MLB '06: The Show

In an EA Sports-dominated field, it’s great to see a first-party Major League Baseball on Sony’s PlayStation 2 as well as its portable entertainment machine the PSP. Sure, we’ve experienced MLB on the PSP before and yes baseball fans loved the game but with a new baseball season right around the corner MLB ‘06: The Show is a welcomed addition to the lineup. So put on your ball cap and grab your PSP because this time it’s all about you, slugger.

Don’t get me wrong, MLB for the PSP was a nicely packaged ball game but it was missing a few gameplay and game mode options that would have made the difference. This year, though, our prayers have been answered and new additions as well as a Season Mode and a Career Mode have been added. If you’re thinking the game went through a major gameplay change, though, you’ll be a bit disappointed. The core gameplay mechanics are still present but with some additional batting and field options … but we’ll get to that in a moment.

The real meat of this year’s game is its Career Mode, a mode that was missing in MLB. For starters, it’s all about you, or a player you create through the game’s creation options. You can even decide on your athlete’s batting stance, arm accuracy or bunting strength and walkup music (rock, Latin or even country). From there you assign the team you want your created player to play for and go through the 2006 spring training until you win a permanent spot on the team. You’ll have access to your own locker room where you can spend points “training” your player to throw more accurately or bunt more effectively. You’ll even be rewarded for completing a number of different goals like collecting three or more total bases in a game or hit one or more doubles in a game. You can play the games on your team’s calendar or choose to sim the game or your at-bats even if the game’s in the ninth inning. The most interesting new feature with Career Mode is the ability to complain to your manager of a number of topics and go from rookie to the Hall of Fame to retire with class.

This year’s game also added a deep Season Mode that pretty much has you following your team through a lengthy season as you manage nearly every aspect of your franchise’s business. It’s a much welcomed mode, to say the least, as is the Home Run Derby mode you’ll want to play with a friend. New to the series is King of the Diamond, an arcade-styled mini-game that offers a timed pitcher/batter duel between the Crimson team and the Cobalt team comprised of your favorite batters and pitchers. If you’re looking for a good distraction from the great Career and Season Mode, King of the Diamond will win you over. There’s a Quick Play and Exhibition mode that includes various teams including the option to play as legendary players of yesteryear.

As I mentioned above, the gameplay has gone through a few changes but nothing that should be considered dramatic. The core gameplay from last year is intact and that’s not bad considering MLB played considerably better than MVP Baseball for the PSP. The few changes, though, are very welcomed features that add more depth to the field and batting aspects of the game. For one thing, there are now user-controlled slides, allowing you to inch your way to the next base without automatically just going for the next base and hoping for the best. You can still make diving catches and the Field Zone Marker plays to the attributes of individual fielders so the size of the zone becomes bigger and more noticeable for certain players. This makes it easier for highly ranked fielders to determine where the fly ball will land.

Pitching feels a lot more complete in this year’s edition thanks to the Release Point Pitching feature that makes it return as well as the Confidence Meter. A pitcher’s confidence plays a big role during a game and if it’s low you’ll start seeing more mistakes and even wild pitches that will have you pulling out the pitcher. You can attempt pickoffs and pitch outs far more easily in this game. Batting is handled a lot better as well. You have better freedom to influence the direction of your bunts and you can even attempt to guess the pitch type before the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. These are great additions considering the fact that the opponent AI is pretty sharp and accurate when it comes to player performance (watch out for David Ortiz in this game, he’s on fire).

For the most part, the roster is pretty accurate and SCEA San Diego deserves a round of applause for including the NEWS2GO Offline Reader, an online news service that offers a scroll with updated information. It’s actually a dream come true for ball fans who want to keep updated on that trade or tidbits that pertain to their favorite team or player. I’ve been online just reading the various news items (I counted 27 items including an interesting tidbit on the Dodgers front). This feature goes excellently with the online multiplayer mode (you can play wireless through the Ad-Hoc Mode or online through Infrastructure Mode). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to really test the Ad-Hoc Mode but online the game ran decently.

On the visual front, MLB ‘06 doesn’t look too different from last year’s game but then again when it comes to the player models you’ll certainly notice the differences. The players look amazingly detailed and their movements are much more fluid and natural. There are even more animations that make each play stand out (bats break and batters recoil from wild pitches). The fans might still look like a blocky pixilated mess but it’s hard to complain about a game that makes each stadium look particularly gorgeous and the overall presentation look like it belongs on a television set.

The game’s sound is particularly well done when it comes to the detailed stadium sounds. Even without ear phones you’ll notice the chattering of excited fans, the hecklers, the stadium PA announcers pointing out that Monday is Ball Cap Day. It’s by far better than MLB’s decent stadium sounds and there’s even a better assortment of tunes from the likes of Dilated Peoples, Story of the Year and the MIDI Mafia. There’s a 3-Man commentary team that includes Matt Vasgersian, Dave Campbell and now Rex Hudler. Their commentary is fresh and hardly repetitive although it’s not as on-the-spot as it should be.

MLB ‘06: The Show feels like a more complete version of last year’s game so if you missed that one you seriously should consider buying this one right away. Then again, if you’re a fan of the sport you’ll want to pick it up anyway seeing as the new Career Mode alone is worth the purchase price. With more field and batting options, crisper visuals and fun new features, you do not want to miss this one.

Gameplay: 8.5
Control-wise, the game hasn’t changed considerably and that’s not a bad thing at all but thankfully there are some new additions that make this a more complete portable ball game. Career Mode is a dream come true and the new King of the Diamond mode will not fail to keep you entertained.

Graphics: 8.2
Far more sharper than last year’s graphically pleasing game, MLB ‘06 sports some sharper player models with realistic and far more natural movements and nicely detailed stadiums. The fans still look awful but with loads of animations and a crisp presentation it’s easy to ignore that eyesore.

Sound: 8.0
There are rock tunes and some hip-hop decent enough to make the main menus and pause menu bearable but the best audible feature here are the incredibly detailed stadium sounds. Really, play this one with the PSP ear buds because the sound will make you feel like you’re sitting with the fans. The three-man booth commentary is far better than last year’s game but just a tad on the slow side.

Difficulty: Medium
The opponent AI will not fail to challenge even the most seasoned veteran and most star athletes will play like the real deal. Both Season and Career Mode will provide enough challenges for any fan of the sport.

Concept: 8.5
It’s great to see returning favorites like the Release Point Pitching and the Pitching Confidence Meter but its even better to find new features that add more sizzle to the game such as user-controlled slides. The game’s Career Mode is the real star of the show but King of the Diamond and the wonderfully deep Season Mode will feel like you’ve died and gone to Baseball Heaven.

Multiplayer: 7.5
At the time of this writing, I was only able to find a single player online (using Infrastructure Mode) and the game moved along quite decently despite a few stutters here and there. You can play with a friend using Ad-Hoc connectivity and go head-to-head in various different modes including Homerun Derby.

Overall: 8.5
A minor change over last year’s game, MLB ‘06: The Show is quite simply the best handheld baseball game you’ll own on the PSP. Think of this more as a tighter, extended version of last year’s game with shaper visuals, better sound and a Career Mode anyone who calls themselves a baseball fan will simply go bonkers over. Is this a Must Have PSP game? You better believe it, sports fan.