MLB '07: The Show Review - PS3

As is expected with a sports series that has reached its fifth installment on a ripe old platform in its seventh year on the market, MLB 07 doesn't play, look, or sound much different than last season's PS2 game, at least at first glance. The general rule on annual sports updates is subtle refinements over sweeping changes, which means players are in for an encore performance of "The Show," with the same game modes, same camera angles, and nearly identical play mechanics. So what exactly has changed?

Fever Pitch

While pitching once again includes your choice of an arc (to set power and accuracy) or the more traditional "point and shoot" method of delivering the ball, a few new wrinkles have been sprinkled into the mix. The first is the "pitch command system," which adds a horizontal meter above each pitch in a hurler's repertoire. The more successful a pitch is in getting outs or strikes, the more the meter will increase, reflecting a pitcher's confidence in the pitch and improving its effectiveness.

In the Zone

Also new is "adaptive pitching intelligence," which actually takes the fun and strategy out of pitching by having the catcher automatically recommend a pitch and its location based on the score, a batter's real-life tendencies, and so forth. Is it an interesting use of stats? Yes, but the "aim it here, stupid" aspect isn't going to cut it for veteran players or independent thinkers, so most will want to turn it off. A more interesting addition is the option to have the strike zone interpreted by three different umpires. One might call a tight zone, which means you have to have pinpoint control to get strikes called, while another may have a more lenient approach, making the pitcher's job easier.

Swing Vote

At the plate, little has changed. Players can opt for a strictly timing-based approach to hitting, or they can select a combination of timing and analog-based swings that involve manipulating the left stick as the ball crosses the plate. Those who were frustrated by the system in last year's game can now see why they missed a pitch, clicking a button that pulls up a display with your timing, swing location, and pitch location so you know if you were too late, too early, or in an entirely different zip code.

Stronger Arms and Legs

The lone change to the defensive controls includes something borrowed from the competition: a meter that lets you put some oomph on a throw at the risk of it sailing away from its target. Base running has also changed to a small degree, with a targeting system that lets you quickly isolate a specific runner simply by nudging the analog stick left, right, or up. Once a runner is highlighted, he can be told to advance to the next base by pressing the appropriate face button.

A League of Your Own

The area with the most improvements is easily the online component, which now features the ability to create or join a 30-team league complete with stat tracking, leaderboards, instant messaging, playoffs, league champions, and rewards. Each league can be customized by choosing the rules, players, teams, and so forth, with the commissioner able to create a private league for friends or a public league for the general masses. User profiles are displayed on baseball cards, which note a particular individual's skill level, online history, ranking, and other pertinent details. Those who tirelessly work at improving the game by adjusting its many sliders can finally upload them to the community, so no longer are online players at the mercy of the default options.

Freeze Frames

While many of these improvements help make the game more playable, especially for those new to the MLB series, there are still other issues that could have been addressed. The game includes some dramatic, fast-paced replays that inject excitement at the plate and on the field, but the majority of visuals are merely adequate. The limited number of camera angles hurts, with no close-up view of the batter's box and a basic fielding view with low, medium, and high angles. The motion-captured animation is extremely fluid, but it often comes at the expense of crisp control, with players having to wait until an animation completes before being able to complete an action. Adding to the troubles is the game's inconsistent frame rate, rearing its ugly head whenever the ball is slapped into play, which messes with your timing when trying to make a catch or a run-saving dive.

On with "The Show"

Despite some uneven spots, MLB 07 is still a fun game to play. The ability to customize the action with AI sliders is a big plus, the career mode lets you role-play as a single athlete with the "road to the show" option, and the broadcast-quality audio is the best to be found in any baseball title released to date. The trio of Matt Vasgersian, Dave Campbell, and Rex Hudler actually sound like they're watching the game unfold in real time, noting how many times a certain hitter has struck out, the number of consecutive hits allowed by a pitcher, and other milestones. MLB 07 may not be a significant step forward for owners of MLB 06, but its online support for custom leagues makes it a strong choice for fantasy baseball junkies looking to extend their fix beyond the box scores.

Article by: Scott Alan Marriott
Video produced by: Paul Bonnano