With the annual Kentucky Wildcats flub in the NCAA tourney, another MLB season is ushered in with the latest release of MLB The Show. As perfect as the baseball series has been over the years, not a heckuva lot has changed with the structure of the game. It seems a bit more playful with its improved gameplay, customizable in its settings, and overall, just feels like it welcomes any type of gamer out there. The latter part is incredibly vital when it comes to growing your audience and bringing a varying degree of difficulty to a varying degree of passionate baseball fans.
In addition to bringing everything and the kitchen sink to the plate, it also introduces one of the more intriguing modes that I have seen since baseball was a ‘thing’ in the video game world – The Negro Leagues. If you don’t know a lot about The Negro Leagues, then it’s time you learn with this new piece of the MLB The Show puzzle. They were leagues comprised of African American players that began in the 1920s and brought about some of the best players in baseball. The players included baseball innovator Andrew ‘Rube’ Foster, pitcher Satchel Paige, and pitcher and all-around baseball guru Hilton Smith (and many more). The inclusion of these players and leagues offers up invaluable information and awareness that baseball history tended to brush under the rug for decades. In all honesty, I knew nothing about this part of baseball history until this game.
Having said that, let’s start talking about this year’s game.
Homerun with The Negro Leagues
Led by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president, Bob Kendrick, The Negro Leagues mode of MLB The Show 23 is incredibly interesting, as well as valuable for future baseball fans. Kendrick does a superb job of introducing and discussing important players that not only shaped The Negro Leagues at the time but also delve into how these players shaped Major League Baseball from the outside looking in. For example, when Kendrick discusses Andrew ‘Rube’ Foster, he discusses how Foster was probably the most knowledgeable baseball guru out there. He also discusses Foster’s invention of the Screwball, which Foster called the Fadeaway, and how Foster taught white players in the MLB how to use it properly. By Kendrick giving insight into Foster’s contribution to the game on and off the field and also gives context to the injustice that Foster and fellow players ran into due to the color barrier the MLB setup. The game of baseball was progressed through the efforts of players like Foster but also delayed in its design by the MLB’s awful decision to ban African Americans from participating in the game. Oh, what could have been had it not been for ignorance and intolerance?
Beyond the amazing history lesson and insight that Kendrick’s provides, the mode allows gamers to play in the role of some of these baseball champions. While I wish there was a bit more interaction in this mode, what you get to do with the players is still challenging as it is entertaining and fulfilling. The mode sets the player up in actual historical situations that Kendrick gives context to before the start of the challenge and then lets the gamer loose to accomplish the situation. For example, there is a wild story of Satchel Paige calling in his outfield and infield to surround him at the mound while he strikes out three batters. The history books show this happened and playing it is just so cool as it is unique. This mode sets up moments like this, as Kendrick gives you multiple stories for each player, then you get to play the situation he sets up. At some point, I do wish San Diego Studio would make a full franchise mode for these leagues and allow the player to play seasons. As it stands, it’s a wonderful history lesson that provides a voice and context for a league that most baseball fans have either not heard of or have completely forgotten.
It’s a bold mode that belongs in this game. I want more of it. It would be great to see all the players, teams, and locations represented.
The Rest of the MLB The Show 23 Story
The rest of MLB The Show 23 hasn’t changed a heckuva whole lot. While the game does contain some extraordinarily good tweaks from the previous season, which include pitching options, hitting styles, and the presentation, it is slowing down with major improvements. That’s to be expected with a sports title. There are only so many layers of improvement that you can do to a sports game and while San Diego Studio has been aces at gradually improving the baseball experience, it appears to be slowing its roll right now. Again, that’s not a bad thing, it’s just a natural progression with sports games year in and year out.
Now, having said that and brought it up, that doesn’t mean that this year’s game is awful or anything of that nature. In fact, MLB The Show 23 feels like a very complete game that has quite a bit of thought put into it. Starting with the most noticeable improvement, the presentation, this year’s game is stunning.
Presentation
Having had another year of hardware experience with the Xbox Series X and PS5 under their belt, San Diego Studio brings one of the more beautiful versions of MLB The Show to players. Two quick pieces to note are the stadiums and the lighting, which are accurate as they are exquisite. The stadiums are properly constructed, even down to the little features such as a truck in the outfield of Great American Ball Park. Why is that truck there? I’m assuming it’s an advertisement or giveaway, but the fact that it is included is stupidly accurate. Small details like these breathe life into a gamer’s atmosphere and help to fully engage the player in the game. Engagement in a sports title is vital for a game’s success.
As for the lighting, it has been properly perfected to represent real-world lighting situations. Shadows drop off players properly, the sun’s positioning is as annoying as it is when you go to a mid-afternoon game at Great American Ball Park, and when you finally get the shade dropped on you later in the afternoon it is a visual relief. Say what you want about the player models, which are equally as gorgeous and less mechanical than last year’s game, and the ‘nearly there’ active crowd, but for my visual presentation money, there must be good lighting tech to put this game on a different level. Lighting makes games so much better, and doubly so if you’re judging a baseball game’s presentation. MLB The Show 23 excels in this area.
Anyway, beyond great visuals, the presentation does take a step down with commentating. While I loved the commentating in The Negro Leagues mode, where you get some more historical insight on players, the other modes have a lot of repetition to the dialogue. You’ll certainly hear the same lines in single games, which I know is finite in variety, but at some point, you’ll want to bring down the audio just a bit to avoid hearing lines over and over again. That’s not to say that the commentators don’t bring the passion that helps push the excitement of the game, it just isn’t always as entertaining due to repeated lines.
