MLB 11 The Show News Post

OS Staff Roundtable - MLB '11: The Show Demo Impressions

03:46 PM - February 25, 2011 by RaychelSnr

What are your impressions of the MLB '11: The Show Demo?

Christian McLeod: To be perfectly honest, I didn't come away as blown away by the MLB 11 demo as I thought I would. Upon initially hearing about the new analog hitting, pitching and fielding scheme I was overjoyed. If any franchise needed to adopt analog controls, it was The Show. The implementation of both the new analog hitting mechanics and pitching mechanics work well enough (throwing in the field is another story), but the rest of the game feels like a carbon copy of MLB 10, which felt darn near like a carbon copy of MLB 09.

Dustin Toms: I'm with Christian. This is arguably one of the most disappointing demos to date.

Caley Roark: I was also a little underwhelmed, but not as disappointed as my colleagues. I say underwhelmed because, outside of analog controls, the game plays much like MLB '10, which really is a good thing. There was nothing earth-shaking in the demo; even the analog controls did not seem that revolutionary -- probably because I have played NCAA Baseball and MLB 2K10.

Chase Becotte: Who pooped in your guys' cereal? Really, I want to know.

I mean come on, the game doesn't feel different? The graphics in the game are a downgrade from last year's? Go back to MLB '10, and tell me the lighting and player models in MLB 11 aren't improvements. Go back to MLB 10, and talk to me about the feel of the analog controls in that game. Oh wait...

Read more - MLB '11: The Show Demo Impressions

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

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Member Comments

# 41 JJT @ 02/25/11 10:08 PM

Dont know why the sarcasm, but ill try and make my point again.

The game of baseball has been the same for 100 years like you said and the show has that down great.

Its the presentation of the game that needs change. So different foul ball animations or when you hit a homerun, some different home run animations.

The game of baseball is down its the presentation of that game I and many others would like to see freshen up year to year and warrant $60 a year.

When you go to maybe 3 games a year, your paying the same price to go to the same game of baseball, but is the experience the same each game? No.

# 42 Knight165 @ 02/25/11 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJT


	Dont know why the sarcasm, but ill try and make my point again. The game of baseball has been the same for 100 years like you said and the show has that down great. Its the presentation of the game that needs change. So different foul ball animations or when you hit a homerun, some different home run animations. The game of baseball is down its the presentation of that game I and many others would like to see freshen up year to year and warrant $60 a year. When you go to maybe 3 games a year, your paying the same price to go to the same game of baseball, but is the experience the same each game? No.

No need to make the point again....I understood it perfectly the first time.
It's not the same...not even remotely the same.
There is simply no way to re-do everything year in and year out. You're focus on something that may or may not have been added to simply does not mean it's the same game as last year. I'm sorry. No way...no how.
The list of changes is quite extensive.
If you choose to look past them that's not a problem of the game.
I see that ....that is becoming the norm though. Unfortunate.

M.K.
Knight165

# 43 JJT @ 02/25/11 10:23 PM

There isnt a problem with the game, thats what I am saying. Its the presentation of said game. New player models, lighting and so forth is good for sure and should happen, but when I hit a foul ball and see the same thing ive seen 1700 times thats why people feel underwelmed as they so put it.

I am buying the game because of the changes to rtts, so I know the changes.

Just saying that if next year the game is presented the same way, people will be swayed to keep the game they already have, which some people will do this year.

The gameplay can stay the same, but present the game different to me.

# 44 rudyjuly2 @ 02/25/11 10:26 PM

I feel very much like Christian does. I thought I would be more impressed.

The Show's biggest competition is themselves. How do you outdo the previous year and still keep it fresh? The Show has been considered by many the pinnacle of all sports gaming without many problems. NCAA Football has a lot of issues so when they improve the game I'm excited despite the fact there may still be significant things I don't like. The Show doesn't really do anything wrong and like Chase said, if nobody had ever played the Show before they would be blown away. So how do you improve a game significantly when everyone already seems happy?

I think our enjoyment of a game is often influenced heavily by our expectations and these expectations may be influencing these opinions more than anything.

# 45 nemesis04 @ 02/25/11 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winonastate03


	Do we need new members attending the community day? I guarantee the guys that attend every year will not talk bad about the game, thus not helping improve it.

