• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

MLB Off-Season 2011: Only a few more weeks until the radio talks about baseball again

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sharp

Member
AnEternalEnigma said:
There's some speculation that the mystery team who put in the 10-year, $225 million bid on Pujols was the Nationals.
Click to expand...
To which I say: meh. He would not be a big enough upgrade for us offensivey / defensively to be worth anything close to that kind of contract even disregarding the fact that his ZIPS projections are likely largely accurate.
 
E

eznark

Banned
Windu said:
I guess that is more evidence that the braves are going to give patronicky the job. I thought they would have resigned gonzalez if they could give him a 1 year deal.
Click to expand...

Maybe he wants to play for a winner?

Karakand said:
Even in Tea Party Fantasy Land where high income earners can't tax plan and have to pay the statutory rates I have no idea how one arrives at 40 million in state taxes for Poopjols.
Click to expand...

Me neither. I didn't look into it (which is why I said supposedly. I should have said "unnamed source" they are never questioned!) Just a number the guys on ESPN St. Louis mentioned.
 
F

Fenix

Member
Cue a bunch of assholes raging about Rogers buying a part of MLSE instead of spending that money on free agents.
 
V

verbum

Member
eznark said:
Maybe he wants to play for a winner?
Click to expand...

You'll enjoy his defense at SS once he gets synchronized with your infield.
His offense comes and goes. Just when you are at the stage of wanting to go to the ballpark and throw something at him for not hitting for a month, BAM, he hits a nice HR at the right time.

"Seabass" is his nickname.
I read somewhere he has a daughter that is on a ventilator at home. He apparently never talks about it.
 
E

eznark

Banned
All of that I knew...what I can't believe is his fucking GIDP's. The hell?! 19! Absurd. Seems like it would be tough to ground into that many double plays and still strike out so much. Crazy.

That said, he's a full run better than Betancourt so this is seriously a massive upgrade.
 
D

Dmncnby2k9

Banned
blog.us.playsation.com said:
Batter Up: MLB 12 The Show for PS3 and PS Vita
+ Posted by Sid Shuman // Senior Social Media Specialist

Despite my bulging pectorals, rippling six-pack abs, and chiseled physique, I’m honestly not much of an athlete. But I don’t need to be a sports expert to see the appeal behind MLB 12 The Show, the slavishly faithful baseball simulation that consistently ranks as the sport’s most respected gaming franchise. At a holiday showcase event in New York City last night, I took a few swings with an early build of MLB 12 The Show, including the PlayStation Move-enhanced PS3 edition and the all-new PS Vita iteration.

The game’s community manager, Ramone Russell, described how the San Diego team began development with a gruelingly in-depth focus test. The goal: to suss out what core players didn’t like about last year’s edition. “The key feedback we heard involved our presentation and commentary, so that’s our number one focus this year.” Russell described a new feature called True Broadcast Presentation, which accurately recreates broadcast camera cuts and other presentation signatures you’d see in a televised MLB broadcast. “We’re trying to blur the lines between baseball simulation on your PS3 and what you’d see on MLB.TV sitting on your couch,” Russell explained. “When a batter strikes out, the camera will cut and you will see his face, his anger.”

Commentary, which Russell specifically described as the “number one complaint” from last year’s game, is seeing a similarly massive overhaul. “You’ll hear more season-specific commentary, more conversation pieces,” Russell explained. “The commentators are going to talk about the MVP race, the Cy Young race, the series that you played in two days before. They’re going to talk about how your pitcher is having an awful year because he’s 5 and 15.”

Expansive PlayStation Move support is another key upgrade this year, being tightly integrated into almost every facet of the game, from batting to pitching to fielding to baserunning. Then there’s the hotly anticipated PS Vita version, which will mirror virtually every game feature, mode, and mechanic from the PS3 version and displays graphics that sparkle on the system’s 5’’ OLED screen. You’ll also be able to share your PS3 save files to the cloud, then pull them down on PS Vita and pick up your progress seamlessly.
I sat down with Russell to dig into the all the new details. If you’ve got further questions, let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to get you answers.

PlayStation.Blog: What’s your personal favorite addition this year?
Ramone Russell, Community Manager: I think it’s our new ball physics. Our programmer ripped out every line of last year’s code and completely re-invented the way the ball acts. It’s a nerd feature, but it adds so much to the game. The baseball gains and loses energy like a real baseball, and if you go into replay, you can count the rotations – that ball is going to spin the way it’s supposed to. This opens up the game because we have bloopers, ricochets off the bases, balls going into no man’s land….it’s much more dynamic and engaging.

PSB: Let’s talk turkey on PlayStation Move. It’s not just for batting, right?
RR: Last year was just Home Run Derby mode, but this year it’s used for batting, pitching, fielding, and base running. There is a learning curve to all of this, but we wanted to make it more fun than just flicking your Move at the screen over and over. That would get boring!
Batting’s much better. Last year, you just saw a floating bat, which created a disconnect. This year, you see the full batter on screen and he’ll move his bat around as you move your bat around. Pitching is really simple: you grab the Move, draw it back, and “throw” it like a real baseball. For fielding, you’ll actually catch the ball when you’re playing with Move, then flick it over to throw it to first base, flick it up for second base, or down for home plate. When you’re running bases, you’ll play as the base runner coach. To signal to your runner to advance, you swirl the Move clockwise; to stop him, you hold the Move straight up. We wanted to be creative with the motion control support, so we hope people like it.

