Player3Podcast

By: Luke Croft

 

Since the initial release of MLB 06: The Show, much has changed in baseball. Derek Jeter no longer serves as Captain in the Bronx,  5 new stadiums have opened up, batter's are no longer allowed to step out of the box between pitches, replay is now allowed in a wide array of close calls, the Royals are relevant, and no one refers to Tampa Bays squad as the "Devil Rays". With as many things that have changed about America's past-time, there are just as many that have stayed the same. Red Sox fans still hate the Yankees (and vice-versa),  Bronson Arroyo's hair is still ridiculous, and Pete Rose is still not in the Hall of Fame.

 

MLB The Show is somewhat like the '95-'05 Braves that saw at least some level of marked success over the course of a decade. Riding the success of it's wildly popular game mode, Road to the Show, Sony San Diego has developed what many believe is the most accurate sim-sports franchise of all time. The success continues because there is a concerted effort to deliver a product year in and year out that tries to replicate what fans see both between the lines and in the off-season headlines.

 

However, it's becoming increasingly difficult for an annual title that has as much success and critical acclaim as MLB: The Show to make changes year-to-year that differentiate it from its previous iterations. Games such as Madden, NHL, and non-sports titles such as Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, know that this is a constant struggle. While fans have come to expect these titles at their respective time each year, there is only so many changes and innovations that can be made with such a quick and frequent turn around. On the one hand, MLB 15: The Show is proof that while it is difficult to remain relevant and evolving when annualized, it is not impossible. Sure, there are flaws that can be smoothed out with a little more time off, but all-in-all Sony San Diego Studios delivers not only a solid title every year, but a title that is just different enough from its predecessor to warrant a purchase.

 

Overall Improvements

Year-to-Year  Saves

For years, the biggest complaint in sports video gaming is that the investment you place in a career mode is rendered obsolete after a year. A new game is going to come, with slightly different features, improved gameplay, and new ways to immerse yourself into the mode of your choice. Sony San Diego realized that baseball is a slow burn; 162-game seasons, prospects that can stay in the Minors for years before ever becoming MLB-ready, and an off-season that is more convoluted than any other professional sport. It is no secret that MLB The Show's system seller game modes are Franchise and Road to the Show. It is also no secret that many people take a year or two between purchases so that they can milk all they can out of their respective teams or players. So, in a change that made sense from a fan-perspective and a business perspective, MLB 15 The Show became the first sports game in history to allow year-to-year saves. This means that users who started a Franchise or Road to the Show in MLB 14, can pick up right where they left off, so long as they have uploaded their careers to the cloud prior to starting these modes in this year's iterations.

 

The move was brilliant! Reward your most loyal fans by giving them a way to not have to scrap all of their progress (which at times can take months to build into a successful MLB career in terms of RTTS), while also incentivizing your fan-base to make the annual jump. This is a feature that will pave the way for future sport video gaming franchises to implement a similar mechanic into their games because it simply makes sense.

 

Dynamic Lighting

This was an often brought up point in most of the media coverage for MLB 15 the Show, and many people may have heard it and dismissed it as a non-factor, but the new Dynamic Lighting feature included in this year's title is impressive and incredibly noticeable. As science would lead us to believe, the sun not only moves across the sky east to west every day, but it osculates north and south through the sky every year. That means that sun at 12:30 pm in May is not at the same point in the sky as it is at 12:30 in September, and Sony San Diego Studio has included the real path of the sun for every stadium included in the game and the lighting is generated in real-time. The level of detail in this feature goes a long way in adding to the overall immersion of the experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid Gameplay Continues

Mild to moderate tweaks to gameplay have been a staple of the last 10 years of MLB The Show.  Over the years, Sony San Diego has included new gameplay features that further increase the immersion year-to-year. Real ball physics, more pitch options, dynamic difficluties, hotshot  fielding, a plethora of control option, and the list goes on and on for the improvements this title has seen in the last 10 years, and MLB 15 is no different.

 

One of the main new gameplay features is called Directional Hitting. Users can, not so much take control as much as, influence the direction of a hit based on where they aim the left analog stick during the swing. This feature, combined with a good eye for the pitch speed and location can make all the difference in the world. You have a runner on 3rd with 1 out  with the infield hanging back, and you want to make sure you score that run? Aim the stick down to influence a ground-ball to give up an out for the run. Is the other team playing an aggressive 1st base-side shift against your most powerful lefty? If the pitcher gives you an off-speed pitch on the outside, push the stick to the left and wait on it in order to try to get the cheap base hit down the third base-line.

 

Speaking of shifts, they have never been easier to adjust than they are in this year's game. Rather than opening up a menu, going to the shifts menu, and selecting from there, simply hit a button on your directional pad to make a quick adjustment; guard the foul lines, bring your infielders in to prevent the tying run, play the overshift on a pull hitter. When these shifts work they make you feel like the smartest manager in the game.

