Being a Canadian, I
know that I’m supposed to have hockey in my veins. It’s April. The NHL playoffs
are going to full-tilt.
And I couldn’t care
less.
Whether my work as a
sports writer or three years of coaching hockey recently have just pushed me over
the hockey edge, I’m truly hockey-ed out. My sports focus is on baseball and
football these days, specifically the Toronto Blue Jays and Buffalo Bills.
And right now, I’m in
full-on Jays mode.
Thankfully, as a gamer
I can get a virtual fix courtesy of Sony’s ever-improving MLB franchise. This
year, MLB 12 The Show (PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita) has somehow managed to
once again top itself to stand firmly atop the virtual baseball mountain.
Let’s start with what
The Show added to the mix a few years back: The Road to the Show mode. This
time around, you can start at AA and play actual baseball, working your way up
to the majors by playing well in any situation, rather than having to complete
little in-game tasks that could take away from the flow of an actual game. For
instance, as a pitcher you would often be tasked with striking out the side in
order to score points. With a man on, it made no baseball sense to go for the
strike out when a double play ground ball was what you needed. Yet you would be
punished for doing that. Not now. And the mode is so much more true to life for
it.
The season and
franchise modes remain outstanding, thanks to amazing graphics and a revamped
broadcast style presentation that makes use of multiple camera angles to try to
give you the feel of taking in a real TV event. The broadcast play-by-play
remains one of the weaker elements, but the game is so damn good that you can
easily tune out the announcers and just enjoy the action and visuals.
Controls have been
augmented, with more Move support added. I’m not a huge fan of this thing. If I
wanted to burn my arm out, I’d reach for a Wii Remote. But if you want the
gimmick of trying to swing or pitch like a virtual big leaguer, this game will
give you a chance.
A new Diamond Dynasty
mode that lets you build a franchise from the ground up with real and created
players, having them for set amounts of games and short seasons is promising,
although I didn’t spend much time with it. I’m more into The Show and the franchise
modes.
Overall, MLB 12 The
Show is a beauty, from top to bottom. It is truly one of the best sports games
ever released and other developers would be well-served by taking note of Sony’s
attention to detail.
You can also save a
game to Sony’s Cloud system and continue playing on either the Vita or PS3, so
you don’t have to play separate seasons anymore if you own both systems. Love
this.
The score: 5 stars out
of 5. Rated E.
* * *
Here’s a quick look at
some other sports titles currently available:
* Tiger Woods PGA Tour
13 (Xbox 360, PS3; Electronic Arts): This year, it all comes down to two
things: The good aspects of the new swing mechanics … and the bad aspects of
it. How well you adapt to the more realistic swing mechanics will determine
whether you enjoy this or not. It’s not easy, but once you get the hang of it,
you are definitely more involved in the game. Shots feel a little less random.
Not crazy about paying for all the extra courses, but that’s life in a DLC
world. Avoid the Kinect function. Pretty weak The score: 3 ½ stars. Rated E.
* Grand Slam Tennis 2
(360, PS3; EA): A decent game for fans who want to learn how to play the
virtual sport. Too simple for the hardcore, who are still best served by the
TopSpin franchise. It’s solid, but unspectacular. The score: 3 stars. Rated E.
* SSX (360, PS3; EA):
Realism in sports games usually isn’t a bad thing, but this snowboarding series
is hampered by a distinct lack of fun and silliness. SSX used to be about
insane tricks and cool moves. That’s been toned way down in favour of more
realism and the game suffers greatly. The score: 2 stars. Rated E.
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