'MLB 10 The Show' slides into retailers nationwide

By Hector Cortez Mar 2, 2010, 12:08 GMT

The long awaited Home Run Derby leads the deep features list in MLB 10 The Show for the PS3.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced today the North American launch of MLB 10 The Show, available exclusively for the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PlayStation 2. 

The long awaited Home Run Derby leads the deep features list in MLB 10 The Show for the PS3. Home Run Derby is fully implemented in the season modes and available as a stand-alone feature. 

The MLB Futures Game will also be available within season modes in its correct timeframe (just before the Home Run Derby), as well as fully functional online leagues. The new online season leagues will save and display MLB player stats, track player energy, allow for trades/injuries, and offer 40-man roster functionality.

Additional new features for the PS3 game include "Catcher Mode," where players have the ability to call the game as the catcher in "Road to The Show" career mode. MLB 10 The Show will also offer daytime transitional lighting, a newly added "Movie Maker" menu giving the user the ability to select multiple replays to add to and edit a single movie, and 11 new stadiums. Five new Minor League parks will be introduced, as well as a selection of classic stadiums available on the PS3 for the first time including Forbes Field, Crosley Field, Polo Grounds, Shibe Park, Sportsman Park, and Griffith Stadium.

Stadium ambiance will be improved with the addition of HR/splash counters, fireworks, steam, noisemakers, towels, thunder sticks, crowd reaching over the rails, and crowd detail, such as interaction with vendors and placing Ks. 

Online multiplayer has also vastly improved this year. First and foremost, the game will detect and respond better to adverse network conditions and bandwidth has been reduced to help the speed and flow of online gameplay. Along with the core online league play, where gamers can customize leagues including choosing players, teams, and length of schedule, MLB 10 The Show will now offer fully functional online season leagues. The new online season leagues will save and display MLB player stats, track player energy, allow for trades/injuries, and offer 40-man roster functionality. 

Alongside this will be weekly live roster updates, available every week throughout the entire MLB season, tracking roster changes, addition of new MLB players (with correct attributes), and player attribute updates to reflect hot and cold streaks. The Show will offer the ability to view every game you've ever played online, complete with opponents, box scores, and game logs. 

The gameplay in The Show has also bee enhanced with improved logic, animations, and presentations resulting in a wider variety of hit types (including more choppers), ball collision improvements enabling bounces off of any part of the batter's body, comebackers to the mound, ability to rob HRs, and more.

The "Road to The Show" mode returns to The Show with version 4.0 featuring the addition of two new interactive training modes, new settings, and new presentations.  Interactive training will consist of a set of mini-games designed to improve a player's fielding and pitching ability, adding to last year's introduction of batting and base running training.

"Franchise Mode" also returns to the game, including the 40-man roster, salary arbitration, waiver transactions and September call-ups.