MLB 11 The Show News Post

MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

07:03 PM - February 22, 2011 by Pared

The MLB 11 The Show demo is available now. It weighs in at roughly 3 GB and features the Texas Rangers vs. the San Francisco Giants, in a 4 inning World Series rematch.

Please post your impressions here.

DO NOT post that you are downloading the demo, what % the download is at, the fact that you are starting to install it, etc.

IMPRESSIONS ONLY please.

Game: MLB 11 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3Votes for game: 57 - View All

MLB 11 The Show Videos

Member Comments

# 81 nmycon @ 02/22/11 10:16 PM

has anyone else seen the "tip" about interactive replays?!

this is amazing! we don't have to settle for the lo-res XMB replays anymore!

can't believe this i hadn't heard about this up till now!

# 82 Jgainsey @ 02/22/11 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLite14


	I can't decide if the commentary was slightly improved or made worse by Karros. There was one instance where Karros and Vasgersian actually were talking to eachother about why the Giants were a championship team, but it sounded kind of funny. Something just sounds different from the others when Karros talks.

I hated Rex as much as the next guy here, but Karros is definitely not the answer to any of the problems in that department. Other than simply having a less annoying speaking voice than Rex, it's probably worse in every other way.

It has a very tacked on sound to it, and hardly ever sounds natural. Plus, it doesn't help that Karros sounds completely different than the other two guys. I don't know if they recorded him in a different manner, but whatever it is, awkward sounding commentary is the result.

On the plus side, this is basically the only gripe I have so far... everything else is great.

# 83 blueduke @ 02/22/11 10:18 PM

My thoughts:

1. Analog pitching......LOVE IT
2. Analog hitting.......HATE IT. Switched to zone hitting
3. Camera angles....love the fact there's so many. If you can't find an angle you like you're blind
4. Announcers.....LOVE the fact there's now a slider to turn off the annoying ones. Karros like Hudler annoys me so he will not be heard in my games. Thank you for this slider, SCEA. Thank you.
5. Gameplay is butter smooth. The Show is the sole reason I bought a PS3

# 84 padsfan92 @ 02/22/11 10:23 PM

Alright here's the situation. Bases are loaded there are 2 outs in the 8th in a 0-0 game. I'm the Giants. Lincecum throws a changeup in the dirt that strikes Josh Hamilton out. The ball is sitting right in front of Posey while the runners advance. The only problem is Posey stands up and forgets how to move. I tried moving him around and he just wouldn't budge so I had to watch the go ahead run cross the plate.

Really hoping this is fixed by the time the retail version comes out

# 85 PLite14 @ 02/22/11 10:23 PM

2 more things:

-The shin guards seem to fit the players' legs now a lot better (last year the straps would 'float in mid-air' if a player wore high socks).

-Adrian Beltre just hit a home run and his trot around the bases looked very unnatural. The running animation just didn't seem smooth. Hopefully it was tweaked in the final build.

# 86 the_riot @ 02/22/11 10:23 PM

I've been a classic pitching guy, but I am liking the analog pitching so far. About the analog hitting, is there any element of aiming at the ball, or is it purely a timing thing? I'm sticking with zone hitting right now, I might try it later if someone can answer this question.

# 87 Clarke_311 @ 02/22/11 10:23 PM

Until further notice, I've decided to switch back to the regular hitting and keep the analog pitching on.

# 88 Jgainsey @ 02/22/11 10:23 PM

They really nailed the night game lighting this year. I don't know if it's just me, but this really adds to the realism. Last year was ok, but the 2 previous games looked really dull at night. Not this year!

# 89 DickDalewood @ 02/22/11 10:24 PM

Analog hitting:

Pull back as the pitcher releases, then use a nice smooth follow through as you push forward. It can't be a herky jerky motion, and you need to time that step back properly. Patience fellas.

# 90 Grnngld @ 02/22/11 10:24 PM

As an A's fan, I had major trouble deciding which team to play as. Finally decided to go with the Rangers, the "lesser" of two evils. After 3 4 inning games, here are my impressions:

Positives:

Hitting and Pitching analog system: When I first heard about this new feature, I wasn't excited. I played 2k's analog feature and never found it to be exciting, intuitive, or worth the trouble. The meter system/button presses were fine for me in MLB '10 and I fully expected to not bother with MLB '11's new system. After 3 games, SCEA has convinced me that the analog system is the way to go. The pitching is simply awesome. It's slightly more difficult to hit your spots (more user walks is always good as last year, it was way too easy to have no walks per game even with, say, Gio Gonzalez) while not being frustrating or unnecessarily difficult. And for me, the learning curve was not that steep at all. I definitely don't see it being a chore to throw ~140 pitches per game with this system. Intuitive, simple, yet challenging...that's the way it should be.

