Ryan Howard may tell you that MLB 08 is the best baseball game out there, and just because he’s on the cover doesn’t mean that he can’t be right. This installment in the series brings to the plate, literally, a bevy of features that will be sure to keep you playing through until next season. Personally, I like mileage out of my games, so I expect this to quench my baseball thirst for the next three or four years, which may explain why I am still playing Madden 2005.



This game expands on what the previous title put forth last year. The Road to the Show has been reworked into a much fuller experience. You are still able to create your player and put them through the trials of the minor leagues on your road to the big leagues, but the stat customization options and goals are fleshed out very well making it easy to dedicate your precious training points toward the areas where your player is struggling.



Taking your player into the game is obviously where the meat of the game is, and where The Show really starts to take flight. The presentation is absolutely flawless, and makes you feel like you are truly part of the game. The announcers will actually make valid observations about technique on the field, and also make quips about the umpire if he botches a call. That is probably where the show shines through the most, in how human the players on the field actually feel. The umpire will make bad calls, the low rated second baseman will wind up tossing the ball rather than firing the bullet he needs to, and the pitcher isn’t an inhuman strike machine. While this is an excellent inclusion, what makes it better is that these faults don’t happen on every single play. The umpire is generally fair, and your players will do their jobs, unless of course they are the abysmal backup that hasn’t seen the field all season.





What rounds out the on field experience is what lies just off of it, the fans. They move and react to the actions of the game like a real crowd. While there are a few scattered doubles of people in the stands, that can be overlooked in the face of the immense detail put into each and every one of them. The crowd will play with beach balls in the stands, and will dive for a ball that comes in their direction. Since the crowd is so full of detail, you would expect the players to practically be jumping off the screen, and you won’t be disappointed.



The players are all modeled with such care and effort that it will make your jaw drop. The clothes will ripple when the pitcher raises his leg mid-throw, and dirt will cake on the uniforms of the players who have made a few diving saves in the infield. The only problems come when the outfielders make a grab close to the wall, as they don’t interact with it at all. It may be a minor qualm, but I was disappointed that no Jim Edmonds wall-busting grabs could happen.



Online modes are fairly robust, and allow for several different options for players looking for a casual game to those aching to make an entire online league. There is also the option to make your own terms offline and then upload them to the server for others to try out and rank. Called “My Sliders,” these make for an interesting challenge, as you can try out different combinations of settings to see what the community approves of the most.





Sadly, the in-game soundtrack could have used with a little beefing up. There are only a select number of tracks to listen to from the get-go (although an inclusion of a song off of Queens of the Stone Age’s sophomore album was a big hit with me.) This can be easily remedied with the ability to make a custom soundtrack that you can save on the HDD. This is great for those who can spare the room, but it almost feels like the game is forcing you to use this option if you don’t want to hear the same few songs over and over again.



This doesn’t detract from the whole package though, which is hands-down the best baseball game on the PS3, possibly on any system. For a real baseball experience, there simply is no better than what you will find here.

9.7/10

GameAlmighty.com - MLB 08: The Show - PS3