SCEA has released the full list of features for MLB 12: The Show. Headlining this year is the ‘Ultimate Team’ inspired ‘Diamond Dynasty’ mode, “Pulse Pitching”, improved ball physics, television style presentation, and the PlayStation Vita integration. Though these particular features were already known the fact sheet provided by the company takes everything into greater detail while also citing a number of other more low-key improvements to expect this year. Continue on for the full list of features and leave any thoughts in the comments! 

•MLB The Show on PS Vita (PS Vita)
MLB 12 The Show is available on the PS Vita this year so users can enjoy all of the core modes of play found in the PS3 game, including Exhibition, Season, Franchise, Home Run Derby, online play, and Road to The Show, for users who want the personal experience of taking control of one player through his career starting in the Minors all the way to the Majors. PS Vita users will have the ability to use new touch screen controls within MLB 12 The Show using the front touch screen and the rear touch screen controls to throw the ball to specific locations, make pitch commands, and run the bases. MLB 12 The Show for PS Vita will provide a big league experience that players can take with them on road, anytime, anywhere.

•Cross Platform Saves (PS3 & PS Vita)
New to MLB 12 The Show is the ability for users to share save files between PS3 and PS Vita. Players can now take their Franchise, Season, and Road to The Show save files up to the cloud where they can then access those files on either platform. Users are limited to one file per mode per PlayStation Network account, which can be overwritten as many times as you’d like. At home on PS3 or on the road with the PS Vita, fans can continue their seasons anywhere!

•True Ball Physics (PS3 & Vita)
MLB 12 The Show now incorporates realistic ball physics and proper spin for balls that bounce off the bases, the pitcher’s mound rubber, and other surface on the field. The baseball now bounces realistically using actual math for a spinning ball hitting these surfaces. Therefore, the way the ball bounces in MLB 12 has changed a lot from previous versions. In order for hits to get through the infield, the ball counts on having top-spin so the spin of the ball off the bat is now accurate with realistic RPMs. The ball also bounces and loses energy like a real baseball does and is launched with the correct spin. This results in more hit type varieties, rising and sinking liners, more choppers, balls tailing away from the outfielders, and balls hitting off the bases.

•TruBroadcast Presentations (PS3 Only)
Baseball fans demand an accurate simulation of reality and anything that detracts from this can shatter the feeling that you are playing in a real game. MLB 12 The Show makes the biggest leap forward EVER in this regard, truly blurring the line between reality and the in-game experience. With completely refined presentations combined with enhanced artificial intelligence (AI), revamped cameras, and expanded audio, MLB 12 is poised to deliver the most realistic baseball gaming experience to date.

•Diamond Dynasty (PS3 Only)
Diamond Dynasty juggles aspects of team management, player progression, and online competition, with more creative freedom than any sports game to date. Gamers create a custom team complete with Team Name, Colors, custom Uniforms, and fully customizable Logos with up to 1000 layers of detail. Once created, the team is given a handful of MLB baseball cards and Dynasty baseball cards that, when activated, add the players to your team roster.

The fundamentals of Diamond Dynasty revolve around the difference between MLB and Dynasty cards and the unique reward systems that support each type. A Dynasty player is a long-term investment that requires training similar to that of a “Road to the Show” player. Dynasty players are supplemented with an award/achievement system. In contrast MLB players are short-term investments that slot into your roster ready to play at their current attribute levels. Completing collections of MLB players will reward you with Budget bonuses. Budget is used to train players, purchase Card Packs (Dynasty or MLB), and to purchase cards from other users on the Marketplace. Most of your Budget is earned by playing either Head-to-Head online games, or VS. CPU against MLB teams. Head-to-Head games are matched and ranked using an ELO system that most competitive online games now use some form. Every fifth game played, your team is re-evaluated for placement into one of five competitive divisions: Spring Training, Season Series, Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series. What will define your dynasty?

•Full Move Support in The Show (PS3)
Control all aspects of The Show with the PlayStation Move motion controller, including pitching, hitting, fielding, and running the bases. There are also custom meters on screen to compliment the experience. Imagine being at the plate and seeing the batters hands moving as you move. Move gameplay can be used in all modes.

•Zone Analog Batting (PS3 & PS Vita)
MLB 11 The Show introduced analog controls, now this year, MLB 12 will bring a combination of the old and the new with Zone Analog Batting. The right analog stick will still be used for the stride and swing, but now, if you choose to, you can control where you swing in the zone using the left analog stick. All the other analog controls are also being improved and enhanced.

