MLB 12: The Show, is yet another game in the best baseball simulation series for any system ever.

Why is this?

There are a multitude of reasons why this year's game is even better than last's, and a lot of it is thanks to a much improved ball and player physics system. It makes the game about a million times more life like, than last year's installment.

The best gets better, and it'll continue to get better... but enough of my fanboying...

Graphics - 9

I was debating... but in the end, I couldn't give it more than a 9. While these are the best graphics in ANY sports game, to get the real prize, you need to have an HD TV, and the right wires. But boy is it ever worth it. I never thought a game could look so lifelike... especially a sports game, which traditionally don't look all that incredible. First off, I love how they rendered the parks, including the new Marlins Park, for this game. They are all incredibly life like, except for a few ads that obviously can't be reproduced in game. Every park has a very distinct feel to it, and it's not hard to really notice that.

One minor gripe I have is the Day-Night transitions. They are better than last year, but they are far too noticeable. Time and time again, I will look up, see blue sky, and look up on the next play, and see that the sky is pitch black. That aside, the only other graphical qualms with this game are on almost unnoticeable things, like dirt flying in the air after a slide (too grainy... anyone who plays baseball knows when you slide, dust kicks up, and the dirt particles themself aren't noticeable.) and sweat on a cap (the sweat is on the cap literally all game... even if your guy JUST came into the game.)

Also of note is the interface. I was debating where to place this, but it's here for one reason... while the menus themselves are VERY aesthetically pleasing, this does not hold true for the text on screen in submenus, and on player cards. I had to get right next to the TV to read what some of the stats were called, since the text wasn't bright enough to see from farther away. On top of that, the text was far too small to realistically read on my television. It's something I really hope is improved next year.

Overall, the game looks great, but CAN look better, and I fully expect it to look better next year.

Sound - 8

I was torn on how I was going to grade this. The ingame music SUCKS. And that's no exaggeration. Below is the entire tracklist for the game.


Band-Song
Atmosphere - "She's Enough"
Hooray for Earth - "No Love"
JEFF the Brotherhood - "U Got the Look"
Justice - "New Lands"
The Black Keys - "Gold on the Ceiling"
The Chain Gang of 1974 - "Devil Is a Lady"
The Futureheads - "Struck Dumb"
The Mars Volta - "Zed and Two Naughts"
The Parlor Mob - "Into the Sun"
The Sheepdogs - "Learn My Lesson"

None of these are baseball songs, in fact, I muted ALL of them as soon as I started the game, and proceeded to put my own music into the game...

Yeah, that's right. The Show is one of the few titles on the PS3, that allows you to import a custom library for your game. It's why it got a high score despite horrible tracks being packaged with the game. On my system, I often hear baseball related songs like "Tessie" by the Dropkick Murphies, which is my favorite baseball song ever.

Moving along, the broadcasting was really upped a notch this year. Matt Vasgersian, Dave Campbell, and Eric Karros are a joy to listen to... for about 3 months. I'll be honest, I play this game a ton, much more than the average person. I've heard the same sound byte several times. This is because I play the game a lot, not because they have limited commentary. I've probably got some more left to listen to, but I believe I've heard 90% of the sound bytes at this point.

But aside from fantastic broadcasting, the on the field sounds are also much improved. The fans sound vibrant when the home team is doing well, and they sound silent or hostile, depending on how bad the slaughter is if the away team is up. There's nothing quite like taking the Red Sox into Yankee Stadium and leading a rout, only to hear the boos and jeers of angry Yankees fans. The crack of the bat more accurately depicts how hard the ball was hit, and you can also occasionally here things like the thud of the ball against the glove.

But one can't forget homerun celebrations, by far the most over the top being the ones in Miami's new ball park. Every time the home team hits a home run, the most god awful, but funniest thing happens. I won't tell you here if you haven't seen it, but if you are THAT curious... go to Youtube and type up Marlins Ballpark Home Run Feature, or something to that effect. It's worth the time... haha

Addictiveness - 10

Baseball is my favorite sport, this game kept my love of baseball strong. Even when real life is dealing your team a s*** hand, it's nice to pretend your team is dominant. I've played this game, and all of it's modes inside and out, and I'm still not done. I've still got so much I want to play, and it's been a joy ever since opening it on release day.

At this point, I'll mention the Two (to Thirty) player Franchise Mode that has made my life fun ever since it was implemented in a game. See, me and my pal, we both love baseball, and we both love pretending we run teams, but we are poor and can't afford major league teams... I know, first world problems.

