The third iteration of MLB: The Show is a charm for the PlayStation Portable. Kudos to Sony for not tinkering around with something that already works – there isn’t a whole lot of new in MLB 08 when compared to last year’s game in terms of action based gameplay.

The graphics look the same, the play by play is somewhat better, but there are still a few hiccups. Fielding on the small screen is definitely not as easy as it is on the PlayStation 3: balls that are hit up the middle always go right through the pitcher, for example. The only other disappointment is there’s no ’strength’ meter when throwing the ball to another infielder, so unlike on the PS3 version where you can tell if you’re putting too much behind the ball, you’re basically on your own here. The batting has been enhanced in season mode with what’s called “progressive batting performance,” which allows for streaks and slumps to enhance or detract from a batter at the plate. So if you’re in a 0-for-9 slump, this will affect your next plate appearance.

The batting model hasn’t changed since last year, you use the right bumper to guess pitch (buttons for pitch type, stick for location) and swing away using the x button or square for power swing. The batting zones have changed somewhat – and if you don’t like them you can revert back to the ‘classic’ zone batting. Pitching mechanics are still well done; timing is everything using a pitch meter but it works fine even on a handheld.

Actual gameplay is very good (although not much different than last year), using a set of custom sliders downloaded in-game. The default sliders are very playable, and you can adjust everything to your liking; you can create your own players too. If you’d rather not wait for the next roster update, you can manually move players over to correct teams, which is a very nice feature.

Road to the Show Mode is also included in the hand held version. This RPG-esque mode centers on your personal baseball career. You’ll have to achieve certain goals to earn ability points; the goals can be frustratingly random: after going 3-for-3 in one game, my fourth at bat required me to get a hit because we needed a runner on. Hey, manager, I already got three hits, what’s your problem? While it’s fun to play in the minor leagues in RTTS, it’s a little disconcerting playing as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in a “home” stadium in a desert. Here’s hoping SCEA can fit in more minor league stadiums next year. If you’re not a fan of playing, you can select the manage-only mode and the computer is a formidable opponent at the default difficulty level.

The best new feature is the ability to have in-game saves while in season mode. There was nothing more frustrating when things were getting good in the game while you’re in the restroom and someone is banging on the door because they have to use it. Before you had to leave on your PSP and hoped the battery didn’t die out; now you can save and shut off your system until a better time arrives to finish your game. This feature should be required on all sports games!

The online features for the PSP version of the Show are similar to the PS3 version, and that’s very impressive. Unfortunately you do have to have a separate login for the PSP version so you can’t combine your PS3 and PSP records but pretty much all the other online features are here – even leagues! The game has already been supported with roster updates and SCEA seems to really stand behind their games, even posting on their community forums (which are also accessible directly through the PSP). Online games do have their share of lag but the games are overall easily playable, much more so than say MLB 2K8 on the consoles. The thought of playing a full online league on a handheld isn’t entirely appealing compared to a console game, but it’s nice to have that feature available.

While the audio is still very good, there is some repetition of the announcers (especially when you swing at a bad pitch) and the same audio gripes that were with the PS3 version apply here: you can import your own music for the menu screens but you cannot select your own songs as player entrance music, which begs the question why bother with custom soundtracks if you can’t use them?

Quibbles aside, MLB 08 The Show packs quite a bit into this smaller platform and it makes a great companion to the console counterpart and is easily the best handheld baseball game on the market.

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