I think there is more positive than negative on the presentation side of the tracks, so expect an improvement in this area.
Fielding, swinging, and pitching
While there wasn’t a gigantic improvement in these areas, I think the gameplay was tweaked enough to make it smoother than last year’s game. I felt like fielding took a nice step forward, as it felt less mechanical than it has in the past. Getting a double-play felt a heckuva lot smoother and easier to pull off. The player ease of use in the field made the game feel more natural and closer to an actual baseball experience. Even fielding those hardliners or beamers felt more natural. The controls didn’t play against you this year, and that’s a nice feeling, especially if you’re not trying to be a pro at the game, which I never am.
As for the batting portion of the game, it also felt a bit tighter, but also looser with execution. Last year’s game allowed for some good and accurate contact with balls. This meant you could push the ball one way or another without much effort. This year seems to have perfected that and allowed for any level of user to understand and accomplish the same type of contact. That’s a big deal for someone like me, who is just a casual gamer for this series. I enjoy a good game of baseball but also want the ability to pull off a pro-style when I want to do so. That might piss off the pros here and some people may call this the FIFA of baseball, where it might feel more accessible and arcade-like to everyone, but it’s a proper way to go.
San Diego Studio also seems to want you to adjust to your player and player style. For example, I swing at everything in this game. I know, it’s not the best way to win, but I do swing at garbage quite a bit. The devs have instituted what they refer to as a Bad Ball Hitter style, where balls outside the strike zone are accessible to certain players. I thrive in this area. I’m so happy this was added to the gameplay mix. It helps me feel like my bad decisions aren’t frustrating ones, rather they will eventually pay off in the long run and with the right batter.
Finally, pitching is still my favorite part of this series. It has been tweaked and is now accessible to all types of players. The game allows you to pitch using different metered styles, depending on your comfort level. One of the more annoying parts of the series over the years is how the game changed the pitching meter default. It now allows you to choose your type of pitching meter style, mine was the PSP version, and enjoy pitching life the way you want to enjoy it.
In addition, the tweaks in accuracy and timing with pitches have been improved. The accuracy is better and feels far less loosey-goosey than it did in past games. The timing is a trip because depending on which pitcher you’re playing as the timing on the pitching meter can be quick or excruciatingly long. For example, Satchel Paige has a tremendously slow wind-up, which makes for a longer waiting time to pitch. Compared to MLB pitchers in 2023, which are quick and to the point, Satchel’s wind-up can throw you off. The fact that it’s accurate makes for a more realistic experience.
Other odds and ends
The smaller additions to the game do help improve the gameplay experience. Having the ability to have stats at the ready is impressive. You can view batter or pitching stats as need be during gameplay. As a batter, you can also see information about pitch type, speed, and location during your at-bats. The latter of the bunch is for the folks fully invested in the game. While I think that is neat, it’s not something I actively had to look at during the game. While maybe the pitch type and location were important, as it is always important to establish a pattern with a pitcher, they weren’t something I was dying to have. That seems like it’s more for the hardcore gamer. There’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever.
On the mode side of the equation for MLB The Show 23, there is a lot of improvement in the online experience. Not only in the stability side of the experience but also when it comes to balancing out the competition. To be quite honest, the online parts of MLB The Show have been imbalanced and sometimes tough to enjoy. If you can pitch well, you can dominate, but not always, even when you should be. For batters, sometimes it’s tough to hit good pitches and get what you want out of them. There was a clear imbalance in online play, which sometimes made the game less than enjoyable. The game evens out this aspect of online play by providing more accurate and damning contact from the batter, which puts the pitcher’s abilities to the test. Is it perfect? I don’t think so, but it’s close. For someone who doesn’t enjoy the online baseball competition because of how hardcore some gamers can get, especially since it’s now cross-platform, at least I have a better chance. Knowing that it’s more cut and dry with pitching and hitting makes for a potentially more meaningful and rewarding experience.
As for Road to the Show, Franchise, March to October, and Diamond Dynasty, the improvements aren’t as enormous. I think that Road to the Show is as interesting as it was last year. It gives you a nice journey that is more flexible than it has been in the past. I think I hit the ball harder in this game than I did with last year’s Road to the Show. I also felt like I was in more control of the fielding aspect as well. The latter of the bunch was a little bit of a disconnect for me. I had a lot more fun with it because of this and felt like the branching parts of the journey were more meaningful.
As for Franchise…the Reds still stink. This mode let me know it. It’s never going to be 1990 again.
The March to October and Diamond Dynasty are fun. The former is good for quick and fun gameplay. The additional updates and improvements to the game make it far more exciting. As for DD, I’m still not in love with this mode, but I can see gamers who enjoy the mixing-matching players and juggling of stats falling into it. Both keep the longevity of this series going, which is never a bad thing. The modes that San Diego Studio provides with MLB The Show 23 make this a worthwhile time and money investment.
On that note, let’s wrap this up.
Conclusion
While San Diego Studio doesn’t take a huge leap with MLB The Show 23 compared to last year’s game, it’s still entertaining and the best baseball game on the planet. The addition of The Negro Leagues mode makes for a deeper and more enriching experience.
