MLB 08: The Show

I’ve never really enjoyed baseball. Not just in context to video games, but with any form of baseball experience whatsoever. My friends always attempt to get me excited when baseball season rolls around, and all I can do is shrug them off and pretend that I did not hear them. Even when my buddies are watching baseball on my big screen T.V., all I can force myself to do is snag my PSP, pop in a game, and tune out the diamond-plated festivities occurring on the other screen in front of me.

Obviously, with my strict disinterest in baseball, it would make sense that I’ve never even considered picking up a baseball game for any gaming platform that I own. For some reason, I seem to have a mental block developed that prevents me from believing that any baseball game can be remotely fun. This was the same type of attitude that I carried about racing games, until I recently reviewed Need for Speed ProStreet for PSP and discovered not only that racing games can be as addictive as the harshest of drugs, but they can also be fun.

What? A racing game fun? I was shocked when I realized what my mind was thinking. So when I was given the opportunity to review a baseball game, I immediately stepped up to the plate and accepted the challenge. Lucky for me, I selected the baseball simulator that would walk up to the throne and take its place as the best baseball game available on the PSP.

As I am a visual graphics buff in certain respects, my initial concern was the visual capability of the game. MLB 08 The Show, presented by Sony Computer Entertainment, delivers a homerun hit on the PlayStation Portable system.

From the very beginning of my opened-box experience, I was pleased with the visual capabilities of the game. During the intro, clips and photos from the 2007 MLB season are displayed, depicting important occurrences that baseball fans should know and love. Upon reaching the main menu, I was presented with a number of different options organized in a fluent menu. Among these options were the game modes, quick play, online, features, and “Load Game in Progress,” which I’ll discuss in a few paragraphs. As I clicked through the screens, bright colors blinked into my eyes and effectively caught my attention. Was I actually getting excited about playing a baseball game?

I leapt into a quick play game (since I do not have a favorite team that I’d care to play as) and began to critique different visual stimulants as I noticed them. The loading time before the pre-game banter began was a bit lengthy to say the least, but that is to be expected with a game delivering so much data. Once in the game, character models and the field itself seemed very well plotted out and presented on screen. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the crowd filling those stadium seats. As is typical of sports games, the crowd consisted of flat bland fan models that displayed shortly looped animations. I attempted to excuse this minor detail.

Player animations are performed lovingly in honor of the baseball franchise, with actions that any baseball fan would expect to see on a professional field. Slight framerate issues do occur when the ball is put into play, but these have been significantly reduced when compared to the previous year’s iteration. Shading features are also interpreted nicely, especially when the ball is high in the air and out of sight and the shadow is the only thing guiding your outfield movements.

Audio quality is important to a baseball game, simply because the announcers are a part of the entertainment and interaction. If the announcer is mundane or repetitive, then the game could quickly get boring and merit being muted throughout the duration of the current game. Fortunately for MLB 08 The Show, the announcers perform their jobs nicely. Each phrase spoken is in context to the play at hand, and not too much extra information is spoken outside of what is occurring. The spoken dialogue always seems in place. During the main menus, the new game trend of current music presented via a playlist is utilized here as well. Bands you may or may not of heard of will pound through your mini-speakers as you decide which game type you’d like to play. Players can also import their own selected tracks, if the basic selection offered does not appease.

My gameplay experience was unique all in its own, simply because I’ve never actually played a baseball game, or even been interested in playing one. Luckily, I’m not a complete idiot, and thus was able to determine how the mechanics worked, as well as utilize my general knowledge base of the sport in order to understand the rules. From the defensive side of the ball, gameplay reactions seemed mildy slow at times, but overall performed well enough to be dealt with. The only times that the sluggish reaction might effect gameplay is during quick plays where a potential double-play is occurring. Simply for the fear of missing the double, I found myself wishing that my characters would react more instantly to my designations. I also noticed a lack of indication in power when I threw the ball in from the outfield, which left me wondering why my longer throws would get wild at times. Some form of pressure sensitive indicator would be beneficial in future iterations of MLB The Show.

