We’re well into Spring Training and this season’s baseball games are making an impact, whether good or bad, on consoles around the country. If you still haven’t made the jump to the PS3, Sony has your answer with MLB 08 The Show for the PS2. Does it hold it up to its big brother on the PS3? Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of MLB 08 The Show for the PS2:
Presentation and Graphics: The graphics in MLB 08 The Show for the PS2 are pretty good. Not as crisp as the HD graphics on the PS3, but still very respectable. Player models look good and facial mapping is nice for a PS2 title. Animations are done very well, something that translated from the consoles nicely. All of the unique batting stances and pitching mechanics from the PS3 version are present here on the PS2, which is great to see. 7.5 of 10
Sound and Music: Sony did a great job with sound effects in the game, just like on the PS3. The crack of the bat and pop of the mitt sound terrific. The announcing in the game isn’t as good as it’s PS3 big brother, which is a bit of a disappointment. You won’t hear a ton of repeated calls, but there will be times when you don’t hear anything. The soundtrack is identical to that of the PS3 and PSP versions of the game, however no custom soundtrack option is present on the PS2. 8 of 10
Gameplay: Gameplay is always the most important factor, and MLB 08 The Show definitely shines in this respect. Controls remain largely unchanging from last year, especially in respect to pitching, batting, and throwing in the field. This is not a bad thing, and it all works very well. Standard gameplay modes are available such as exhibition, season, and franchise.
The critically acclaimed Road To The Show mode makes a return with some nice upgrades. In this mode, you create your own player and take him through the ranks of the minor leagues to make it to the Show. New this year is a Goal Result System that provides rewards and penalties based on your performance. To go along with this, an Advancement system has been added to track your progress from draft class hero to the Hall of Fame. These new additions provide even more depth to the already amazing gameplay mode, which will end up taking a good portion of your time. It’s just that addictive.
The new pitcher/batter analysis feature is also available on the PS2. If you want to see how Johan Santana pitches to your left handed hitters with one man on base with two outs and he throws his change up, you can. 8.5 of 10
Multiplayer: Not much has changed online since the 2007 iteration of the game. The new Scout feature from the PS3 doesn’t appear in the PS2 title, something I think would have made a nice addition to the online multiplayer aspect of the game. Otherwise, standard single games and 30-team leagues make their return from last year. Downloadable rosters make a nice addition to the PS2. 8 of 10
Lasting Appeal: The new Road To The Show is great on the PS2, as well as the online multiplayer. With the solid gameplay, this is definitely the best route if you’re still playing on last-gen consoles. Unfortunately, in-game saves didn’t make their way to the PS2, so you’re stuck with playing the entire game through to the end. 7.5 of 10
Final Word: MLB 08 The Show provides a lot of bang for your buck. With the very deep Road To The Show mode, standard exhibition and season modes, as well as the online multiplayer and leagues, there’s a lot for you here. However, it could use some refinement. This may be the last time we see the MLB series on the PS2. If it is, Sony did a great job. If not, hopefully they make some additions next year to bring the feature set closer to par with the PS3 and PSP titles.
Overall: 8 of 10
