| OUR RATING:
8.4
GREAT
|
TANGIBLES:
|
 |
Why you should buy it: Spring is here and you’re itching for a great baseball game.
Why you should rent it: You find the game of baseball boring. |
|
UNIQUE RATING:
8.4
  SUGGESTION:
Buy It |
Written by: Chris Selogy | Tags: MLB 09: The Show, Playstation 2
The franchise mode had the biggest additions to any of the offline modes in MLB 09. These included more hardcore features like new contract options, the 40-man rosters, and a calendar-style setup for the off-season that fleshes out the mode for the really hardcore baseball fans. Though these additions mainly just add extraneous stuff that will have to be changed to CPU control for those that just want to play with a team and focus on the core franchise experience. Road to the Show mode gets these same tweaks along with the much-needed ability to edit your player after the initial player creation step.
The gameplay has also received some nice tweaks in MLB 09. Batting and pitching still rely on button presses and not analog sticks like MLB 2K9, but they work well here. Road to the Show has gain a new baserunning mechanic using the left analog stick that is unfortunately the only option for that mode, which requires a more active experience as you must push up to keep running forward and down to running back. It’s a neat idea in practice, but in reality it is clunky and sometimes unresponsive as telling your player to run back keeps him running forward and vice versa to create a frustrating experience at times. Better animations for everyone on the field make ground balls and fly balls entertaining and less frustrating in Road to the Show mode than it’s been in years past.
The online portion of MLB 09 doesn’t get quite the amount of upgrades that its PS3 brethren received this year. The newest feature is the ability to submit custom rosters for everyone to enjoy for any purpose you can come up with. Leagues are definitely still there, but lack the flex scheduling and fantasy drafts that gave them a breath of fresh air in the PS3 version. Really, it’s pretty much the same experience that you were offered in last year’s game, so don’t expect all that much to change for online play this year.
As someone that’s interested in the PS2 version of MLB 09, you should be fully aware that you’re not getting as great of a presentation as what the PS3 version offers. That’s fine since the PS2 looks very good as it is. The players and environments looks nice and clean enough while you have pretty much the same amount of options for your Road to the Show player to customize his look to what you’re allowed to do. The great trio of announcers returns once again to another great season of witty playcalling, observations, and chatter that made them the best sports game announcers for the past few years. The soundtrack is decent fodder for music to listen to in the menus, but may be something you want to turn off once you’ve heard the same songs for the umpteenth time while continuing your franchise or Road to the Show.
MLB 09: The Show on the PlayStation 2 easily got the least amount of upgrades and new features of the trio of offerings this year. If you’re still a stubborn PS2 owner that still has yet to buy a PS3 or even pick-up a PSP, this is definitely the best baseball that you’ll have at your disposal. It’s not the most glamorous version to buy, but there is still plenty of content here to keep you busy for a while. If you’re a huge fan of the series, an upgrade to the PS3 version may blow your mind in all of the right ways.
| The Rule 5 draft that takes place each December is designed to prevent any one team from stockpiling too many young players without playing them, which started in 1959. Notable picks include Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, Bobby Bonilla, and Johan Santana. |
 |
|
 Games, News, Reviews, Media and More |
|
|
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | User Rating: N/A
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | Hype Rating: N/A
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | Hype Rating: 0
|
