MLB: The Show | The Recycle Bin

Madden 13: Vita + PS3 No Cross Play Platform Saves

What a bummer reading that EA will continue a trend it started with FIFA of not support cross play platform saves with Madden 13.

I imagine Madden NFL 13 will be a solid football game on the go, but personally, I know I’m not going to have much interest in running a PS3 franchise and a Vita franchise. Adding to the woes of PlayStation pocket gamers is that when asked if a unified experience could come to next year’s Madden entry, a developer said that they’d see how this year’s Vita version did before investing in the option.

It’s like a Greek tragedy: this year’s version will do poorly because it doesn’t have the mode that EA would add if it did well.

The reality is that I will probably order the Vita version of Madden (in addition to the PS3 version that I already have on pre-order), but this is really just a damn shame. I understand that the franchise mode in the PS3 is ultra-complicated, but you would think that the developers behind the Vita could at least attempt to pull off what Sony did with MLB 12: The Show; bunch of lazy bastards!

MLB 12: The Show (Vita) – What about the gameplay?

Since I was sick much of the past week, I didn’t get any time to dive into MLB 12 (Vita or PS3). I did spend some time last night with the Home Run Derby mode; mostly just to get a feel for batting and of course to pick up the HR Trophies.

I was curious what others thought about the Vita version, so I headed over to Metacritic this morning. At the time of this article, only two reviews offered on Metacritic, which to me is somewhat of a surprise.

What was even more surprising, and honestly I’m not even sure why I am still surprised by this sort of thing, the reviews don’t even bother to tackle the gameplay aspects of a Vita version of MLB 12. Take this example from Cheat Code Central (CCC):

Most tellingly, many of the game’s presentation elements have been removed. While hitting a homerun provides the proper score increases, one does not actually see the players walk the bases. Transitions between pitches are quick, accomplished with fades, as is the case with each fielding play. Once there is, ostensibly, nothing more to be done by the defense, the game fades immediately back to the pitch/at-bat display. I hesitate to call this “lazy,” but it definitely takes away from the overall experience of the game, from the illusion that one is managing a baseball franchise, guiding a player from the double-A league up to the Majors, or running an exhibition match between the Yankees and the Red Sox to see who’s really on top in the Northeast. In the end, though, these elements of the games visuals and presentation, while disappointing, are hardly game-breaking or offensive.

To me, this is actually OK; I want a portable game of baseball to play faster. For that matter, I have been calling for faster playing baseball games, yet ones that still maintain simulation aspects, for years and years. Strangely enough, IGN actually agrees with me on this point; hell just got a little less warm.

Not that anyone really cares, but I do agree with the CCC reviewer about MLB 12 being somewhat intimidating for MLB The Show newbies. For some inexplicable reason, I actually set the game on the hardest mode, and it took me a while to figure out WTF I was doing, adjusted the game according, but I was already down 8-0 in the 1st inning. Ouch!

I really hate the Vita trend of not having a physical manual. MLB 12: The Show is certainly one game that warrants one just to provide some sort of cheat sheet on all the control options and what the various sliders actually do.

At any rate, I read the CCC review twice – not once does the subject of gameplay come up. Not that the IGN review offered a better approach. [sigh] I’m getting far too old for this sort of thing.

MLB 12: The Show PS3 + Vita $20 Off Offer (Update)

I previously mentioned how Amazon applied some screwy discount to my order; the PS3 version had a $12 discount applied, while the Vita version received an $8 discount.

If that was not strange enough, imagine my surprise to see new invoices for full MSRP when Amazon finally shipped the game. I promptly contacted customer service only to be told I would receive a $20 voucher good towards future purchases. I told customer support that was not good enough – the deal not only stated that the discount would be applied at checkout (it was), but Amazon actually sent me receipts with the discount, only to later charger full MSRP.

I asked for a $20 credit; no, demanded a $20 credit to my on file AMEX card. For some strange reason Amazon responded with a $20 credit on both orders, which is crazy because that certainly was not what I requested. I consider the “bonus” credit part of my “pain and suffering” – I shouldn’t have needed to contact Amazon customer service in the first place, much less contact them multiple times to straighten the purchase “MLB 12: The Show for the PS3 and Vita and receive $20 off” mess.

Sadly enough, even with the release day shipping, I have not been able to play the games yet. I was sick as a dog, as was the entire family, for most of the week with a dreadful stomach virus of sorts. Nasty stuff!

