MLB 10 The Show (Playstation 3)

It can't get any better than this. MLB 10 the show is the best baseball game out yet. If you love Baseball this is a must have.

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bought this game thinking it would fill alot of the voids 09 had. but its the same thing with the addition to the home run derby. (which is fun, but gets old fast)

could have used alot of additions to *road to the show* but its no different.

it says you can change the length of the game, but anyway i try, its always 9 innings (which i cant stand to play a full 9) especially during a full 160+ game franchise.

its better than MLB2K10 But if you have 09, dont waste your money.

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There probably hasn't been a series that has touch upon the accuracy, difficult and feel of professional baseball quite like the MLB XX The Show series. Rather than giving gamers an arcade type of baseball games (think 30 - 19 run games, 6 HRs for a single hitter, etc.), MLB XX The Show concentrates on what the game is truly about; the strategy. MLB 10 certain did not let its fans down.

Graphics

Visually, this is the best looking game around. The faces are accurate, the stances are plentiful, and the stadiums haven't looked better. Those playing on great HD screens will get to notice the glare off the helmets on night games, the enhanced details of the fans going after a foul ball in their section, and some of the emotion of their success or failures (it's not great, but it's better than the stoic faces found in most of the earlier games - think the MVP XX series from EA). It's not unbelievable detailed - Manny Ramirez's dreadlocks look more like burnt breadsticks than actual hair - but it's better than it's 2K Sports rivals

Gameplay

This isn't your hacking away type of game. Not even close. This is baseball at it's finest. The pitcher will not give you fastballs down the plate for your first pitch every single time. You can't fool the batter with a curveball in the dirt every single time. It's all about randomizing your pitches, and expecting different locations every time. Example: On the first couple of games in "Road To The Show", the CPU pitchers would throw strikes away from the plate, but in the strike zone. Once I caught on and crushed the ball for singles and extra bases, the CPU started throwing inside. Once I got comfortable to that, the CPU started to mix with pitches outside of the strike zone. You'll find yourself going after pitches and getting mad at yourself, but you'll learn not to chase every single pitch (or at least, you should learn not to).

I will give this: if you were used to timing in MLB 09, you'll need some time getting readjusted. The stopping points for pitchers depends on the experience and skill of the pitcher. Even then, the stopping point will be delayed a bit. A pitcher like Roy Halladay will have a near pinpoint delay, while a AA pitcher might have a large split second delay. Same goes to batting. Getting a squared up shot it much harder this time around, but again, it's all dependent on the skill of the batter.

Sounds

Good, but could be better. The sounds coming off the bat is great. Some of the others sometimes seem to be drowned out, or just plain wrong. As for the stadium crowd, you can again set up custom chants and jeers. New this year are team chants, targeting the team, rather than just the batter themselves (this include walkoff and game loss / win music. Yank fans can play the two different versions of "New York, New York", and Dodger fans can play "I love LA").

Extras

- I haven't tried trading players yet, so I can't comment.

- This year, Sony has offered your way to buy cheats for your player / team. $0.99 buys you 1000 extra points in Road To The Show, or $20 million cash in Franchise. For people who don't have patience and don't have the time to be strategic (or want to have a laugher and give the Oakland A's a Yankee budget), this is great for a little extra change. You can buy in multiple times, as you see fit. Purist won't like it, but it's not force upon you. It's there ... just in case.

- Practice mode is very similar to the MVP series now. There are practices for pitchers (knockdown, which is more like target practice for pitchers, or a simulated game), fielders (fielding practice), baserunners (stealing off pitchers), and batters (the usual BP).

- Yes, there are glitches in this game, though not as bad as 2K's glitches. Some are innocent (like a submariner pitcher throwing BP, only to hit the protective screen time and time again), and some are pretty game changing (the computer not recognizing the ball was thrown out of play). These glitches are rare, but exists nonetheless.

Overall

In the overall sense, the changes are mostly cosmetic. The main gameplay engine has been unchanged. Then again, why dramatically change the most accurate gameplay engine video game baseball has ever seen?

For those who are true hardcore baseball fanatics, MLB 10 The Show will be something they will be stuck on through the entire season. The gameplay is tough and challenging, but fun to figure out. The graphics have never looked better, and the extras allows even the rookie players to take in the game better.

For those who aren't that big of a baseball fan, that wants a "swing at every pitch" type of game, or just doesn't have the patience to go through a game of thinking and strategy, much less an entire season, it's best to try MLB 2K10, or wait for The Biggs. Like regular baseball, it's time consuming in the short and long run.

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