 

Another small but much requested and needed feature is the inclusion of mid-flight cut-offs. There was nothing more frustrating than trying to gun a runner down at the plate only to discover you had no shot to get him AND the runner on 2nd was advancing to 3rd. You no longer have to wait for the ball to reach it's destination because you can call for the cut-off after the throw to change the direction of the ball and steal that out from the guy who is getting a bit greedy on the base paths.

 

None of these features on their own are earth-shattering, but the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. At this point, it isn't about generating the immersion of MLB the Show, that's been there, it is about deepening the immersion through the inclusion of new features every year.

 

Licensed  Gear

For the first time in any MLB The Show game, you are able to equip your Road to the Show players and existing players with authentic licensed products. Whether you want to swing for the fences with a Louisville Slugger, create a Web-Gem with a Rawlings glove, maintain your grip on the bat with Franklin gloves, or blaze the base paths with Nike cleats, you can. The only issue with this feature in Road to the Show is that these products also carry with them specific stat increases. So while you may be a die-hard Rawlings fan through and through, the Wilson glove you just unlocked may carry a better fielding or throw power rating than the glove of your choice.

 

Mode-Specific Improvements

Road to the Show Improvements

By far the most popular mode of MLB The Show keeps getting better in this year's iteration. Road to the Show allows you to either create your own player from scratch or create a player modeled off of an existing one, play through some show-case games, get drafted, and try to make a name for yourself through the ranks of your baseball organization.

 

The most noted improvement for Road to the Show is the exclusion of manager goals for your character. At times the goals were either unattainable or created a situation that was less than beneficial for you to attempt based on the way you were being pitched. These goals were also overly weighted in previous years. Sure you walked 12 times in 3 weeks, but you didn't hit 8 home runs so it is back to AA for you. No more! This year, your character is evaluated simply for what he does on the field. If you want to keep attempting to steal 3rd with a 4% success rate that's fine, but don't expect a call up to happen any time soon. Players are rewarded for smart play on the field rather than some arbitrary goals that are thrown at you through the course of the year.

 

Now when running the bases, a player can hold down L1 in order to see the broadcast view of the play. Often-times it was difficult to determine if it was a hard hit ball to the gap or a high pop-fly right behind second base. This feature allows you to remove the guess work from the situation. There were also improvements made to the camera angles during defense, especially in the outfield.

 

Franchise Improvements

Every sports fan dreams about what they would do if they managed their favorite team from line-ups they would set out to trades they would make. MLB 15 The Show gives you the closest representation of management to date with a lot of great features.

 

The most prevalent change, in my opinion, is the trade finder. With 30 teams rostering just under 100 players across both the Majors and Minor league affiliates, feeling out trade opportunities is often times overwhelming. The trade-finder gives you a solid starting point to finding the right trade for you. The game gives you the option of finding trades that will send guys away from your team or acquire players for your team. When you find the player you are interested in trading away or acquiring, you are then given the option of searching for trades that involve either MLB ready talent or Minor League prospects (which is especially good for people who use rosters that contain real-life prospects). Teams more realistically consider their own individual direction when vetting trade opportunities rather than just seeking to acquire players with higher overalls. The game still only supports two team trades, but San Diego Studio has said they are looking into adding multi-team trades to future editions of The Show.

 

An in-depth player search option has been added to Franchise mode as well. If you are looking for a lefty that specializes in throwing the breaking ball or a shortstop that can burn the base-paths, you can find him. The game will then give you every possible option within your set-criteria and allow you to begin trade negotiations straight from the search.

 

This year also introduces Team Goals. When choosing a team at the beginning of the mode, the game informs you what the owner expectations are for your team. You have annual goals (winning percentage etc.) and goals that span the life of the 3-year contract you are offered. These goals must be met in order for you to keep your job. As you manage your team, you may catch the eye of another owner who will then offer you a job to come manage theirs, so switching teams mid-mode is entirely possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player progression has also been tweaked this year. Player performance is considered much more when progressing players, so choosing which league to place them in goes a long way in determining how quickly and how well they will progress. The Show has also pushed the age back for when players will begin to regress naturally in their abilities.

 

The last major edition to the mode has been the inclusion of a Radio Show hosted by real-life radio host Justin Allgeri. The show is a daily recap of the previous days action and covers scores from around the league, a look-in on current standings, career milestones, injury-news, and more. It adds a sense of immersion and an awareness of what is going on around the league while you navigate your own business without having to manually check individual team schedules and standings in order to stay on top of the current news.