I should get to crack open both games later today and spend some time with them over the weekend. My nine year-old son, who does not like baseball, is excited to try MLB 12 with the Move. Of course I’m excited just to try to pick up and take on the go with me concept.

More to come later; God willing if the creek doesn’t rise. Of course it is raining, so there is that.

Happy Friday!

MLB 12: The Show PS3 + Vita $20 Off Offer

Amazon finally decided to start offering the Sony incentive to save $20 when purchasing the PS3 and Vita version of MLB 12: The Show during the same transaction.

Take The Show on the road. For a limited time, save $20 when you buy both the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 versions of “MLB 12: The Show.” 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.

Amazon is reporting that this offer expires on April 10, so get it while it is still hot off the press and prior to opening day.

Color me happy; this is a great deal. I really had no intention of getting both, and was debating the merits of getting just the Vita version … then this happy deal sang a song of irresistible purchase to me. Can’t hold back …

Strangely enough, at least to me, the PS3 version received release day shipping, but not the Vita version.

After receiving my email receipt from Amazon, I noticed something strong. The $20 discount didn’t apply directly to the Vita version. While the actual amount of $79.99 was correct, the Vita version received an $8 discount while the PS3 version received a $12 discount.

As I said strange. I am looking forward to some MLB action and then taking my game from the PS3 to the Vita and back to the PS3. Looks like MLB heaven is coming later this week.

[Edit: Amazon now lets me select release day delivery for the Vita version, but it still has the screwy $8 discount.]

MLB 12 The Show PS3 + Vita Combo

I have been sitting on the fence about picking up MLB 12 The Show. Do I actually get one or both versions? If I go with one version, which one do I pick up? Living room pleasure or on the go bliss? There are advantages and disadvantage to either approach …

Of course I could opt out all together, and skip another year of MLB The Show. Why would I do that you ask? Because I know that I will play for a short while, and move onto something else. I suck that way; I’m an ADD gamer.

Or I could get both versions and “save” $20 in the process. Sony just announced their intentions to complete screw up my gaming budget; that is to say my allotment of free time budget.

If Amazon offers this deal, I think I will be all in. Release day shipping, plus “living room to anywhere outside my home MLB The Show action” just sounds like too good a deal to pass up. Not to mention that the trophies would stack.

Pre Orders – The Waiting Game …

I’ll never learn; there are way more purchases, potential purchases, and upcoming “need to have that one” targets than I will ever have time to play.

So what’s next?

SSX (PS3): February 28. On preorder. It has been a long run since the PS2 Tricky heydays. Hopefully the franchise has a nice rebound, but I don’t want to see a fast follower release. Hopefully some DLC will enhance the experience vs. a second release in 9-18 months.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 (super-secret, premium edition from NIS America store – PS3): February 28. On preorder. Honestly, I try to stop, but I really can’t help myself.
MLB 12 The Show (PS3 / Vita): March 6. I’m sure I’ll cave one day this week and purchase one or both titles. Love the idea of taking the game save on the go and then transferring back. I’m not traveling much right now, so it may not be necessary to get the Vita version, but I suspect that I may get in a little more baseball action via the Vita than the PS3 and TV.
Tales of Graces f (PS3): March 12. On preorder. Reality tells me that I will not even start this one anytime soon, but I want to send a message to the publisher that this sort of game is still relevant.
Dragon’s Crown (Vita): March 31. On preorder. Hack and Slash on the go goodness? Count me in!
Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (Vita): April 17. I want this one, but haven’t convinced myself to hit the order button. Why? Why would I think I have anywhere near enough time to really enjoy a Disgaea title?
Gravity Rush (Vita): May 29. On preorder. This is going to turn into the must have title on the Vita, supplanting Uncharted, assuming GR gets some decent airtime and marketing.
LittleBigPlanet (Vita): June 26. On preorder. Because LBP is just balls out fun, I cannot get enough, and I’m interested in seeing how the franchise transfers to the Vita.

Of course in addition to my normal backlog, I have the new Vita games, and Twisted Metal. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby, “Well let me just quote the late-great Colonel Sanders, who said…“I’m too drunk to taste this chicken.””

… or have enough time to play all of these games!

Vita Update of the Day: Vita-PS3 Cross Play.

