(PSP) MLB 07: The Show

Click on the video to see a preview of MLB 07: The Show for the PSP.




On Saturday, I bought myself an ealy birthday present, MLB 07: The Show for the PlayStation Portable. I had heard very good things about the game, and I decided to check it out for myself. I put in the game and I first thing I noticed was the graphics are abseloutely amazing, particularly for the PSP. Stadiums are dead on, from historic Wrigley Field, to the new Busch Stadium in St Louis, to the monuments of the Great Yankees beyond the bullpen at Yankee Stadium. Players look like their real life counterparts, their faces and stances are dead on. Onto the actual game itself, the game has the new Pitch Command System. If you throw more strikes, it will be easier to throw that pitch. Throw balls, and it will be harder to throw that pitch accurately. It works fine for the PSP. Another new part of the game is the Umpire System, you will have three sets of umpires, one that has a tight strike zone, another with a wide strike zone (these umps are called the Pitcher's Best Friend), and an ump that will call it right down the middle. It keeps the game realistic. Another new mode in MLB 07 is "Road to the Show", which is where you make a player, and work through his ups and downs, from the majors to the minors, and hopefully, when you retire, you will have enough votes to make it to the Hall of Fame. You play the game only from your position. When you are not involved, the game fast forwards to the next time you are involved. The game's presentation is amazing, the graphics are spot on. Some game reviews have talked about a frame rate issue, but I haven't seen it my copy of the game. Also great is the sound. Matt Vasgersian handles the play by play and does a great job. Dave Campbell and Rex Hudler handle the analysis, and they also do a fine job. The commentary team as a whole has many different team and player specific nuggets, which adds to the rich presentation. I would be remiss if I did not also mention the umpires also sound great, as they will emphatically call players out and safe and call balls fair and foul. The crowd sounds great as well. As expected, they cheer the home team, boo the visiting team, and cheer for their favorite players and boo the opposing teams. I would also be remiss if I did not talk about the great Musical selection in the game. From Chevelle ("Antisaint") to Switchfoot ("Oh Gravity!") to My Chemical Romance ("This is How I Dissapear" ) to Wolfmother ("The Joker and the Thief") to Fall Out Boy ("Carpal Tunnel of Love") the game's tunes rock from the first inning to extra innings. The game has a season mode, where you can lead your favorite team to the World Series for Multiple Seasons. King of the Diamond is another fun mode in the game, and it is perfect for people who want to bat and pitch but do not want the pressure of an actual game. A batter will face a pitcher, and they will get singles, doubles, triples, or homeruns depending on where they hit the ball. When the turn of that team is over, their pitcher will face the opposing teams hitter, where he will try to prevent the opposing hitter from scoring any runs. This is another mode that is a lot of fun. For those that want to only slug the longball, yes the game does have the Home Run Derby, and the game's Home Run Derby is just as realistic as the actual derby. You have ten outs to hit as many home runs as possible. Hit enough homeruns to continue advancing through the rounds, and win in the final round, and you will be able to call yourself Home Run Derby Champion. If you want to get into a game without playing a game, the game has a manager mode, where you can choose to watch the game from the dugout, the pitcher, or the press box. You can do anything an actual manger would, from telling a pitcher to hit a batter,to calling for the intentional walk, this is a lot of fun.

In short, MLB 07: The Show is just plain fun, from King of The Diamond, to Road to the Show, to Manager Mode, to playing as the great legends like Nolan Ryan and Babe Ruth, MLB 07: The Show really is "The Perfect Game."

Score: 9/10