I think you are out of line here. You have no idea the type of effort we put into this game at CD. Just because we do not score keep in public the influences we have had on the game does not correlate into us not helping the game grow.

If you really knew you would feel pretty foolish about that statement.

# 46 ripwalk @ 02/25/11 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winonastate03


	Analog controls do nothing for this game. I am not sure why the need to waste development time on this. So what really changed? And was the whole year of development time used wisely, or is this game on a tight budget?

Analog controls do nothing for this game is a positively asinine comment, especially considering the vast numbers of people on this very board raving about all aspecfts of analog (pitching specifically).

Then you go into what really change and making random inferences about the budget of this game. Are you in any position to make assessments about the company's budget or how wisely they spent their development time?

# 47 Knight165 @ 02/25/11 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winonastate03


	I was let down with the demo. Mainly with the fact that I have been seeing the same fielding animations for several years now. Outfield throws look weak and awkward at times. Way too many "girly" throws. Infielding animations are very outdated as well. I hit a chopper to short and the cpu charged it but stopped, planted and took a couple of hops before throwing. Clearly safe, and clearly not the right animation. Analog controls do nothing for this game. I am not sure why the need to waste development time on this. Improved scoreboards: ? didn't notice ANYTHING different. Player Models: Look better, but do nothing as far as improving animations. So what really changed? And was the whole year of development time used wisely, or is this game on a tight budget? Do we need new members attending the community day? I guarantee the guys that attend every year will not talk bad about the game, thus not helping improve it. And why is one guy's opinion attacked if it is not the acceptable opinion around here? JJT has some valid points with keeping the game fresh and should not be ridiculed for that. I will play the demo more, but for now I am very underwelmed.

It's not his ideas I ridiculed...but his ridiculous notion that because one element of the game didn't receive a major overhaul......it's "basically the same game as '10". So on your latter statement.....eeeeehhhhh....wrong.
There are thousands of animations in the game. More were added this year again.....Because all the old animations weren't tossed or redone there was no change? Inane.

The new controls do nothing for you..I hate to say it...but SO WHAT?
You can't see the scoreboards are vastly improved? Whhhhaaa? I think you just broke my B.S. meter.(actually....this entire post toasted my meter...thanks)

CD day guys...nothing "bad" to say?
Maybe not in the sense that some guys try and trash the game(methinks they don't really play this game...but I digress)....but I certainly have/do and will continue to say what is wrong with this game. I may choose to do it in a civil and constructive manner...but I do, do it.
Let's see....3 consecutive years of starting a "tips and WORK AROUNDS" thread(hint...a work around is to try and work around SOMETHING THAT IS WRONG IN THE GAME) might just qualify me as someone who doesn't shy away from calling attention to the fact that something may indeed be wrong with the game in a certain area.

Yeah...you're right on point with this post...

NEXT!

M.K.
Knight165

# 48 DJ @ 02/25/11 11:44 PM

After my first few playthroughs with the Demo and yeah, I was underwhelemed at first. I think all the talk of adding Analog Controls ramped up my expectations and when first playing the game, the visuals/presentation didn't blow me away, I was bummed a bit.

But, after giving the Demo more time, I've come back around on the game. Analog hitting (once you find the rightdifficulty level) is fun and rewarding. I roped a double off the CF wall with Hamilton and I've seen better hit variety using the Analog controls. Analog pitching is nice (even though I do prefer 2K's gesture system) and I appreciate the fact that SCEA added these options (in addition to fielding/throwing) to the game.

When you think about it, why would we expect SCEA to scrap what has been perhaps the BEST sports game franchise on this generation of consoles? Minor tweaks are all that's needed and we've gotten that and more this year with the player models, lighting, stadiums and of course, Analog Controls. Add that to RTTS and some Franchise improvements and we've got a game worthy of a $60 purchase.

I think the graphics will be fine. I chalk that up to things being compressed for the Demo. I popped in MLB 10 today and you definitely see the difference in player models and lighting.

# 49 etched Chaos @ 02/26/11 01:27 AM

The problem with a game being the best of its kind is compacency. When there's nothing elose to compete you get complacent and it makes for poor year to year transistions unless the development team consciousy makes an effort to go out and blow our minds every single year. SCEA San Diego so far has gone the 'blow our minds' route.

