MLB 2k9 was so bad I may actually consider buying a PS3 just to play a coherent baseball sim.

I'll be picking this up since I didn't grab '09. I also want to commemorate the Yankees championship.

From the Show Community page:(http://www.theshowcommunity.com/)

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XdimestorehoodX | February 19th, 2010 at 9:28 am
DEMO PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jason Villa replied on February 19, 2010 at 3:37 pm
So I can see there’s some interest in the Demo. Ok, understatement, I know. I can tell you that we have completed it and it’s been approved. We are working on trying to get it released as soon as possible.

...'

Villa being one of the inside folks for The Show.

My copy should be here by the weekend.

We could do a little round robin just to see how things work. Or start a league, but I think with less then 6 folks or so, it would be hard. But I'm really not sure. Maybe Jake' would like to try and put something together and we can give it a go (I'm still pretty ignorant on how to set things up and etc.).

I think it's a good game. But truthfully it looks much like the last years. Same commentary, same graphics. But that have touched up field play with some fine slowmo replays that are great. I've always liked this game because of the ambiance of things happening around the field beside between the lines. This continues and has more of it. Plus they have refined the player graphics. Corrected some aspects that got tiring (like after you strike out, not always hitting yourself on the helmet...every time(!)), play is smoother with ball release better. Still spectacular movement in the field in catching the ball. Throwing sometimes seems quirky from the outfield (i.e. looking one direction after a catch, and then kind of stiffly moving to throw toward the play). Love the sound of the bad and catching the ball. More options in quick menu for mound visits, bull pen etc.etc.

This is just a quick look based on two exhibition games. So there much more to evaluate and see. I did not play any, 'Road to the Show' (RttS), because sometimes once I start that it's where I stay for awhile:>)

I would definitely like to get to together with some to try out on-line play. But being West Coast and late from work makes it tough except for weekends (well actually Sunday-Monday. I work Tues-Sat...but late Saturday night could work too.).

But basically, this series is one of the best sports games out there. And they only build on what is already 'the' premiere baseball game (this is not from me so much, as the consensus I see in many reviews. But again, I'm sure MLB 2K10 is good too...ymmv.

You can indeed tailor franchise mode so that some of the stuff is automated... when I've played it, I always set things like banking, transportation, and marketing to CPU control, for instance. I'm more of a season guy I think, but I can understand people feeling like they have the entire breadth of a given sport in the palm of their hands, so to speak. Plus there are people at sites like Operation Sports that recreate the actual minor league players at every level for each club, so if you've got the time to get through four or five seasons, when the youngsters come up they will be real world players instead of randomized computer creations.

Improvements that I'm enjoying in '10:

-The real-time presentation option keeps things relatively "un-canned" and keeps a nice, at-the-ballpark feel.

-You can have separate difficulties for pitching and hitting now. Very useful if you're stronger in one aspect than the other.

-The throwing meters in the field actually work now, so there's a bit more risk/reward when fielding.

-Loving the broadcast camera, with its TV-like compressed depth of field. Some people are having trouble fielding with it, but after an adjustment period it's been great for me.

-An option for how long the CPU pitchers take between pitches, which helps speed things up a tad without turning on Fast Play and foregoing all the presentation.

-Relief pitchers no longer get "cold" if you warm them up for too long, which was sort of a ridiculous penalty anyhow. You can also throw warmup pitches off the mound when you bring them in, which is GREAT for adjusting to the timing of a new delivery mid-game.

-Classic stadiums if you pre-ordered. I'm playing a lot of my Mets games at the Polo Grounds, with its bizarre dimensions.

-Pickoff game has improved, with options for normal, quick, and deceptive pickoffs. Plus the CPU isn't so insane about holding you on with a one-step lead.

-Many more options for saving or creating custom highlights.

-Because of a mandatory hard drive install the first time you boot up, getting into a game after that is much faster than in '09, where I got so sick of looking at Dustin Pedroia's teeth.

-Too early to say, but it feels like I'm giving up and drawing more walks than ever before, which I like.

Just had a fantastic finish to a game, and one that I've never seen before in a video game...

Tied at 2 in the bottom of the 10th with 1 out, Chone Figgins blooped a single just over the head of the second baseman. I stole second on the first pitch (a strike) and then worked the count to 2-2. Figuring the pitcher a) wouldn't pitch-out given the situation and b) would probably try to get the hitter to chase something, I took off for third on the pitch. I was correct on both counts, as it was a breaking ball low and inside. The catcher grabbed it, stepped behind the batter as he would in real life and fired to third. Unfortunately for Oakland, he threw the ball too far into foul ground, and it went nearly all the way to the right field wall. Figgins jogged in to win the game.

