The release of MLB the Show 2010 is still a couple of weeks away, but before you know it those Blu-ray discs will start dropping in our mailboxes. Hopefully, the online game will be much improved over the 09 version, and if that is indeed the case, you are in for some serious head-to-head gaming! As a member of this forum you will be given the opportunity to test both the game and your own prowess by engaging in spring training games with other members.

Finding your online opponents on mlbtheshow.co.uk will limit distances and connection lag, and will help you find games during normal day end evening hours as you don’t have to deal with multiple time zones. On top of that you will be able to discuss the game on this forum, express your setting preferences and find serious players instead of cheaters and children. If you like what you see in spring training, you may want to continue playing in (one of) the Online Franchise League(s) we aim to set up here.

This is the “road to online league play” we envision:

Spring training:
Try out multiple teams while you work on honing your MLB2010 skills. Report your results in the Spring Training forum section, mentioning both PSN’s, the teams used and the score. Spring training will probably last somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks.

League feature testing:
As an integral part of Spring Training a small group of players will extensively test the Online Franchise League feature of the game. How are disconnects handled? What happens with unresolved games? Does everything work as advertised? Those questions and others will need to be answered positively if we are to commit to an Online Franchise League. If league play within the game is a cumbersome affair, we’d rather go manual and set up a league from this site. Progress will be reported in the forum, and the course of action following from that will be determined while spring is on-going.

Settings and game speed:
During Spring Training we shall collect the necessary data to find out what the players’ preferences are, and when needed we’ll offer a choice of differently set up leagues. If at all possible, we’d like league players to have the opportunity to play in their own comfort zone, so please let us know how you would like to play your games!

League Play:
At any stage of the 2 to 4 week Spring Training period, players may indicate their interest in league play. We shall gauge this interest on the basis of spring activity, and send out invitations for league play while taking setting preferences and game frequency into consideration.

All of this will only be any good if the online game is worth its salt. So when you finally get your copy, make sure you go online and find out for yourself.