However, one thing has been niggling at me, giving Karros alot of Rex's lines from previous games appears very lazy to me. For me, they could've given him a whole slew of new lines to differentiate his role from Rex's, whilst they're both colour guys, no two colour guys are alike and it does irk me. Maybe I'm too demanding but damnit if another game can have dynamic commentary then I expect the Show to do better than that, after all thats the level of expectations they've earned for the quality product they put out.

# 50 TallyBoi7 @ 02/26/11 05:06 AM

With this being my first time really playing the show, it all feels new and fluid to me. I mean seeing how smooth the infielders are, seeing the first baseman catch the ball differently, seeing the sliding and cleat marks on the dirt infeld, and watching how the outfielders catch balls is new to me...I mean, I just made the switch over the PS3, so my only other recent MLB experience was the 2K series. MLB 11 The Show just feels and looks like how baseball is supposed to be played.

HOWEVER, I can see where guys who are used to series can be slightly disappointed. The game does look the same and there doesn't look to have been many changes(going off of gameplay videos on previous versions). But it plays the most solid brand of baseball on the market...which is a good thing.

"If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it"

# 51 JJT @ 02/26/11 05:21 AM

I gotta chime back in here. I thank that guy for supporting what I was saying.

But, even though my opinions are different from knights in this thread, I have seen him say what needs to be changed or reworked with the game (such as franchise stuff). So Im sure others do as well to the devs.

# 52 Tommyklaid @ 02/26/11 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winonastate03


	I was let down with the demo. Mainly with the fact that I have been seeing the same fielding animations for several years now. Outfield throws look weak and awkward at times. Way too many "girly" throws. Infielding animations are very outdated as well. I hit a chopper to short and the cpu charged it but stopped, planted and took a couple of hops before throwing. Clearly safe, and clearly not the right animation. Analog controls do nothing for this game. I am not sure why the need to waste development time on this. Improved scoreboards: ? didn't notice ANYTHING different. Player Models: Look better, but do nothing as far as improving animations. So what really changed? And was the whole year of development time used wisely, or is this game on a tight budget? Do we need new members attending the community day? I guarantee the guys that attend every year will not talk bad about the game, thus not helping improve it. And why is one guy's opinion attacked if it is not the acceptable opinion around here? JJT has some valid points with keeping the game fresh and should not be ridiculed for that. I will play the demo more, but for now I am very underwelmed.

You obviously haven't the faintest idea what you're talking bout in this forum...

Highly uncalled for - but what do you know anyway.

# 53 gigadkc @ 02/26/11 07:43 AM

The Show needs to look at the other baseball games, PYS and 2K especially (are there any others anyway?), and bring the good things from those games to The Show. Where's cursor batting (and more realistic batting overall) like there is in PYS? Where's that great commentary, sound and presentation we have in 2K's games? They should focus on those areas where other games have shown they are better and try to bring those features to The Show. Come on SCEA, we (or I) finally want cursor batting. That single feature puts PYS above The Show imo and it would be so awesome if The Show would have that, too.

# 54 Skyboxer @ 02/26/11 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capa


	Please don't ever put in cursor hitting. Horrible concept. I am not sinking submarines anymore. Just concentrate on franchise mode improvements, atmosphere and commentary, and even more animations next year to keep the game looking fresh. The gameplay is tight. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I hate these kind of posts. Just because you dont like it then noone should get it.....
Options are always good and if they can continue to give us gamers options on how to play then fine. Maybe some people dont play fanchise and would rather SCEA concentrate on RTTS only and forget improving franchise.....

# 55 cheechoo98 @ 02/26/11 09:30 AM

When people talk about the presentation, I agree. When people talk about foul ball animations, it's specifically the camera cut scene. It's been the same for 3+ years now? maybe even more.

When I read about team-specific cameras, and a 'editable' custom cams, I thought that was a great idea, but it only refers to the batter/pitcher cams. That is a tonnne of work to do so kudos to the team for that!

But I thought it was going to be the the fielding cam as well.. i know that's a lot of work so maybe next year, eh?
But THAT would be awesome and fresh! Broadcast cams specific to each team as they are on TV!

