Meg
Well-known Member
MLB 11 The Show Review
Having never played a game in The Show series before I was very excited to get my hands on this latest edition. Fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint. There’s several different modes for you to jump into. Exhibition mode allows you to play a game as any team you like against any other team. You can even pick the uniforms and stadium (Meaning it’s possible to be the visiting team at your own ballpark). This mode is essentially a tutorial for the game. It gives tons of helpful tips every few plays that cover everything from batting to pitching to stealing. However, considering how much there is to this game it can get a little overwhelming when every few minutes you are given something new to experiment with. Despite this, MLB 11 The Show is still a pretty easy game to pick up and start playing. That doesn’t mean the game is easy though. While its possible to get by and even win games without knowing every component inside out parts of the game are still difficult even on the easiest setting. Batting for instance takes a lot of concentration and being able to recognize different pitches is essential. While it may take awhile, once you get the hang of it batting is a lot of fun (Especially when you get a home run
)
The other modes in the game include Season and Franchise which basically lets you pick a team and play through the entire season all the way up to the World Series if you make it. In these modes you play as your team’s pitcher and pitch to each of the other team’s batters as well as bat for everyone on your team. While it isn’t a necessity it is good to know what batting or pitching style each character excels at. These can be accessed just by hitting the start button to pause the game.
While the game doesn’t have a “story” mode the main mode of the game is Road to the Show. In this mode you start out by creating your own character. You pick his position, what he’s most skilled at, as well as what accessories he has like batting gloves and armbands. Once you have your character created you can either pick a team to join or enter the draft where you will be auto-signed a club. You start out on the AA minor league level and play through the entire season. Each game you earn or lose points depending on how you did which can then be used to increase your player’s skills such as reaction time, strength, and fielding ability. Unlike the other modes, in Road to the Show you only play as your character. In other words, you only bat/field as your character and the game skips over everyone else.
Every few in game weeks you get four new goals to try and reach. These can be having a batting average of over .250, or increasing a certain ability. You can use the points you receive in a game to increase these abilities to reach your goals. In games everything you do can earn or lose you points. For instance, if you strike out at a really bad time you might lose a couple points, but if you hit a double you’ll get ten points.
At the end of your contract period you wait to receive a new one. The dates contracts have to be signed by is just like in real baseball to. What kind of contract you get depends on how you did during the season. For instance, if you played very well on the AA level you will probably get a contract to play on the AAA level and eventually the major leagues. However, if you only did decently on one level you will probably stay on that level.
Between long seasons, in depth statistics on pretty much everything ,and tons of character customization its clear this game has a lot to offer, but how are the controls? In a word: perfection. Everything in this game is fluid and precise. How long you push one of the swing buttons depends on whether or not you swing fully or not, fielders instantly throw to the base you selected, and how fast you run is controlled by how hard you push the analog stick. It may sound confusing, but it’s not at all. Everything is very easy to handle and the game gives you the option of having the controls on screen if you need a refresher during play. Gameplay wise there really isn’t a single problem with MLB 11 The Show.
The graphics in the game are also good. Each character model looks great and plays just how their real life version does. The character models in Road to the Show are pretty uninspired, but the vast amount of customization makes up for it. Each major league stadium also looks great, however the scenery outside of the parks are pretty bland. This is especially true for the minor league parks, but that’s forgivable considering it’s the minor leagues and no one cares about the minor leagues.
The music selection for the game is pretty weak however. There are only about a dozen songs and I only liked two of them. I have a pretty picky music taste, but having to hear the same few songs play during every menu, training, and warm up session is ridiculous especially considering how long some of the load times are. However, you can set a certain song to play for different instances like getting a home run which is a cool addition.
Overall MLB 11 The Show is a great baseball game that does an amazing job at capturing intense moments from the final at bat in a down by one game with two men on base, to trying to steal third this game is great for any baseball fan and with simple fun modes like Home Run Derby thrown in makes it a good game to bring out when you’ve friends or family over that like baseball.
