Hype reels for upcoming sports video games end up as a kind of guessing game for why certain shots were chosen, and if that portends new things in the next edition. The same holds true for MLB 15 The Show's latest video, which has plenty of stuff — much of it subtle — I haven't seen in this game before.
That includes a Dodger (cover star Yasiel Puig? Hard to tell.) punting a beach ball back into the stands. Beachball delays have been a quirk of the series for a while, but the only animation I've seen is when an outfielder bops it back with his fist. (For more longtime zany animations in MLB The Show, see this.)
Overall, I'd say Sony San Diego Studio is touting some refinement to the lighting engine and new animations both pre- and mid-game, what with the attention shown to celebrations, mascots and the dugout. The sun's position appears to be a big focus, and commenters at Operation Sports point out that the implied sunset at Wrigley Field is actually in the wrong location, as that park faces east.
While some parks are improperly oriented in the game, could this mean a morning time start will be an option? Fenway Park, which like Wrigley faces northeast, appears to show long shadows coming from that direction at 0:29. Maybe the Patriots' Day game is coming to The Show?
MLB The Show has always been a beautiful game, but its presentation is heavily reliant on showing scenes from the field or the stands rather than the fictitious broadcast or commentary wrapping around it. (Though it will add a radio show to the between-games menu.)
MLB 15 The Show launches March 31 on all PlayStation platforms (4, 3 and Vita.) The series debuted on PlayStation 4 last year with huge structural additions and changes, one of which is the ability to export a career save file for use in later editions of the game. So, no more starting over a Road to the Show career from scratch when Opening Day arrives.
