MLB 14 The Show News Post

MLB 14 The Show: Little Issues Hampering the Fun

04:39 PM - May 22, 2014 by RaychelSnr

When it comes to the total package, MLB 14 The Show is one of the top games of the year. However, despite what is an overall solid package, the title is held back slightly by a host of small issues which add up to an actual loss of some of the fun factor within the game.

Game: MLB 14 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS Vita / PS3 / PS4Votes for game: 12 - View All

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# 41 ELDoro @ 05/23/14 12:29 PM

The Show could learn greatly from Pro Yakyuu Spirits, especially in the bunting controls. They got it right.

# 42 GlennN @ 05/23/14 12:54 PM

Am I the only one incredibly annoyed with the minimal stat/award tracking of players? Why play franchise mode if you can't follow the careers of guys who have been in the league for years. To me, a baseball game (more than any sport) needs to have solid tracking of the career stats.

# 43 NAFBUC @ 05/23/14 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennN


	Am I the only one incredibly annoyed with the minimal stat/award tracking of players? Why play franchise mode if you can't follow the careers of guys who have been in the league for years. To me, a baseball game (more than any sport) needs to have solid tracking of the career stats.

No, you are not the only one, I am just getting tired of bringing it up, sounding like a dusty record, repeating over and over. It has also been mentioned that stats are not a priority for the SCEA team.

# 44 Boltman @ 05/23/14 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennN


	Am I the only one incredibly annoyed with the minimal stat/award tracking of players? Why play franchise mode if you can't follow the careers of guys who have been in the league for years. To me, a baseball game (more than any sport) needs to have solid tracking of the career stats.

Statistical tracking should be a cornerstone for any baseball game.

Sent from my GS4 using TT

# 45 Aensland @ 05/23/14 03:08 PM

Back on the topic of opposite field home runs, that's one area the High Heat baseball games executed well. You could adjust player attributes to make them go from a completely pull hitter to mostly opposite field hits.

# 46 jwilphl @ 05/23/14 04:01 PM

Some of the little things I've noticed:

1. Pitchers throw to first a lot. This is coming from someone who isn't particularly adept at stealing, either. I'm talking about RttS, of course, but if I'm on first (even 2nd sometimes), I've been checked excessively for someone with 2 career steals. I've had pitchers throw 10 in a row to first, most of the time with just a one-step lead (sometimes with no extra lead at all). I generally don't take two-step leads. I've wondered if this penalizes the pitcher at all, either by increasing their fatigue (reducing stamina) or reducing their confidence. If nothing else, it should certainly play on their psyche.

2. Checked swings have already been mentioned. I have decent plate disciple and vision, but balls with a check swing get called for strikes a lot, most of the time without a gratuitous check down to first. Of course I'm talking about balls out of the zone, as those in the zone would be strikes regardless. I also find it hard to check-swing in the first place. Even barely tapping the button, my batter flails his bat through the zone like a lumberjack chopping down a tree, but this could be caused by a number of factors I'm unaware of.

3. Weird graphical glitches that occur, including collision issues and players "sliding" around the field. I have a feeling these issues may never go away completely from sports games, but they remain a bit of a nuisance.

4. Crowd noise has also been mentioned. I'm in my home park and hit a home run, but the crowd doesn't seem all that enthused by it. Plus in RttS, there is a weird delay after you smack a homer between the actual hit and the stadium's realization that you have, in fact, hit a home run. It gets oddly quiet until you either hit X or round the bases.

# 47 dalger21 @ 05/23/14 04:27 PM

The last two years have greatly disappointed me. Such a shame.

# 48 BA2929 @ 05/23/14 04:46 PM

My biggest issue is the baserunning. It's so easy to control each individual runner in other franchises but it seems overly difficult in this game. It should be as simple as two button presses to move one guy and one click to move everyone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalger21


	The last two years have greatly disappointed me. Such a shame.

Go play MLB 2k for a few years then come back to this.

You won't think this way anymore.

You guys have been spoiled by greatness, I'm afraid.

# 49 heater26_99 @ 05/23/14 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA2929


	My biggest issue is the baserunning. It's so easy to control each individual runner in other franchises but it seems overly difficult in this game. It should be as simple as two button presses to move one guy and one click to move everyone. Go play MLB 2k for a few years then come back to this. You won't think this way anymore. You guys have been spoiled by greatness, I'm afraid.

I agree, yes minor (to us) improvements but the game is still leaps and bounds above its predecessors.

Is it possible we will see a baserunning patch on easier runner control?

# 50 BA2929 @ 05/23/14 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heater26_99


	Is it possible we will see a baserunning patch on easier runner control?

I hope so. Fix that and I'll be quite happy. I can't even figure out how to steal with only one player when I have guys on 1st/3rd despite numerous people telling me how and reading the manual 10 times.

I have to think too much to run with guys right now, wasting precious time, and using the left analog stick to select players just doesn't seem intuitive to me. I honestly don't know why this switch to using the analog sticks to control EVERYTHING has been so popular lately. There are 12 other buttons to use if you count the 4 digital pad directions. Let me use those.

