MLB The Show 18 is another notch in the successful belt of the MLB series from San Diego Studio. It has better mechanics, more meaningful modes, a gorgeous presentation style and it just feels like what you would imagine a baseball game should feel like.
With the end of basketball season in sight, the natural progression of sports focus drops on baseball to save our sports senses (because golf ain’t gonna do it). As it does year-to-year, Sony Interact Entertainment and San Diego Studio have released their MLB baseball game. Right on cue, MLB The Show 18 has gotten progressively better from its predecessor in terms of playability, visuals and modes. I mean, SIE and SDS know that they could just print a baseball game and make money, right? They are literally the only console baseball game in town. Madden does it every year with tweaks and charges $60, so shouldn’t SIE and SDS do that? Thankfully, they give effort to their the MLB title and because of that have made one of the most impressive series that does everything right. And MLB The Show 18 is no different in that impressiveness.
So, without further delay, let’s talk about the 2018 release of MLB The Show.
This year’s game seems to be a lot smoother in terms of playability, while adding a tinge of challenge, even for those most basic player. That doesn’t mean that you’re getting a Dark Souls of baseball when you start the game or that the game was unplayable last year, neither is true. Rather, San Diego Studios has found a sweet spot of easing a player into the game, while at the same time taking off the training wheels and letting them ride like a ‘big boy’ down their baseball street. It’s complimentary of the faith they have in the gamers, from beginners to experts, as going from an easy way to play into the fray of online PvP is less jarring. For example, I played online against another player and while they were clearly a much more seasoned gamer than me, I didn’t feel like it was an unpleasant online experience. Rather, I felt like I had some work to do, but not too much, to make going up against other players a more evened experience. I can appreciate that effort of gameplay design for MLB The Show 18 and think it’s a step forward into making the full-package of gameplay a welcomed experience for all level of baseball fans.
That said, the actual gameplay balance is actually quite good. In my experience for the last week or so, I’ve fielded the ball and hit the ball pretty consistently without a hitch. Usually in sports games I’ve felt defense or offense more than the other. Madden, for example, always seems to flip back and forth year-in and year-out between being a good defensive title or a good offensive title. MLB The Show 18 seems to have a good handle on both and it never felt like a struggle one way or another. That’s how a sports game should be, unless you like a sucky team like the Cincinnati Reds, who are incapable of having an offensive game consistently, then it’s accurate in this year’s game. How did I become a Browns fan and a Reds fan? One day the universe will line up correctly. One day. Overall, it’s a well-balanced game.
Staying with gameplay, there’s a lot to do in this year’s MLB The Show. A lot of offense and defense aspects of the game were retooled. I especially appreciated the contact and throwing in the game, as it felt less video game glitchy and more accurate with the actual game of baseball. I know a big focus for SDS was to get those aspects closer to the real deal and it worked out well for them. I like what they did with retooling the attributes of the game and it shows when you play. It feels like a baseball game.
On the other side of the tracks, you get a nice handful of modes, which include a pretty cool immortal mode that pulls old hall of fame ballplayers into the mix and allows you to use them in games, including the immortal Babe Ruth. That’s quite a cool feature and the extensive library of past players is impressive. Anyway, without further delay, let’s break those modes down:
Franchise — This is your typical play-through mode for a season with your favorite team. It’s enjoyable and it reminds you how much baseball you have to look forward to as the season starts. What you get out of this mode is a nice chance to see your favorite team do its thing and enjoy the improved spectacle of the game, which includes fielding/hitting/physics. Now, being a Reds fan, taking all the ‘good’ one can get from the visual delivery of the game and how impressive the physics, player models/movements are during Franchise mode is about all one can appreciate. This game is so damn gorgeous to see in action and even seeing the perfectly replicated Great American ballpark is a wonder to behold. Now, if only the Reds could actually get their offense going, then this mode would be far more entertaining. As it stands, it’s a great mode that is entertaining to play and look at throughout a very long season. A VERY long Reds’ season. *sigh*
Road to the Show — So, the joy of developing players in this mode, at least for me, is naming them. In this year’s game, my pitcher, John Big Bootay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTLKfI8VToI), was a fun and dominant pitcher thanks to the improvements of this mode and the amount of depth that comes with it. Beyond just making obscene names that make other reviewers and players giggle, the Road to the Show has become a more intricate process for gamers to enjoy. This mode of the game does a fantastic job of bringing a branched out gameplay design, where gamer decisions (dialogue, how to improve a player through training, etc.) play into how successful a career the gamer’s player has during his Road to the Show. Improvement of a player can be gained through successful on the field decisions, as well as lost by flubbing up on the field. For example, my pitcher was damn good at pitching, but awful when it came to reacting on the field to hits (or covering first when needed). Bootay was improved by pitching, but docked by fielding — so unfair, but appropriate in the scheme of things. The secondary way to improve my pitcher was through focused training sessions, which included pitching, exercising and watching video. The amount of details and effort that SDS took into making this a more gamer driven experience when building up players is impressive and welcomed. It certainly made the baseball game feel a bit more deeper than it should have been (which is not a bad thing).
Diamond Dynasty — Programs and missions are the name of the game here, where the real beef of the game is unlocked as you progress. You can unlock immortal hall of fame players that are ramped up in stats, which equal out to on the field success. Honestly speaking, anytime a game can motivate you to keep playing and reward you appropriately with items/players that have a significant impact on gameplay, then it’s a good game. Games are supposed to keep your attention and Diamond Dynasty is a damn good mode to do just that. This mode also includes PvP action, where you can customize your team of cards and go head-to-head against another gamer out there on the inter webs. Immortal players, rewards and a various amount of events and challenges makes this probably one of the deepest and most entertaining, yet challenging, modes in MLB The Show 18. I’m not usually a fan of this mode for baseball, football or otherwise, but damn it’s good and it works within the game beautifully.
Retro Mode — Imagine Bases Loaded coming free with MLB The Show 18 and you know what you’re in for. Incredibly retro and fun for a game or two. This mode throws out all the controls from the main game and really does institute retro controls. Press down to pitch fast, back to pitch slow and good luck the rest of the way. It’s going to be a high scoring affair, but it’s nonetheless entertaining.
As for the rest of the modes, you get vaults (logos, players, roster downloads), challenge of the week and postseason, which the Reds will never see in the next 10 years the way its going in Cincinnati.
All in all, I’m impressed by what MLB 18 has to offer. It does seem like a bigger, more motivating experience that will entertain the hell out you. San Diego Studio did a great job of retooling, somewhat perfecting mechanics and bringing a worthwhile experience to the PlayStation 4, even though the extra effort wasn’t necessary. I honestly wish that EA and the Madden team would take note of the effort and how much the SDS team thought outside the box. MLB The Show hasn’t lost a step over the years and it keeps finding new things to make baseball interesting. That’s not the easiest task in the world.
Overall, MLB The Show 18 is another notch in the successful belt of the MLB series from San Diego Studio. It has better mechanics, more meaningful modes, a gorgeous presentation style and it just feels like what you would imagine a baseball game should feel like.
