Ever since 2K wrapped up the exclusive third-party license of the MLB franchise, thus shutting out EA Sports from making any more MVP baseball games featuring the MLB, fans have been clamoring for a first-rate baseball experience and an alternative to the MLB 2K offerings which haven sub-standard. The exclusive agreement thankfully has not stopped the MLB The Show franchise as 1^st party baseball games are not a part of this agreement. Does the 1^st party offering truly do MLB justice though? Or does this offering simply ground out.

The first thing that is going to be put under the microscope here is the visuals as it is the first next-gen baseball game from 1^st party SCE Studios San Diego for the MLB The Show franchise. There is no hiding the fact that this game was brought up from the PS2 version it was originally created for and brought to the next-generation without getting any type of new visual engine or anything like that. It does however do a respectable job of moving up to the next-gen as it packs with it some impressive improvements.

Comparing it to something such as the MLB 2K franchise is a bit unfair as 2K has already had a year under its belt on the next-gen Xbox 360, so it is no surprise that the visuals of the 2K game are superior. The Show holds it own though in many regards. For one thing the stadiums are detailed very nicely along with 3D crowds filling up every single seat. The little details can be improved though such as more variety with the 3D crowds along with more details on little things such as backdrops to the stadiums, dugouts, etc. The grass has some fairly solid textures as do all of the bells and whistles of the ball parks from the grass at Wrigley Field to the Green Monster at legendary Fenway Park.

The players are going to be the aspect which needs the biggest improvement next year. In motion and zoomed out they look and move spectacular. Animations for pitching, batting, sliding, running, etc are all fluid and highly effective. There is a great deal of variety with the animations as well. The players themselves though once you get up close are not up to next-gen standards in terms of textures on the uniforms, faces, etc. This is something which will likely be addressed in a major visual overhaul as The Show ’08 should be the first year that the development team can focus development on the PS3 first and PS2 second.