# 51 ShaBoomer @ 05/23/14 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA2929


	I hope so. Fix that and I'll be quite happy. I can't even figure out how to steal with only one player when I have guys on 1st/3rd despite numerous people telling me how and reading the manual 10 times. I have to think too much to run with guys right now, wasting precious time, and using the left analog stick to select players just doesn't seem intuitive to me. I honestly don't know why this switch to using the analog sticks to control EVERYTHING has been so popular lately. There are 12 other buttons to use if you count the 4 digital pad directions. Let me use those.

You can use the buttons, that's what Classic base running controls are.

I find the use L stick (no longer analog) is much easier. You flick towards the runner you want to control, and hit the base button you want him to go to. If you want to advance/retreat all runners, L1 or R1 respectively.

To steal individually, you hold the L stick in the direction of the base the runner is on, and press L2 to queue a steal. If you want him to go manually, you hold L2 until it vibrates and then release. The runner goes as soon as you let go of L2.

It can be a lot to wrap your head around for the first few games, but I find the default controls much more intuitive than the classic controls.

# 52 @legendm0de @ 05/23/14 05:22 PM

I actually like the new stricter umps on the check swing, it makes me ease off of that analog swing even more unless I'm dead sure about swinging. I feel like it's a fair check swing system currently but I can definitely see it being an issue for button offense.

Related to statistics mention earlier, I wish injuries and DL stints were kept track of. So when signing a free agent, I will not know of any significant injuries (like if he's had shoulder surgery?). It's kind of significant.

I also disagree a little bit with stats needed for multiple years prior to the current season. Most mlb careers don't even last that long, career numbers suffice for me. But I do care about detailed tracking of "in-franchise" stat tracking.

# 53 ShaBoomer @ 05/23/14 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by @legendm0de


	Related to statistics mention earlier, I wish injuries and DL stints were kept track of. So when signing a free agent, I will not know of any significant injuries (like if he's had shoulder surgery?). It's kind of significant.

I agree that it's significant in real life, but injuries have no future impact in the game. Not even directly after the player returns. So when the offseason comes, it's as if no player was ever injured.

There's likely no room in the game for it, but I would love to see injuries overhauled. Make injuries have an impact on the player, over the course of the current season and their career. If a pitcher has TJ (would need to be added to the game in itself), he should lose some stats for the first year after returning.

If a player breaks a leg/ankle, they should lose some speed. How many players come back instantly at 100%? Back injuries should have an impact on durability/stamina, as in real life. Etc, etc, etc...

# 54 @legendm0de @ 05/23/14 05:42 PM

Yea, they would have to overhaul an entire injury system into the game because it's really non-existent. There are still not even rehab assignments yet, I'm confident this is something they are working on though.

# 55 DGuinta1 @ 05/23/14 05:59 PM

I want unclean batters boxes. Chalk is always perfect during game play.

# 56 authentic @ 05/23/14 06:10 PM

I think this years game is a solid effort. I have really enjoyed my time with the game so far and I have played probably close to 100 games. One of my biggest gripes is the fielding in this game and I can't believe this article didn't touch on that. I personally feel like the fielding part of the game is the worst aspect overall of this franchise. There are so many canned animations that don't look good, players have no sense of urgency. It doesn't matter if Adam Dunn is running to first or if Billy Hamilton is running to first, if it's a ball hit to the right of my shortstop, he'll still take a step back and make a weak throw. Fielders still catch almost everything which reduces weak hits and variety. This is most likely an issue with fly balls always being so high, but sometimes infielders will catch balls they have no business getting to. I wouldn't mind if they did a complete overhaul on the fielding. I don't believe it can get much worse than it is right now.

# 57 @legendm0de @ 05/23/14 06:25 PM

I also wish it wasn't so easy to sign young arbitration aged players to pretty tame contracts based on the way other players have reported being able to do. I saw Julio Tehran last night with a 5 year, 1.1M a season contract. Perhaps I am dead wrong, but I don't know if that is nearly accurate. However, in real life, there was a big fuss last year when Mike Trout had to sign a 1 YR/ 1 M contract with Anaheim, but now they have given him a much more realistic deal, so they only got away with doing that to him for one season.

I really don't know what exactly is the correct way these contracts are supposed to be, but I wish it was a little bit more competitive to agree with a young "star player". I know that in real life, George Springer has already rejected 1 or 2 contracts offered by the Astros so I wish the process was a more competitive one. And this would mean the need for unlocking the contract revision period only being limited to the offseason. Negotiations can be done where, the agent says to us no more negotiation until the season is over or something, but don't lock us out of it entirely. Hopefully whatever issue with the arbitration contracts can be patched and then worked on more completely for the new game.

# 58 coolkev21 @ 05/23/14 06:44 PM

aside from the online franchise and contact swing issue...

all the rest are very little things.

good read though. thanks man

# 59 teebee @ 05/24/14 05:46 PM

Ball icon? While hitting??

What/?!

# 60 tmoney51691 @ 05/24/14 05:46 PM

All I know is I'm having a blast, and that's all that really matters.

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