•Pulse Pitching (PS3 & PS Vita)
This is a new interface to the classic pitching style. Players still pitch using a simple “X” button press, but users must time the press with an on-screen display to ensure pitch accuracy. All other pitching methods are also being improved and enhanced.

•Franchise Improvements (PS3 & PS Vita)
MLB 12 The Show introduces a number of Franchise mode improvements, including player generation logic has been tuned to provide more variety inside draft classes and more realistic pitch repertoires. The lineup logic has also been updated to give you closer to real-life rosters while in your Season, Franchise, and Road to The Show modes. Finally, the trade system has been revamped with improved logic based more on the real-life club’s strategy. Small market teams will behave as such, while the bigger fish will continue to go after the top players in the game. Also, highly touted prospects will remain just that and won’t be showing up in trades early on in their careers.

•Road to the Show Improvements (PS3 & PS Vita)
This generation of Road to The Show brings a new assortment of training modes for base running and fielding to round out your Road to The Show player’s training experience. Also, your created player will now be “that” highlighted and touted prospect you think he is, by starting his career as a Double-A starter. The player creator has seen improvements as well, by offering a slew of new accessories to compliment the already extensive system.

•Situational Collision Awareness (PS3 & Vita)
Players will now know where they and other players are on the field and understand when to avoid other players and how to react when other players are near. Although this sounds like a relatively simple concept, but it’s very important and makes the game experience feel more true to life.

•New Tag Animation System (PS3 & PS Vita)
Players can now branch out of any tag throw animation and branch out of a tag animation to avoid it. There are also more animations and ways to tag runners out at the plate. This new system allows for more results (dropping the ball, new swipes, etc.) and the addition of new standing and run down tags, which creates a more dynamic and organic player integration on the base paths and at the plate.

•Online Everywhere and Unified Settings (PS3 & PS Vita)
Online everywhere and Unified Settings will minimize, if not remove, the obvious line between offline and online in The Show via PSN. One of the most notable changes is the inclusion of online features and components in the main menus, especially the Exhibition > Team Select screen. That’s now the launching pad for offline Exhibition and online Play Now games. Users will also now be auto-logged in to The Show servers, making online features more accessible. Unifying user settings is a minor, but important feature. Users no longer have to set their offline and online settings – there will be one!

•Play Now Plus (PS3 & PS Vita)
Similar to Play Now, Play Now Plus can be used through custom settings. This is as easy as selecting Play Now, setting your Play Now settings, saving these settings, then selecting Play Now type. There’s no need to set you Play Now settings again, unless you want to change them up. You’ll then be able to find an opponent to match your gameplay settings, without having to go through the challenge process.

•SimulView Functionality with PlayStation 3D Display (PS3)
MLB 12 The Show will incorporate SimulView technology that allows two people to play head to head without seeing each other’s screen while playing on the PlayStation 3D Display. It uses the same technology as Stereoscopic 3D, but instead of sending image A to the left eye and image B to the right Eye, we send image A to player 1 and image B to player 2.

•New Tutorial Movies (PS3 & PS Vita)
With all of the new features this year in MLB 12 The Show, we felt that it was essential to provide more tutorial movies to educate our fans. For example, these tutorial movies showcase and explain the new PS Move implementation for all facets of gameplay (hitting, pitching, fielding, and throwing). In addition, the five tutorials explaining the Pure features implemented in MLB 11 The Show have also been updated an improved, including Pure Hitting, Pure Pitching, Pure Throwing, and the fake throw system. Watch them in the frontend menus or the in-game pause menu.

MLB 12 The Show includes over 50 more enhancements, new features, and improvements!
•Over 500 new Presentation animations
•Over 300 new Fielding, Throwing, and Base running animations
•Over 150 New Batting Stances
•Over 75 New Pitching Animations
•Improved load times
•Completely new bat, ball and glove sounds
•New Bullpen Management options
•New player accessories (new sunglasses, protective gear, hat bills, etc…)
•New Pick off logic
•New player card including advanced baseball stats
•New Batter/Pitcher Attribute snapshot OSD (D-Pad Left)
•More fluid organic fielder animations from start to end of play
•Improved fielder routes on balls off the wall (more variety of pursuit angles)
•Dynamic fielding results and reaction (balls can now be dropped or missed by a fielder anytime)
•Improved button fielding with difficulty levels
•New Pitcher Confidence Logic
•Increased and improved conversation among Matt, Dave and Eric.
•14 New umpires
•Updated uniforms and stadiums for new and updated teams
•Updated jumbotron movies and stat layouts (still team specific)
•Updated LED Ribbon board art and movies
•Focus on interface and display presentation and flair
•Uniform select in all modes
•Frontend sound preview when assigning audio
•New Player Generation Logic
•New Trade interface and screen
•Improved Lineup Logic
•Co-op available in Season and Franchise modes
•Road to the Show career begins as a Double-A starter
•Move video tutorials
•New in-game tips
•Did You Knows on Loading screens
•Season and Franchise mode Co-op
•Base Running Training in RTTS
•Fielding Training in RTTS
•New Base Runner Awareness
•Online Gameplay Gets a Boost (better reaction, better experience) (PS3)
•www.TheShowNation.com Community Web Site Revamp
•Operating System supported Virtual Keyboard
•New Online Gamer Card (more information)
•Swing Analysis OSD Improvements and Profile Display Options
•“Free” 1st inning quit in Online Games removed
•Online Profile to use PSN Avatar
•PSN Profile utility support on Vita (Friend Requests)
•Game History showing XP (gain/loss)
•Play online with your full profile settings (minus negotiated settings)
•Challenge of the Week is now free
•Online League Schedule improvements
•Online League Playoff improvements