Vita update time again; don’t hate me for my enthusiasm to actually (God forbid) write daily updates. Been a while.

Multiple sources, including Sony (yet another shock) are reporting on Sony’s promise to deliver Vita-PS3 Cross Play. According to PlayStation LifeStyle

When you buy Hustle Kings and/or Top Darts for PS Vita, you will get the PS3 versions for free. If you already own these games on PS3, you’ll be able to download the PS Vita version for free.

If this really means that I really get Hustle Kings for the Vita for free, thanks to a previous PS3 purchase, color me happy. Should find out more on the 22nd with mainstream release of the Vita.

I hope some sort of deal, discount, or voucher is announced for MLB 12: The Show, but somehow I bet it is excluded since the articles only mention a handful of games, none of which sound like a great baseball experience.

MLB 12: The Show PS3 – Vita Integration Looks Fantastic

The real question is going to be if I want to spring for $90-100 for a copy of MLB for the PS3 + Vita. The integration between the two versions looks very promising.

I know there’s a lot of interest out there about our PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita integration this year so I wanted to make sure I touched on our Cross-Platform Saves functionality. This feature allows you to take your Franchise, Season, and Road to The Show save files up to the cloud where you can then access those files from either your PS3 or PS Vita. You are limited to one file per mode per PSN user account, which can be overwritten as many times as you’d like.

Now I just have to commit to getting a Vita; I have three different Amazon pre-orders on file, but have yet to order a game. MLB 12: The Show for the Vita looks like the perfect way to waste away time on a portable system, and a 3G Vita, coupled with PS+ auto save updates, sure would come in handy for anytime, anywhere MLB Cloud retrievals.

FIFA 12 Vita – No PS3 Save Transfer Capability

WTF is wrong with EA? I’m sure there is a very valid and reasonable explanation for EA not offering Vita-PS3-Vita game save transfer capabilities. EA is not rushing FIFA 12 to market quickly, delivering a sub-par handheld FIFA outing in order to capitalize on early Vita release opportunities.

EA must really care about their core target audience, and are showing a willingness to do anything to get the Vita version of FIFA 12 in the hands of demanding FIFA fans – because EA cares.

It would be a terrible precedent if all the first generation Vita sports franchises (looking at MLB: The Show, FIFA, and Madden) do not offer the ability to switch from console to portable gaming via game save transfers just to make an early release date. Thankfully MLB: The Show gets it and allows gamers to do just that:

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.

Of course the San Diego (SCE) team behind the MLB: The Show franchise continues to push the boundaries on sports franchises. Following the same link from above, we learn:

… 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, and 12 are all in the PS Vita version.

… 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.

Unlike EA, Sony is going balls out with its franchise. I understand that time to market is important, but color me very disappointed with EA’s approach to FIFA 12 for the Vita.

Now Playing, Watching, and Reading

I have a smorgasbord of games in my current rotation, which is really unusually because I almost always sick to 2-3 games at the most. In no particular order:

Joe Danger – What a fun little game. It is going to be really hard for me to get 100% (from a Trophy consideration) on this one because some of the Time trials are really tough. This has to be one of the best games I have purchased from the PSN (got it when it was 50% off).

FIFA 11 – I play this one a few times a week when I want to get my soccer/football jones satisfied. I love the Virtual Pro feature.

Marvel Superhero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet – I picked up this one to play with my 4-year old, as he is really into superheroes right now. One of our favorites is Captain America (for me) and Bucky (for my son), so it was really cool that the version of the game I purchased had a good for this DLC.

Dead Nation – Only when the kids are in bed. To be fair, I have not played it in a while, but would play it more if I could play when I was not such a sleepyhead!

Gran Turismo 5 – Need I say more? It is really the only racer I am playing right now, but at some point I have plans to jump back to a couple of forgotten titles.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene – I got this one a couple of weeks ago for the low, low price of $4.99. What a great pickup. As a fan of shooters, I have to say that this game provides a lot of nice shooter pleasure. The music mode is incredible; nothing like putting in some Cure Disintegration and just sort of zoning out.

LittleBigPlanet – Mostly the Game of the Year Edition right now, but I plan to jump right back into LBP2 Collector’s Edition soon enough. Actually waiting for a patch to make sure all my goodies from LBP1 correctly import. I wrote about my love for all things LBP a couple of weeks ago. Not sure how I made it this long without discovering the pure pleasure of LBP. Collectively, these two titles are easily in my Top 5 favorite PS3 gaming experiences (that is another article!)

