Product DescriptionMLB '06: The Show brings an all-new dimension to hardball. The gaming mechanics and new game modes help you recreate the experience of real-world baseball. Set up and maintain multi-game rivalries, or jump into duels between pitcher and batter. Save your game to your Memory Stick to preserve your progress, as you make your way through The Show. With the new Historical Greats option, nostalgic fans can go up against baseball's legends New 3-man booth - Rex Hudler, Matt Vasgersian and Dave Campbell provide in-depth commentary Multiplayer gameplay, locally via Ad Hoc Mode or across the nation via Infrastructure Mode
So So (Rating: 3 out of 5) Let me first state that I actually do in fact enjoy playing MLB '06 the show, but my enjoyment won't be apparent in my review which is actually reads like more of a rant! I feel that this game consists of some really annoying glitches and features that plague this game:
- The fielders all play gold glove caliber defense, you could relocate David Ortiz to Center Field and he'd be infallible with the glove.
Secondly, there are no gaps in this game because 90 percent of the fielders have cheetah like speed. With that said, they have a tendency of jogging after hard hit balls and yet they still make the catches with ridiculous last minute lunges and dives rather than to run and wait under the ball. It seems that this occurs to add drama more than anything but it is really annoying!
Also, along with the speed, the outfielders seem to have rocket launcher arms with pinpoint accuracy. I can't tell you how hard it is to score with players like Jose Reyes from "SCORING POSITION", I get thrown out time and time again!
It's no better with the infielders! I was once run down by Frank Thomas with Jose Reyes! The infielders, whether it's Jason Giambi or David Ortiz seem to have the decisive edge in speed over the baserunners!
All of these factors combined, it's really difficult to steal bases in this game! I can't tell you how many times my players were caught stealing on knuckle balls!
Basically, if you want to get a hit you better plan on hitting it to the upper deck! But watch out, with some players they just might jump over the wall, run through the concourse and be waiting for it in the upper deck!
- There are also so really bad glitches with fielding. I once had a perfect game broken up with 2 outs in the 9th when a routine ground ball rolled down the first base and directly through my first baseman's legs, who made no effort whatsoever to catch it, he just stood there.
They need to make a 4th column in the box score. It should be: R(uns) H(its) E(rrors) and G(litches)!
It also isn't uncommon for a ball that bounces in front of a fielder to go right through him as he just stands there, where singles are often turned into triples or even inside the park homeruns!
- Also, they should just name this game "Double Play 06 The Show" because that's what it's geared for. I can't tell you how many times I've sat on a fastball or a hanging breaking ball with a runner on first and took a great swing which would normally result in a deep drive, but instead it produces the same results as a low sinker and I end up grounding out feebly! This I feel is their attempt to try to create situations to add to the realism factor, thus making You, the game player a non-factor which really irritates me! If I'm to ground into a double play, at least make sure it's because I went after a bad pitch!
- The broadcasting is atrocious! The game tries so hard to be realistic and they feel that it is their duty to point it out to the stupid game players every chance they get. I think the programmers told Vasgersian "Look, we have a feature in this game where the umpire miscalls balls and strikes, I want you to point it out to the game players!" and the result is that Vasgersian whines at half of the calls, even when they're borderline "AAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD............Whoooaaahoooooo, WHERE DID THAT ONE MISS?" ANNOYING!!!!!!!!!
Something tells me that this isn't Matt Vasgersian's broadcasting style as I think he'd be out of a job by now!
- Oh yeah, and the manual baserunning is extremely flawed in this game. I just play with auto baserunning on but that proves to be quite a frustrating situation as well! They should've had an Auto-Assist feature where the computer would control the baserunning, but you as the player can hit a button to interject, such as when a player stands at 2nd and waits until the ball is on it's way to the infield to start jogging to third base!
The pickoffs are ridiculous too! In actual MLB Baseball, you mights see your team get picked off maybe 2 or 3 times a season. Well in this game, you'll see them get picked off 2 or 3 times a game!
In closing, I actually dislike the game play of MLB '07 the show and prefer the '06 version, but I like the confidence meter with certain pitches that '07 features. I feel that this game would've benefited greatly from such a feature. In this game you can tag a pitcher on the same pitch time and time again and he'll just keep throwing it in the same situations!
Little data, lots of space, only good to hit batters (Rating: 2 out of 5) When I was told I could have this game I was pumped. When I loaded the game and saved my data, it took 3000 kb for rosters, profile, and dynasty. That and it was hard to play without setting everything good and taking about 750 kb. The only way to set the ball in the strike zone is to try and pitch it high. My way of hitting is to just swing and see what happens. Hitting was fairly easy, and playing on easy, I was losing 19-1 in the 3rd. My favorite part of the game is to......... hit batters with fastballs. So overall, 2 over 5.
MLB 06 The Show (Rating: 5 out of 5) Great MLB game for the ps2. Easy to pitch, field, steal, and bat. Has a ton of different modes of play. A lot of editors have given MLB 06 The Show a better rating than MLB 07. Do the research it's a great game.
Too Many Flaws (Rating: 3 out of 5) The regular gameplay itself is okay so other reviews have handled that aspect. I would like to review the extras. Once you create a profile it takes a LONG time to earn enough points to buy the old timers. Then when you do they look just like the regular players with some type of Pirates offshoot jerseys like the all star teams. Plus, the choices for players is really strange. The only eraly era 3rd baseman is George Kell! The other really annoying extra is Career Mode. I played as a SS lasted 28 years, hit over .320, 800+ HRs, 500+ steals, etc. and when I was forced to retire the year after winning the MVP, Silver Slugger, playoff MVP, and World Series MVP all it said was that I retired early before having a chance to find out if I was an All-Star or not. If you play Career Mode hoping to earn the Hall of Fame and a lot of points you will waste a lot of time. Plus, other computer players will end up with 1,400 plus HRs. Also, in the career mode it seems like every other pitcher throws a knuckleball. If you want a good regular baseball game it is good, but don't get it for the extras.
Great game; average gameplay (Rating: 4 out of 5) This game has great graphics for Ps2. The franchise mode is deep and fun. There were glitches. Whenever a pop fly was hit over his head (either by a little or a lot) they would run to it take a couple steps to a different side than the ball side and go back over and dive and make this amazing chatch without even looking with his glove strethced out at torso level. What is up with That?