uh oh. My thoughts were that it was going to be way to easy to hit kinda like 2k. I couldn't have been more wrong. I totally feel like when I get a hit l earned it. I can't tell you the gratification I get from connecting with a pitch clean because I read it and reacted properly with the stick. So many people groan and moan after 2 games that it's too hard to hit. That's the point!!!! The same people would be bitching that after a week they were jacking 15 homers a game and that hittings too easy "the shows broken". For 60 dollars I want this game to keep me invested till march 2012 and if it takes me till august to master the hitting I will say Well done SCEA!!!! And props to you Russell for commenting on your "joy" of people struggling with it. Alot of other companies would take these peoples comments negatively, cave in, and dumb it down with a patch. I fully believe in what your vision of analog controls should be and how they were implemented. Congrats SCEA

Agreed.

# 550 josh44 @ 02/25/11 06:23 AM

From another 2 hours of batting i think i'm going to go with the old style of hitting. Once i get the full game i'll give analog another shot but i still find it frustrating getting perfect timing and making no contact. At least when i make no contact with old style hitting its my own fault lol.

I hate Moorland. Every time i have 1 out, 1 at 3rd and 1 at 1st Moorland comes up to bat and either pops up or ground out. He is the only player i am yet to get a hit with.

I think i'll stick with Veteran hitting and All Star pitching for the full game. I played veteran on 09 and i always had good matches. The show seems like a game where even on default levels you will never always dominate.

# 551 swaldo @ 02/25/11 08:02 AM

DAY 3: I think I've spent more time with this demo than I have with some full retail games; so again props to the SCEA team for putting out a solid demo.

So many things to explore and I find myself really immersed in the game because of all the "little things" they added. I just wish we could face some crappy pitchers to see the difference.

METER PITCHING: Unless I'm going crazy the way "power" works is now different. When I choose a pitch and go full power in the top of the meter (red) my breaking balls are now faster, less effective, less movement. If I choose minimum power they are slower, more effective, more movement.

In previous versions it was the opposite which I liked better. No matter what pitch you chose you had to max out the meter for maximum effectiveness. Now the fastball family of pitches will have to be maxed while breaking balls will have to be set to minimum for optimal quality. Or wait, does throwing a nasty 2 seam FB need to be max or min on the meter now? You have to think about that stuff now. It's kind of confusing, and its a challenge trying to click the meter at the very top in the red. Now (for breaking balls) there is no challenge, you just click "X" twice and the slowest speed possible will be set. It's not a huge deal but thought I'd warn meter lovers.

ANALOG PITCHING: Starting to get the hang of it but am still undecided. One thing I noticed is that when I hang bad pitches the CPU usually fouls them off. Curveballs lobbed high right in the middle of the plate have not been crushed (I'm on All-Star.) You couldn't get away with this in past versions, so perhaps the devs accounted for the lack of precision in the sticks thus are giving us a break? If so, I dont want that. For the most part if I hang something I want to get punished. Perhaps it's just the excellent pitcher ratings, or the small sample size I dunno. Anyone else seeing this?

ANALOG HITTING: I'm warming up to this and finally had an enjoyable game. I dropped to veteran and used guess location with the occasional guess pitch. I'm also using 'catcher cam 4' which is my favorite thus far. I actually just scored two runs in one inning which was a nice change. Before this I was pathetic at the plate, but now for the most part if I dont guess right I watch the pitch (unless there's two strikes.) And having a contact swing is great. I never used guess pitch because I felt it was cheating, but I really have no choice and at least I'm having fun now.

I also played some True Zone batting and like that too - which one I'll stick with I have no idea, they are both good. I can't say enough about how great it is that the PCI works as it should now.

- While messing with the pitch meter I threw a curveball that literally landed in the grass half-way to home plate. The bounce was so big that the batter hit a single off it. That was really cool, and it will be really awesome if someone loses a World Series game from something like that.

# 552 gopadres @ 02/25/11 08:04 AM

I love how it shows the infield dirt get messed up, then shows the cutscene with the grounds crew dragging it, and the next inning all the skidmarks and footprints are gone. Also love the shadows, lighting, and sky as it transitions to night!

# 553 swaldo @ 02/25/11 08:20 AM

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.

You dont need to move it up slowly. A normal, smooth stroke sets the minimum pitch speed. From there just speed it up in varying degrees to increase velocity. I think the natural instinct is to move it up quickly - I was. you have to concentrate and just keep the up & down smooth rather than jamming it.

