It’s that time of year again when college basketball begins to lose its madness, and the sounds of bats cracking and crowds cheering are moving in on its territory. Yep, it’s baseball season again, and let me just say, I am ready to be disappointed by my Cincinnati Reds for another 100+ games. Of course, in true Draft Day-like fashion, I am also ready to fantasize about the Reds going all 1990 again and conquering the diamond via MLB The Show 26. That annual game gives me hope that my favorite team will make some loud noises, rather than just death wheezes. I jest, of course. Like being a Cleveland Browns fan, I am destined to stand by my team come hell or high water. I’m here for you, Reds!
Anyway, getting back to the actual subject of this review, MLB The Show 26 is back for another year. While seeing the differences between last year’s release and this year’s can be rather microscopic at times, the devil is in the details, specifically, data presentation, clearer career decision-making, and a small bevy of other features. As the MLB Series usually does, MLB The Show 26 still offers some amazing visuals, informative game legends moments, a solid career mode, and the ever-favorite Diamond Dynasty.
While not a huge leap between last year’s and this year’s game, it still brings some consistency to the best baseball game on consoles.
So, let’s loosen up our arm and take a swing at this review.
Data, decisions, and little things
When you have a great sports series going, the only way to maintain that is to reinvent the wheel in some way every year. For example, one of the things that has hurt the Madden NFL series is that, beyond visuals and animation improvements, the game has run out of ideas (and functionality on occasion). It has gone stale over the years, and frustrated fans have repeatedly voiced their concerns, as some believe that each year’s new release of the football series is nothing more than an update of player stats. That’s been an argument about the series since around 2011. And that argument is very much valid.
Now, unlike Madden NFL, MLB The Show has always been on point with its yearly updates, upgrades, and modes. Since hitting the PlayStation 5, the game has shown off its new and colorful feathers each year, which include better career modes, incredible visuals, and have even gone far off the sports script with RPG-like elements. San Diego Studio has done its best to keep the series fresh, so the effort always looks like it is there.
For this year, MLB The Show 26 brings minor improvements that work well within the existing system, but maybe don’t push the game as far or as fresh as was the case in previous years. That doesn’t mean the intentions were lazy by any means, because past games prove that simply isn’t the M.O. with the devs. Anyone who is trying to sell you that narrative is clearly ignoring the studio’s past releases and/or looking for page views.
Data is the first big improvement with MLB The Show 26. The inclusion of more precise and quickly displayed data, especially in franchise mode, means that there is a lot of data crunching in the background in real-time for the player. That sentiment and inclusion is impressive. Getting up-to-date averages, pitch placements, and even a Google-led stats chart that shows where an offense has been hitting the ball during a game helps to bring a bit more believability to the experience, if not a more modern feel. Is this improvement sexy? Lord, no, but it’s an improvement that is interesting and engaging for any hardcore baseball fan out there in the real world. In a world of sports where data analysts are now featured on the sideline, it’s appropriate for this portion of MLB The Show 26 to be a driving point of the game. Modern times call for a modern design.
On the decision-making side of the tracks, Road to the Show mode seems to be more precise with player input and branching decision-making, while also allowing for a quicker path to the majors. In comparison to last year’s game, I found it a lot more involved and interactive, thus making it more than just a mere extension to the franchise mode. Road to the Show just seems more refined and quicker to get through, which makes it constantly interesting and a tough mode to put down. For example, after saying the right things, pitching the right way, and constantly improving my player, I made it to the majors in less than two days. In comparison, it took me weeks before doing that in MLB The Show 25. This makes the experience feel like it’s repeatable and less work, which I can completely dig. Again, it’s not a huge leap, but it’s a more polished mode that is immensely improved upon.
As for the other improvements, the Negro Leagues mode is back with this release, as it should be. The game brings with it more legends of the league, with a good, informative background for each legend. Not to overstate the obvious, the Negro Leagues’ inclusion keeps the memory of the league and its players alive and in sight of future ball players, and seeing it back again with improved visuals and ways the player can experience a legend in motion firmly seems like the devs are committed to not making a short stint in the Negro Leagues’ history. I hope that San Diego Studio and Sony keep revealing more of the league’s history that most fans probably didn’t know. It’s an important part of the overall history of baseball, and it deserves to live on.
The minor improvements to the game come in the form of better control with hitting and pitching. While the system wasn’t exactly flawed to this point, nor overhauled for this edition of the game, MLB The Show 26 seems to have improved and handed over a bit more control to the player. Anytime you give more control to the player, it creates better agency and a more solid connection between player and game.
Beyond these improvements, there isn’t much else. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, but I would rather a sports game become improved in areas and better in others, than have a complete overhaul every year to see if something random works. Having reviewed many sports games over the last 20+ years of reviewing, getting it wrong and ignoring improvements to gameplay is a bad route to run.
Overall, these improvements and additions range in size and shape. They end up improving the game in many areas, especially in Road to the Show, but, again, don’t exactly take a giant leap forward with new freshness to the series. But this series still has a ways to go before becoming the next Madden NFL problem. If next year’s game comes out with just minor improvements, then that will be addressed in my review of MLB The Show 27. I will be the first in line to gripe. I have a feeling that San Diego Studio probably wants to avoid being the next sports game problem.
Same game, different name
While the improvements aren’t huge leaps, the game is still easy on the eyes and a blast to play. It still feels like what you would expect from the MLB The Show series. It’s fast, fun, and it does a great job of bringing a solid presentation to the forefront of the experience. The presentation of MLB The Show 26 on the PlayStation 5 is absolutely out of this world gorgeous. The movements of the players, the crinkling uniforms with the motion of animation, and even the chanting and rowdy crowd add so much to the presentation and atmosphere of the baseball experience. It’s something to behold.
In addition, the game’s controls are precise and feel natural, which only stands to make the baseball experience as real and seamless as possible. Going from game to game this past weekend without feeling like the controls were getting in the way of the gameplay made a world of difference when it came to playing multiple games in a single sitting. It’s just easy to pick up and play because of those controls.
All this said, I do get the potential argument that there just isn’t enough separation between last year’s release. It’s valid, but, as I said before, the series isn’t at the point of Madden NFL where it feels like a glorified update with each new release, or that includes modes that are thrown in there to see if they stick with fans. San Diego Studio still seems to love and care for their baseball baby, and that shows with all the smaller improvements over last year’s release. Again, if we have this discussion next year, then I will reconsider that statement. As of now, it’s still a fun baseball game that gets you in the mood for the opening day this week.
Anyway, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
MLB The Show 26 from developer San Diego Studio and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment is a solid improvement from last year’s game, with more data inclusion, smoother career decision-making, and better backend gameplay refinements. While not a huge leap from the previous year, it’s still a good release with enough reason to consider it, especially if you’re a new player who doesn’t have last year’s game.
