MLB 09: The Show

(Sony for PS3)
By Mike Delano

If you’re a casual sports fan like me, you’ll gloss right over the laundry list of features added to this year’s MLB entry and make a beeline to the one that matters most. Using the new “Sounds of the Show” option, I recorded my own voice yelling some obscenities at Jeter and A-Rod, and the game inserts the taunts as part of the crowd noise. I threw in some choice words for Scott Brosius, too, in case he decided to show up in the stands. I fired up a quick Red Sox vs. Yankees game to hear the fruits of my labor, nodded approvingly, and threw a heater at Matsui’s head. Ah, the simple joys of video game baseball. For baseball fans looking for something a little more serious, MLB 09: The Show has every option, tweak, game mode, and feature known to man, all wrapped in a sterling presentation. Now, until developers start getting their hands dirty and actually redesign baseball games from the ground up, simulations like this won’t ever capture the visceral feel of baseball, but as far as hardcore sims go, this is among the best in any sport.
(www.us.playstation.com)