It was Saturday, October 23rd, 1993, game six of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Jays led the series three games to two, but found themselves trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth. Rickey Henderson held generous lead off of second base, and Paul Molitor awaited patiently at first. Joe Carter was at the plate, two balls and two strikes into the count, with one out already recorded in the inning. The crowd roared as Phillies closer Mitch Williams readied his next pitch – a fastball low and inside. Carter swings, connects, and sends the ball deep to left field – going, going, gone – making the the Toronto Blue Jays World Series champions for the second consecutive year.
That was the last time I truly enjoyed baseball – until now.
Developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), MLB09: The Show had me falling in love with the sport all over again. With its streamlined approach to traditional baseball video game mechanics, unique take on the pitcher versus batter interaction, and a huge selection of game modes, MLB09: The Show is a fresh and fun simulation of America’s Favourite Pastime.
The gameplay feels both tight and intuitive because each aspect of the game sees minor improvements to their mechanics. When the batter hits a ball, fielders will automatically lunge in the direction of the hit, thus saving you the trouble of making that knee-jerk reaction yourself. Once the initial reactionary animation is complete, the fielder will continue running in the direction that you’re pressing. To catch the ball, simply guide the fielder to the destination indicator displayed on the turf. The higher the ball has been hit, the larger the indicator will be, giving you a good estimation of when and where the ball will land. Once the ball has been caught, pressing one of the four face buttons will initiate a throw to that corresponding base. To make things even easier, the destination and strength of a throw can be buffered before the ball is even caught. This makes throwing runners out at home or turning a double play a simple and seamless experience.
Base-running is just as simple. Pressing the L1 or R1 buttons will tell all runners to advance or retreat. But if you’d prefer to control a specific runner, it’s as simple as targeting the runner with the left analog stick, then assigning them a base to advance to using the face buttons. This method offers great on-the-fly control for individual runners and a simple alternative for controlling all runners simultaneously.
My favourite gameplay innovations lie in the pitcher and batter interactions. Each pitcher has a degree of confidence associated with the pitches found in their repertoire. As each pitch of a given type results in a strike or hit, the pitcher’s confidence in that specific pitch will begin to grow or wane. For example, pitchers that develop a great deal of confidence in their curve ball will find it much easier to control as the game goes on. However, if a keen-eyed batter drives that curve ball into the the right field bleachers, then confidence in that pitch will fall. Pitchers have an overall confidence statistic as well, which determines how well they deal with adversity. Pitchers that frequently throw strikes or go several innings without surrendering a hit, will find the process much easier to control. Pitches are thrown by selecting two points on a moving scale: speed and accuracy. Confident pitchers will benefit from a slower-moving scale and a larger accuracy range, while shaken pitchers must deal with a rapid scale and the disappearance of their accuracy target.
The batting experience is just as deep. No longer content to just stand at home plate and swing at balls, batters are able to engage in a battle of wits with a pitcher. Using the Guess Pitch feature, batters can study the history of pitches thrown to them and attempt to determine which pitch is coming next. If they guess correctly, they receive a minor boost to their batting statistics and the destination of the pitch will be revealed. If they guess incorrectly, they receive a minor penalty to their batting statistics and must swing blindly. Using the Guess Pitch feature is entirely optional, but can really help new players grow more accustomed to pitching patterns. To provide further assistance, batters may also toggle an on-screen analysis of their last swing, which will inform them if they swung too early or too late, and where the pitch was in relation to their bat. The Guess Pitch feature can be tweaked to give more or less feedback on a successful guess, with less feedback offering more significant bonuses to batting performance.
MLB09: The Show offers a multitude of gameplay modes. Aside from the typical Exhibition and Season modes, players can choose to play Franchise, Manager, Rivalry, and Road to the Show modes. Franchise mode is an extended version of Season mode in which you take over a team as the General Manager. This role will require you to manage your chosen team’s finances, upkeep of your stadium, and the ever-evolving state of your roster. Team advertising and promotions can be scheduled, which bring more fans out to the ballpark, and new concession stands and amenities can be added to the stadium concourse. But all of this costs money, so managing the expenses of your ballpark while negotiating the salaries of your players can be tricky business. Franchise mode allows you to select any of the existing Major League Baseball teams or participate in a Fantasy Draft to create your own.
Manager mode is exactly that – you play as the manager. You don’t take at bats or throw pitches, but determine the starting line-up and pitching rotation. You’ll also be required to make tough calls during games, like when to pull a pitcher or substitute an on-base runner. Rivalry mode pits two teams against each other for an extended series, with the desired length chosen before the teams take to the field.
The most interesting mode is the Road to the Show. Road to the Show tasks you with creating a individual player and guiding him through his baseball career. You can choose any position, including pitcher, and you’ll only control that player throughout the Road to the Show experience. Starting in the minor leagues, your character will earn experience points and develop their statistics as they achieve certain goals and milestones. When your player has improved enough to start earning recognition, you’ll be called up to the Majors. Taking a player from the beginning of his career in the minors to a World Series championship can be an extremely rewarding experience.
The graphics in MLB09: The Show are easily the best I have seen in a baseball game, but that doesn’t mean that they’re perfect. The game looks fantastic when played in outdoor stadiums during the day, with the bright sunlight casting realistic shadows across the field, but looks washed out during night games and indoor games. And while the character models are highly detailed, sharing a remarkable resemblance with their real-life counterparts, they exhibit some aliasing issues when seen up close. However, when the camera zooms out, the action on screen can sometimes be confused for a real baseball broadcast. The animations are smooth and lovingly crafted, and the idiosyncrasies and body language of signature players are all present and accounted for in the game.
The sound design in the game is also a mixed bag. The commentators can be genuinely enlightening during some plays, but shockingly repetitive in others. And in some situations, such as double-play or another quick succession of events, the commentator’s reactions can be slightly delayed. Hearing the play-by-play on your inning-ending double-play is a great feeling, but not when it’s being called during your next at bat. The crowd will cheer or show contempt for the events taking place on field, but remain quiet for much of the game. The odd heckler can be heard in the distance taking stabs at a pitch or batter, which often provides some amusement.
Overall, MLB09: The Show is the best baseball video game that I have played to date. The simplified controls and interesting interactions remind me of the sport that I used to love. It’s not a perfect experience, but it’s getting closer. With more visual polish and tighter execution on the sound design, MLB09: The Show very well could have been one of the best sports games ever produced. Regardless, it is clear that the developers at Sony Computer Entertainment America have a love for the game of baseball and are doing their best to share it with the rest of us.
“Touch ‘em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!“
