2012 MLB Games

[Juce734]

Ok so my I want to get a new baseball game for PS3 (haven't had one since EA made the college baseball game on PS2).

MLB 2K12

Impressions of it watching videos on youtube...

1) Looks like fantastic presentation. I really like this in games as it keeps things fresh and interesting I feel.

2) It has my hometown team on the cover with Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (big Tigers fan).

3) The strategy to it seems more realistic.

What I want to know...

1) Playstation Move compatible? My fiance bought me the PS Move for xmas and I haven't played it yet. So I want a fun game I can play with it. She said she would play some baseball if it was compatible too.

2) Do the graphics bring it down that much? The Show looks better graphically but the presentation appears to be lacking a lot.

3) How is Franchise mode as that is my favorite part of any sports game. I love building teams up into dynasties.

MLB The Show

What I know about it...

1) It appears as though most people prefer it because of the graphics and physics.

2) Heard that it gets boring and games can take far too long.

3) I know it is Move compatible. So my fiance would give it a shot for sure.

I just want the most fun game that I can get into for a long time. Been playing NCAA Football 2012 pretty much since it came out. Want a new game to play and since it is baseball season that is what I am probably going to switch my focus to.

[sahyder1]

Picked up MLB 2K12 today. I don't think I've picked up one of these since 2K8. The new pitching style will take some time getting used to.

[Juce734]

Picked up MLB 2K12 today. I don't think I've picked up one of these since 2K8. The new pitching style will take some time getting used to.

Is the game really cool?

[Toe]

I really like My Player mode. Its pretty fun.

[JasonM]

Ok so my I want to get a new baseball game for PS3 (haven't had one since EA made the college baseball game on PS2).

MLB 2K12

Impressions of it watching videos on youtube...

1) Looks like fantastic presentation. I really like this in games as it keeps things fresh and interesting I feel.

2) It has my hometown team on the cover with Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (big Tigers fan).

3) The strategy to it seems more realistic.

What I want to know...

1) Playstation Move compatible? My fiance bought me the PS Move for xmas and I haven't played it yet. So I want a fun game I can play with it. She said she would play some baseball if it was compatible too.

2) Do the graphics bring it down that much? The Show looks better graphically but the presentation appears to be lacking a lot.

3) How is Franchise mode as that is my favorite part of any sports game. I love building teams up into dynasties.

MLB The Show

What I know about it...

1) It appears as though most people prefer it because of the graphics and physics.

2) Heard that it gets boring and games can take far too long.

3) I know it is Move compatible. So my fiance would give it a shot for sure.

I just want the most fun game that I can get into for a long time. Been playing NCAA Football 2012 pretty much since it came out. Want a new game to play and since it is baseball season that is what I am probably going to switch my focus to.

Gotta tell you Juce, MLB 2K12 is a good game. But if you got a PS3 I must really stress you to buy The Show over MLB 2k12.

The thing is first that MLB 2K12 is a fun game, but it has some pretty annoying flaws in My Player and also Franchise mode. In My Player a good example is that the point allocation is seriously flawed which will leave your batters always trailing badly in fielding and baserunning. And your Pitchers too.

In 2K you get points based on where you make your actions, if you get a putout at first base you get +25 points to put into fielding. In theory it sounds like a great way, but you will quickly will have to grind to even put a fielding or baserunning stat up one point higher whilst you can upgrade your batting stats a lot quicker.

That problem means that when you hit the MLB level you will be a pretty good hitter, but you would be the worst fielder in the league by far. Which will make Brooks Conrad look like a Golden Glove superstar. Not kidding really.

Also in 2K's My Player mode the coach AI is quite flawed and as a fielder you will play every single game of the season, and I mean all 150+ games of the season without ever getting a game off. What this means is that your player will be chronically tired for the majority of the season completely tanking your stats because you can hardly run or swing straight causing less hits and more errors. Same problem holds true for Pitchers where you sometimes get to have only 2 days rest between every start which will kill your ERA. In My Player mode there are also no injuries for your player, that means he will play every single game without ever having an injury even though he is tired as hell.

