There’s one thing that bugs me about sports titles nowadays
– the rut that they fall into when they stop making progression towards
innovation and focus on updating what they already made the previous year and
shipping it out as a new game. Majority of sports titles are susceptible to
the Madden curse where they only rely on a new roster update and a few changes to
the controller mapping. One case that broke away from this mold was last year’s
NHL ‘09 from Electronic Arts; not only did they step up their game but
they created one of the best sports titles this generation of consoles.
Normally, Sony’s MLB The Show series could be included in this grouping,
but alas, MLB 09: The Show doesn’t do enough to have it stand above the
rest of the competition this year.
Last year’s iteration showcased the Progressive Batter
Performance system and even the pitcher/batter analysis. This year, MLB 09
falters when it comes to providing new features and elements to experience.
While it’s still fun to play, it doesn’t leapfrog last year’s version by any
means. If you’ve never experienced last year’s two main features then you are in
for a real treat. The pitcher/batter analysis is still in-depth to the point
where you can determine a batter’s weaknesses and tendencies to help place your
pitches to strike them out. Likewise can be said for the batter as he can use
the system to see where the pitcher is comfortable throwing the ball, whether if
they are on fire or on a cold streak, and much more. Last year’s version was
nearly perfect, so it’s understandable that the development team didn’t want to
fix something that wasn’t broken.
One element that the development team did decide to tweak
that wasn’t broken was the “Guess the Pitch” portion. In the past, the batter
would attempt to predict the pitch that was about to be thrown and in turn would
effect the pitcher’s momentum with removing pitcher’s power and accuracy if the
batter guessed correctly. Previously, it worked quite well with the pitcher
having to make a good effort to conceal his pitch and the batter working hard to
understand the pitcher’s pitch rotation. In MLB 09 the development team
has given the batter the benefit of the doubt more often then not when they
guess the pitches and the game now favors the batters over the pitchers. The
pitcher must be as masterful as Nolan Ryan to keep momentum in his favor and
keep his accuracy and power meter up. On the other hand, all it takes is an
inexperienced batter for the pitcher to weave his webs of deceit when it comes
to striking them out.
Baserunning may have been the weakest spot in MLB 08
and it hasn’t been touched up at all in MLB 09. Due to little hiccups,
you’ll often be thrown out in close throws when stealing bases and rounding for
doubles or triples. On the flipside, fielders will miss the ball more and make
errors due to that the game relies on the stats of the players rather than
following routes that they have to make. It’s a little disappointing to see
Torii Hunter missing easy catches, but it happens to the best of them. Sure,
Golden Glovers won’t make as many mistakes, but if my boy Torii Hunter is making
errors, then you can expect what lesser players will accomplish.
Changes have been made to the game modes too. First off the
King of the Diamond mini-game has been totally eliminated with no trace in
sight. There is a Home Run Derby to spend some time with, but as a distraction,
there isn’t much replay value. There has also been the addition of a Legend Mode
where you’ll face off against all-star MLB players both in the box and on the
mound. It’s not too thrilling, but it does help fill that void of King of the
Diamond.
Outside of that, Franchise Mode and Road to the Show have
returned and are basically what you’ve experienced from last year. The Road to
the Show allows players to create a prospect to bring him to the major leagues
to make a name on a team. With pitiful baserunning due to bad camera angles,
it’s hard to recommend spending the majority of your time in the mode. The
Franchise Mode has received implementation of coaching staffs to aide your team
from pitching coaches to base coaches. The Franchise Mode is overly in-depth and
fantastic that it’s a recommendation that any gamer that can’t get enough
dynasty modes in their sports titles that they pick up MLB 09.
Online options have been improved upon with Infrastructure
and Ad Hoc play. Lag has been minimal but then again, the lag does blip up on
the radar from time to time. In addition, the graphics are somewhat lackluster
with a lot of texture issues for the fields and stadiums. Also, the audio is
still superb with customizable soundtracks and great commentary. So for the
technical aspects, MLB 09 is a mixed bag. The best recommendation for
gamers is that they only purchase MLB 09 if they need a new baseball game
on their PSP and can overlook the flaws.
Gameplay: 7.0
Road to the Show isn’t like its console predecessors, but
at least the Franchise Mode is up to par.
Graphics: 6.0
Even though there are solid animations, MLB 09
doesn’t have enough graphical power to show off the PSP’s power.
Sound: 8.1
The customizable soundtrack is brilliant since the game’s
own soundtrack is underwhelming.
Difficulty: Easy / Medium
Concept: 6.0
Removal of King of the Diamond was disappointing, but the
lack of new features was even more unacceptable.
Multiplayer: 7.0
The lag may hinder your enjoyment out of the title, but if
you can push through it and find great connections, then you’ll have some fun.
Overall: 7.0
MLB 09 doesn’t set new grounds, but it does a
serviceable job not screwing everything up. Last year’s version was somewhat
better, so it’s unfortunate that this year’s iteration took a step back.