PS+ Gets Some Love
I wanted to do a quick link to this article, which pretty much sums up how I feel right now about PS+. Subscribing to the PS+ service has been one of the best uses of $50 gaming bucks that I have made in the last calendar year. I am going to stack my subscripting in the new few weeks to take advantage of the continued opening gambit of 3 free months. If you have not subscribed to PS+, you should really check out the last 90 days of content and discounts, which have been incredible.

Looking Forward To …
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection, MLB 11: The Show, the next NASCAR game, Journey, and Catherine (as of right now, Atlus has not announced a US release date).

Now Watching
Spartacus: Blood and Sand. OMG (wanted an excuse to talk like the cool kids) is this one over the top, but from a story standpoint, it is actually really good. I am just starting disk 3, so I am about 8-9 episodes in, and I have to admit that I anticipate see what happens next. Some of the characters are really fascinating; I want to see how their story lines progress and see how certain political motivations will screw over various targets.

I could do without all the meat just flapping around; I have never seen so many dongs just out in front of my face. I guess turnabout is fair play for the fairer sex, but still, I am glad that the developers toned it down a little after the first couple of episodes.

On Blu-ray some of the scenes such as “… have your way with the girl’s ass a bit while I watch …” are nice, if not a little bit excessive. I could never get my wife to watch this with me; not because of the gratuitous sex. The blood and gore is so over the top that at times I find myself turning my head or at least cringing in a “I really didn’t want to see that” sort of way.

Good stuff. Picked up the Season 1 Blu-ray in the low $30s from Amazon; hopefully the rest of the shows are equally as appealing.

Now Reading
Bloom County Volume 3. Sometimes I have to have some light reading before heading off to la-la land.

Yesterday, Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal (I love Amazon Prime two-day shipping) showed up on my front porch. I decided to order immediately after see Ms. McGonigal on Attack of the Show earlier this week. I am looking forward to a book that actually advocates gaming. What a great tag line – Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Seriously; hope this one is as good as the tag line.

Christmas Gaming Treats

As a kid I always looked forward to getting new videogames in December (birthday and Christmas). I always held out hope that I was going to get a few new games, and they just had to be better than decent because I knew that my gaming library was not going to increase during the upcoming year.

These days I just buy what I want, usually via pre-order, or I watch a game, waiting for the inevitable price drop before finally indulging myself. Either way, my gaming comes to me when I want, and if I happen to get a dud, I can flip it on eBay. No worries, no fuss.

This year, thanks to Santa (and of course my family), I have enough games to keep me occupied until December 2011, or until I decide to pick up the next great, have to play it now spectacular, super special gaming extravaganza. Something along those lines; call me a sucker for pre-release build up hype.

The Gaming Treasure Trove:

Batman Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Greatest Hits. I have always wanted to give this game a go, but for whatever reason, I never did.
FIFA 11 (Under $30 during Amazon Thanksgiving sales). I wrote a few weeks ago that I have been playing the shit out of FIFA 10. I love the FIFA 10 experience; the virtual pro is a very immersive experience. I am going to stay with FIFA 10 for the rest of 2010 to see how many Trophies I can pick up before flipping FIFA 10 on eBay, and then I will start my FIFA 11 journey. I can only hope that FIFA 11 is as fun and entertaining as FIFA 10 has been over the last six weeks.
God of War 3 (Under $35 during Amazon Thanksgiving sales). Because one cannot have enough God of War.
God of War Collection Greatest Hits ($10 during Amazon Thanksgiving sales). Are you kidding me? $10 for high-def updates of two highly rated PS2 game? Complete with a gaggle of Trophies for my gaming pleasure. I never played the PS2 versions, but thanks to the PSP God of War games, I am a converted fan.
Gran Turismo 5 Prima Essential Track Guide*
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010. Some different. Something for the Move.

* OK, so this little spiral bound book is not game, but I figured I would include it in the overall haul. It is getting a lot of flack in the Amazon review listings, however it is exactly what it states – a track guide. If you are looking for a traditional cheat (er, strategy guide) book, then the Prima guide is not your cup of tea.

Maybe all these new games will have an added bonus; getting my PlayStation Rewards status to nudge a little for the first time since the week after Thanksgiving!

