MLB 15: The Show

During the 2014 season, Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly was often asked if Yasiel Puig’s tempestuous approach to the game was an unwanted distraction. Mattingly walked a fine line with his answers, telling ESPN that umpires were only going to “put up with so much.” His comments didn’t seem to affect Puig, who ended the season with his emotions on his sleeves, celebrating after big hits and picking fights after getting hit by pitches. Whether it’s intentional or not, Puig’s presence on the cover of MLB 15: The Show accurately displays one of the game’s biggest additions: player emotions.

In MLB 15: The Show, Puig gets fired up after he knocks in the go-ahead run, and dejectedly trots to first after he grounds into a sure out. Given his reckless approach to fielding, you may see him stretch out for a ball and make an acrobatic catch, or misread the trajectory of a ball that turns a likely double into a triple.

Developer Sony San Diego created more than 100 unique celebrations for specific players and teams like elaborate handshakes after home runs, authentic hand gestures to the dugout after hits, and batters determining the amount of effort they should exert in running to first base. A.I. controlled fielders no longer take the perfect route to track down a fly ball or its carom, instead making their best guess based on their fielding rating. Those awkward, body contorting, last-second lunge catches are also a thing of the past. If a player can’t get there, the game won’t generate a ridiculous looking catch. The ball will likely fall, and if the player is positioned poorly, the runner may go for extra bases. These little touches are a part of an all-new motion system that applies realistic speeds to running, catching, and throwing animations.

Hitting is also receiving a small upgrade. If a batter is tasked to move a runner from first to third, they’ll likely be looking for an outside pitch to drive into right field. The new directional hitting interface gives the player a better sense of command over this scenario. To angle the swing, the player simply has to hit the left analog stick in the desired direction. When a player looks for something on the outer half of the plate, it changes how inside pitches look. The camera placement moves from the center of the plate to the outside. It’s a risk, but it can pay off if the player guesses correctly.

Saves carry over from MLB 14 and allow players to continue their franchises and Road to the Show careers

“Directional hitting is an evolution of timed hitting,” says designer Ramone Russell. “If you hold up all day trying to hit home runs, you’re not going to constantly hit home runs or fly balls. It doesn’t work like that. Directional hitting allows you to play to batters’ strengths. You can’t override the type of hitter someone is.”

The view from the pitcher’s mound also looks a little different this year. Pitch placement now shows where the pitch will land as opposed to its breaking point, removing the guesswork. The trail that shows the proposed trajectory of the ball is colored red in the strike zone and blue outside of it.

Other changes on the field include user controlled cutoffs (a feature Russell says fans have been demanding for years), a revamped system for slides and tags, more than 70 new animations for third outs, slightly different ball physics for fly balls and rockets into the gap. Additionally, fielder A.I. has a better handle on situational base covering.

Getting into the action is much faster this year. For the PlayStation 4 version of the game, Sony has lowered the load times by up to 33 percent.

Up next: Diablo in your baseball...

A Baseball RPG?
Get used to the idea of collecting loot in a baseball game. As odd as this sounds, there’s a little bit of Diablo in The Show’s DNA. For the majority of the modes in MLB 15, Sony turned to RPGs for inspiration. When a player boots up the game for the first time, a list of unlockable cards appears onscreen. These items consist of gear like licensed batting gloves, authentic Topps trading cards, odd ritual items like Rico Carty’s candles, and brand contracts from companies like Nike and Louisville Slugger.

The gear is used mostly in Road to the Show, the trading cards are once again for Diamond Dynasty, the contracts infect Franchise mode, and those weird ritual items are for Road to the Show. Hundreds of items are available to unlock, and Russell says they want them to be “handed out generously.” Players receive them for playing games, breaking records, and even for logging into the game each day. Like all collectibles these days, the cards vary in rarity from common to the rare “Diamond” variety.

The items are hard to overlook, as they all provide significant advantages within their specified modes. The Road to the Show gear is clearly inspired by armor sets from RPGs. Each wearable piece of licensed gear (from shoes to fielding gloves) gives your player a statistical boost, such as a batting glove delivering bumps for discipline and power.

Outside of the gear, Road to the Show is largely unchanged this year. New touches include 10 new fictional minor league stadiums, and new camera tracking. Another cool little feature, which is present in all single-player modes, is a radio show that plays on the schedule screen. The show recaps the activity around the league, giving insight into key match-ups, player trades, injuries, and more.

Franchise mode offers a much different experience right out of the gate with general manager contracts. Each team pushes the GM in different directions, such as the Cubs’ ownership demanding a divisional title, whereas the Twins just want a team that is over .500. The GM has a new set of tools at his or her disposal that makes the experience easier to follow for player progression, trades, and league overviews.

“We’ve completely overhauled our Franchise UI,” Russell says. “The biggest complaint that we’ve always gotten for Franchise mode and Road to the Show is, ‘I feel isolated. I know what is going on with my team, but I have no idea what is going on around the league.’ We added a new league updates page so players have all of the pertinent information as to what is going on.”

As the GM, part of your job is earning -revenue. If your team is performing well, the dollars should pour in. Should your team struggle, there’s the chance you may have an ace up your sleeve in the form of a rare contract card. As strange as it is that all of the sponsorship contracts are only available in randomly gifted cards, they can help your team immensely. One of the contracts with Lousiville Slugger gifts the team $10,000 extra budget for every home run that is hit. A rare contract card sees Nike paying out $40,000 for every win. When a contract is applied to your team, the sponsor becomes a part of the broadcast presentation.

Sony hopes that a new trade interface alleviates some of the frustration people have had in the past. Using a new NBA 2K-style trade finder option, players easily see what teams are looking for. “Last year you had to go in to each individual team to see what teams would want,” Russell says. “Now, you just queue up the players you want to get rid of and the game creates an algorithm that tells you these are the trades that teams will accept. We also have a trade value screen that shows you the value of what you are giving up.”

The ease of navigating menus extends to Diamond Dynasty, allowing players to quickly sort through cards, and feed unwanted duplicates to their created player. “We’ve boiled it down to one player that is the staple of your team,” says designer Nick Livingston. “He trains by eating MLB cards. You’re basically feeding a monster. He gets better in certain categories from the strengths of the players he eats. If you want him to get better at speed, feed him that type of player. He’s also an all-around player that can play any position. You just have to think about where you want him and what you want to feed him.”
   
With a greater abundance of cards than last year, expect to see more cards in circulation and sold in the marketplace.

[This article originally appeared in Game Informer issue 264]