MLB '09: The Show

[patsu]

Heh, I didn't realize MazingerDUDE works for DigitalFoundry.

Here's his analysis on MLB 2009 screens:
http://www.digitalfoundry.org/blog/?p=407

MLB The Show ‘08 is revered amongst PlayStation 3 owners for not only providing the best baseball game on the console, but also for its excellent tech credentials, including support for native 1080p - a somewhat rare commodity on the current generation of gaming systems. The excellent news is that the brand new MLB The Show ‘09 improves upon the original in all respects.

First of all, MLB The Show ‘09 is running at 60 frames per second at native 720p with 2xMSAA, unchanged from its predecessor. The character modeling and the texture details seem more or less on the same level with ‘08 as well, but close-in some improvements are evident: check out these shots of the players.

The biggest improvement to the game comes from MLB 09’s native 1080p support. The game runs at an uncompromised 1920×1080 native resolution with no AA. In this respect, it’s identical to the ‘08 game, but the key difference is that unlike the last game, MLB ‘09 displays a full 60 frames per second on the 1080p setting vs the 30fps of its predecessor. The ‘08 1080p mode had few other losses on visual effects such as depth of field, which is retained and improved in both 720p and 1080p modes on the new game.

 

[betan]

Nice but I'd like to see comparison shots under same lighting conditions. The thing most impressed me with the new MLB (demo) is that the lighting is still very impressive even though most of the field is under stadium's shadows, with indirect lighting and soft shadows.

 

[the ignoramus]

I played the demo in FullHD.
Nice looking game (incredible looking when there's DOF and the proper lighting conditions), but I dont know how to play it and the game does a terrible job of telling me how to play it.
I can pitch and defend okay, but I cant hit anything. I was struck out 10 times in the course of a couple of innings. I could only hit foul balls and bunt hits.

 

[grandmaster]

Heh, I didn't realize MazingerDUDE works for DigitalFoundry.

Here's his analysis on MLB 2009 screens:
http://www.digitalfoundry.org/blog/?p=407

He doesn't! But I noticed that he's provided a lot of great stuff on these forums, so I thought he might like to contribute to my blog, which looks like it may well spin out into a full site.

 

[patsu]

I played the demo in FullHD.
Nice looking game (incredible looking when there's DOF and the proper lighting conditions), but I dont know how to play it and the game does a terrible job of telling me how to play it.
I can pitch and defend okay, but I cant hit anything. I was struck out 10 times in the course of a couple of innings. I could only hit foul balls and bunt hits.

Welcome to the club

 

[rounin]

I played the demo in FullHD.
Nice looking game (incredible looking when there's DOF and the proper lighting conditions), but I dont know how to play it and the game does a terrible job of telling me how to play it.
I can pitch and defend okay, but I cant hit anything. I was struck out 10 times in the course of a couple of innings. I could only hit foul balls and bunt hits.

Sorry but I must admit that I laughed out load at this.

 

[patsu]

Every single inning, I get boo'ed by the spectators. Every single time. It's embarrassing !

 

[danjahandz]

-taunt your opponent online using a mic, and it will sound as though the taunts are coming from the stands[/URL]

isn't that awesome? i love what they've done with the audio this year. anyone else notice how excited the announcers get depending on the situation? i hit a homerun to win the game and announcers were screaming and being all excited lol. love it!

 

[patsu]

Sir, you (or someone) need to video tape your game play plus your controller handling, and post it on youtube. My guess is it will help a lot of people who want to get into the game, but are hampered by the initial learning curve.

 

[Delta9]

The game looks really good.

Screenshot I took with the demos capture feature.

 

[Lucid_Dreamer]

New Roster Vault Feature Revealed

 

[2real4tv]

Lighting model discussed by Senior Graphics programmmer:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/02/19/mlb-09-the-show-%E2%80%93-lighting-explained/

 

[Arwin]

This game seems to be pretty impressive techinically!

 

[green.pixel]

Yeah, one of the very rare true 1080p games.

 

[Lucid_Dreamer]

Just starting into the 3rd year, I'd say we may see a lot more in the future. BTW, there is an abundance of "true 1080p games" in the PS Store. Maybe you mean retail games. In that case, my first sentence applies.

OT: Here's to hoping they will also impress with NBA 10 this year (same studio does both games...@1080p/60fps).

 

[wco81]

Unfortunately, NBA is seen as inferior not just in gameplay but graphics, compared to its peers.

Oh well, you can't be great at everything.

Is it possible that this MLB '09 will be the best-looking sports game ever? I know there are some soccer games which don't get released in the US.

Of course some PC sports games could look very sharp and lit well on a nice rig too.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Is it possible that this MLB '09 will be the best-looking sports game ever? I know there are some soccer games which don't get released in the US.

FIFA's the best looking football game, and it's not great. Ice Hockey and Basketball should be the best looking given the less complex situation. Or boxing, if you consider that a sport.

 

[DrJay24]

Best looking stadium based sports game maybe?

Fight Night 3 is probably the best looking game based on a sport.

 

[green.pixel]

Just starting into the 3rd year, I'd say we may see a lot more in the future.

Well, I doubt a bit . If big exclusives like MGS4 and KZ2 that have been in delopment for years can't do real 1080p, then what's to hope for. And yes, I don't mean dumbing down details just to able to render @1080p. Most likely, games at the end of this gen in 2011-2012 will max out RSX and Cell and we'll have best-looking games of this generation. Will we see KZ3 in this gen ?

Maybe you mean retail games.

Yes, sorry fot not being more specific.

Unfortunately, NBA is seen as inferior not just in gameplay but graphics, compared to its peers.

2k series easily beats Live when it comes to gameplay. But if you are more into arcade style gameplay, then I agree.

 

[Lucid_Dreamer]

Unfortunately, NBA is seen as inferior not just in gameplay but graphics, compared to its peers.

Oh well, you can't be great at everything.

Well, they already run the game at Full 1080p/60fps. They need to make tweaks (animations, some gameplay elements, etc) over the next couple versions and they should be able to share the spotlight with MLB 09:The Show, IMO.