MLB 08: The Show
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MLB 08: The Show | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | SCEA |
| Publisher(s) | SCEA |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP |
| Release date | NA March 4, 2008[1] AUS August 26, 2008[citation needed] |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer, Online: Ethernet Broadband required |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) |
| Media | Blu-ray, DVD, UMD |
MLB 08: The Show, produced by Sony Studios, is a baseball video game for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PSP. It is also the longest-running officially licensed Major League Baseball game on the PlayStation systems. It was released on March 4, 2008 in America and Canada and will be released August 26, 2008 in Australia.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is the featured cover athlete, and the three-man team of announcers once again include Rex Hudler, Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
New features include:[2]
- A deeper and more immersive Road to the Show mode, including:
- New career advancements
- New career goals
- Position-specific situations
- A new Progressive Batting Performance feature which rewards players for consistent hitting, and conversely penalizes them for prolonged slumps.
- Improved online play with the newly introduced SCOUT (or "SportsConnect Online User Tracking") feature, which allows users to save personalized game settings and use those settings to quickly find online opponents.
- Pitcher/Batter analysis both during and after games, including information about batter performance against a certain pitcher, various pitches and even the results of each pitch.
- The ability to save gameplay while still in game.
- Also appearing on the PlayStation 3 version is Replay Vault. The Replay Vault allows the player to make their own highlight reels. The player can also view a certain highlight by team, player, or inning.
- In the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable versions of the game, personal music can be added from the memory stick (PSP) or the hard drive (PS3) called My MLB Music.
- Dualshock 3 compatibility (PS3)
- Users can also take music from their hard disks and use it to create a custom soundtrack for the game.
Most features from last year's game will return, including:[3]
- Umpire Personalities
- Batter hot/cold zones
- Adaptive Pitching Intelligence
- Pitch Command System
Some glitches and bugs are present in the game. 'Invisible' walls, fielding controls (a pop fly being completely missed in assist mode), and fielder throwing strength have all been reported as slight issues in gameplay.
[edit] Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Almighty | 9.7 of 10 |
| PSX Extreme | 9.1 of 10 |
| Games Radar | 9 of 10 |
| Gamervision | 9 of 10 |
| Gametap | 9 of 10 |
| GameDaily | 9 of 10 |
| OperatonSports | 9 of 10 |
| PGNx Media | 9 of 10 |
| GameTrailers | 8.7 of 10 |
| IGN | 8.7 of 10 |
| Gameinformer | 8.5 of 10 |
| GameSpot | 8.5 of 10 |
| GameZone | 8 of 10 |
| GameSpy | 4 of 5 |
| X-Play | 3 of 5 |
The game was received very well, with 85% and 86/100 ratings on aggregate score sites Gamerankings and Metacritic, respectively. The game's main competitor, MLB 2K8 scored lower: 71% and 70/100.
PGNx Media, amongst others, reported that the game "easily wins the "most improved" award" - conversely, X-Play rated the game a mediocre 3 stars out of 5, while saying that "the game delivers a ultra realistic sim experience", only saw slight improvements in batting and major issues with fielding controls. So far, it has been the only review site listed on Metacritic that has awarded the game a lower score than MLB 2K8 (which they gave a 4/5).
[edit] Soundtrack
| Band | Song |
|---|---|
| A Tribe Called Quest | Award Tour |
| The Blood Arm | Suspicious Character |
| Franz Ferdinand | The Fallen (Ruined by Justice) |
| Hot Hot Heat | My Best Fiend |
| Kenna | Out of Control (State of Emotion) - XXXChange Remix |
| No More Kings | Sweep the Leg (Remix) |
| Queens of the Stone Age | In the Fade |
| The Ramones | Blitzkrieg Bop |
| Thin Lizzy | Jailbreak |
| War | Low Rider |
| ZZ Top | I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide |
[edit] Player name changes
The following players are under different names, either due to the fact that they were replacement players during the 1994 strike, they were not in the MLBPA at the time the game was made, or, in the case of Barry Bonds, they have licensing rights separate from the MLBPA.
| Team | Player | Real player |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 1B Ivan Jimenez RP Steve Cardwell |
Kevin Millar Jamie Walker |
| Chicago Cubs | OF Tom Jung | Kosuke Fukudome |
| Cleveland Indians | RP Ashley Kim | Masahide Kobayashi |
| Kansas City Royals | RP Ed Brady RP Weon Ju |
Ron Mahay Yasuhiko Yabuta |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | SP Thai Tran | Hiroki Kuroda |
| Milwaukee Brewers | C Chris Gill | Damian Miller |
| Texas Rangers | RP Tate Baik | Kazuo Fukumori |
| Free Agent | LF Reggie Stocker | Barry Bonds |
| Preceded by MLB 07: The Show |
Major League Baseball Officially Licensed Videogame 2008 |
Succeeded by Current |
