Interview with a Slugger: David Wright

The MLB series really hit its stride last year.

MLB '06: The Show shocked baseball fans, gamers, and game critics with its new batting controls, new rivalry mode, and a more-addictive-than-Skittles mini-game called "King of the Diamond."

SCEA's San Diego Studio could have phoned in a sequel this year, simply updating rosters and giving the graphics a tweak.

Instead, the developers are making efforts to take the series to new heights. The all new Pitch Command System gauges how comfortable your hurler is on the mound. Pressing L3 now gives you a detailed analysis of your batter's swing. And the overhauled Career Mode, for the first time ever, will really let you feel what it's like to be a big time major leaguer.

After his all star season with the Mets, third baseman David Wright was chosen as this year's cover-boy for the game. Wright, like the MLB series itself, also seems to be hitting his stride. He's young. He's the kind of player you build a team around. He's energetic and well-spoken. And he has a knack for hitting the stuffing out of the baseball nearly every time he's at the plate.

"To be a cover athlete, only a handful of guys get this, so it's quite an honor," Wright told the press recently. "I grew up playing games, in the video game generation, so to be able to walk into a store and see my face on all those box covers, that will be very cool."

Despite his hectic schedule, Wright says that he always finds for video games, even during baseball season. "Everybody carries their PSPs around," he said. "We play on the plane, at the hotel, on the bus to the stadium. All the time."

Wright's favorite stadiums? The newer ones which have high-tech clubhouses. And if he has any say in it, the clubhouse in new Mets stadium, which is under construction now and slated to be finished by 2009, will have plenty of PLAYSTATION®3s hooked up. "Though we might be so busy playing that we'll be late getting out onto the field," he said laughing.

We asked Wright a few more questions as he exited his MLB 07 mo-cap session last month.

Was doing that motion capture session harder than standing at the plate while facing, say, Arizona's Brandon Webb?
Wright: Nah. It was cool. You wonder, while playing video games, when you're on the other side of the game sitting in your living room, how they get these specific details down. You know, all the little nuances in the game. Now I know how they do it.

What exactly did they do to you in there?
They put me in a very flattering latex, spandex suit. [Laughs] They hooked me up to some sensors. And then you go after it.

"Go after it?"
Basically you get hooked up to a [computer]. They record every motion, every little habit that you have. You see it on the screen. It's amazing. These motion captures are so good, you can recognize the players just by their body language, just by their swings or the way they throw the ball. I mean, you're looking at stick figures, but you can tell. It's very detailed. It brings the game to life. Even if you're not a baseball fan, it allows the people playing the game to feel like they're part of the game. That the game is coming alive.

 

What else did they do to you?
They did a full body scan, a face scan, the whole nine yards.

How long did everything take?
I got here [to the studio] around 10 a.m. Then we just finished up a few minutes ago.

So, four, five hours or so?
Yeah, around there. And, you know, that was fast. Because, naturally, I got everything right on the first take. [laughs]

Naturally. Happy with the results?
I have to say, it's pretty dead accurate. Actually, it's kind of scary how accurate it is. I mean, everything from your whole pre-batting routine—you know, everything you do before you step into the box—right up to your swing, and your follow-through. It's all there.

Excited about being on the cover of a video game?
Oh man. It's a landmark achievement. Only a handful of guys get to do this. So it's an honor, definitely.

Manager Willie Randolph just got himself a new contract.
I'm excited about that. It's well-deserved.

Is Willie a gamer?
He's a pretty busy man. I love Willie to death, but I don't think he's involved in the gaming generation, no.

Has the off-season been good to your this year?
What's not to enjoy? I get a chance to grace the cover of a video game. I did some cool off the field stuff in New York City, did some charity things. I got the chance to travel a little bit. I hung out with my family and my brother. So, no complaints. I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in the off-season this year. I'm ready to go for this season.

You guys had a good run last year.
A great run. Hopefully, we can take it one step further than we did last year.

Click here to view videos from the motion-caputre session with David Wright.