MLB 12: The Show
Overview -
If you're reading this I'm going to assume that you like baseball and video-games and preferably in that order. MLB 12: The Show is a deep baseball simulation and you MUST know baseball to get anything out of it. I'm not talking balls, strikes and the in-field fly rule, things any casual fan would be familiar with. I'm talking about knowing when to do a defensive shift when you know the batter likes to pull the ball and how to properly warm up your left handed reliever when you need to sub him in against that left handed power hitting beast that is Adrian Gonzales (who graces the cover). This is a game for the ultimate baseball enthusiast. You want to develop a youngster right out of high school and guide him through the highs and lows of a major league career? You can do that here. Ever wanted to embody Billie Bean and run your own money-ball operation on the Royals? You can do that here, though I would really only recommend that for the severe masochists among us.
Video Review
Ballparks and players are all beautifully rendered in full 1080p HD(unlike the offerings from EA Sports). You’ll notice small details that you’ve taken for granted on actual broadcasts but show up glaring here. The flutter of the knuckleball, the blades of grass bending before a rolling ball, the splintering of a bat are all impressively displayed and really showcase the power of the engine.
Audio Review
My one complaint about the game is the commentary. Baseball announcers are legendary in both their insightfulness and descriptive ability. None of that is present here. From sound bites that gets recycled three times in the same half inning to completely banal commentary “How do you think the weather is going to affect the game today?” there is a lot of improvement that can be made here.
MLB 12: The Show is the best baseball game out there right now . It boosts top notch graphics, animations, game-play and only falters in the commentary. Baseball fans who love the game but don’t quite want to go through the trouble of picking up a bat will find this a happy and very realistic compromise.