SCEA has released a couple new videos for MLB 12: The Show – one previews a new way to pitch known as “Pulse Pitching” while the other is a preview of the new ballpark that opens this season for the Miami Marlins. 

Pulse pitching is a more interactive and challenging way to pitch, combining both user skill and pitcher attributes that creates a unique way to deliver a pitch. There are five levels of Pulse Pitching, all the way from Rookie to Legend. The better pitchers will have a smaller pulse ring based on the command they have with that particular pitch. Alternatively, the worse command a pitcher has, the bigger the ring and the harder it is to hit your spots.

Though Franchise mode in MLB 12: The Show may have missed out on a complete overhaul due to resources being shifted to the Vita version that of course didn’t mean the mode went completely untouched. Today SCEA detailed some of the improvements that have been made to Franchise this year including better trade logic, more realistic CPU generated players, more authenticity in CPU generated lineups, and the much discussed PS3-Vita integration.

These enhancements aren’t necessarily going to excite anyone who was looking for something fresh from the mode – but Franchise has remained a strength of the series due to its authentic and detailed nature and that is what the company clearly is looking to build on further here in favor of making sweeping changes or new additions.

From all accounts the PlayStation Vita version of MLB 12: The Show is shaping up to be excellent – not only as a standalone product on par with the PS3 version but by offering the ability to save on one and continue on the other for those who buy a copy on each. The downside to this is the same development team was tasked with working on the two versions of the game.

That means time and resources that would have went into the PS3 instead were siphoned off in favor of working on the Vita and the cost of doing so was the loss of significant potential features. A rep for SCEA in a posting over at Operation Sports had the following to say:

The PS3 version of the game has more features this year than last year. Vita development only stopped us from doing another major lighting update, a major franchise overhaul, and new grass patterns for the most part.

Most consumers aren’t going to miss what isn’t there but still SCEA risks the perception that not enough was done from MLB 11 to MLB 12 and that has been a concern facing the series the last few years. That more would, or at least could, have been done otherwise for the PS3 version will make the decision to spend time on the Vita side (where indications don’t have the handheld coming out of the gates strong sales wise) at the very least a questionable one.

SCEA has released the first official trailer featuring footage from MLB 12: The Show. The trailer runs through some of the enhancements made to the series this year including areas such as broadcast presentation, PlayStation Move, an online home run derby, as well as a glimpse at the “Ultimate Team” style card management based mode to be known as “Diamond Dynasty”. Continue on to check out the trailer and leave any thoughts in the comments! 

One of the most exciting features coming with MLB 12: The Show, at least for those who plan to purchase both versions, is the ability to share saves between the PS3 and PlayStation Vita. Franchise and Road to the Show can be played on one system and continued on another simply by uploading the save file to the cloud where it can then be accessed by either one. That provides the opportunity to continue to make progress on a single franchise run or through a career whether at home or on the road. Here’s a video that has been put together to show just how seamless the process of transferring save files between the PS3 and PSVita is. 

Courtesy of GameTrailers’ CES coverage comes the first quick look at gameplay footage from MLB 12: The Show. Featuring the Rangers @ Angels the video has been captured off-screen but is steady quality and the audio comes through clearly. There is a jump though from a base hit in the top of the inning to an out made in the bottom of the inning without any indication or transition. Continue on to check it out and leave any thoughts in the comments!

The big new feature for MLB 12: The Show looks to be shaping up what has been referred to as Diamond Dynasty. While it isn’t set to be officially unveiled until some time in February it appears general details have appeared on the MLB 12: The Show listing at Amazon as spotted first over at Operation Sports.