PSB: What was the overall goal for the PS Vita version of MLB 12 The Show?
RR: We started out with a prototype phase. We had to decide on what kind of experience we wanted to give PS Vita players – it’s a handheld, so the play sessions are usually quicker. We thought about doing something totally different, maybe an arcade version of baseball. But we ultimately thought it made the most sense to recreate the entire PS3 experience on PS Vita. The Vita’s powerful enough to do that. So every single feature this year, from MLB 09, 10, 11 are all in the PS Vita version.
We’re also taking advantage of the unique hardware. You can use the front touch to navigate menus or select pitches, and you can use the back touchscreen for fielding and pick-offs.

Have you designed any special modes for PS Vita to accommodate those quicker play sessions?
Yep, that was important because research shows that handheld players play for 15 to 30 minutes, tops. We give you the ability to fast-play through a game by cutting out a lot of the presentation, the camera cuts, to shorten the length of games.
Will PS3 and PS Vita players be able to compete with each other online?
Not this year. It’s something that’s on our radar and we’ll investigate for next year.

Will the PS Vita version include multiplayer at all?
In some way, shape or form, yes. We’re still in the works on that.

What’s the release timeframe for the PS Vita version?
It’ll be release in a similar timeframe as the PS3 version. We haven’t nailed down the exact timing yet for either game, but you can expect it around the same timeframe as the PS3 version this spring.

Graphically, how would you say the PS Vita version stacks up to the PS3 game?
When you see it, I think you’ll be surprised. Vita’s a powerhouse. We have it locked at 30 frames per second, and the visuals are very comparable to the PS3 version. That’s something we just couldn’t accomplish on PSP.
You’ve been suspiciously quiet about multiplayer modes so far – you’re probably still ironing out the details, but can you give PlayStation.Blog readers a sneak peek of what’s in store?

For PS3, we have a brand-new mode that is really, really innovative. Nobody has every done a multiplayer mode like this in any sports game, ever. We’re going to reveal it in early 2012. So in addition to the other features I told you about, there’s still this secret feature that we’ll be talking about soon. We think people are going to love it.
“This economy’s been down for the last few years, and it’s hard to ask somebody to spend $60 every year,” Russell concluded. “But we never want anybody to have to think twice about that, we want it to be a no-brainer. There’s so much content here that you’ll never want to touch MLB 11 The Show ever again.”
Click to expand...

cantwaitbartscott.gif
 
V

verbum

Member
eznark said:
All of that I knew...what I can't believe is his fucking GIDP's. The hell?! 19! Absurd. Seems like it would be tough to ground into that many double plays and still strike out so much. Crazy.

That said, he's a full run better than Betancourt so this is seriously a massive upgrade.
Click to expand...

He has spells where he swings at everything. But then after the 2009 season, someone did an analysis and he had, if not the highest, one of the highest pitch counts per AB's on the Braves. But he pulls everything to 3B and SS. This was before Larry Parrish came along and lowered everyone's pitch count.
 
E

eznark

Banned
Dmncnby2k9 said:
cantwaitbartscott.gif
Click to expand...

That reminds me, did you guys see that MLB.tv is coming to 360? Pretty sweet. I love the PS3 app, but my PS3 is wireless while the 360 is connected via hard line so I should get way better picture through 360.

Knowing Microsoft they'll probably charge $500 for it though.
 
V

verbum

Member
eznark said:
That reminds me, did you guys see that MLB.tv is coming to 360? Pretty sweet. I love the PS3 app, but my PS3 is wireless while the 360 is connected via hard line so I should get way better picture through 360.

Knowing Microsoft they'll probably charge $500 for it though.
Click to expand...

Not $500, 15000 points.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
eznark said:
That reminds me, did you guys see that MLB.tv is coming to 360? Pretty sweet. I love the PS3 app, but my PS3 is wireless while the 360 is connected via hard line so I should get way better picture through 360.

Knowing Microsoft they'll probably charge $500 for it though.
Click to expand...
I assume it will require a live account so meh.
 
B

Brinbe

Member
6442937797_31af070468_o.jpg


Well, I'm sold.
 
E

eznark

Banned
Why is it so difficult for game designers to model a freaking chest protector? Good lord, Sony, Buster might be a fragile bitch but he doesn't wear a mattress behind the plate.
 
E

eznark

Banned
acheron_xl said:
Onetime PSP sycophant. I personally find the idea of grinding out an RTTS guy on a handheld to be really appealing.
Click to expand...

It's awesome, I agree. To be honest, if Sony lets you play one RTTS between the two devices I will probably have to buckle and get a Vita.
 