About time a game implemented this feature. I always hated bringing in a new pitcher into a pressure moment, where every pitch matters, and then having to adjust to his delivery.

Mister Magnus: Sounds like a fun time!

I had a 9 ining on-line game from some Lion313131 (here's here and about). 4-3 with his win. A bit of lag and some pitches that were targeted for homeplate went quite astray. I had a mic, and he a keyboard. So not too much comm going on. I've read the mic's can be iffy again like they were last year. But some workarounds were stated.

The game was fun tho'. He could really hit, I could really strike out:>) But I had a late burst from a tired starter (who got a complete game). Both of us didn't do too well on the base paths. But it was fun. I love the quick pitch-out option. Overall the game played fairly smoothe. The outfielders moved move and threw well. As did the infield.Just once and awhile lag on pitch/hitting took a hit. And I think you had to start early on a swing. But he's the one I should ask for he hit it everywhere. Game looks great. And as in SP, you can save game highlights from an on-line game which is pretty cool.

A league is trying to form over on VGEVO (I played one till it died from there last year). If enough here, say 6-8 teams, it would of course be better. But there's good folks over there.
(http://tinyurl.com/yjqzzb6)

Just got MLB 10 and looking for a league to play in for fun notinhg serious I like playing just not the drama. Anyone can help me I appreciate it truly

Are the load times better, worse or the same as last year?

That always drove me nuts when playing Road to the Show. Great, I'm pinch hitting in the bottom of the ninth and the it took a couple minutes (okay, a minute) to load so I could play for 30 seconds.

This is my first year with The Show, but there are load times in RttS and I've read on other boards that they're about the same.

This is WITH the mandatory 5gb install.

Wait, Donan... you're Toxdon? Didn't we play together in a United League back in '08? Twins vs. Mariners... great series.

Wow! That is a big adjustment.

Personally, I think it shines more in full-game modes, and the variability it has over the course of a series/season, rather than Road To The Show, but I've had my share of fun wih RTTS and plan to devote some time to the new catcher mode, where you can call the game and whatnot. That said, season mode is very scaleable, so a 14 or 29 game season might be a good way to get your feet wet. It's almost like jumping into the late stages of a pennant race, without going through the 162-game grind.

I have a couple suggestions for hitting. Timing is as important than left stick aiming, if not more so, but the standard catcher view they give you makes it really hard to judge the speed of the incoming pitches, I think. Maybe give the off-set camera a spin, since it gives you a very slight side view that makes it easier to differentiate fastballs from off-speed stuff.

It's also important to have an approach in this game. Instead of chasing pitches from the get-go I try and "own" the middle of the plate, at least until I have two strikes against me. Meaning I don't even touch the left-thumbstick with anything less than two strikes on me... I just look for a mistake pitch or anything that drifts over the middle of the plate, then smack it. If it's not coming right down the middle (you start to develop an eye for this as the ball leaves the pitcher's hand) I leave it alone, even if it's going to catch the corner and be called a strike. Good contact is hard to make on those anyhow. The umpires have a tough strike zone across the board this year, so you're just as likely to magically find yourself ahead 2-0 with this strategy, in which case you can definitely look for a fastball down the middle, or push the count to 3-0 and a possible walk.

Down two strikes I'll incorporate the left stick to protect the plate, and generally swing as late as possible to get a bead on the ball coming in, hopefully sending it to the opposite field or at least fouling it off to prolong the at-bat. One of the great joys of this game is making the opposing pitcher throw a lot of pitches... they get tired, and are more likely to make mistakes.

Also make use of negative information via the guess-pitch function. I've got a natural instinct to aim low in the zone as a batter and a weakness against high fastballs (it's just hard for me to recognize that pitch before it's by me already), so with two strikes I'll sometimes guess fastball, high, and Ill either be right and know to aim there ahead of time, or if I'm wrong (the strike zone doesn't turn red) then I'll know I've got an off-speed pitch coming mid-to-low in the zone, and be more ready for it. I think you get a contact penalty for guessing wrong, but I'm still far more likely to do something good with it if I know what is or isn't coming.

Also, make use of the feedback for batting. Hold down L3 before the next pitch and it will tell you the quality of contact and timing you made. Also works when the next batter is up, if you want to see why the last guy got a hit or popped up meekly.

Does any of that make sense?