Also consider some pitches will only go 1 MPH slower than the pitchers rated speed. You might get pitches a bit slower by slightly overthrowing the pitch too. This basically puts more spin on the ball thus reducing velocity. Also, balls thrown high will always be faster than balls thrown low.

# 554 BobSacamano @ 02/25/11 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swaldo


	- While messing with the pitch meter I threw a curveball that literally landed in the grass half-way to home plate. The bounce was so big that the batter hit a single off it. That was really cool, and it will be really awesome if someone loses a World Series game from something like that.

Sorry to repeat myself but people are seeing this enough for me to think that it's most definitely a glitch. When the pitch comes in it is registered as being close to a strike, which it is obviously not.

I know the demo isn't a final build, just hoping this catches someone's attention!

# 555 nmycon @ 02/25/11 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobSacamano


	Sorry to repeat myself but people are seeing this enough for me to think that it's most definitely a glitch. When the pitch comes in it is registered as being close to a strike, which it is obviously not. I know the demo isn't a final build, just hoping this catches someone's attention!

a batter is allowed to swing at a bounced pitch.

if he hits it, he can run. Runners can score off the hit, etc.

if the batter swings and misses it's a strike, if he takes the pitch its a ball, if it hits him, its a HBP walk.

However, the batter can take the pitch even if it's right down the center of the plate and it will be a a ball.

# 556 swaldo @ 02/25/11 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmycon


	a batter is allowed to swing at a bounced pitch. if he hits it, he can run. Runners can score off the hit, etc. if the batter swings and misses it's a strike, if he takes the pitch its a ball, if it hits him, its a HBP walk. However, the batter can take the pitch even if it's right down the center of the plate and it will be a a ball.

Vlad hit a double off the wall (off a bounce) when he played for the Expos. But yea I'd say it's a glitch, CPU batters are swinging at curveballs out of the zone no matter how far away it is.

# 557 PsychoBulk @ 02/25/11 08:36 AM

Ive seen the curveball land 10 ft short of the hitter and bounce on numerous occasions, too many really, but ive no doubt this wont be seen in the full game (i hope), this is a December build we are playing after all.

# 558 davewins @ 02/25/11 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT2111


	One more thing I just noticed I had a ball hit to my 1st basemen right at him and as he was going to first he started taking short choppy steps as he got close to the bag and as a result the runner beat out an infield ground ball right at my 1st basemen!

This happened to me as well. I hope this doesn't happen in the full version. He went over to step on 1st but took his sweet time doing so and as a result it was an infield single.

I'm impressed with how challenging they made hitting. I put it on Legend and I went 56 innings without scoring a run LOL. It was from 10:15am to 4:30pm. I hit for both sides. I think by the 30-something inning I just started getting really anxious. Yogi Berra said it best. "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." This holds true to VIDEO GAME baseball as well! LOL

# 559 nmycon @ 02/25/11 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swaldo


	Vlad hit a double off the wall (off a bounce) when he played for the Expos. But yea I'd say it's a glitch, CPU batters are swinging at curveballs out of the zone no matter how far away it is.

if they could drastically tone it down that would be awesome

like once bounced pitch every 40-50 games, and not necessarily having every batter swinging at it.

it will add realism if used sparely enough, but looks silly when it happens so often.

Also after doing further reading, a ball must pass the front of the plate in order to be called a strike.

Because the pitch bounces, i dont think it can be called a strike whether the batter swings or not...

# 560 davewins @ 02/25/11 08:46 AM

The biggest thing that they got right with hitting is the fact that GOOD PITCHING BEATS GOOD HITTING. Fastballs on the low outside corner are GOOD pitches. Almost in real life unhittable for the most part. Maybe it's just me but I am noticing that you have to look for mistakes in order to have a better chance. You aren't going to hit "pitcher's pitches" hard. If a pitcher makes a great pitch he is rewarded correctly. If a pitcher screws up and the hitter executes than the pitcher is penalized. Hope I am making myself clear.

I just feel that overall pitches on the corner are much tougher to hit like they should be. This year it feels like you really have to get a good pitch to hit. You can't hit the good pitches on the corners or off speed stuff low in the zone which is realistic. One of the most accurate quotes in baseball is "good pitching beats good hitting." This is actually an incredible job by the dev team simulating this.

The most important thing in successful hitting in this game is patience and waiting for your pitch and executing on your pitch. Wait for the pitcher to make a mistake and execute on it. Changeups low in the zone are extremely difficult to hit as they are in real life. If they get a couple inches up in the zone though, that's another story.

« Previous 1 2…25 26 272829 30 31…39 40 Next »

More Links

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