MLB The Show's Road to the Show on the other hand has a fixed point system where you will earn points to allocate wherever you want. If you hit well you can still use the earned points from hitting to upgrade your fielding stats or baserunning stats. This means you will be able to upgrade your player a lot better and make him a lot less lop sided.

The coach is also a lot smarter giving you rest periods when your player is fatigued keeping your energy levels realistically high. In The Show there are also injuries present in RTTS which gives a reason to dump points into durability because you want to stay healthy when it's possible.

Personally from what I have seen from The Show, the presentation is also better with better camera angles and also swinging motions and other animations. The Commentary booth can be dull at times but you are better off playing a bit of background music anyways in these games.

Also in general the customisation options are better in The Show, you can give your batter walk up music and you get a lot more and better player build options. Team creator in The show is also very good I heard.

Personally I lack experience in the Dynasty / Franchise modes of both games so I can't take a honest guess about it, but from what I have read MLB The Show also trumps 2K in that respect.

One thing I can say about MLB 2K12 is that the game tends to be a slugfest more often than not. Most balls hit are often big hitters and I have had a couple of games where I faced the Sox and guys like Ortiz, Pedroia and Youkilis had 2-3 homeruns a game on their own. If you like that you could go with 2K12, but to be honest I would suggest The Show over 2K12 in every single case.

The reason I feel The Show is better is because it has generally been a better game every single year whilst MLB 2K12 has slowly become better but is just not there in terms of quality.

Also 2K12 does not have move support on PS3, The Show does have it and you can play homerun derby with it enabled which I am sure is very good fun in a group taking turns.

[Cactus Drags]

My Road to the Show career as a pitcher has gotten pretty frustrating. I was drafted by the Rangers, but I've since been traded to the Astros, which means I'm constantly pinch-hit for as I have no hitting or bunting skills at all. This wouldn't bother me (and didn't in the minors), except I'm only a reliever. So I get maybe one, two whole innings if I'm lucky. Half the time, I get one out in the 8th. I suspect it's because I'm in as set-up man, but it's bullshit when it takes twice as long to load the game to and from the menu as it does to actually play my role. The Astros won't trade because I'm apparently so valuable, but I can't get a job in the rotation as I'm not skilled enough, but I can't increase my skills with such little opportunity to play. It wouldn't be quite so bad if I was getting whole innings to work with, or if I could actually play as the closer.

[Liam]

Am tempted to pick up one of these for the first time, since I have amazon vouchers to use. Gonna have to think and consider it, as £50 is still a fair bit to plonk down on a game.

[JasonM]

I just pitched my first complete game shutout in my Orioles Franchise in MLB 2K12, with Jon Garland of all people.

It was against the Angels and for my O's it was the first road game of the series and the entire game was marked by Garland and Santana trading innings where absolutely nothing happened on the hitting side of thing.

8 innings long neither me or the Angels could get any kind of points on the board and we where both struggling and stealing hits left and right.

In the top of the 9th I managed to hit with JJ Hardy down the middle, the Short Stop Aybar managed to scoop it up quickly and I thought it was a put out but Aybar overthrew it and I got a error double and JJ Hardy was suddenly on base for me. Adam Jones to the plate and Santana throws one right down the hole and I manage to line it straight down the field and JJ Hardy runs his lungs out to manage to get to home plate whilst Jones get to 2nd.

At the next at bat Santana strikes me out and I go into the bottom 9th with a 1-0 lead over the Angels and their batter smashes one down field and Markakis decides to pull one out of the hat as he dives full stretch and snuffs out that otherwise certain triple play.

