So i just bought a PS3 and the show

[Kayxero]

One more thing. Is 2k8 different on PS3 than Xbox 360.

Because I tried to give the game another chance last night and downloaded the demo for my PS3. And christ it was more horrible than I remember.

The framerate drops were horrid, and the fielder running animations were choppy looking and unrealistic. The graphics looked like crap compared to the show unless it was during walk ups or batting. Looking at gfx during fielding looked weird.

I did like the pitching interface still but feel that its too easy to serve up meatballs, which the cpu always bombs. Unrealistic seeing as how pitchers miss location all the time and are not constantly bombed. I gave up 4 HR's in the top of the 1st.

I fielding is weird. The way the players move, the throw meter, ick.

And then the batting. The swing stick is a nice idea but is done all wrong. I NEVER have to pick a location to swing, and seeing as you only have to time it to make good contact this makes it too easy. And forget recognizing pitches using the stick. Its more of guessing because forget about check swinging. Its too complicated and by you do not have enough time to pay attention to the location and speed of the ball when your trying to time a stick pull back and push swing.

I was hitting ropes all over the place once I got the timing down. And pitch speeds seem way slower than MVP or the Show. 95 mph heat is not intimidating on default.

Maybe this is just the PS3 version because I do not remember disliking it this much, and deleting the demo so fast. I guess the ps3 version deserved the mediocre scores it got during many site reviews as well.

[stevieaces]

Um no you use the left stick to guess location as I have been doing in all games. The book and game says that you use the right stick to influence falys or grounders, but itd be extra hard to do that while selecting bat location and swinging.

Thats the shame of a free service. Funny thing is that Wii's free service seems lag free on Brawl =/

And Im going to have to get a 50ft ethernet cable and run it along the walls into my room because the Wifi can just be slow as hell at times even with a 90% connection. Ive seen this problem in many forums for some people using wireless. Especially at the sony forums for ps3.

So far I am pleased with my purchase but have two big gripes.

Firstly, the fact that I cannot play demos online. With my xbox 360 that I had about a year or so back, I could play demos online against people. And although im not a moto fan, I had so much fun playing MotoGP that I had to buy it to play online.

Secondly, the slow wifi. Im hoping that wired does not suffer slow downloads and I am yet to play an online game so I will test this later. What connection do you use ?

These two things make me miss 360 just a bit seeing as I mainly got this system for the Show. Plus I did sorta like the Xbox Live main page bulletins the best, Instead of having to navigate all the way to the PS store just to see whats new. But the web browser def makes up for ths =D Xbox is capable of this with media center but its slow as hell and not available by default.

The right stick didnt seem to do anything to my hitting at all. Did not seem to change outcomes a bit. Hmm ima search online to see if it really does anything, because nothing would indicate so, as no indicators show on screen and the hitting circle doesnt move up or down.

I remember in all star baseball for n64 that you would influence hit types and then the batting suqare would face a certain direction.

Dont know dude, been playin the game for about a month solid with the left stick and "Guess Pitch" off, seems to work fine for me.

Have you read this link?

http://www.sportsgamer.com/content/1427/ml...play-breakdown/

[Kayxero]

Hmm weird. They should really have sort of indication that the sticxk is doing something because theres no way to tell. Thanks for the link though. And yeah im going to start playing with guessed pitch off. Knowing whats coming before it arrives is too cheap for me =P

[JoeRudi26]

I don't select location, and I rarely use guess pitch or power swing for that matter. After 4 months of playing, and countless games and tweaking sliders, I'm not sure it makes that much of a difference. I don't use any of it and the hit variance and ball physics are working out great for me.

If I were to complain about this game, this would be my list:

1. Too Many Foul Balls At Times - Although I have went games without this happening. On the bright side, pitch count always seems to turn out realistic

2. Pre Determined Fielder Animations - Either on a ground ball or a fly ball, right before the ball approaches the fielder goes into a certain animation. 99% of the time the animation fits the play, but every now and then the animation is too slow (infield) and the runner beats out an otherwise routine ground ball. Very rare, but it happens.

