Reviewed: April 9, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer
SCE Studios San Diego
Released: February 28, 2006
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone
8
8
7
8
8.4
Supported Features
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
MLB ’06: The Show is not only an amazing follow-up to what most consider the best PSP sports title of last year, it is also a near-perfect recreation of the PS2 console original, with nearly all of the same content, intuitive gameplay, and graphics that manage to surpass the larger console version.
Sony did an admirable job fixing most of the issues with their debut title and then focused on tweaking and refining the existing and new game modes making this the best handheld version of baseball currently available. So just what is new this year:
- New King of the Diamond – A classic playground duel from childhood where a pitcher and batter from opposing teams will square off head-to-head. This innovative mini-game showcases the challenging intensity of the batter versus pitcher duel, while an inning clock increases the pressure in this Over-The-Line style challenge.
- New Multi-Branch Fielding – Branch Point Technology goes to a new level as gamers can now take full control of fielders and break out of any animation in the process. Change a fielding decision and branch out of any animation after the first branch point. With Branch Point Technology MLB ’06 The Show provides unbelievably smooth, fluid transitions for seamless double plays and relays.
- New User Controlled Slides – Players can now control base runners in attempts to advance and/or score.
- New 40-Man Roster – Provides the ability to take full control of a team’s roster and manage all 40 players for each and every game.
- New Career Mode – Allows gamers create a player, assign him to their favorite team, and take their career on the road.
- New Season Mode – MLB ’06 The Show tests the true baseball fan’s commitment and allows them to make a run for consecutive rings with multiple seasons.
- New Historical Greats – For true nostalgic fans of America’s Pastime, MLB ’06 The Show offers the all-new Historical Greats, giving them the opportunity to go against the legends of the past.
- New 3-Man Booth & Progressive Commentary – MLB ’06 The Show combines a Progressive Broadcast, which adapts to current situations as gamers progress through the game, along with a 3-Man Booth. Rex Hudler joins Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell for the most comprehensive, game-specific commentary heard in any baseball videogame.
- New Online News Service – Sports fanatics can receive all the current happenings in sports today. Information will be updated a few times each hour with news, trades and events from 31 different feeds, each containing 25 unique items. Users can select general MLB headlines or updates from all 30 teams instantly, or save them to the Memory Stick Duo™ in order to review them offline at their convenience.
Of course the biggest feature of MLB ’06: The Show is the new Career mode that allows you to create your own character then try to land a coveted position on a Major League team. This mode really lets the players immerse themselves into the world of baseball. The revised Season mode now tracks multiple seasons and the King of the Diamond mini-game offers a fantastic quick fix of core baseball action for the gamer on the go.
Actually, King of the Diamond is one of the first places you should visit, as it will serve as your most valuable tool in learning the new techniques required for the Zone Control Batting. It’s also more rewarding than Home Run Derby since you aren’t required to knock the ball out of the park. Hardcore baseball fans will likely scoff at the still-absent Franchise mode, but there is still plenty to like from a non-managerial standpoint.
Kudos for some of the best A.I., or at least the most improved A.I. in a baseball game this year. I was surprised to see the computer actually intentionally walk a few of my better hitters, or at least mix things up with a few balls from time to time. It certainly kept me guessing and restrained me from trying to swing at just about every pitch thrown my way.
Defense has been improved and you can now preload your throws making it much easier to rip off impressive double (and even triple) plays. Fielding has been improved; both for the computer and the way the player handles the outfield and tagging out at the plate.
And for those on offense, the new user-controlled sliding is really fun once you figure out the nuances. You can now even pause your dash to the next base during a pop fly just in case you need to tag up.
Controls have been tightened and you can use the analog pad or the D-pad to command your players. Runner control has been simplified to the triggers, left for advance and right for retreat and that can be combined with individual runner controls or you can issue a global command to everyone on base.
Multiplayer has been enhanced with several of the new game modes as well as News2Go, which is very similar to the ESPN news feed on the new EA Sports titles. Basically, this updates several times each hour and stores the latest league info on your memory stick so you can browse at your convenience.
You can now also download updated league rosters to keep your PSP teams in synch with the real world. There is even built-in support for buddy lists and instant messaging, which makes setting up games and getting your friends hooked up easier than ever.
This new version of MLB has been polished to perfection, not only in the gameplay but also in the presentation that now features ultra-slick menus with animated backgrounds and network-style text that pops off the screen.
Player models are exquisitely detailed and offer the same fluid animation as their console cousin, although a few of the frivolous animations have been removed in order to pack this game onto the smaller media. Things like post-play celebrations had to go to make way for the more than 8000 mo-capped moves used in this game.
While the PS2 suffered slightly from jaggies and shimmering the PSP is crystal clear and the stadiums have never looked better. This is what MLB would look like on the Xbox in hi-def. In fact, the only downside to the graphics is the visually apparent use of lower-res character models in the background. It’s not a huge deal since you should be focusing on the primary characters in play.
Sound has been taken down a notch, likely due to the limited space on the UMD. Crowd noises are reduced to simple boos and cheers depending on the performance of the home team. The commentary is also a bit problematic with the play-by-play actually coming in nearly a full play late. Even if it were in synch, the commentary by Dave Vasgersian, Dave Campbell, and Rex Hudler seems rather tame compared to other baseball games.
If you played the PS2 version and enjoyed the music then you’ll be glad to know that the soundtrack pretty much made the port entirely intact, which is about the only thing in the game that sounds remotely enjoyable.
This year’s installment of PSP baseball is a good step in the right direction but it still lacks a few core elements that are required to knock this franchise out of the park. The Rivalry mode is sorely missed and the lack of a Franchise mode will cause concern for those who like to play manager.
Even so, the addition of the Career mode and enhanced Season mode add substantial content and the King of the Diamond is a great mini-game that is perfectly suited to the PSP. I find myself playing it more than the main game.
MLB ’06: The Show manages to hang onto the title of Best Baseball Game on the PSP and stay within the top ten sports title on the PSP as well. Admittedly, sacrifices had to be made to fit this monster on the PSP, but the designers chose wisely what to keep and what to lose.
The controls are tight, the visual presentation polished, and the gameplay is better than ever. Hopefully, Sony can tweak the sound and commentary for next year’s PSP edition and clean up a few gameplay graphical issues, and they should have the perfect handheld version of America’s favorite pastime.