As for the hitting, I quite enjoyed it as well. It's not nearly as much of an improvement as the new pitching system is over the old pitching system but it's still worth a shot. But yes, the learning curve is slightly steeper. I find the load then swing aspect of the controls to be very realistic (for those of you having trouble, I recommend you pull back on the stick, the "load" aspect, at the end of the pitcher's windup, right before the pitcher releases the pitch). The size of the PCI changes depending on when you "load" (pull back the RS) so it definitely matters. But once you get your timing down, it becomes much more intuitive and rewarding.

Also, there's 3 swing types this year: regular, power, and the new contact swing. With the new contact swing, it's much much harder for the user to strike out. I've had nearly 3 ~10 pitch at bats with various Rangers batters per game, as they kept fouling pitches off!

I should mention that I'm playing on Veteran for both pitching and hitting. Personally, it seems like it's a lot easier than last year's Veteran (I scored 5+ runs off Lincecum in all three games, even while learning all the new controls) so you may want to adjust as necessary.

Stealing: My biggest pet peeve has finally been fixed. Stealing is a lot easier. CPU Catchers actually throw something other than a bullet on a line to the second baseman, batters take better jumps (still not user controlled), and sliding doesn't mean the runner automatically enters a mud pit. After 3 games, I've realized that the ability to make Crawford or Reyes steal 50 or more bases is actually a possibility this year!

Weather effects: Very effective and noticeable. It takes much longer for it to get to night time and you can see the transition very well. Last year, the day-night transition for night games was completely the same all the time.

Player models: Improved in all regards. No more boxy shoulders, no more T Rex arms (as a matter of fact, the arms might actually be a little too long this time around!), no more tiny head attached to a ridiculously large body (I'm looking at you 2010 Jack Cust). Just look at the new player model for Pablo Sandoval and you'll see the difference.

I'll put the negatives in a separate post. But in any case I'd have to say, as someone who was on the fence about purchasing this game, I can definitely see enough gameplay improvements to warrant a purchase. As for improvements to franchise and general improvements with glitches, bugs, etc, we'll just have to see.

But as of right now, SCEA has done enough to convince me to put in a preorder for MLB '11 The Show.

# 91 JT2111 @ 02/22/11 10:28 PM

I have only played one game so this comes from a small sample size but I love the new analog controls. The only thing I have noticed is when you just stand there and take a pitch the hitter animation is a little off. Try to just stand there for a pitch.

# 92 MarinersVsDodgers @ 02/22/11 10:30 PM

Noticed a little more new commentary

had to point that out...
Beltre made 3 diving catches, a little surprised, but I suppose hes an OK defender.

# 93 Skyboxer @ 02/22/11 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	Zone hitting: Pull back as the pitcher releases, then use a nice smooth follow through as you push forward. It can't be a herky jerky motion, and you need to time that step back properly. Patience fellas.

Dont you mean analog hitting?

# 94 AlexOvechkin @ 02/22/11 10:40 PM

my pitching is getting better and better every inning... but my hitting sucks big time! Wilson threw a perfect game, no hitter and a one hitter in my first 3 games... I'm playing on veteran. looks like I need lots of batting practise in the near future.

# 95 TartanElk @ 02/22/11 10:40 PM

I'm really lovin' the ability to turn on subtitles as someone who has trouble hearing every now and again.

Analog pitching is pretty fun, and a lot easier and more intuitive than I would've thought it would be. The hardest part is putting the curve on the ball on the upside of the stick movement. I feel like it's going in the opposite direction of where I swing it a lot.

Analog hitting, is even harder than I would've thought it would be. The reaction time on this is incredibly quick and you're gonna have to have fast eyes for this one. I hit A LOT better with the Rangers than Giants, it may be attributable to them having superior hitters, and I like that feeling a lot. I pitched better with Lincecum than with Wilson, like I expected.

Overall, very solid.

# 96 Clarke_311 @ 02/22/11 10:44 PM

Just had a two-run walkoff home run by Cody Ross!!! I loved the celebration too, as he mocked Kendry Morales by taking off his helmet and walking very slowly into home plate before being malled by the rest of the team.

# 97 Rattler17 @ 02/22/11 10:45 PM

Only played a couple game, sure some say its the same game as lastyear but lets be honest, SCEA did so much so fast that there really wont be any leaps and bounds look or even game play wise from season to season. I only have one issue with this years game.

Commentary: sure there are a couple new sayings but ultimately its stale,boring and a few seconds behind every play. A completely new team (Bob Euker anyone?) and some how having them be a bit faster with the calls as far as fly outs and home runs (lets be honest there are homers where its gone no doubt) it would add an element of serious drama and excitement.

# 98 Grnngld @ 02/22/11 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clarke_311


	Just had a two-run walkoff home run by Cody Ross!!! I loved the celebration too, as he mocked Kendry Morales by taking off his helmet and walking very slowly into home plate before being malled by the rest of the team.

That animation is nothing new. It was also in '10.

# 99 Clarke_311 @ 02/22/11 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grnngld


	That animation is nothing new. It was also in '10.

*shrug* It was the first time I saw it, so it felt pretty cool to me.

# 100 theaub @ 02/22/11 10:48 PM

How do you call time when hitting?

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