But in this game, it's possible for you AND a friend to compete head to head with your own custom teams against all the others for the grandest of prizes... a world series championship. And new this year is the ability to play CO OP in games. In the past, if me and a friend wanted to co op, we had to set duties. I'd do the pitching, he'd do the hitting, and we'd switch controllers... tedious. But now all you have to do is set up a few options pre game and you are set! Awesome!

Story - nill

There really isn't a story. Unless you count Road to the Show, and I don't. Road to the Show is essentially your career mode, and your goal is to go from being a AA starter to playing in the majors and being a hall of famer.

Needless to say, it's a typical career mode. It's got advancement goals that are generally things you will accomplish anyway, and certain things for you to do to become a major leaguer... but as long as you don't totally suck, it's not hard to succeed.

Depth - 9

I'm doing this based on the fact all sports games are big... and the fact that there are loads of fun game modes.

Here's a run down.

Franchise - Full big league experience. MLB, AAA, and AA playable teams during mode, as well a a Class A to hold a few players without using a roster space (good for prospects).

Season - 162 game (customizable length) season with a playoff at the end. I don't use this much, Franchise is better.

Road to the Show - Career Mode

Home Run Derby - Well... anyone who likes baseball knows what this is. If you don't, youtube "Home Run Derby"

Rivalry Mode - The ultimate mode for you if you and your friend just want to do Red Sox - Yankees, or any rivalry, fictional or not for a set amount of games. Pretty awesome really.

Diamond Dynasty (online only) - It's kind of hard to explain. You are given your own online team. The players you start out with are all fictional. If you play games, you get "cash" which lets you buy player cards. You can buy more fictional players (cheaper but last longer and can be developed) or MLB Players (which are more expensive, can't improve, and only last 10 games). Your uniform, your team name, everything, is up to how YOU want to design your team. You can play against MLB teams (computers) or other Diamond Dynasty teams... it's a lot more complex, but that's the gist of it.

On top of that, there are Roster Vaults and player vaults.

Want a player made Barry Bonds for your New York Yankees team for whatever reason? Look here! Although, if you are like me, and just want the most realistic experience, you will download the O.S.F.M set (Operation Sports Full Minors) which gives EACH TEAM a very good representation of the top prospects and even the lesser prospects within the organization. It's really well done, and is one of the most downloaded roster sets.

Difficulty - 1 if you play on rookie, 7 if you play on Legendary. I play on All Star, so I'll be rating it 5.

The difficulty is really whatever you set it at. The game itself isn't hard, and neither is the platinum trophy. If you are chasing that, the hardest trophy will likely be the one where you have to get a perfect game. I got mine with Dan Haren of the Angels, while trying to get a win with every team. If you are going to try, practice until you find a pitching style you like (Meter, Classic, Pulse, or Pure Analog.) I personally use Pure Analog, but the flavor of the season is Pulse, so at least give it a try before moving on.

Another difficult trophy to get could be the one where you have to beat the Yankees on Legendary difficulty. It took me three tries to get it myself, but I'm also a pretty seasoned player.

I wish you luck if you chase the platinum.

Overall - 9.7

I have to give it a high score, simply because of this one very true statement.

The best gets better.

This game IS without a doubt the best baseball simulation on the market. MLB 2k12 doesn't even come close. No game comes close. It's one of the many reasons a PS3 is worth buying, especially if you love baseball.

From the commentary to the gameplay, to the physics and the sounds of the stadium...

I don't know if I'll ever get tired of this game... until MLB 13 the Show

Woah. Leggy is doing Game Reviews again? What is this world coming to? XD

Just kidding. However, the review was very well done. No where near the style that I use. I like it. I am about to play a game on XBOX 360. I might even end up doing a review for it. 

But this game? Ha. I should have expected you to do it, you baseball nerd. Keep up the great work, man.

thing1 :

I do reviews all the time, but lately I felt the need to review games I've already finished.

I'm working on reviews for 3 other games right now, which will be published when I beat them.

legacyme3 : You really don't like the soundtrack in this game?  I really like most of the songs on here, but I guess it is based of your musical preference.  I guess the only song that fits with the game would be "Learn My Lesson" because it goes really well with the intro movie.

I play this game with my cousin and it was so fun top play, and I hit most of the home run. Ha he a suck at sports game. Great review on a excellent game.