MLB 12 The Show

[Francisco]

I picked this up for PS3 the other day. Anyone else?

It's my first console baseball game since the 90s, so I'm a bit not used to the game play. Still, it's pretty fun, impressive graphics, etc...

I've picked up pitching pretty well, on default settings (haven't gotten into the pulse or motion stuff yet)... I've gotten shelled a couple of times, but have been otherwise respectable, usually allowing 3-5 runs in a game... once managed to no hit the Yankees into the eighth inning (although I walked 5 in the same time, I was trying to paint corners all game).

Hitting, I'm less good at. First game I played on default settings, I got 1 hit, and struck out 16 times. Against fucking Baltimore / Jeremy Guthrie. The one hit was shitty too.

I turned most of the settings to easy mode, and proceeded to score 14 runs in a game, hitting 10 a few times, and everything else has been between 4-9 runs per game. I strikeout a shitload every game. Seems very hard to judge the strike zone, especially on sliders. A lot of times I'll think a ball is going to go in the dirt, and it's a strike down the middle. Oh, and sliders make me look like a fool every time.

Any tips on hitting? My main weakness seems to be guessing pitch location (which seems futile), and judging the strike zone.

Another odd thing I've noticed... I absolutely suck at controlling certain hitters. Ellsbury, Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez have been studs in most games I play, while Ortiz, Crawford and Youkilis tend to go a combined 1 for 15, with like 9 strikeouts.

[Weeks]

It's fucking terrible. Pitchers have no control, and pulse pitching only makes it worse for the five minutes most people will stick with it before wising up and turning it off. Fielding is even worse than pitching, with infielders refusing to field balls and going into canned animations that keep you from pulling off double plays (Eg, runners on first and second, ball hit at my 3B right by the bag so I field it, take two steps down to third base, then try to throw to first for the double play, but instead my 3B is in the middle of a running-across-the-bag animation and refuses to throw for nearly a full second). Hitting isn't quite as awful as everything else, but it's still terrible. When the timing on the swings is as fucked up as it is in this game, my reward for pulling an inside fastball in my "Wheelhouse" with "Perfect" timing should not be a one-hopper right at the shortstop. The rankings are also pretty terrible. Nelson Cruz as one of the top handful of players in the game pretty much says it all right there.

Wish I'd stuck with the 2k series, but wanted a PS3 game since all I had are the Uncharted series. After failing to complete 80% of my games without ragequitting since I bought it on release day I even decided to give up actually playing the game and just play GM in franchise mode. No go. The trade AI is stupid and easy to exploit, the draft and minor league systems are nothing like real life, and apparently it was too much effort to program actual contract details into the game, so you end up with stuff like Matt Holliday being in a contract year and Vernon Wells being signed for a few million dollars a year.

[BadKarma]

I enjoy the game. Have had every one since 09, and they get better every year.

[jmc]

I'm loving the game so far. Picked it up for vita and PS3, so if anyone wants to play some games let me know.

Also.... fuck pulse pitching, its terrible.

[Francisco]

Did some of the "road to the show" stuff...

My guy got traded from Boston to Seattle to Tampa to Florida to Arizona in his first two years. Wound up hitting ~.340 with 15 HR and 20 SB in AAA, then getting called up in August. Hit around .310 as a pinch hitter, but lost a lot of skills because pinch hitters get dreck for training points. Did get a world series ring though. Following year, he got offered a major league deal to sit on the D-Backs bench. Skills faded more. Wound up hitting .260ish with no power and very little speed. Got demoted in September, then released in October. Got a contract to be a AA player again. Now my guy is like a 23 y/o AA baller hitting like .280, and pretty crappy speed/power.

Need more "interactions"... like roiding, going on a Hamilton-esque drinking binge, or just fucking offing myself next time I get designated for assignment. Or maybe taking a job at Best Buy, since my guy started his baseball career at 18, and thus, skipped college.

[Havocxx]

1000 hours in Custom Team Logo editor



Got my money's worth already.