PlayStation 3
Released in 2011 by Sony Computer Entertainment
Grade: A
This game introduces challenging analog controls to the The Show’s great gameplay, and unfortunately they have some issues. Luckily, you can opt for the old button-based controls too.
Where it falls in the series
This is the fifth Show on PS3. The series made the leap to PS4 with The Show 14, and PS3 versions stopped after The Show 16.
Praises and gripes
Why mess with perfection? The previous Show games are great, using simple controls that ensure that the difficulty is all in the timing and strategy of baseball. In this edition, you need to also become a master of the right analog stick.
The new pitching mechanism makes you pull back on the stick and smoothly push it up with pinpoint precision depending on where you’re locating your pitch. When batting, you pull back and push up as well, and you’re actually aiming with both analog sticks on every swing. In the field, you push the stick toward a base, and the timing is unforgiving, giving you chances to screw up in ways you’d never see in real MLB baseball.
I gave these new controls my best shot, and boy they’re tough. I had an extremely hard time pitching, but other gamers complain more about the hitting, which lacks that satisfying “oomph” you get from simply pushing a button to swing.
You can switch back to the classic controls for pitching, batting, and fielding, and the game still plays great, just like the previous versions. But it plants this seed of doubt in my mind: Am I really playing this game right? Am I messing with its intricate calibrations?
Who knows, because just like real baseball, you need a huge sample size to confidently notice any trends. I played for a while with both types of control, and both seemed like the genuine baseball simulation I’ve come to expect from The Show.
The game has some sleek graphics upgrades. The grass is more grassy, the lighting changes more naturally, and players have new animations between pitches.
Gameplay-wise, there’s now a third “contact swing” option, so you can choose power, normal, or contact. There seem to be even more foul balls, and pitchers don’t completely lose their confidence (and control) after giving up a couple runs.
As usual, the game comes with so many options for customizing the gameplay, you should be able to get the baseball experience you want out of it, no matter your skill level. There’s a great franchise mode and Road to the Show, the single-player career mode that I find far less fun than playing games as a team. The new controls are trickier than I want in a baseball game, but the total package is another winner anyway.