Overall a good game of baseball again, but like the Madden series before it, exclusivity has really killed off innovation with the Show. Toward the beginning of last gen (PS3), I bought the Show on a yearly basis and was impressed. My enthusiasm began to wane toward the end of last gen, and I began buying every other year. Now that I moved on to PS4, I gave the game a year hoping IOverall a good game of baseball again, but like the Madden series before it, exclusivity has really killed off innovation with the Show. Toward the beginning of last gen (PS3), I bought the Show on a yearly basis and was impressed. My enthusiasm began to wane toward the end of last gen, and I began buying every other year. Now that I moved on to PS4, I gave the game a year hoping I would be blown away, but here we have a game that plays VERY similar to the last Show game I played (2011) and looks very similar as well. To me it just still doesn't feel as dynamic and unpredictable as the MVP series did years ago.
On the gameplay side, the game still plays very well. Most of the same mechanics and modes are still in place, and there are plenty of options for customizing controls. It just feels very same-y to me. As much as I love the sport, I need SOME innovation to keep me interested and slight additions just don't cut it anymore. If you have played the game in the last 8-9 years, you know exactly what to expect here. Maybe I still need to figure out the fielding after taking some years off, but I can't seem to get my fielders to not throw lazily every time. No matter how quickly or long I hold the throw buttons they take their time letting runners advance and reach in ridiculous situations. This is probably my biggest pet peeve right now. Also, the fielding window is very touchy and on deep flies the OF tends to line up behind the throw for a running/catch/throw, even when not needed. Many times they will lunge at the ball and miss it due to the locked in animation. The tags on close plays are also lazy and slow and frustrating. Like I said, I only have around 10 games in, so maybe this will work itself out. The game also seems to overdo the automation in certain aspects. If a foul is going to be just out of reach, it wont even give you control of the fielder. Once a play has been deemed complete by the computer, you are not allowed to move your fielder or throw. I miss the days of manually throwing around the horn or just running around getting used to the controls.
There are also quite a few little gameplay issues that are bugging me so far. I have had quite a few swings that I have guessed the correct pitch, time the swing perfect (with great feedback) and even got the correct ball location, yet the ball passes clear through the bat (and this is with a hitter like Miguel Cabrera). Not sure if they are just trying to randomize things or what, but that is unbelievably frustrating.I also had a couple clearly foul balls (a few feet wide of the foul pole) be called homeruns. The manufactured rallies by the computer are still there as well. Having a good game offensively? You can almost count on the computer generating a good rally within the next two innings regardless of your pitching. The loading times are also quite long and annoying here.
As for the visuals, they are clearly getting the most out of a 10 year old game engine, but it is starting to show its age. I remember when developers used to develop/license a new game engine when a new game generation started, now we have aging engines covering 3 full generations. The truth is, the Show was a gorgeous game last gen, yet to me I would say it is an average looking game this gen.
The highlight with the visuals is that the lighting is gorgeous. It truly reflects the seasons and time and day. The grass textures, uniforms, and some stadium textures look great as well. Unfortunately, many of the players look very weak, and hair especially looks terrible. The minor league stadiums (although a nice inclusion) look horrid compared the love shown to MLB parks. 2D flat building and environment textures make it look like an up-res'd PS2 game when playing in the minors. The game still has no body physics to speak of, and players will routinely phase through each other with no interaction. Ball physics are still the same and could use improvements as well. The animations have improved slightly, but there are still jerky tranistions and weird hiccups that kill the smoothness and immersion. The game also stutters quite bad during certain scenes which is odd for a game focused on a few characters at a time. C'mon guys, let's put some effort in and go with a new engine next year and drop the PS3. Sorry, but that's the only way we'll see innovation.
Overall, if you are like me and haven't played a MLB game in years, it is well worth a purchase. My low-ish score is more focused on the fact that this has been the same game for YEARS now. If they want to do minor tweaks and roster updates and charge a $30 upgrade fee, that is fine. To charge full price every year and not even bother to update the engine or make make any major improvements to the areas of physics or gameplay is insulting. I will hold my breath for a major overhaul next year, otherwise I will continue my plan of only buying the game every 3 or so year… Expand
MLB 15: The ShowYour Score0 out of 10User Score
