MLB '09: The Show (Playstation 3, 2009)

The Break Down

Presentation/Graphics: 10
The presentation in this game is unmatched by any baseball game EVER! The pregame fly ins into the stadiums, the panoramic shots of the ballparks, the views from inside the seats that make you feel like you just went through the turnstiles, got a hot-dog and a coke and sat down really get you geared up to play. You are then treated to a "Player to Watch", basically a key player, player warm-ups and then the line-ups and pitcher profiles. The replays an cut scenes in this game really add to the depth and TV feel, and are usually mixed up really well. On occasion you will see things that surprise you and occasionally make you laugh. From dug out gags, to walk off home runs, to after brush back stare downs, to team mascots it's all here, it's all well timed and all enjoyable to see in action.

Sound: 9
The sound in this game is really a treat as well. I have 5.1 surround sound and this game really makes use of it, with THX Technology the ballparks come alive with great crowd ambiance, player specific cheers and taunts, vendors and all the oohs and ahhs you could ask for. The PA announcers sound great with the stadium reverberating his every word and the organ player gets the crowd going with all your ball park favorite ditties. The announcers in the game are by far the best as well, as they rarely repeat phrases and really deliver a seamless performance that truly reacts to game situations.

Pitching: 8.5
The pitching is a meter based system that accounts for effort (speed/break) and release point for accuracy. Basically you aim for the center of the accuracy area, anything too soon accounts for a high release point making for mistake pitches up in the zone, anything beyond that point and yer killing worms and throwing into the back stop. This is a really solid system, the pre-pitch aim icon needs to be toned down though in my opinion. The yellow arrows basically show you the break of the pitch, so there's no real need to learn your staff because you are shown the starting point and break points of all your pitches. There should be a little more skill involved in making your pitches and learning each pitcher's tendencies.

Hitting: 8
Hitting in MLB 09 The Show is the familiar Timing/9 Zone button press system. You also have the ability to guess pitch type and location to receive a tip-off, but this is a feature I wish was removed from all baseball games, all the guessing should be contained in your mind and not on-screen to tip off your opponents.....especially online. At least there is the option to turn this off or at least reward yourself without knowing by selecting the NO FEEDBACK option. Another sore spot with me is the POWER SWING. There needs to be more of a trade off for using the power swing other than not being able to check your swing. If you use power swing you should have to be dead on accurate with yer swing to be rewarded with a HR. I basically use power swing with power hitters until I get behind in the count and then switch to contact.It's just an area I think needs to be looked at and more balanced. Yet all in all it's a decent system that also allows for pre-pitch placement to try and hit holes in the defense and has a great variety of hits. If you get under the ball expect pop ups and long fly outs, if you are on top expect grounders, if you swing at inside heat expect to get nubbers and saw off jobs that splinter your bat into a million pieces. I would like to see more.