On comes Albert Pujols to the plate and he manages to hit a single on me so the tying run is on base. Pujols gets pulled for a pinch runner but I manage to strike out the guy at the plate and the final at bat goes to 2-2 and I botch a sinker which luckily only goes to the ground so Mark Reynolds scoops it up and launches it to first base to clinch the game at 1-0.

My heart was pounding after that game, I managed to snuff out Santana's chances for a shutout and Jon Garland manages to throw a shutout against the Angels. Jon effing Garland against Team Pujols.

But even with that win I am still 3-11 for the season and I am looking at a very painful season for sure. I got a couple of guys down in the minor leagues but they wont come up for a couple of years so I am wondering if I should trade a big infield player like Markakis, Jones or Hardy for a big time pitcher who can rack up wins.

My starting rotation is very poor.

1: Edwin Jackson (81)

2: Jeremy Guthrie (75)

3: Jon Garland (72)

4: Dana Eveland (72)

5: Brian Matusz (72)

I could certainly use a franchise pitcher in my team. I believe I have the worst rotation in the entire league barring maybe the Royals.

[Your Mom]

I like the Show because I made it so the game does all the fielding and baserunning for me I just pitch and hit.

[Juce734]

Ok so my I want to get a new baseball game for PS3 (haven't had one since EA made the college baseball game on PS2).

MLB 2K12

Impressions of it watching videos on youtube...

1) Looks like fantastic presentation. I really like this in games as it keeps things fresh and interesting I feel.

2) It has my hometown team on the cover with Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (big Tigers fan).

3) The strategy to it seems more realistic.

What I want to know...

1) Playstation Move compatible? My fiance bought me the PS Move for xmas and I haven't played it yet. So I want a fun game I can play with it. She said she would play some baseball if it was compatible too.

2) Do the graphics bring it down that much? The Show looks better graphically but the presentation appears to be lacking a lot.

3) How is Franchise mode as that is my favorite part of any sports game. I love building teams up into dynasties.

MLB The Show

What I know about it...

1) It appears as though most people prefer it because of the graphics and physics.

2) Heard that it gets boring and games can take far too long.

3) I know it is Move compatible. So my fiance would give it a shot for sure.

I just want the most fun game that I can get into for a long time. Been playing NCAA Football 2012 pretty much since it came out. Want a new game to play and since it is baseball season that is what I am probably going to switch my focus to.

Gotta tell you Juce, MLB 2K12 is a good game. But if you got a PS3 I must really stress you to buy The Show over MLB 2k12.

The thing is first that MLB 2K12 is a fun game, but it has some pretty annoying flaws in My Player and also Franchise mode. In My Player a good example is that the point allocation is seriously flawed which will leave your batters always trailing badly in fielding and baserunning. And your Pitchers too.

In 2K you get points based on where you make your actions, if you get a putout at first base you get +25 points to put into fielding. In theory it sounds like a great way, but you will quickly will have to grind to even put a fielding or baserunning stat up one point higher whilst you can upgrade your batting stats a lot quicker.

That problem means that when you hit the MLB level you will be a pretty good hitter, but you would be the worst fielder in the league by far. Which will make Brooks Conrad look like a Golden Glove superstar. Not kidding really.

Also in 2K's My Player mode the coach AI is quite flawed and as a fielder you will play every single game of the season, and I mean all 150+ games of the season without ever getting a game off. What this means is that your player will be chronically tired for the majority of the season completely tanking your stats because you can hardly run or swing straight causing less hits and more errors. Same problem holds true for Pitchers where you sometimes get to have only 2 days rest between every start which will kill your ERA. In My Player mode there are also no injuries for your player, that means he will play every single game without ever having an injury even though he is tired as hell.

MLB The Show's Road to the Show on the other hand has a fixed point system where you will earn points to allocate wherever you want. If you hit well you can still use the earned points from hitting to upgrade your fielding stats or baserunning stats. This means you will be able to upgrade your player a lot better and make him a lot less lop sided.