Diamond Dynasty: Manage your very own fully customizable MLB team online. Challenge and beat CPU controlled MLB teams to recruit MLB stars for your team, and compete against other users customized teams for development points.

On the surface it sounds similar to the Ultimate Team modes found in several EA Sports titles, Elite League in NFL Blitz, or career mode in The BIGS but there is probably a different spin put on Diamond Dynasty that hasn’t been made especially clear from that summary. It would be tough to think of any sport better suited for that type of mode than baseball so if executed well it could be intriguing.

Last year MLB 11: The Show had one of the worst soundtracks in memory to be featured within a sports title. Thankfully the series includes the ability to customize the soundtrack with the “My MLB Music” feature. MLB 12: The Show’s soundtrack may or may not be better but having that option available at least negates it as a concern going in. Continue on for a look at the 10 songs included (down from 12 last year) in MLB 12: The Show! 

Gold on the Ceiling – The Black Keys
Zed and Two Naughts – The Mars Volta
New Lands – Justice
Into the Sun – The Parlor Mob
Devil Is a Lady – The Chain Gang of 1974
No Love – Hooray for Earth
Learn My Lesson – The Sheepdogs
Struck Dumb – The Futureheads
U Got the Look - JEFF the Brotherhood
She’s Enough - Atmosphere

MLB 11: The Show attempted to combat a growing sense of lack of advancement in the series by introducing advanced right stick controls – a tactic first completed by its competitor but done so here in a more refined sense. The Show edged forward in its already established areas of strength but still had its share of struggles where it has traditionally faltered.

The ranking of games in the best of 2011 list is based on number of factors including the personal amount of enjoyment had with a particular title, whether advertised features were fully delivered, post-release support, community interaction and communication, overall gameplay experience, feature set, and online play performance. Again this is largely a personal take and one with the advantage of tracking the games beyond just the release frame and does not act as some sort of recap of those with the highest scores on Metacritic. The analysis is weighted heavily towards those high in fun factor while considering them as a whole and compared relatively to the field.

Related: Hits and Misses Review – Online Play Impressions - Road to the Show Impressions – Franchise mode bug - 2K Not Impressed With The Show’s Controls – Satisfaction analysis - All 30 broadcast camera angles

Sales may have dropped with MLB 11 – reflective of possibly having peaked and that growing perception of staleness – but a strong attempt was made to advance the series by bringing in right analog stick controls and it was successful to an extent in breathing new life into the game. The analog pitching was engaging and well-balanced, analog hitting a mixed-bag, and analog fielding and throwing problematic.

Of course authenticity has been The Show’s calling card and it thrives once again in that area with gameplay benefiting from subtle but recognizable improvements and some outstanding visuals. Road to the Show was much improved by shifting to a performance-based rather than goal-based method of rewards and progression that made the mode much more enjoyable.

Strong presentation value, and the introduction of 30 authentic broadcast camera angles, was accompanied by tired commentary – the switch from Rex Hudler to Eric Karros did nothing to improve it – and the soundtrack was one of the worst in recent memory. Load times remain frustratingly long and when going through Road to the Show mode that means potentially more time spent on loading screens than spent in active gameplay.

Online play is once again where The Show tragically stumbles. SCEA even attempted to avoid the mode factoring into reviews by not turning the online servers on until the morning of release. Severe lag was all too frequent and even when having solid connections the response timing favored pitching so drastically that the top leaderboards featured teams batting under .200 (and these were teams that were winning) with an average of 17 strikeouts a game.  Stubborness over “guess pitch” continued, and though it was finally turned off at one point, they later reactivated it. It took pressure in the way of an article to finally get the company to lift a two week wait period for online leagues.

By no fault of The Show online connectivity was lost completely for over three weeks as PSN was taken down due to the well-publicized hacking of the service. Sony plans to introduce the “Online Pass” for MLB 12 so the quality of online performance, features, and availability will be held to an even higher standard in the future.

The Show undoubtedly remains in the upper class of sports franchises but until the series produces a complete effort by delivering a suitable online play experience it won’t be able to broach standout status in any year where there are more well-rounded products produced. Still it’s one of the few games that consumers can be completely confident in what they are purchasing on a year to year basis – a fully featured and well supported product (with sub-par online) that accurately represents and respects its sport.

Earlier Year-in-Review Pieces
#4: MLB 11: The Show
#5: NBA 2K12
#6: WWE All-Stars
#7: NCAA Football 12
•#8: NHL 12
•#9: Fight Night Champion
•#10: MLB Bobblehead Pros
•Vote for the Community Choice Awards