D

darkside31337

Tomodachi wa Mahou
Nobility said:
Looks like I'm buying The Show again this year. Hopefully commentary has changed a lot, after a month, I couldn't stand it anymore.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Commentary in The Show is downright dreadful even for a sports game.

Sucks that the Vita / PS3 versions don't have cross-platform online play. Guess I'll be sticking with the PS3 version unless Sony does something not stupid and gives me the option of buying the Vita option for cheap with the PS3 version.
 
T

The Frankman

Banned
At least I can lead the Mets to the playoffs in 2012 in the GAF Online League!

I should start the campaigning/recruiting process soon. 30 Team Online GAF League.
 
A

acheron_xl

Member
McNei1y said:
I doubt this. My guess was either the reds or the tigers. But If by some chance it was us i'd like to see an attempt at fielder.
Click to expand...

Reds? They're trying to move Alonso because he's blocked by Votto. What would they have done with Pujols?

The Nats really make a lot of sense to me as the mystery team. I've always thought they'd go after Prince.
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
I'm guessing there wasn't even a mystery team.

But, there were rumors that this was seen around Dallas.

4.jpg
 
M

McNei1y

Member
acheron_xl said:
Reds? They're trying to move Alonso because he's blocked by Votto. What would they have done with Pujols?

The Nats really make a lot of sense to me as the mystery team. I've always thought they'd go after Prince.
Click to expand...
Isn't votto a free agent soon? I don't
know. I'm just basing it off a report that the team didn't want to be revealed because they didn't want their veteran first baseman to know. Tigers make sense to me. I don't see why the nats would try to protect laroches feelings ...

It would also make sense for the nats to try for fielder but I think they're staying away because of the price.
 
A

alphaNoid

Banned
Coins said:
You're crazy. Pujols is falling apart. I'm fucking astonished at that contract. You'll think twice when you watch him limp to first base. In 3 years he will be a good, not great, player who is no where near the amount of money he will be owed. As a Cards fan, I thank you guys profusely by taking him from the Cards.
Click to expand...

Bitter tears, keep 'em coming.
KuGsj.gif
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
Pujols does have some injury risk. He's been battling elbow issues since '03, and was moved to 3B, then eventually moved to 1B after the Tino Martinez trade. He's underwent two surgeries on his elbow, and also has plantar fasciitis. After watching almost every game he's played in, there is a difference in his running, and also missing pitches that he never missed in previous years. Stats do show that most of his offensive numbers have declined over the past 4 seasons.

The decline will set in, but no doubt, he'll be a premiere player for most of the contract. I think, for the Angels, it was a good move.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
alphaNoid said:
Bitter tears, keep 'em coming.
KuGsj.gif
Click to expand...
I don't see what is crazy about the assumption he might see a big decline. He already has some injury problems, he is over 30 and plays 1B because he isnt althetic enough to play other positions. Not the type of player I would want to give a 10 year contract to even if he is Albert Pujols.
 
C

clemenx

Banned
I can't believe the Rays pulled another Longoria contract. I don't care it's a pitcher. It's the Rays. It will work and Moore will win 8 cy youngs with that contract.
 
L

Little Green Yoda

Member
nemss said:
Pujols does have some injury risk. He's been battling elbow issues since '03, and was moved to 3B, then eventually moved to 1B after the Tino Martinez trade. He's underwent two surgeries on his elbow, and also has plantar fasciitis. After watching almost every game he's played in, there is a difference in his running, and also missing pitches that he never missed in previous years. Stats do show that most of his offensive numbers have declined over the past 4 seasons.
Click to expand...
Now that he's gotten his mega-contract, I wonder if he'll keep putting off that TJ surgery.

I believe his "offensive decline" is mostly attributed to him swinging at stuff outside the zone more and more the past few seasons. That coupled with his contact% is probably why keeps hitting into so many DPs. Maybe he won't press as much now that he doesn't have to worry about his next contract or his .300 / 100 RBI streak?

If he starts being a bit more patient and gets less unlucky on BABIP, there's no reason to believe he doesn't have another 3-4 really, really good seasons at the plate.
 
B

bluemax

Banned
When will The Show catch up to High Heat Baseball?

I actually preferred the PSP version of the Show. RTTS was perfectly balanced for taking a crap and playing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Locked
MLB 2020 (Off-season/Spring Training/Regular Season) : Baseball is dull only to dull minds
|OT| 6 7 8 9 10
484
44K
West Texas CEO replied
MLB Post Season |OT| BYOB
2 3 4
178
11K
Musky_Cheese replied
  • Locked
MLB and MLBPA agree to new CBA, All-Star Game to no longer determine World Series HFA
2
70
5K
AnimeFantasy replied
NBA 2015- 16 Regular Season IOTI - NBA GAF Is Pretty Dead Considering This Fact
307 308 309 310 311
16K
787K
Andrew Korenchkin replied
  • Locked
  • Poll
MLB Off-Season 2011: Only a few more weeks until the radio talks about baseball again
0
443K
eznark replied
Top Bottom