MLB 09 The Show is set to provide fans with the most realistic baseball experience to date with innovations such as a more immersive Road to The Show, a deeper franchise mode, and more robust online features, proving once again it is the industry’s premier licensed MLB game, both critically and commercially.

Road to the Show is back once again, this time introducing interactive training to improve player abilities and performance in a variety of skill sets. Franchise Mode is also going deeper, adding items such as salary arbitration and September call-ups. Adding to the online feature set,
MLB 09 The Show introduces Online Season Leagues to allow players to hold fully functional drafts and utilize a flex schedule, allowing players to play games ahead of the schedule. Users can also access a new Roster Vault to tweak player attributes, appearance, and accessories to create the ideal roster.

Additionally, MLB 09 The Show raises the overall level of detail and realism from customizable fan chants, to jumbotron animations, to crowd atmosphere. Accurate lighting transitions, including realistic afternoon to dusk to nighttime effects provide more realism than ever before. Mascots are available for all teams and each will show off signature moves throughout the game. End of game replays are also available to provide players with an instant post-game visual replay of exciting plays, much like a true-to-life MLB broadcast.

For fans who want to take their game on the road, MLB 09 The Show for PSP delivers big baseball action in the palm of your hand by utilizing core gameplay features found on the PS3 version. Unique to PSP, MLB 09 The Show will feature "SportsConnect News2Go" which offers fans the ability to go online to select and save the latest news feeds to their Memory Stick Duo and review at their leisure.

Exclusive for PS2 is the unrivaled "Player Creator", providing users with endless possibilities for creating players, including everything down to their player's face with EyeToy. Users can also adjust their personal rituals, swings, and even emotions as they create and place themselves in the heat of a pennant race.

Saving Interactive Replays as Movies

Have you ever hit a home run to win a game or made a diving catch in the field and wanted to make a movie to show off to everyone? In MLB 09 The Show, it’s possible and very simple. Here’s how it works.

In the game, select a replay you would like to record as a movie. You can either use the regular instant replay or our replay vault (As a side note, replay vault allows you to go back to any inning or player at any time to get the exact play you want). Now that you have selected the specific replay you want to record, you can get started. On the replay screen, you will notice a notification in the upper left-hand corner that lets you know that pressing the L3 button is for recording/stopping the movie. This is important because the user must press the L3 button to start the recording process, then again to stop recording. All replay menu controls are usable like fast forwarding and rewinding your replay to get the exact shot you are looking for. You can also zoom in and out, and move the cursor and camera around to get the proper focus and angles in your movie. This will help you to find the perfect play or spot in a particular play that you wish to record. You can record as many movies, of the same replay, as you like. There is no limit, other than your hard drive of course. All movies are saved out as MP4s, and depending on your hard drive size, you can record numerous movies to showcase to everyone.

Now once you have finished recording your movie, it will be automatically saved to the XMB. You can then go to the XMB to see your newly recorded movie. It is that simple (note: you must be back out of the game and in the XMB to actually view the movie…sorry, can’t view them while still in a game). Once in the XMB, look under the Video section to see your newly created movie folder. The initial folder will show the title MLB 09 The Show - enter it to view your created movies. Your new movie will have a file name of the exact play, date and time of recording and length of recording. From the XMB bar, you can copy this movie onto a Memory Stick or USB drive and take it to your PC to further edit, or post to any website for your friends viewing.

With the addition of saving interactive replays as movies for MLB 09 The Show, you now have the ability to showcase your great plays or not so great plays into movies. It is a very easy way to let your friends know what type of player you are. So have fun and enjoy making movies of your gameplay in this new feature for MLB 09 The Show.

MLB 09 The Show Features:

• Road to the Show 3.0 (All platforms) – Once again MLB 09 The Show is the only game where fans can play offense and defense from a custom-created player’s perspective. This year, Road to the Show includes interactive training, a new steal/ lead-off system, updated presentations, and coach interactions. Interactive training will consist of a set of mini-games designed to improve a player’s ability and performance in various areas of baseball.
• Franchise Mode 2.0 (PS3/PS2) – Adding to one of the deepest franchise modes available in any sports title, MLB 09 The show adds the long awaited 40-man roster. Franchise Mode improvements will offer Salary Arbitration, Waiver Transactions, and September call-ups.
• Online Season Leagues (PS3) – Online Season Leagues are now available, allowing players to hold fully functional drafts and utilize Flex Schedules, providing fans the opportunity to play games ahead in the schedule.
• Training/Practice Drills (PS3) – Players have the ability to choose from a number of different Training/Practice drills, providing players the chance to polish and improve existing skill sets.
• Details & Subtleties – As the leading MLB simulator, MLB 09 The Show takes pride in the details, with realistic stadiums and signage, wear and tear on field, dusk to night lighting transitions, and stadium Jumbotron animations. The crowd atmosphere is even more dynamic, where crowd rivalries and weather appropriate clothing are updated and fans will reach up for foul balls and home runs. (PS3)
• Additional Animations – MLB 09 The Show has boosted the number of overall animations with more than 700 new gameplay animations, more than 400 new presentation animations, and more than 150 personalized pitcher and batter animations.
• Custom Music, Fan Yells and Chants (PS3/PSP) – Using the “My MLB Music” feature, players can store their favorite music for play on MLB 09 The Show. Edit tracks to assign batter walk-up music or record your own voice and assign it to play for the player and situation of your choice.
• Replays to Hard Drive via Replay Vault (PS3) – Store highlight reel replays to your PS3 hard drive as a movie file, and enjoy the ability to playback clips at your leisure. Additionally, players can access an “end of game” replay to see the most exciting and important plays of the game.
• Mascots (PS3) – This year every team mascot is available, performing signature moves during each game to pump up the crowd and rally the team.
• Roster Vault (upload/download/rate) (Franchise) – Players can create the ideal roster offline by adjusting player attributes, appearance, accessories, etc. and save them to a Memory Card, Memory Stick, or PS3 Hard Drive. Once online, players can upload them to allow others users to download, use, and rate the roster.
• Updated Fielding Control – Fielders will now have more dynamic reactions and take different routes to run down hit balls. New “hotshot” plays are included, and depending on a player’s attribute level, they can misplay balls and drop a ball too hot to handle. Additionally, players can experience more realistic barehanded flips and the ability to dive with the ball in the fielder’s bare hand for the putout.
• Legend Mode – A fifth level of difficulty is now available for players seeking the ultimate challenge.

MLB 09 The Show, in development for PSP, PS2 and PS3, is due to hit stores in March 3, 2009.