Put some pine tar on your controller.
PlayStation 2
Released in 2010 by Sony Computer Entertainment
Grade: A
It’s an immersive, rich baseball sim, with complex but intuitive gameplay, a ton of options, and fantastic presentation.
Where it falls in the series
The series technically goes back to MLB Pennant Race on PS1, followed by yearly titles with just the MLB name under the 989 Sports brand. MLB 2004 was the first on PS2. The series started calling itself The Show for 06, and PS2 versions lasted through The Show 12, while PS3 versions started with The Show 07.
Praises and gripes
The pitching interface in on point, dynamic, and fun. You choose a pitch type and location, start the pitching meter, press a button as it slowly sways up to determine power, then press it again as it quickly sways back to determine accuracy. This creates a wide variance in pitch movement, and deeply enhances strategy. For example, you can throw a few 89-mph fastballs, then fire a 94-mph fastball for the strikeout. You can purposely miss on the release point to your advantage. The overthrown curveball and underthrown change-up are favorites of mine, but they come at the price of lowered accuracy.
A convenient diagram shows your past match-ups against individual batters, and repeating the same patterns will be realistically punished. Each batter has cold zones and hot zones for you to target or avoid. Successful pitching will raise your confidence gauge, which improves your attributes in real time; getting knocked around will quickly deplete the gauge.
Batting is simpler but just as well engineered. You choose to swing for contact or power. The swing animation is fluid, so the timing feels natural. You direct your swing to the ball’s location, but the range can be tweaked or turned off. There’s a “guess pitch” system, which can also be tweaked or turned off.
Once the ball is out in the field, things are exciting, easy to control, and true to real baseball. There’s balance between the speed of the ball, fielders, and runners.
(I should emphasize how helpful and convenient the pitch diagrams are, both while pitching and batting. They become second nature to use, like checking your mirrors when you’re driving a car.)
I often downplay graphics, but in a realistic baseball game where you’re spending a lot of time gazing out from the catcher’s eye view, trying to spot the subtle movements of a pitch, they’re important. Luckily, everything looks great. Improving your eye at the plate is tough, but it won’t be unpleasant since you’re in a beautifully rendered stadium. Also, most (but not all) pitchers in the game have unique deliveries, which makes batting that much more realistic.
The sound is great too. The commentary works well, but if you turn it off like I do, you’ll be delighted by familiar ballpark ambiance and spot-on action sounds.
There are a gazillion ways to customize the gameplay. Individual sliders for different aspects of batting and pitching really, really come in handy as your skills progress. There’s an option to minimize the time between pitches, which keeps nine innings under 60 minutes. You can toggle the visual aid for the strike zone, get some AI assistance in the field, opt for occasional bad umpiring calls, adjust the frequency of errors, and if you’re lazy or drunk, you can turn the pitching meter off.
There’s a decent be-a-pro mode, for pitcher or position player, if you need one of those.
Need some complaints? Okay…
The lead-off/steal dynamic is a bit one-dimensional for hardcore baseball dorks.
The pitch diagrams only track up to seven pitches per at-bat.
Since not all pitchers have unique deliveries, pitchers with the generic animation are easier to face.
The pitcher’s confidence gauge can drop extremely fast, which is frustrating, and other online dorks complain that it’s unrealistic.
The default settings favor hitters, and you’ll end up with final scores like 14-12. Good thing you can adjust the settings.
Top teams
This came after the Yankees beat the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, so they’re both top tier teams in The Show, along with the Cardinals, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, and Rays. 2010 concluded with the surprise Giants beating the Rangers.