MLB The Show 22 - Review : TechGoggles

Same as last year, Sony San Diego’s MLB The Show is available for both PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. The game of baseball has never been better, but not everything is a home run. Microtransactions in full-priced games are still a blemish on what would otherwise be an outstanding package. What has changed both for the better and for the worse in the last year? Let’s play a game and see what happens.

Pros:
Looks great
Lots of game modes
Excellent gameplay
In depth customization

Cons:
Microtransactions

Score – 9/10

Just how many modes the latest instalment of this long-running series has will be one of the first things you notice. On the menu are:

Road to the Show – The create a player career simulator.
Diamond Dynasty – The main money-maker online-focused competitive team builder mode.
March to October – An excellent truncated season where you control key moments.
Franchise – Become GM and control a team’s fate.
Challenge of the Week – Online arcade-style challenges to win items for Diamond Dynasty
Moments – Legends and Superstars “relive or rewrite baseball history”
Home Run Derby – You play a home run derby, pretty simple.
Exhibition – An offline exhibition game of your choosing
Exhibition (Live Rosters) – An exhibition game using the current MLB Rosters from any day of the season.
Online Rated – Competitive-focused online matches.
Retro Mode – “Experience the sights and sounds of old school gameplay” with a casual focus.
Postseason – Create a tournament bracket and play for the World Series.
Custom Leagues – Online friend-focused multi-season mode with a focus on customization.
Online Co-op – Play 2v2 or 3v3 with friends online.
Custom Practice – Create custom scenarios to try and improve.
Options Explorer – A well-done tutorial.

That’s a lot of work. Challenge of the Week is a good example of a short game that is still a lot of fun. Many other games, such as Road to the Show, can keep you occupied for hundreds of hours. The Xbox One and Series console versions of this game are included in Game Pass, but smart delivery is not supported. On and off the field, there is no shortage of things to do. For the Diamond Dynasty and Road to the Show modes, we received many of the microtransaction-fueled card packs in the Digital Deluxe edition for review. The “Stubs” currency is earned fairly quickly, but it still bothers me that the user interface for a game that will cost $70 when it launches on the new generation places so much emphasis on earning “Stubs.”

Crossplay, cross-progression, and a release on the Nintendo Switch are just a few of this year’s notable developments. For PlayStation 5 and Series X|S, the Stadium Creator has been relaunched with a more user-friendly interface. In my opinion, the new commentary team of Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton has done an excellent job of disappearing into the background. Never did they get in the way, annoy, or try to outdo the game itself. Nearly one hundred and sixty Legendary players have now appeared in the game, and each of them can be utilised in any of the aforementioned ways. A new emphasis on providing additional post-launch content via the game’s live service rounds out the changes. According to what I’ve learned, the vast majority of this content will be thrown in for free with what is already a hefty bundle. If the on-the-field action isn’t up to snuff, then none of this matters.

We don’t like the new pitching mode. Fortunately, the previous ones were preserved.

The “pinpoint” pitching mechanic is another major new addition, and it irritates me to no end. Following the selection of a pitch, you must use the analogue stick to trace a path on the ball, ensuring that you match both the movement and speed of the ball. Aiming can be incredibly difficult at times, to the point where it seems nearly impossible. Fortunately, there are a slew of additional game modes to choose from. As a classic golf swing style, Meter proved to be both challenging and fair for me, and I ended up playing with it the vast majority of the time. Classic is a simple point-and-click interface, Pulse is strange and difficult to understand, but it’s best to avoid it, and Pure Analog is a hybrid of the metre and Pinpoint that some may find a good middle ground in.

You can use Timing, which is a simple arcade-style click at the right time. It’s a combination of timing and trying to influence ground or flyballs as well as their direction in Zone, which is where the left stick is used. The most enjoyable aspect of directional was that it was both challenging and rewarding at the same time. Baserunning, using a Guess Pitch system, and whether sliding is automatic, assisted, or manual are just a few of the many options available. With so many options available, it’s easy to get bogged down, which is exactly what happened to me. The game went from playing well to excellent once I got the controls just right.

This contributes to the overall look and feel of the game. As a result of this, the hybrid presentation style will try to cut out as much of this as possible while still preserving the sport’s essence. To get the full baseball experience, use Broadcast mode, or fast play if you prefer to skip most of the game’s cutscenes and presentations.

This year’s title isn’t nearly as appealing as last year’s. Oh my gosh, this year’s The Show ’22 is a stunner. In terms of gameplay, the models and animations look fantastic, and transitions are smooth. However, there are still occasional bursts of movement and super soldier-level reaction times, but on the whole the game looks and feels more like a real baseball game. Because of how stunning the stadiums are, I’ve found myself allowing the PC to play in different ones while I work on other projects. The game’s presentation is in line with its graphical ambition. It’s visually appealing, fluid, provides useful data during and after games, and loads quickly thanks to the new hardware.

Microtransactions, as previously stated, are heavily featured in that presentation. For completing missions, you get a decent amount of Stubbs currency, and your in-game activities are always rewarding you with XP. If you want to compete in the competitive multiplayer modes and single-player career modes of an expensive AAA title, you shouldn’t have to keep paying for access to those features. Although I encountered a few bugs, all of which were related to the game’s always-online nature, I would say that the game’s quality is high. As long as you’re connected to the internet, you’re out of luck.

MLB The Show ’22 is a much better baseball game than the one from last year. If you’re looking for a baseball game with some of the best on-field action I’ve ever seen, a wide variety of game modes, and excellent commentary from the new team, this is it.