MLB Opening Day is nearly here and with it comes the annual optimism across fan bases that this could be “the year” regardless of what has happened in the past.
While that will fade for many teams, Sony’s MLB The Show video game franchise is a perennial title contender and there’s no question that each edition will deliver what fans are seeking. The question now is whether the series has the ability to exceed expectations with a sense of stagnation having grown in recent years despite general satisfaction.
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Last year, Diamond Dynasty rose from the ashes to become the favorite mode of many. In MLB The Show 16, it has received more flavor in the form of new types of players, reasons to mix up lineups, and completely new ways to play.
The most intriguing addition is the new draft-based Battle Royale. Instead of utilizing the Diamond Dynasty team, users draft their rosters round-by-round from four possible selections. It'll be very familiar to those who played Draft Champions in Madden NFL 16 or FUT Draft in FIFA 16. The new team is then used online against other drafted teams in three inning games where pitchers enter already fatigued.
There's an entry fee in "Stubs" (the in-game currency) required, but a card pack is guaranteed just for participating. The more wins collected before losing twice and being eliminated the greater the rewards that can be obtained with additional card packs and individual players on the line.
The biggest impact to regular Diamond Dynasty is made through the introduction of new player cards. There are 30 new legends coming in but debuting also are flashback and rookie cards of current players. Cards representing active players this season will see their ratings fluctuate day-to-day based on the Inside Edge determination of the real-life matchups and hot or cold streaks. Then there are the “Captains”, which provide incentive for using different types of unique lineups.
All that should help reduce the issue that was found after a month or two with MLB 15, that pretty much everyone who had invested time and/or money in the mode ended up with lineups featuring all the same players and then there was little else to do. Another new feature is the ability to play Diamond Dynasty games against friends. But there are no stakes on the line in those.
As good as Diamond Dynasty is now there are still many ways in which it could be improved. The “random” selection of starting pitchers doesn’t actually feel random. Like last year, you may hardly ever see your No. 1 starter on the mound for some reason. The three inning games in Battle Royale and the other new way to play. Conquest, aren’t always satisfying. In Battle Royale, you may be excited with who you’ve drafted and then end up only getting a few at-bats with them or never even getting to use the top pitcher.
The other aspect of the mode that desperately needs to be addressed relates to the customization of the uniforms. Most recently, NBA 2K16 got this right by making it simple and easy to produce good looking uniforms, while EA Sports in the past have allowed for them to be created on the web and transferred into the games.
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The process for customizing or creating a team’s hats, jerseys, pants, equipment, and especially logos is tedious and time consuming in MLB 16 and there’s no ability to transfer over the unis from last year. It’s also very difficult to make them as evidenced by the majority of Diamond Dynasty teams seen online wearing generic uniforms without any logos or text on them.
Not faring as well as Diamond Dynasty are the legacy modes: Franchise and Road to the Show. Development priority has shifted in recent years to modes that generate revenue instead. These two are still good but they’re fundamentally the same as last year and, in the case of RTTS, that's been true now for practically a decade.
ShowTime is the feature being promoted the most and it appears within Road to the Show as well as when using Player Lock in regular games. Users can slow down time in critical moments at the plate, for a pitch, or in the field. The usage is very limited so it’s not something to really complain too much about even as it, and the “Perks” that are also new to the mode, are not entirely based in the realism that The Show has become known for.
In my time experimenting with the feature, ShowTime proved fairly useless. At the plate it has helped me a on a few occasions just in determining a ball from a strike and letting it go by. Otherwise, when swinging, most of the time I’ve been unable to properly time the swing which seems like a major development oversight. There is no way to practice taking swings on a ShowTime-slowed pitch.
The most worthwhile change is the ability to continue straight into the next game within a series rather than having to go back to the menus first. This is a valuable time-saver for position players, who appear in most every game, but will have less value to relievers who can go several games without being called upon and next to none for starting pitchers.
Franchise mode offers some new stats like WAR and player morale. Solid additions but nothing inspiring. There still aren’t rain-outs or double-headers. Online Franchise has been neglected for the second straight year as it didn’t even receive the new stat categories or morale and still lacks many of the features found in offline franchise.
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Commentary remains yet again one of the weakest aspects of the series. Sony San Diego has long been stubborn regarding commentary, making only minor adjustments despite calls from fans that began well over five years ago to reboot the announcer team. As is the case with Franchise and Road to the Show there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the commentary, and the announcers do acknowledge past events more in Franchise, but consumers have been hearing the same things forever now and until that “sound” changes fans will continue to ask for an overhaul.
Always strengths of The Show, the gameplay is fantastic and the visuals are phenomenal. Outside of exploits related to bunting and stealing, which appear to have been addressed sufficiently, there wasn’t a whole lot wrong with the gameplay coming off last year. That’s why the biggest change is with the addition of tons of new animations, most of which will go unrecognized.
There is a new default batting camera called “Fish Eye”, which provides a wider perspective that’s excellent for reading balls and strikes. It’s a good option among many good ones, it just takes some experience to adjust to the timing, as I found myself out in front of offspeed pitches and behind fastballs for several games.
The graphics did receive a notable upgrade this year with what’s being called “Physically Based Rendering.” The improvements are most seen with the objects that surround the field like the backstops, dugouts, tarps, and walls. I’ve probably spent hours now in replay mode alone going around stadiums and taking screenshots. Also new are retractable roofs that close, and not only do they look incredible but so does the lighting that comes through them. Unfortunately, the weather outside when the roofs are closed is always clear, even if the announcers state that it’s raining.
Last year, emotion was supposed to be a big part of the product but very little of it was actually seen. In MLB 16 there’s much more emotion, and personality, and that’s huge to capturing the moments that make baseball exciting. Whether it be dramatic bat flips — including Jose Bautista’s from the ALDS — or Carter Capps’ hop-step delivery, the switch-pitching Pat Venditte, Max Scherzer’s different colored eyes, the new Home Run Derby format, or King’s Court at Safeco (though they don’t stand, chant, or have K cards) for starts from Felix Hernandez, there are some really cool authentic touches found MLB The Show 16.
Unfortunately, the omissions also stand out. Examples include replay challenges remaining limited to calls at first base and the weather outside closed retractable roofs always being clear and sunny, even when the commentators say it's raining.
But nothing is more frustrating than missing uniforms. Among those not included in the game are the fantastic cream Sunday unis for the Mariners, the Camo unis for the Padres, the black alternate for the Giants, red alternate for the Twins, and alternates for the Diamondbacks and Cubs. Josh Donaldson is on the cover of MLB The Show 16 and the Canadian version features him in the Blue Jays red alternate. Guess what? Those aren’t even in the game.
MLB The Show 16 is yet another excellent game in the series, but only enough has been done to sustain its status as such in coming off similarly received editions. Failing to properly address some long-running core deficiencies and a lack of innovation has prevented the franchise from reaching even greater heights.
Instead, Sony San Diego has continued to build on its strengths with visuals and gameplay while further expanding the appeal of Diamond Dynasty. In doing so, The Show may lack some flash but it remains the most steady sports gaming franchise in existence today.
MLB The Show 16 was reviewed on PS4 and is also available on PS3. A download code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, hosts the Press Row Podcast, and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.