Looking Forward To …
With all these new gaming Christmas experiences, plus the current backlog of goodies, is there anything left on my radar?

Little Big Planet 2. Of course I never played the first one, but everyone says LBP is a must have experience, which is fun for the whole family.
MLB 11: The Show. See FIFA 10 + FIFA 11; I have until March to get my money’s worth from MLB 10.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. I want to try the newest NFS title, but I am going to wait for a lower price. Plus I still have GT5 to keep me occupied, and F1 2010 is not getting any love.
Madden and NCAA Football. Yeah, I know, let’s don’t go there yet.

There are probably other gems lurking out there, but right now I actually do not have anything on pre-order or a “watch list.” OK, just kidding. I have the HD update of the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection on pre-order. But other than that one …

Move Me

Tomorrow I should receive a new bundle of joy, hope, and expense from Amazon (via Prime Release Day Delivery). Yes, I decided to Move. I picked up the Move Starter Bundle (Move controller, Eye Toy, Sports Champion), Move Navigation controller, an extra Move controller, and a Sony branded Charging Station.

Will this be worth the money? No idea, but I figured just for shits and giggles I would give the Move a go and see where things land.

I decided not to pick up any additional games for now. Something like NBA 2K11 or even Tiger Woods, just to see how this puppy will handle a “serious” sports game, may be worth a flyer in the future. I wonder how that John Daly game is going to end up; garbage quick cash in, or actually decent?

I would love to try something like Cabela’s North American Adventures 2011 with the Move, but for some inexplicable reason, it does not look like the Move is supported. In fact, reviews, info, opinions, or anything else for that matter are hard to come by on the newest Cabela release. I guess it is just “shoot the animals; you know the drill, but this time in HD.”

I know that Heavy Rain will get an update; same for HVB, which should invigorate this PSN classic. I am not sure if any of my other titles will receive Move patches, but MLB 10: The Show would make for interesting Move support.

I will try to post a few updates over the weekend.

Slimming Down PS3 Style

Yesterday my 250GB PS3 Slim arrived safely from Walmart.com via FedEx. Compared to Amazon, I did have to pay more for shipping and sales tax, but Amazon did not have a 250GB Slim in stock, so this was something I decided to absorb. Besides the two game bundle will allow me to dump something on eBay to make up for this modest amount that I would not have paid via Amazon.

Before setting up the new Slim, I used my USB HDD to back up my save data files and media. While I could have setup up both systems and tried to do a system transfer, the USB backup process was a fairly quick and not too painless of a process. Besides, I have been backing up regularly because I figure my original PS3 will die sooner or later. I have the process down; as I said, quick and painless.

My HVB and Heavy Rain save data were locked, and would not copy. I am not sure why these games are setup this way. In the case of HVB it sucks because I have to spend several hours re-unlocking content that I had previously unlocked. I like the game, but I am going to have to decide if I like it enough to unlock some of the decent content again. I am not as concerned about Heavy Rain because I did not get too far into the game before getting distracted with something else (and my PS3 suffering YLoD). With that said, I really do not want to play the opening chapters again; tedious and as a father, not something that I consider very fun.

I also decided to take a few minutes to write down some of my settings. It took me a long time to get wireless working correctly for Remote Play, so I figured it was worth a few extra minutes of effort. Probably wasted effort; I bet the Slim does not have any of the Remote Play issues (PS3 randomly turning on) I ran into with my original system.

Setup of the new Slim was straight forward, as was to be expected. I was quickly in the PlayStation Store looking at my previous downloads to re-download all my paid content and games. I am not sure why, but downloads are noticeably quicker with the Slim. While I was watching Game 4 of the Celtics/Lakers Finals, I quickly downloaded a slew of games and add-on content.

I did not see an option to re-download my MLB 10: The Show classic stadiums content, which was a pre-order bonus. I was surprised to see that this DLC sells for $9.99. Ouch! Talk about price gouging. For that price I would expect to see a whole slew of extras, not just classic stadiums, but I digress. I figured I was out of luck because the Heavy Rain Taxidermist preorder bonus chapter did show up in my cart as being previous downloaded. Since they were both entered via DLC codes, I am not sure why these are considered different.