3. Big Innings For CPU - Again, this doesn't happen alot, but when it does, it's more than noticeable. When your pitcher suddenly can't find the strike zone and his confidence level decreases, you pretty much know what's coming. Routine ground balls go between the fielder's legs, and the base hits keep coming until the CPU has either tied the game or went ahead. Rare, but irritating. To counter, I call for a mound visit and immediately get some relievers in the pen to try to minimize any kind of damage.

4. Not Enough Control Over Rosters

5. Players Tire Too Easily - Not a big deal here either, I usually ignore it for the most part and the tired player(s) usually perform normally

6. Inability To Select Uniform Before Game - In Season Mode. Not a big deal, just annoying

To be honest, this is nit picking. These occurances don't happen often enough to really be a nuisance (maybe the foul balls), and what this game DOES do right far outweighs anything I've listed. In a nutshell, after tweaking this game to my liking, this is the best, and most realistic baseball game I've ever played.

[Kayxero]

Might I ask all of you after reading everything I have said and after having the Show. How does it compare to MVP. Would you come back to MVP?

Say MVP 05 was exactly the same on PS3 but with next gen gfx?

I must say I like the hitting better as its more realistic and less easy to hit hrs, but even though timing means alot here, it does not seem perfect. If timing simulation was perfect there wouldnt be those many foul balls than can happen. And in the replays how am I fouling the opposite way on a pitch that I hit the ball with my bat way in front of the plate. Seems pre determined. Id like pitch frame by frame replays like MVP too.

Id like MVP fielding as well. It felt the most realistic in terms of your control over what happens. The way you loaded your throw as the meter filled was the best fielding ive ever played with. I could control my errors for the most part. The show seems to have the meter fill way quickly mainly because they choose your animations for you. Plus I wish the right stick fielding had moves for every flick, not just up and down. With MVP you had many different animations doing this.

So yes Back to my question at the top. Answers?

[JoeRudi26]

Would you come back to MVP?

Due to this site, I played MVP for 4 solid years and loved every bit of it. It's still plays a solid game of baseball.

After playing through a month or so of The Show, I started up MVP and couldn't believe how far behind it was in the graphics and animations department. With that said, you have to remember that MVP came out in 2004, and has every 'right' to be lacking in those departments.

I have to admit, if The Show didn't measure up in the 'realistic' department, I would have came back, but it does so many things other than play a realistic game of baseball that I am still seeing things that impress me.

But to answer your question, no. Although I would prefer a PC Baseball game over a console game (mod options), MVP goes up on the shelf with all of the High Heat (99-2004) series that I own.

Probably forever.

[JoeRudi26]

Wow, what a game yesterday. At 40-40 and currently losing 3 straight, I desperately needed a win. Coming in at 7-6 on the year, I got everything I expected out of Zambrano, but after doing all the work and pitching 7 2/3 innings with 9 K, I bring lefty Neil Cotts in to face Thome, and he winds up stealing the win while only pitching 1/3 inning.

Tied 1-1 going into the 9th, I managed to scrape in a run with when Fontenot walked, stole second, sac fly to third, and sac ground ball home. Wood came in to nail down his 15th save of the season.

Only 4 games back in a weak division (in my season), hopefully this will put me on track right before the All-Star Break.

[Sean O]

Would you come back to MVP?

Say MVP 05 was exactly the same on PS3 but with next gen gfx?

It's a question of what you are looking for with MVP. I greatly prefer playing classic games, so MVP will always have a place. In terms of sheer value, The Show is infinitely better at this point, even apart from the graphics.

If we could somehow get a classic season for The Show I'd play it non-stop.