The coach is also a lot smarter giving you rest periods when your player is fatigued keeping your energy levels realistically high. In The Show there are also injuries present in RTTS which gives a reason to dump points into durability because you want to stay healthy when it's possible.

Personally from what I have seen from The Show, the presentation is also better with better camera angles and also swinging motions and other animations. The Commentary booth can be dull at times but you are better off playing a bit of background music anyways in these games.

Also in general the customisation options are better in The Show, you can give your batter walk up music and you get a lot more and better player build options. Team creator in The show is also very good I heard.

Personally I lack experience in the Dynasty / Franchise modes of both games so I can't take a honest guess about it, but from what I have read MLB The Show also trumps 2K in that respect.

One thing I can say about MLB 2K12 is that the game tends to be a slugfest more often than not. Most balls hit are often big hitters and I have had a couple of games where I faced the Sox and guys like Ortiz, Pedroia and Youkilis had 2-3 homeruns a game on their own. If you like that you could go with 2K12, but to be honest I would suggest The Show over 2K12 in every single case.

The reason I feel The Show is better is because it has generally been a better game every single year whilst MLB 2K12 has slowly become better but is just not there in terms of quality.

Also 2K12 does not have move support on PS3, The Show does have it and you can play homerun derby with it enabled which I am sure is very good fun in a group taking turns.

Very helpful breakdown for me. Guess I will be going with the Show. Really anxious to get a Franchise going with my Tigers.

[Liam]

Thought it would make sense to post this in here, but if I'm not a huge follower of Baseball, am I missing anything if I get The Show 11 instead of 12? Can get 11 for relatively cheap, what with the arrival of 12.

[Cactus Drags]

So, after posting my little rant earlier, I've now been made a starter, fourth in the rotation. Really need to pick up my hitting ability though.

[Blitz]

Thought it would make sense to post this in here, but if I'm not a huge follower of Baseball, am I missing anything if I get The Show 11 instead of 12? Can get 11 for relatively cheap, what with the arrival of 12.

The only thing you'd be missing out on is pulse pitching. The graphics are essentially the same and you can download rosters online, probably. I usually alternate years for sports games.

[Cactus Drags]

I like pulse pitching, but I wish I had some control over the speed/effort.

[Clawson]

If I have a PS3 and am going to get a Vita: which version of The Show is the better one to pick up?

[Cactus Drags]

I've not played the PS3 version, but it's the more full-featured one with the trading-card game mode and everything. I've not played the Vita version online because "lol fuck your region-free console, we're going to lock the online pass now." I've had an absolute blast with it. Apparently there's a bunch of places doing a discounted bundle for the two versions (which is primarily useful for taking your franchise/RttS on-the-go).

[Clawson]

$20 cheaper for the Vita so I'll probably end up going with that since I just like pitching anyways if I can't find the bundle. Can't hit for shit in The Show.

EDIT:

Save $20 On "MLB 12: The Show" Save $20 on "MLB 12: The Show" when you buy both the PS Vita and PS3 versions. Save your Season, Franchise, or Road to The Show progress in between games, and upload to the PlayStation Network with your PS3 or PS VITA anywhere at any time. To receive this promotion, click here. Amazon.ca reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time. Promotion valid through 4/5/2012. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.ca, while supplies last.Learn more.

Probably not worth it pay $90 plus tax instead of $40 plus tax.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Clawson

[Liam]

Whilst this is the 2012 topic, I recently picked up MLB 11 The Show and am finding it hard with hitting the ball for base hits, home runs, etc. Anyone got any tips? It doesn't really help that I'm not particularly au fait with the some of the concepts in baseball

[Meacon Keaton]

My main tip is to not swing at everything. It's a habit that took a while for me to break. But The Show is quite realistic. Not every pitch is going to be hittable. Just stay patient and be ready when the pitcher pipes one right down the middle.

[Clawson]

Hitting in The Show is a special level of hell. Honestly I'm not even sure Hitler was a bad enough person to be stuck in that level of hell.