MLB 13 The Show News Post

Steve Lyons Replacing Dave Campbell in MLB 13 The Show

09:36 PM - October 8, 2012 by tnixen

According to Steve Lyons, he will be replacing Dave Campbell in MLB 13 The Show. Yes, the same guy from the All-Star Baseball series.

Quote:


	Doin lots of VoiceOver work today for MLB THE SHOW 2013. Get ready to pick it up in March!

Could this mean an overhaul in the commentary department? What do you think about this news?

Game: MLB 13 The ShowReader Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS Vita / PS3Votes for game: 36 - View All

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Member Comments

# 41 Cubfan @ 10/11/12 06:56 AM

I like Matt and Dave and would rather they keep them and ditch Karros. Make the commentary for Matt and Dave flow.

# 42 jmount78 @ 10/11/12 07:24 AM

I just hope that they make the lines more like what you would hear watching a baseball game. The current commentary seems more like an attempt at being the Comedy Zone instead of talking about baseball.

Karros really doesn't add to the game and his monotone voice takes away from some of the good lines. With that being said, I do look forward to a new voice and hopefully it will be what the majority of us want.

# 43 Jolly Roger @ 10/11/12 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rspencer86


	Looks like we are going to be throwing our last Linda Ronstadt fastballs very soon.

Yeah, but hopefully we'll still have our Reagan era fastballs

I'm going to miss Dave complimenting my plate discipline with 2 strikes, as well as my penchant for "doing the smart thing" on 3-0.

# 44 Perfect Zero @ 10/11/12 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger


	Yeah, but hopefully we'll still have our Reagan era fastballs

CSB moment here, but I was at a game this year and noticed that a pitcher had thrown 40-something pitches in the first inning, and I was wondering if it would take him to Truman before the coach pulled him.

And then facepalm.

# 45 liberaluser @ 10/11/12 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B1Gcountry


	Looking forward to this. Wonderful A game, terrible F play by play.

An F? That's quite the exaggeration don't you think?

Putting more emotion into big plays and smoother conversations in the booth would make the commentary fantastic. But it isn't by any means terrible at the moment.

# 46 Spring Rubber @ 10/12/12 01:52 PM

Yeah, I would give Madden an F in play-by-play. I would give The Show a C+. When you compare the two, The Show is worlds better. Clearly SCEA made some strides for MLB 12 where the commentary would have a few scattered conversational bits in which they talked about a team's 2011 season, offseason trades, etc. That was a small glimmer of what I'd like to see with commentary, but it needs to be present throughout the game in discussion of the game itself and not just a once-per-game thing where it's just a single canned conversation about the team's offseason.

# 47 bwiggy33 @ 10/12/12 08:05 PM

I've never minded the commentary that much in The Show. It has it's flaws with all of those stupid so called "funny" remarks but I like Matty V a lot. Just as everyone else has said if he showed more emotion it would be way better. Great commentator though. I think Steve Lyons will definitely help out with improving the commentary if it's done properly.

What's funny though is I had a situation like this today:

I hit two homeruns in one inning and after the second one Dave goes "This pitcher is tremendous at not getting rattled and getting his focus back" The pitcher throws two balls and Dave says "What are they doing leaving him in the game. He's so rattled." Mind you it's 3-0 in the 4th inning and he's thrown 50 pitches, not quite panic time yet. I get a base hit in that at bat and he says "boy he must be completely rattled from those two homeruns this inning." Absolutely laughed my a$$ off because of how contradicting every single line was. Pretty bad and no doubt the worst lines I've heard in succession since I began playing in 10.

# 48 crains13 @ 10/12/12 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	I've never minded the commentary that much in The Show. It has it's flaws with all of those stupid so called "funny" remarks but I like Matty V a lot. Just as everyone else has said if he showed more emotion it would be way better. Great commentator though. I think Steve Lyons will definitely help out with improving the commentary if it's done properly.

If they could just add emotions, that would be great and make it much more realistic. The commentators don't get excited in the Show as they do in real life. This is a big aspect that I believe would add a lot to the game, especially in clutch moments or in the playoffs.

# 49 bwiggy33 @ 10/12/12 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crains13


	If they could just add emotions, that would be great and make it much more realistic. The commentators don't get excited in the Show as they do in real life. This is a big aspect that I believe would add a lot to the game, especially in clutch moments or in the playoffs.

Agreed. I've never understood why they don't add that emotion in the game. Really setting the stage gets you pumped up. I already have moments in this game where I fist pump. I can't even imagine what I would do if I heard Matty V go ballistic after I hit a walkoff. I think I'd cry.

I'm sure people have already mentioned this but a great example is Matty V's calls in game 2 of the Tigers vs. A's series. He went crazy when Cespedes went around the bases all by himself after singling and he went even more crazy when Reddick homered. It would be absolutely awesome if they could get that excitement in the game. Find that separation of early/mid season, late season, and playoff games so that we feel like we have achieved something by getting that far into the season.