Overall:
You’ll Love:
-Excellent controls
- Long seasons
-Lots of diverse modes
-Realism
You’ll Hate:
-(Lack of) song selection
- Long load times
-This game if you don’t like baseball
Final Score:
9.5/10
Having never played a game in The Show series before I was very excited to get my hands on this latest edition. Fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint. There’s several different modes for you to jump into. Exhibition mode allows you to play a game as any team you like against any other team. You can even pick the uniforms and stadium (Meaning it’s possible to be the visiting team at your own ballpark). This mode is essentially a tutorial for the game. It gives tons of helpful tips every few plays that cover everything from batting to pitching to stealing. However, considering how much there is to this game it can get a little overwhelming when every few minutes you are given something new to experiment with. Despite this, MLB 11 The Show is still a pretty easy game to pick up and start playing. That doesn’t mean the game is easy though. While its possible to get by and even win games without knowing every component inside out parts of the game are still difficult even on the easiest setting. Batting for instance takes a lot of concentration and being able to recognize different pitches is essential. While it may take awhile, once you get the hang of it batting is a lot of fun (Especially when you get a home run
)The other modes in the game include Season and Franchise which basically lets you pick a team and play through the entire season all the way up to the World Series if you make it. In these modes you play as your team’s pitcher and pitch to each of the other team’s batters as well as bat for everyone on your team. While it isn’t a necessity it is good to know what batting or pitching style each character excels at. These can be accessed just by hitting the start button to pause the game.
While the game doesn’t have a “story” mode the main mode of the game is Road to the Show. In this mode you start out by creating your own character. You pick his position, what he’s most skilled at, as well as what accessories he has like batting gloves and armbands. Once you have your character created you can either pick a team to join or enter the draft where you will be auto-signed a club. You start out on the AA minor league level and play through the entire season. Each game you earn or lose points depending on how you did which can then be used to increase your player’s skills such as reaction time, strength, and fielding ability. Unlike the other modes, in Road to the Show you only play as your character. In other words, you only bat/field as your character and the game skips over everyone else.
Every few in game weeks you get four new goals to try and reach. These can be having a batting average of over .250, or increasing a certain ability. You can use the points you receive in a game to increase these abilities to reach your goals. In games everything you do can earn or lose you points. For instance, if you strike out at a really bad time you might lose a couple points, but if you hit a double you’ll get ten points.
At the end of your contract period you wait to receive a new one. The dates contracts have to be signed by is just like in real baseball to. What kind of contract you get depends on how you did during the season. For instance, if you played very well on the AA level you will probably get a contract to play on the AAA level and eventually the major leagues. However, if you only did decently on one level you will probably stay on that level.
Between long seasons, in depth statistics on pretty much everything ,and tons of character customization its clear this game has a lot to offer, but how are the controls? In a word: perfection. Everything in this game is fluid and precise. How long you push one of the swing buttons depends on whether or not you swing fully or not, fielders instantly throw to the base you selected, and how fast you run is controlled by how hard you push the analog stick. It may sound confusing, but it’s not at all. Everything is very easy to handle and the game gives you the option of having the controls on screen if you need a refresher during play. Gameplay wise there really isn’t a single problem with MLB 11 The Show.
The graphics in the game are also good. Each character model looks great and plays just how their real life version does. The character models in Road to the Show are pretty uninspired, but the vast amount of customization makes up for it. Each major league stadium also looks great, however the scenery outside of the parks are pretty bland. This is especially true for the minor league parks, but that’s forgivable considering it’s the minor leagues and no one cares about the minor leagues.
The music selection for the game is pretty weak however. There are only about a dozen songs and I only liked two of them. I have a pretty picky music taste, but having to hear the same few songs play during every menu, training, and warm up session is ridiculous especially considering how long some of the load times are. However, you can set a certain song to play for different instances like getting a home run which is a cool addition.
Overall MLB 11 The Show is a great baseball game that does an amazing job at capturing intense moments from the final at bat in a down by one game with two men on base, to trying to steal third this game is great for any baseball fan and with simple fun modes like Home Run Derby thrown in makes it a good game to bring out when you’ve friends or family over that like baseball.
Overall:
You’ll Love:
-Excellent controls
- Long seasons
-Lots of diverse modes
-Realism
You’ll Hate:
-(Lack of) song selection
- Long load times
-This game if you don’t like baseball
Final Score:
9.5/10