[rom3]

My biggest question in regards to The Show is can you update/edit rosters and players like you can with MVP05? I remember reading somewhere that there where some MLB players that can't be edited. I like being able to customize/edit rosters and players like in MVP. :D

[ronmexico]

You can edit rosters indeed, there is just no mass manipulation tool like MVPEdit. Also there is someone who does his own individual releases which seem to be more accurate statistically then the downloadable one.

[Kayxero]

Who makes these rosters you speak of? Im going to try and search for those later. I still havent played an online game yet. Trying to get my skills up with the cpu first. I must say I love everything about this game but the fielding. Stupid animations take the controller right out of my hand because they start so early. And the throw meter doesnt feel like it does anything to my throw. Always bullets even when I tap it.

[stevieaces]

Who makes these rosters you speak of? Im going to try and search for those later. I still havent played an online game yet. Trying to get my skills up with the cpu first. I must say I love everything about this game but the fielding. Stupid animations take the controller right out of my hand because they start so early. And the throw meter doesnt feel like it does anything to my throw. Always bullets even when I tap it.

Goto Operation Sports forums and they have rosters and sliders for download. I believe Knights rosters are the ones with the minor league players added.

[Kayxero]

Thanx. But to tell you the truth, the more i play the show the more I miss MVP. For some reason I do not feel like im in as much control over everything in the game as I was with MVP. Yeah the visuals and presentation is nice but the gameplay seems so left to chance.

I mean the fielding is one thing with how the animations take the controller out of my hand and sometimes i dont even have to move my guys because theyll gravitate to the ball and all i have to do is tap throw. but sometimes i watch batting replays alot and cannot figure how they give me hits on the crap swings I make. Early on a up and in slider but it goes thru the middle for a hit. I think the timing needs to be fixed. I feel trapped also when i cannot run around after making plays. I love running and making throws and goofing off in MVP. And I miss total control right stick. All the show gives me is one up and down, jump or slide. Lame

Plus base running is so up to the cpu as well.

I mean leading off, they ALWAYS throw over and I just never take leads. The pick off frequency is too much. And the asiist running sucks. If I get a one button press lead, I cannot initiate the retreat, the cpu does and it leads to a pick off. Thats what I mean by chance, this game is too cpu driven. Not to mention the rarity of catchers intimidating runners, because you can run on them all day. MVP makes you scared to run ona good arm and pick off move.

Yeah its a great game but I think me being so used to MVP has ruined my experience and not giving the show much chance.

Its funny how Ive done searches and found forums where guys ask if its better than MVP. Mind you some of these guys are console dudes who just dont play baseball anymore because the new stuff doesnt meet expectation.

This is what exclusivity contracts has done to us. People miss MVP and NFL 2k=(.

Ill try to give this game more of a go around. To be honest Ive played more downloaded demos than this game, and havent finished more than 2 complete games. Other times I just get thru several ininngs and move to something else and then do the same later.

Im still looking forward to MVP 08 really, but lets see how more of the Show goes.

[ehhh]

Thanx. But to tell you the truth, the more i play the show the more I miss MVP. For some reason I do not feel like im in as much control over everything in the game as I was with MVP. Yeah the visuals and presentation is nice but the gameplay seems so left to chance.

You summed up my feelings about The Show perfectly right there.

[Kayxero]

When is the contract with 2k over? And is there any petition online or some sort of online forum or channel that we as fans can speak to EA and tell them how much we loved MVP.

Btw it took 3 years to get MVP just right even though it wasnt perfect.

Seeing as sony has a feedback system on the shows online system I can bet most of these things will be fixed next year. Sony developers have showed us they are baseball fans and Ive heard alot of them check certain forums.

If they summed up all the feedback they have recieved and suggestions, also with whats been said here, at operation sports, and a number of other places, I can bet next years show 09 will be golden.

I think they really need to fix the fielding and maybe adopt mvp's hitting and make the timing system better. I tried to enjoy the hitting, but its basically the same old cursor hitting from baseball games of years past, except you can turn the cursor off.

