Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today that MLB 08 THE SHOW will be available in Spring 2008, exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3), PlayStation 2 and PSP (PlayStation Portable).  Already widely considered the most authentic baseball game available, the next iteration of the critically acclaimed franchise, MLB 08 THE SHOW, is set to provide fans with the most realistic baseball experience to date.
   
Reflecting on the history of the franchise, the longest-running officially licensed baseball title on PlayStation platforms, the SCEA San Diego Studios development team went into this season looking to build upon the history and success of the franchise, by raising the level of authenticity and realism, and creating the perfect blend of features and unique gameplay opportunities.
   
To deliver the closest experience possible, next to actually trying to make it in the Majors, MLB 08 THE SHOW introduces a more immersive Road to The Show mode.  As gamers attempt to make a starting line-up in the Big Leagues, playing on both offense and defense from a custom-created player’s perspective, a more robust dynamic goal system and a new career advancement system will determine when a player is eligible for a promotion.  Additionally, custom-created players are more interactive.  As a position player, gamers will be able to further adjust that players positioning, catchers will endure more defense situations, and pitchers will now experience mound visits with user interaction -- all making Road to The Show mode even more realistic.
   
"Baseball fans know that the MLB franchise has been met with critical acclaim and has a long-standing winning tradition," said Scott Rohde, senior director, product development, SCEA San Diego Studios. "MLB 08 THE SHOW continues to display our commitment to delivering highly-innovative and improved features in order to provide an unrivaled simulation with a broadcast quality presentation."
   
As the only first party franchise officially licensed by Major League Baseball Properties Inc. (MLBP), Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), MLB 08 THE SHOW features more than 3,000 individual player animations, including personalized stances, pitching animations, individual swings, batting rituals and motion captures from MLB players.  Additionally, the franchise adds to the realism by including Umpire Personalities combined with Interactive Hot and Cold Zones and Player-scaled Strike Zones, Release Point Pitching combined with Adaptive Pitching Intelligence (API) and the Pitch Command System (PCS), and the most comprehensive commentary ever produced for a sports title, featuring the three-man booth of Rex Huddler, Matt Vasgerian and Dave Campbell.
   
Providing players with some additional performance incentives, the MLB franchise introduces the new Progressive Batting Performance feature, which will both reward players for superior performance and penalize them for hitting slumps.  Specific to each individual batter, players will be rewarded with slight contract bonuses, or punished with slight decreases in contract, based on how that batter that performs beyond his "natural ability" while under user control.  Adding to the online feature set, which includes customizable Online League Play with up to 30 teams, scrolling MLB Score Ticker and more, MLB 08 THE SHOW introduces SCOUT (SportsConnect Online User Tracking), which allows gamers to set and store their game preferences on the MLB server, and then enables the system to look for a Quick Match with opponents that fit similar competitive criteria.
   
For PS3 and PSP owners, MLB 08 THE SHOW serves up the new Pitcher/Batter Analysis, both in-game and post game, offering a breakdown of how a batter has performed based on LHP or RHP, pitch type and the result.  And for fans who want to create their own soundtracks, MLB 08 THE SHOW offers the opportunity to take music stored on a PS3 system’s HDD or a Memory Stick Duo and add tracks to the list of music played in the JukeBox.
   
Along with all the key franchise features, gameplay favorites for PlayStation 2 include Franchise mode, where players take control of the entire team, Rivalry Mode, which allows fans to set-up, track and maintain heated rivalries, the Home Run Derby and EyeToy functionality.  MLB 08 THE SHOW for PSP continues to be a fan favorite with its core features and ability to play anytime, anywhere, on the go.  Plus, sports fanatics can utilize the system’s online news service to get the latest MLB news feeds online or save them to the Memory Stick Duo and review them offline at their convenience.
   
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for MLB 08 THE SHOW is "RP" for "Rating Pending."  For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org.