That being said, I like the Demo, and the MLB series. But camera angles have been relatively the same since maybe MLB '06

# 56 sink4ever @ 02/26/11 09:31 AM

Can we all just agree that different people want different things? And just because you didn't see much change in your narrow range of desires doesn't mean that nothing changed. Not to mention that when you have a game that replicates the sport so well already, drastic changes to the core gameplay would almost certainly be detrimental. I would like to see a number of additions to franchise (more emphasis on scouting/draft/signing, coaches at each level, individual training, etc.). However, just because that didn't happen this year doesn't mean I don't realize that the game has improved and offers other great things like improved lighting, new models, better defense, better ball physics, new analog controls, and even some better franchise logic. For Pete's sake, it seems like people throw a hissy fit every time their "single most important thing" isn't addressed exactly how they want it to be. Ok, done ranting.

# 57 DickDalewood @ 02/26/11 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winonastate03


	Analog controls do nothing for this game. I am not sure why the need to waste development time on this. Improved scoreboards: ? didn't notice ANYTHING different. Player Models: Look better, but do nothing as far as improving animations. So what really changed? And was the whole year of development time used wisely, or is this game on a tight budget? Do we need new members attending the community day? I guarantee the guys that attend every year will not talk bad about the game, thus not helping improve it.

So because YOU can't get the hang of analog controls, don't care about better lighting, player models and scroeboards, weather being added, and a completely revamped RTTS, they were on a tight budget and wasted their time???

Do you know why all those things are in the game this year? I'll tell you why; because last year, this board was filled with multiple threads about "where are the analog controls??? Button pressing is outdated!!" and "WTF, RTTS is exactly the same as it was last year!" and "I can't handle these player models and their t-Rex arms anymore! CMON SCEA!!!"

So, because they are the only dev team that TRULY takes the time to get community opinions and inprovements from THIS website, those are the areas where they spent the most of their time. And guess what? A lot of that pressure and feed back came from our Community Day guys.

So, my suggestion to you, a member who is new THIS MONTH; learn exactly how things work and why, before spouting off nonsensical guarantees that you know nothing about.

# 58 Two Seamer @ 02/26/11 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sink4ever


	Can we all just agree that different people want different things? And just because you didn't see much change in your narrow range of desires doesn't mean that nothing changed.

I don't actually see any of the "disappointed" commenters personalizing their comments or criticizing the statements made by those who are excited about the demo. They seem to be doing what everyone else should be: giving their personal impressions - which happen to be a lot less enthusiastic.

For some reason, a lot of Show cheerleaders here feel the need to criticize impressions that are negative, and that's where the exchanges you're talking about begin.

As you said, different people want different things. Different people expected different things of the game. So they have different impressions. That is literally the purpose of this thread, to get those impressions out there. Most if not all of the their criticisms have been valid.

It seems to me the thread could do without the "are you serious?!?! how can not love this game!?? what do you expect?!?!" defense posts.

# 59 Pared @ 02/26/11 09:52 AM

The game has cursor hitting right now.

I really don't know what guys are referring to. True PCI is cursor hitting, in a sense. The only difference is you would prefer to move an imaginary bat to a spot and have it stay there... which isn't real baseball.

And for all the individuals asking for cursor hitting, it's actually a very antiquated hitting mechanic, given the controls we have now compared to in the past.

2k's 360 degree hitting mechanic, which was my favorite one until recently, essentially does the same exact thing as True PCI.

# 60 sink4ever @ 02/26/11 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Two Seamer


	I don't actually see any of the "disappointed" commenters personalizing their comments or criticizing the statements made by those who are excited about the demo. They seem to be doing what everyone else should be: giving their personal impressions - which happen to be a lot less enthusiastic. For some reason, a lot of Show cheerleaders here feel the need to criticize impressions that are negative, and that's where the exchanges you're talking about begin. As you said, different people want different things. Different people expected different things of the game. So they have different impressions. That is literally the purpose of this thread, to get those impressions out there. Most if not all of the their criticisms have been valid. It seems to me the thread could do without the "are you serious?!?! how can not love this game!?? what do you expect?!?!" defense posts.

That's fine, I'm okay with people not liking the demo or whatever. It just seems to me that there's a common theme of "they didn't do X to Y, therefore nothing changed". I don't get the impression that many people are aware that there own personal wishlist doesn't trump everyone else's.

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