The snow is gone, the days are growing longer, the weather is starting to warm up and Spring Training is in full swing. Yes, the Major League Baseball season is back in full swing and along with it comes Sony’s MLB 12: The Show for the PS3. This year I was anticipating The Show’s arrival a little more than usual given you can save your game to “the cloud” and play it on the road with the PS Vita version of the game. This was something that really interested me given I can rarely play back to back games on the PS3 without having to get up and go. Now I can take my franchise anywhere with this instalment in Sony’s long running MLB series. So how does this year game hold up compared to last year? Is the ability to share between platforms enough of a reason to pick up both the PS3 and Vita versions of the game? Should you pick up this year’s game now that you can play it with the PS Move? These are all very good questions and ones I attempt to answer.
If you played MLB 11: The Show on the PS3 last year you will probably agree the 2012 edition feels awfully similar. Sure there are some new wrinkles added to the mix with Move compatibility, saving your game to cloud then continuing on the Vita, some new animations, new ball rotation physics, new pitching mechanics and the new Diamond Dynasty mode. Yet at the end of the day it still feels like the same game. Those that played last year’s game will be able to pick up and play with ease and you cannot help but have that ‘been there and done that’ feeling when you play the game. Despite this, those new to the franchise will likely be blown away as MLB 12: The Show is about as good as it gets for an MLB game.
When I first fired up the game I was greeted with a slick and somewhat lengthy video montage of the MLB season that featured the fantastic pennant races that came down to the wire last year. It was great little opener and certainly got me pumped for the upcoming ball season. Yet more importantly it had me a little jacked up to play some virtual MLB on my PS3. Jumping into game is easy and the three levels of difficulty make it a game that is accessible for not only beginners but for those hardcore “Show” fans as well.
As with the PS Vita version of The Show, I spent the bulk of my time in experienced mode, which is the equivalent of a typical sports game’s normal mode. This mode gives you a little bit more control of the action and introduces you to the game’s new pitching control scheme, including pulse pitching. Here the pitcher meter is now gone is replaced with a circle that grows and shrinks in the strike box. It is somewhat similar to MLB 2K’s pitching scheme but it is different as the goal is to get the circle at its smallest to deliver an accurate and powerful pitch. While I enjoyed this new control scheme for the Vita, I just felt something a little more controlled and sophisticated could have been used for the PS3 version of the game. Timing the circle so that you hit the button just at the right moment is difficult and can make a pitcher like Tim Lincecum seem inaccurate. This being said, this new scheme seems to pick up the pace of the game and that is always a bonus in a game like baseball.
Another new addition this year is the ball rotation physics. The idea here that the game now incorporates realistic ball physics and proper spin for balls that bounce off the bases, the pitcher’s mound rubber, and other surfaces on the field. It makes for a game that is a little more unpredictable and little more true to life. Overall I never seemed to notice the new physics as the ball just seemed to react as it should, so this is a good thing and just brings a new level of authenticity and realism to the experience. From one hit to the next, you never really know what kind of hit will pop off the bat.
Diamond Dynasty is a new mode to the franchise and is very similar to EA Sports’ Ultimate Team modes seen in their team based games. Here you can manage every aspect of team management, player progression, and online competition. You can create a custom team complete with team name, colors, custom uniforms and fully customizable logos with up to 1000 layers of detail. Once your team is created you are then given a handful of MLB baseball cards, and Dynasty baseball cards that, when activated, add the players to your team roster. Admittedly, I did not spend a great deal of time in this mode but I can certainly see the appeal, especially those younger MLB fans who are looking to hunker down with this mode for weeks, if not months on end.
Just like last year, MLB 12: The Show does include 3D support but I don’t have a 3D display to see what this is all about. New this year is the inclusion of PS Move support. Overall, batting is fun this way. It is certainly no easy feat, but there is something enjoyable about swinging the tiny Move controller in your favorite MLB player’s stance. Playing defence and pitching on the other hand seems awkward. I simply preferred to use my Dual Shock controller for pitching and defence.
The core MLB: The Show game is also back with your typical exhibition, ‘Road to the Show,’ Home Run Derby and season modes. For veterans of the franchise, you can skip this paragraph, but for those new to the franchise here are what the modes are about. Exhibition mode is great for jumping into a game right away. Pick two teams and off you go. This is generally my first stop, as I usually want to see how the game plays and feels before I get into a full MLB season. My next stop is usually the season mode. Here you pick a team and work your way through a full 162 game season, or a shorter game season if you want. One of these days I will play an entire season but when a game takes 35 minutes to an hour — you do the math. Who has that kind of time? The ‘Road to the Show’ mode is where you create a player in an effort to make the ‘Big Show’ (Major Leagues). You guide your player through spring training, spend some time in the minors, and eventually gain a spot on a major league team roster. Finally, the Franchise mode, which includes managing a team (e.g. signing players, making rosters, trades, etc.) returns and remains unchanged from last year.
I have yet to mention that MLB 12: The Show for the PS3 also features the much talked about ability for users to share save files between PS3 and PS Vita for cross platform play. If you read my review of the PS Vita version of the game you can skip this paragraph too as it pretty much talks about the same stuff. For those who want to know more, continue. You can now take your season save files up to “the cloud” where you can then access those files on either platform. You are only limited to one file per mode per PlayStation Network account, which can be overwritten as often as you would like. Of course you have to download the online pass activation code for both platforms and you will have to do a couple of updates for your Vita and PS3 respectively, but once this is done away you go. I was surprised how easy it was to pick up where I left off and continue my season on the road with my Vita. It is a great feature indeed and one that will come as a welcome addition for hardcore “Show” fans.
Visually MLB 12: The Show for the PS3 is stunning, but is it an upgrade from 2011? Perhaps a little; but let’s not forget the 2011 edition provided plenty of eye-candy for ball fans as it was a stunning looking game as well. This year’s game is a bit of an upgrade in the graphics’ department as it features more player animations, better-looking ballparks, and replays that look incredible. I think it is safe to say there is no question that MLB 12: The Show is the best looking game in the series. Aside from a couple of graphical glitches, everything from the players to the ballparks looks phenomenal. All in all, no real complaints here.
When it comes to the sound, MLB 12: The Show delivers and it sounds great in 5.1 surround sound too. From the soundtrack to the commentators, this latest installment in Sony’s best-selling franchise does a wonderful job at creating that MLB big league atmosphere. From the chants, cheers and jeers from the fans to the sounds of the bullpen pitches smacking the catcher’s mitt, everything is awesome and spot on. All the sounds you would typically hear in an MLB game are in MLB 12: The Show and for their effort the developers get plenty of kudos. That being said, the commentating does not appear as deep as it does in MLB 2K12’s baseball game, but it is still very good and not as repetitive as one would imagine.
Sony’s MLB franchise continues to mash a home run year after year and MLB 12: The Show is no exception. PS Move functionality and the ability to share save files between the PS3 and PS Vita for cross platform play is innovative and a feature hardcore fans of the series will absolutely love. The core game remains the same but the additions this year make it an MLB game worth owning for baseball fans and PS3 owners alike. While there is always room for improvement as the franchise is starting to show its age in some areas, the fact remains MLB 12: The Show is about as good as it gets for baseball on the PS3 and should not be overlooked by sports fans this year.
