The power-hitting Jorge Mateo et al
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Mateo has 23 homeruns in 4 years. He's never hit one further than 390. He's about as much of a power-hitter as Ozzie Smith. Why not the "base-stealing" threat Jorge Mateo. Or just say "speedster", "power-challenged", "lazy-bat", whatever...but Mateo is one of the weaker bats in the American League.
This gross misrepresentation is rampant. 58 rated relief pitchers that the announcers are drooling over as they talk about their "filthy sliders".
There are a lot of things about this game I'm sure are painstakingly difficult for developers to get right. Perhaps that's why most every online match "seems" to be a randomized script whereby one opponent is given a huge advantage over the other in key situations. A virtual let-them-take-turns-winning type dynamic and the AI will assure it.
Realistically trying to code a game that relies almost completely on something as mundane (and I'm not trying to be rude) as hitting a sphere that comes through a square(it's like pong in an MLB uniform) is nearly impossible to scale. Everyone that plays around with it for 20 minutes or so is going to be pretty proficient. There just ain't that many moving parts so, the code has to take over and dictate outcomes. I GET IT!
But, why..oh why can't the team get the audio to a point it just isn't silly? All that would take, imo, is effort and time. Unless SDS figures the majority of their customers don't really know the game that well..have seldom watched a MLB game. Don't play fantasy baseball or look at box scores. The historical data and player "personality" audio is subpar to be kind..and inept and lazy if you were not trying to be nice.
And to me, that's a testimony of how much they don't "appear" to really care about the details. This in a product they know millions (maybe I'm generous with that number) of ppl will play. Where is the pride inside this company? Isn't there a reckoning when the commentator spiel just constantly goes off the rails? Maybe it's just an inside joke within the walls of SDS. Perhaps they do it on purpose. Whatever, it's pretty annoying. WE ALL KNOW THIS CAN BE TURNED OFF. But, why design a game with such a horrible component customers would want to turn it off?
Whatever, you could forgive the dummied down commentary if the game had any consistency of play.
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The one commentary line that always gets me is "Big Lefty". Doesn't matter how tall they are, if its a lefty, he's big.
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I haven’t plugged my headphones into my
monitor since the show 20’. I watch sports or Netflix or whatever I want to watch on my phone while I play instead. Huge quality of life increase -
First thing I do every year after setting the controls, turn all music and commentary off.
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I actually like the commentary overall... the first couple times. Sometimes it's even interesting. But seeing and playing with so many of the same guys just makes it stale and I keep debating turning them off.
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@Finn_Scotus_MLBTS said in The power-hitting Jorge Mateo et al:
I actually like the commentary overall... the first couple times. Sometimes it's even interesting. But seeing and playing with so many of the same guys just makes it stale and I keep debating turning them off.
I think good commentary can make a game more immersive. The game needs as much of this as possible all things considered. Until it becomes repetitious and distracting. And, obviously, when they just throw in commentary that isn't correct.
Nothing screams "we don't really put in a lot of effort" when you hear the announcer say about Max Scherzer "One of three pitchers to have struck out 20 in a game. Clemens and Randy Johnson being the others". And any Cubs fan, and most baseball fans, will add the most exciting/dominating 20 K game was Kerry Wood. Not mentioned at all in the amateurish audio clip likely spliced in by some developer that doesn't know anything about MLB history and grabbed the first tidbit he googled to put into a production product the company was going to sell for $70 a pop.
I mean, how silly does that make the company look when they are "supposed" to be this masterful MLB gaming company that blows it on audio that all their fans will hear over and over and over. Makes them seem like they just fell off the turnip truck. For sure questions their credibility.
Who knows why they don't put more effort into it. Maybe it's just too daunting of a task. Maybe no other sports game does a good job with commentary. Anyone familiar with good commentary in an EA game for example?
I know I am pretty critical at times, but what's it gonna take for SDS to start polishing the really dull parts of their product? Sure ain't going to be a customer base that only wants to talk about how great all these Diamonds are that land in their lap. All the new content and features that take one step forward and two back.
Oh well, whatever they want to do.
