PlayStation's MLB the Show series has been a major success, taking home sports game of the year award multiple times since its release in 2006. Back then, baseball video games included the 2K series, MVP baseball, The Bigs, and a series of games simply called MLB and whatever year it was. Since David Wright graced the cover of MLB 06 The Show, it's blown all competition out of the water to the point where today only 2K baseball is left and that is fading quickly. It's gotten to the point where if a gamer wants to play a baseball game, then he has to have a ps3 to play the Show (since it's ps3 exclusive.)
New Features
- Revamped Road To The Show mode
- Different camera angles in all game types
- Beginner mode
- Halo tracker helps to see the ball at all times
- Almost every single player's batting stance is 100% accurate
- In franchise game mode's, each team has different tendencies as to how they will build their team.
- Postseason Mode
Positives
There is so much to love about this new edition of The Show. Sports games have more of a predicament than say Halo or Crysis because they need to come out with virtually the same game every year but still make it appealing to fans to get the new edition. Sony and San Diego Studios certainly do not make it look hard with this series.
Two things hit me right away in the first game I played in this game: the player tendencies and the overall feel of the game. What they did with batting stances was absolutely perfect. For the longest time, atleast I've wanted all of the players in the game to have their own stance because I always imagined it propelling the game to a completely new level, and it did. The ways that the batter swings and what he does before the pitch is spot on to what he does in real life.
Another new feature is beginner mode. This enables new users to the game to get their feet wet, pirsay, and figure the game out before they start a franchise. The CPU feeds the batter fastballs until they get their timing down, and it also provides feedback based on what they're doing right and wrong. Another minor feature that's been added is the ball halo and tracker. This is a glowing yellow-ish light and a red tail trailing from the ball that make it easy to see at all times. This is especially handy in RTTS when you're running the bases and need to know where the ball is going.
Possibly the biggest upside to the 2013 edition of The Show is the improved Road To The Show. In this game mode, you can create your own player and rise up through the minors to the MLB and beyond. But in year's past it's been a struggle. Often times (for me atleast) I'd end up as a 27-year old player just making it to the majors but never getting enough playing time and eventually my chances of ever being successful fade away. In other words it was really hard to do well. But now it's a lot more playable with multiple difficulty levels and new features. One is when you're fielding instead of seeing the play as if it was an exhibition game, you directly behind your player running to the ball. This makes for a more realistic and fun way to play the usually boring part of defense. Another is the ability to look at the ball while you're running (press R1) and pick up your third base coach (L1.) This is MUCH appreciated as running the bases has been more difficult than it had to be in years past without being able to see the ball and the camera switching angles all the time. Also, it's possible to completely customize your player as well. From the shape of his face to his stance to the way he follows through on a home run, it's all there.
Postseason mode is a new element that's been added to the game too. It gives you the ability to play a postseason with any team and feel the excitement and roar of the crowd like a real playoff game would feel like. Also, in past games to view a player's overall, you had to look at a red bar and try to guess how muchout of 100 it is since there was never exact numbers. But realizing that every sports games now ranks players with overall numbers, The Show has given every attribute and overall a specific number which makes it a lot easier to asses who's actually better than who.
Negatives
There aren't too many drawbacks to point out, but every game has some. While the feel and pace of the game is spectacular overall, there are still a few glitches here and there. Every once in awhile I'll be batting and when the pitcher throws the ball, the game glitches out and I end up striking out embarrassingly Or there's another instance where Diamondbacks center fielder Adam Eaton ended up running through the outfield wall and was trapped for the play. So while these occurrences rarely happen, it's still a little bit of a downside.
Also, I was really hoping that every team would have an accurate farm system. And if that was too hard to do, which is understandable since the minor leagues consist of hundreds of players, atleast make the triple A teams accurate and have all of thetop 100 prospects in the game. But just as the first edition of The Show, the minor leagues are full of generically named players. Not even stolen base king Billy Hamilton or top prospect Travis D'Arnaud, whom RA Dickey was traded for. Overall it's not my biggest concern but it makes running a franchise a little less realistic.
Verdict (ratings out of ten)
- Graphics: 8.5
- Smoothness and overall feel: 9
- Online gameplay: 7.5
- Life of game (ability to play it for awhile): 8.8
- Improvement over previous game: 8.5
- Overall Rating: 8.9
MLB 13 The Show is definitely worth the purchase if you're a baseball fan. There's virtually no competition as far as other baseball games go, plus the graphics and way the game plays is far better than any other sports game. With the PS4 coming out later this year, there are many reasons to look forward to next year's edition of the game. But until then, The Show continues to provide stellar baseball gameplay.