 

Diamond Dynasty Improvements

I personally have never been interested in "card game modes" in Sports games. Ultimate team, MyTeam, and the likes have always seemed to be ways of milking money out of consumers in the name of replayability. However, MLB 15 The Show has created an experience that more closely represent the fantasy sports model. Doing away with player contracts that have to be managed and giving purpose to those cards you'll never use (sorry Danny Espinosa, you aren't going to crack my line-up when I have Jose Altuve and Robinson Cano) have given this mode a much needed face lift.

 

Every game mode you play rewards you with virtual currency that can be used in the Marketplace to purchase card packs, individual player, stadium, and equipment cards, sponsorships, and other items. This attracts players of all modes to at least dip their toes into Diamond Dynasty to see what it is all about. Sitting on 10,000 credites and giving the satisfying virtual experience of opening up a brand new deck of cards is plenty of incentive even for people who are totally against these sorts of modes.

 

The elimination of player contracts is a much-welcomed addition. Now, if you stumble upon your favorite player in a deck of cards, you are no longer limited to just using that player in a finite number of games. They can be used till your heart's content (or until you unlock someone better). This eliminates a sense of management that some people might enjoy, but alienated those who didn't see the point in working towards something that would disappear in the end. The only down-side to this addition is that it renders the year-to-year save difficult to understand. These modes exist to bridge the gap of financial lose due to the sale of used games. If a player can simply carry over their hard-work from 15 to 16, then there is no incentive to pour the same amount of money into next year's iteration. An issue that for the consumer is a benefit, but from a business stand-point seems like a negative direction.

 

Diamond Dynasty players are allowed to carry a created player on their roster. This player is able to switch positions at any time and can be used an unlimited amount. When you first start out, the created player's overall is terrible, but with a little time and effort can be upgraded rather easily. Now, instead of sitting on those unused cards because they have no purpose, your created player can "eat" these cards in order to gain attribute points. Want to develop your created players K/9 or Fastball Velocity? Eat pitcher cards. If it's Power vs. Righties or Stealing your interested in upgrading, eat fielder cards. Overtime your player will develop skills for each and every position around the diamond to fill the gap while you search for the player you want to fill that position.

 

The Show has always had the most in-depth team creation center, and that continues again in this years iteration. You can craft your team however you want and show it off in online head-to-head games that actually work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where Did it Miss?

MLB 15 The Show is by no means a perfect game, and many of the issues that have plagued the game for years have found their way into the game again this year.

 

Poor Commentary

The commentary for years has been, at best, passable. The in-booth team of Matt Vasgersian, Eric Karros, and Steve Lyons returns to call the action on the field and deliver the same bland performance that we have come to expect in MLB The Show. After a week of playing, you will grow tired of the incessant "Sorry to interrupt you, but a play has been made to end the ending," and "Oh, and a dropped third strike, he will have to throw down to first." At this point, a full reboot of the commentary is probably what is needed. Getting voices more iconic to the Major Leagues would be a good start. Joe Buck, Harold Reynolds, and Tom Verducci would be a wonderful change of pace for the series.

 

Online Franchise Untouched

A mode that many people seemed excited about when it was announced last year was Online Franchise. But plagued by poor online performance, scheduling issues, and a lack of the full feature list of Offline Franchise meant that the attachment rate to the mode was poor in MLB 14. As a result, it seems that Sony San Diego simply ported over last years mode to this years game. There is no player search, trade finder, team goals, or sponsorship support. There will never be a great usage rate for this mode if it is constantly treated as the red-headed step child to DD, RTTS, and Offline Franchise. Even simple features such as Player Fatigue and 40-man rosters find themselves mysteriously missing from the mode forcing the players in these franchises to come up with house rules to keep people from just putting out the same line-up day in and day out.

 

Continuing Fielding Ineptitude

Have you ever fumbled for the door-knob in a dark room? MLB 15 the Show continues to deliver on the same frustrating emotional experience at times in the outfield. Whether it is getting stuck in an animation that doesn't allow you to take the one step back required to keep your CF from comically not noticing that the ball hit the ground behind him, or missing an easy ground ball that makes you wonder if it was Marlon Byrd or his little brother Big Bird playing left field.

 

Bunting

Bunting seems to be incredibly unbalanced in MLB 15 The Show. Drag bunting is one of the harder things to do well in a Major League game, but it seems that if you make contact you will successfully place the ball in No Man's Land 90% of the time. Again, this creates the need for house rules to govern all online play. Even when squaring around, it is easy to lay down a perfectly placed bunt. This is something that can simply be fixed in a patch, and hopefully will be.

 

Final Words

Overall, MLB 15 the Show is still a solid installment in this much-loved franchise. A great celebration of 10 years of success that will hopefully usher it into yet another 10 years of success. Innovation and immersion are two words that Sony San Diego hangs their hat on year in and year out, and this year they delivered (even if flaws exist in the series). The most important thing that we are seeing is that they are not content despite having no real competition from any other baseball game. If you are a baseball fan, this game is a must own. PLAY BALL!