Hitting results can be realistic but not as realistic as mvp was. The pitching is perfect though, but we know they borrowed the style from Ea.

Ill hold onto my ps3 though even though I bought it just for this game. Seeing as my pc cannot handle newer games I need something. Plus Ill have a bluray player and something to play my other sports games(tiger woods golf=D), and have it for 09 Show next year. Dont forget battlefield =P

[Sean O]

Thanx. But to tell you the truth, the more i play the show the more I miss MVP. For some reason I do not feel like im in as much control over everything in the game as I was with MVP. Yeah the visuals and presentation is nice but the gameplay seems so left to chance.

Give it some time. A lot of my frustration was that I'd finally learned how to hit in MVP, and now it was completely different (I need the color-coded pitches so badly). But, a lot of it is finding your niche. If you like any of the franchise mode options then you'll be in heaven, and RTTS is excellent, if frustrating.

I'm hardly a Show fanboy given my frequent kvetching in the shoutblock, but overall I dig it.

[Mykal94]

The reason there is a power swing button in The Show is that you have to push the analog stick where the pitch is coming in to get better contact. I was used to MVP and would push the stick up a lot out of habit and I was a terrible hitter. Now I push it where the pitch is going to end up and I make much more solid contact, Just a tip.

[Kayxero]

Yeah thats one thing that makes the shows hitting realistic. The fact that you have to aim the bat. I wish there was no aim circle tho. Maybe make it like Pro Yakyuu spirits japanese baseball where the cursor was the shape of the bat.

But with MVP as its hitting can be very realistic, but then its weird how when you practice swing you see your batting go to whatever zone you push your analog, but when you connect with a pitch, your bat automatically goes to where the ball is and just forces the ball up or down.

That makes no sense at all in a realistic baseball sense. =P. If they merged the Shows hitting system with MVps great timing system and hit results itd be a perfect batting experience. With mvps frame by frame pitch replay I can see why I fouled something off or got the contact result I did. The show kinda makes up results. Itll say I was late in the hit analysis but the replay shows my bat hitting the ball before it reaches the plate and I foul it to the screen.

the fudge?

[Sean O]

Yeah thats one thing that makes the shows hitting realistic. The fact that you have to aim the bat. I wish there was no aim circle tho. Maybe make it like Pro Yakyuu spirits japanese baseball where the cursor was the shape of the bat.

You can also turn off the circle if you don't want to aim, afaik. Then it's more similar to MVP.

[braves9105]

The Show is absolutely great.

Playing against someone else takes it to a whole different level. If that person doesn't take advantage of the problems in the game (ex. you can steal all day, nearly impossible to stop) you can have a lot of fun.

btw, do you guys use the new baserunning or do you guys prefer classic.

I use classic. New just doesn't feel right. I've never got it.

[YankeexDev]

So I might go buy a playstation next week and is the show as good as everyone says it is? I heard 2k8 is horrible and the show was awesome.

[BigRog]

I wouldn't say 2k8 is horrible, like any games there are good and bad. For example, I love the pitching system in 2k8 but hate the swing stick.

[YankeexDev]

Are the bugs and lag so bad that I wouldn't enjoy it?

[timay]

If you are getting PS3...get the show.

If you are getting Xbox 360, then you have no other choice but to get 2k8.

I am stuck in the latter of the 2, I have xbox 360, but I really like 2k8, adjusted the sliders, downloaded updated rosters, downloaded the patch that ended alot of the stutter and lag.

Then again, I am playing MVP alot more myself, fell in love with the boxscore extractor, which now I cant figure out how to upload boxscores for the life of me.

Anyways long story short, you will end up playing MVP again at some point.

[Kayxero]

I ended up back at MVP even after playing the show=P.

I have found myself reading alot of updates about EA still trying to take over 2k because im praying for some kind of EA influenced baseball to return =(

MVP just had the best user control ever. True sim. *sigh*

But def get the show over 2k8. Too bad both games have laggy online systems.