# 50 Blzer @ 10/12/12 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonadom


	Your opinion has been expressed a million times from a million people. We get it. You need to hear commentary while playing a video game.

Way to single out one person in this entire thread of people saying the same thing, haha.

I guess the real point that people keep saying is that you can keep bringing in new people (add Hudler, bring in Karros for Hudler, bring in Lyons for Campbell, etc.), but if the "formula" remains the same, nothing ever really changes.

# 51 Galvatron @ 10/13/12 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	I've never minded the commentary that much in The Show. It has it's flaws with all of those stupid so called "funny" remarks but I like Matty V a lot. Just as everyone else has said if he showed more emotion it would be way better. Great commentator though. I think Steve Lyons will definitely help out with improving the commentary if it's done properly. What's funny though is I had a situation like this today: I hit two homeruns in one inning and after the second one Dave goes "This pitcher is tremendous at not getting rattled and getting his focus back" The pitcher throws two balls and Dave says "What are they doing leaving him in the game. He's so rattled." Mind you it's 3-0 in the 4th inning and he's thrown 50 pitches, not quite panic time yet. I get a base hit in that at bat and he says "boy he must be completely rattled from those two homeruns this inning." Absolutely laughed my a$$ off because of how contradicting every single line was. Pretty bad and no doubt the worst lines I've heard in succession since I began playing in 10.

Yeah this is one example of what needs improving with how the commentary is structured. You have lots of recorded lines or "comments" for different situations that are recorded seperately and then thrown together during the course of the game. It doesn't "flow" with the game enough, and is why it comes off sounding disjointed as this example shows. Another example is when Karros says "maybe he'll pitch to him after all", after saying nothing relative to that beforehand...sounds pretty sloppy.

I think this is where the bulk of the work should be focused, making the "comments" consistent and relative to one another during the game. And I think one thing that would help would be to eliminate certain lines like the ones pointed out above, because they don't tie in well enough towards what they're supposedly "seeing". They sound too opinionated, and I think lines like that are too hard to mesh with what should be more game focused banter.

Sent from my MOTWX435KT using Tapatalk

# 52 Perfect Zero @ 10/13/12 10:21 AM

The number one complaint that I am reading here is that the commentary is too structured and doesn't flow. The problem with fixing that is that you have a game where there is a limited amount of lines available and many different ways a game can play out. Think about it: is a home run by a player (like Cespedes in an example above) in the first inning of game 14 of the season as important as a homer by the same player in the closing games of the Divisional Series? How do you take emotion from the recording booth and translate that into the game knowing that you have such a limited space to work with?

That's the problem with games today, and it's going to continue to be a problem as long as you a) have real life announcers in games who have limited time to do commentary, and b) have so many variables in varied types of games.

The current guys are great considering that there are limitations as to what can be done with the commentary. Unless SCEA is holding something back from us (and I wouldn't count on it considering that the last change yielded the same type of commentary), we are going to have the same issues as before.

# 53 Blzer @ 10/13/12 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfect Zero


	The number one complaint that I am reading here is that the commentary is too structured and doesn't flow. The problem with fixing that is that you have a game where there is a limited amount of lines available and many different ways a game can play out. Think about it: is a home run by a player (like Cespedes in an example above) in the first inning of game 14 of the season as important as a homer by the same player in the closing games of the Divisional Series? How do you take emotion from the recording booth and translate that into the game knowing that you have such a limited space to work with? That's the problem with games today, and it's going to continue to be a problem as long as you a) have real life announcers in games who have limited time to do commentary, and b) have so many variables in varied types of games. The current guys are great considering that there are limitations as to what can be done with the commentary. Unless SCEA is holding something back from us (and I wouldn't count on it considering that the last change yielded the same type of commentary), we are going to have the same issues as before.

You bring up a valid point, but you basically have to do the following:

1) Prioritize which lines are the most important.
2) Repeat them in three or four different (yet consistent) ways: canny, tame, excited, intense.

Anyone remember this MLB 2K7 CES video?

Major League Baseball 2K7

The bottom left shows a meter called "intensity," which probably just measures what should happen "in the moment." How the crowd should cheer, how much the pitching cursor should move around, and probably even what lines the announcers should say.

Assuming The Show has something similar in play, maybe it determines which "tier of intensity" they make their calls.

The question is how they fit all of these lines in, though. I like what the 2K series was doing with the zero-stitch commentary, basically by taking general lines and inserting names/numbers where need be with great flow. I think it made things sound natural and diverse enough.

Hudler, Campbell, and Karros hardly ever make their commentary player-specific. They are normally regarding the previous pitch or play, and that's it... which means those have to be beyond specific, probably taking up a lot of room. If they went back to a two-man booth and the color commentary felt as "zero-stitch" as the play-by-play commentary, then there's a lot that can be done to create that excitement that people are referring to.

