MLB 11 The Show

With so many sports games out there in the world, it feels like developers need to make something pretty special to justify adding another one. MLB 11: The Show may well be the game that redefines the genre. MLB 11: The Show has tweaked things to really show the difference between a lesser player and a truly great player. As an example, if a character with ratings in fielding that are lower, it will reflect an actual gameplay. A player who is trying to catch a ball will need a moment to locate the direction the ball is heading, and players can’t control the player while they are locating the ball. This has a profound effect on gameplay, and really makes selecting characters far more interesting.

Balanced Gameplay

In other games such as the popular All Star Baseball 2003, fielding scores exist, but they don’t have the same price as in MLB 11: The Show. Instead, stacking your team with big-hitters was a good enough strategy. This won’t work in MLB 11.

Instead, a carefully balanced team, much like what you would need in real life, is essential.

Patience Needed

MLB The Show has several layers to it, and that nuance takes time to learn. In other games, a player might have just two options to choose from when hitting—power swing and contact swing perhaps. In this game, players have a lot more to control.

How they handle their stride will impact how well they throw the ball. The game combines several different forces to determine whether a player will hit the ball or not. The result might be extremely frustrating for new players. There’s no doubt that it is difficult to master, but the upside is that it does feel more like a ‘real’ pitch.

MLB 11 has also added in analog pitching. This is much more difficult than the metered pitching, but again adds a new layer to the game.

Road to the Show

The biggest feature in the game is the story mode, “Road to the Show.” In this mode, players start as a new recruit and must work their way up to the major baseball games. This can take as many as four seasons for a rookie, depending on whether a player is trying to get a spot that already has an established player or if the spot is open.

Road to the Show was in previous versions of the game, but is more advanced and more detailed than the other ones. Although it’s improved, it still has some issues. As an example, managers never ask for things like stealing bases or bunting—but they’re available to players.

If used wrong, the player may be chastised for being too aggressive, but points for doing these things may be needed to progress. It’s up to the player to decide whether to use these options or not.

Pros:

• Very detailed sports experience
• Many layers of gameplay

Cons:

• May be frustrating for beginner players