I decided to put in MLB 10 to see if there was some sort of in-game option to reapply the coded. After the long update and install process, I jumped into an exhibition game and saw the classic stadiums listed as unlocked. Not sure how the game knew, but I am thankful it did realize that I had previously applied this DLC code. Now that the Braves are rolling, I hope the new roster updates have the “improved” first place in the NL East Braves, and not the sorry start of the season Braves. Sorry; another digression.

My kids seemed somewhat concerned that the Slim does not play PS2 games, however these days PS2 games rarely if ever get played. The PS2 has a great library, and I own plenty of classics, but there are just not enough hours in the day. When I am PS3 gaming, it is almost always with a PSN or PS3 title. I have been dumping a few PS2 titles on eBay in anticipation of getting a Slim, so I think I am “over” this major difference in the new Slim, which obviously does not “do everything” as the ads would imply. My personality may drive me to really miss PS2 compatibility (“want what I cannot have”), but in a pinch, I do still have my original PS3; if it comes to that extreme.

I’ll also probably miss the front loading memory slots; plugging in a camera memory card or PSP memory stick was a nice convenience on the original PS3. I can see why Sony removed these to save money; the Slim has two USB slots (original system has four) and of course the Slim can connect to a media server.

I will not miss the extra noise, heat, and constant worry about when my original PS3 is going to blow up. The PS3 is mouse fart quiet, and after several hours of being on, there was very little noticeable heat. My original PS3 would have been blazing hot and annoyingly loud. So that is a worthwhile improvement.

As they say, Slim is in. It’s Friday! Happy Gaming!

Monday Random Gaming Notes

Today I will be brief. First, I am not sold on the new PlayStation Move or Social Gaming. It’s probably an unfair comparison, however if I wanted motion control in my games the kids’ Wii would be in the living-room. I have never been a huge fan of online gaming, so I doubt that I will just dive into new social gaming communities.

Over the weekend I spent some time with MLB10; what a fantastic game of baseball! I am very much still on the back half of the learning curve; cannot hit a lick … mostly because on timed hitting I swing way too early or chase too many pitches. It was a satisfying feeling when I won my first game after dropping the first six!

A huge plus with the game for me is that the CPU batters actually strike out; including getting called out looking. As much as I like all the real time broadcast angles, clips, and whatnots that help MLB10 provide an immersive experience, I equally appreciate the fast play options.

I decided to jump back into Ferrari Challenge to go trophy whoring. I had a great time running hot laps, but it took my something like 25+ times to get the Hot Shot trophy (Bronze – Tutorial mode). I kept missing on apex accuracy, or racing line; I guess after all these years of racing games I still do not know how to corner!

Happy Monday!

MLB 10: The Show vs. MLB 2K10

For some random reason I was looking at the MLB 10: The Show (MLB10) review scores this morning and noticed this review from GamesDaily (8/10).

For the past couple of years, The Show has dominated with a superb presentation, in-depth options and unmatched gameplay. There’s still plenty of that to go around this year, although Sony’s grip on baseball superiority has loosened, as this game is about on the same level as 2K’s. That’s good news for baseball aficionados (with two quality products to choose from), but not-so-good news for Sony’s San Diego team.

My first thought was “hmmm, I did not realize that Major League Baseball 2K10 (MLB2K10) had made such major strides.”

The reviewer offers a few MLB10 critiques: The pick off system is a nice addition, but difficult. The catchers’ inability to throw out some runners is also mentioned, along with some minor issues with the AI in franchise mode. Finally the reviewer wraps things up by complains about the install process using 5GB of storage space, along with the menu load times, and the commentary that can often be grating.

To each their own; after all opinions are opinions, so I have no real quarrel with the reviewer’s criticisms. I agree with the reviewer’s comments on the menus, especially when navigating online.

I decided to check out the scores: MLB10 vs. MLB2K10. While there may not be enough of a sampling to make any final conclusions, it is obvious that the majority of critics consider MLB10 the superior game; the fans are clearly attracted to Sony’s product. MLB10 currently has an 88% (12 critic reviews) with a 9.7 user rating (51 votes), while MLB2K10 has a 74% (12 critic reviews) with a 5.0 user rating (2 votes).

While I have not played MLB2K10, much less one of their baseball games in recent years, the majority of reviews indicate that this year’s version has made significant strides; great visuals with solid gameplay. The good news is that gamers have two choices, but are both created equally as the GamesDaily reviewer claims?