# 54 Galvatron @ 10/13/12 03:39 PM

I always thought that adding a 3rd man to the booth was a little too much considering alot of the things Hudler/Karros/Campbell say are not really that different from each other, their lines are just delivered differently. Karros seems a little more analytical and Campbell more anecdotal, but their points/comments sound pretty much the same. I think their roles in the booth should be more defined by letting them freestyle a bit with their scripts, some ad-libbing, or re-wording the lines a little. It's just to rigid and bland the way it sounds now, and is why they should be, at least Lyons and Karros, recorded TOGETHER.

Something else I thought that hasn't really been brought up much is the mention of important events/happenings throughout a franchise. During a typical season, trades, send-downs/call-ups, injuries, free-agent signings, etc, are events that really should have commentary recorded for them. I can't think of any reasons why THIS can't be added, as it doesn't really have to be player specific. Just insert so-and-so's name(s) in the dialog(Matt V. could handle this part since most of the names are in his vocabulary) and the color guys could supply their take on it.

The same could be applied to the postseason. How teams/players performance during the season and how they made the playoffs (winning their division, wild card, post-Allstar break performance) don't have to be player specific either, just pre-recorded dialog with team/player names inserted. If its done cleverly enough it wouldn't really take that long I think.

# 55 SoxFan01605 @ 10/13/12 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfect Zero


	The number one complaint that I am reading here is that the commentary is too structured and doesn't flow. The problem with fixing that is that you have a game where there is a limited amount of lines available and many different ways a game can play out. Think about it: is a home run by a player (like Cespedes in an example above) in the first inning of game 14 of the season as important as a homer by the same player in the closing games of the Divisional Series? How do you take emotion from the recording booth and translate that into the game knowing that you have such a limited space to work with? That's the problem with games today, and it's going to continue to be a problem as long as you a) have real life announcers in games who have limited time to do commentary, and b) have so many variables in varied types of games. The current guys are great considering that there are limitations as to what can be done with the commentary. Unless SCEA is holding something back from us (and I wouldn't count on it considering that the last change yielded the same type of commentary), we are going to have the same issues as before.

It's been done with real announcers in other series. Hell, there are already lines in reserve in this game for many of the scenario differences you describe. The difference is in how they are delivered. Repetition is going to happen regardless, I agree. The issue is the overall quality. Right now we get the same repetition, just with limited emotion. The lines/space aren't the issue, it's the delivery. SCEA has been trying to maximize what has become, frankly, an outdated commentary system.

I understand the rationale as there are likely a variety of resource constraints they have to manage (as you alluded). There will likely be growing pains. However, I'd personally be more forgiving of a weaker (in terms of depth of content) variety in favor of better quality delivery with the guys actually recorded together. IMO, if it can't be done with Matt for whatever reason, then you find guys who can do that.

I also agree that the current guys are great considering their limitations (and certainly nowhere near as bad IMO as some seem to believe), but the point is that some of those limitations are self-imposed. I don't know that it will happen this year (or, to be honest, this generation of consoles) but SCEA is eventually going to have to evolve their process.

Who knows, these guys are typically GREAT at planning and working in long-term ideas, so there's a good chance that's already happening. To me though, the bar has been set already by 2K in how to approach commentary. EA is finally getting on board. SCEA will have have to keep up.

The point is that atmosphere matters. SCEA has nailed the fundamental baseball atmosphere but mostly plays like an afternoon game (though Sounds of The Show and now the camera angles and overlays added for 12 help this). 2K's vibe, for a comparison, is more Sunday Night Baseball. That's what, IMO, SCEA needs to tap into. Commentary is a very big part of that for a lot of people.

# 56 Spaced Ace @ 10/13/12 07:36 PM

Awesome! He was great in ASB.

# 57 Scribe1980 @ 10/14/12 11:14 PM

Now that the audio engineers from MLB 2K series are out of work, hire those dudes for better clip meshing, flow, whatever you want to call it.

Thorne and Co. were tremendous in that series because the commentary was deep, nuanced and made situational sense.

# 58 CubFan23 @ 10/15/12 10:50 AM

Now they have to get rid of Karros.

# 59 tnixen @ 10/15/12 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CubFan23


	Now they have to get rid of Karros.

Karros was added in MLB 11 The Show so I would not expect Sony to drop him so soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqbomVg1n-c

# 60 tnixen @ 10/15/12 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scribe1980


	Now that the audio engineers from MLB 2K series are out of work, hire those dudes for better clip meshing, flow, whatever you want to call it. Thorne and Co. were tremendous in that series because the commentary was deep, nuanced and made situational sense.

That would be great however I am going to guess that the audio engineers from MLB 2K series will be heading to NBA2K Series.

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