One very intriguing feature of MLB 08 is called the “Rob Home Run” indicator. This feature is strictly beneficial to the defensive side of gameplay, and aids players in “robbing” homeruns and foul balls. As the ball flies mid-air towards its destination (over the wall for a homerun, or towards the foul ball sections), a series of circles will pop up and begin to fade away as the ball falls back to Earth. If the player’s timing is correct, a quick press of R1 or up on the analog will allow the character to snag the ball and make an outstanding play. This feat could prove to be lethal if perfected by the player.

Another notable feat is that pitchers actually react quickly to balls hit their way, unlike the slower reactions of his fellow defensive squad. I was pleasantly surprised at how frequently my pitcher would make an attempt at snagging a ball hit in his general direction. The only concern I noticed while playing defense that is worth mentioning involves the camera angles during defensive adjustments when the ball is in play. In order to snag a ball that is barreling its way between two of your defenders, you must adjust quickly and accordingly. Unfortunately, the camera does not take well to this, as it only allows the player to maintain one single point of view, without rotating or zooming out at all.

From the offensive side of the ball, batting and reacting felt relatively smooth. The only hitch lied in the wake of the baserunners as they transitioned between bases. As the runner rounds each base, it almost seems as though he hesitates momentarily and then continues forward. This can be slightly frustrating, just like the throwing animations performed by the defense.

As an interesting interactive effect between pitchers and batters, a comprehensive statistical “Progressive Batting Performance” system is used to tell batters exactly how well they are playing. With five different icons, ranging from blue (cold streak) to red (hot streak), the player can quickly note exactly how well the current batter is doing. This indication was very helpful for a visual learner such as myself, who has no experience with the baseball genre before now.

Another simple, yet very effective mechanic is the ability to save your progress at any point during a current game. Once saved, you can then access the save point from the main menu at the “Load Game in Progress” option that I spoke of in the beginning of this review. This is extremely beneficial to those of you who like to conserve as much battery as you possibly can when not playing on your PSP.

Online play is engaging to say the least, with extensive options available for players who enjoy competition. Gamers can enjoy 30-team online leagues, player cards, message boards, and even downloadable features such as a live sports ticker.

One last feature that I found very intriguing about MLB 08 was the “Road to the Show” option that allowed players to experience the baseball genre in an entirely different way than simply running through a game, performing the typical motions. This mode allows players to create a character, using a series of admittedly bland creation choices, and then tosses that character into the minor leagues with a chance to prove his worth and make it to the big leagues. The game throws a number of different goals at the character, and fast forwards to each goal accordingly. If the correct choices are made by you, then your character will advance through the ranks and become a big league player in no time.

All in all, my first experience with a baseball game was more than enjoyable. I quickly found myself getting into the game, with a constant desire to continue advancing through the seasons. MLB 08 The Show is a very distinguished and well made game, and a fantastic addition not only to the MLB franchise, but to the PSP lineup as well.

Gameplay: 8.5
Although I did not completely transform into a baseball fan, the gameplay mechanics of MLB 08 The Show started me on the right path to baseball fandom. Although slow animations popped up from time to time, I was not bothered too much by them.  

Graphics: 8.5
Despite a disjointed crowd animation that is typical of sports games on any platform, I did not see too many issues with the graphic department of MLB 08. Characters were attractive and animated nicely.

Sound: 8.5
The announcers did a fantastic job describing each and every play, and each call seemed to be spot on with the action occurring on screen. The only issue is that the announcing itself can get old after so long. The in-menu play list was also entertaining.

Difficulty: Medium
As I’ve never played a baseball game before, the difficulty was steeper for me at the beginning of my experience. I quickly adapted though, and found that the game was neither overly difficult, nor overly hard.  

Concept: 7.5
Baseball in general is no new concept, but certain features used within MLB 08 prove that innovation is still possible. This includes the “Rob Home Run” indicator, as well as the “Road to the Show” game mode.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Online modes for MLB 08 The Show are engaging and tactical during gameplay. Competitive baseball fans will enjoy the depth involved throughout the online experience.  

Overall: 8.5
Baseball never seemed like a fun sport for me, but MLB 08 The Show is making me think otherwise. Although a few minor issues with the camera and player interaction were apparent, this game has definitely sparked my interested in the baseball genre of video games.