MLB: The Show 23 Review – A Very Good Swing

Reviewing a game that gets an annual release is quite a difficult task. Normally it’s always just a roster update, or a slight tweak in gameplay mechanics based on feedback. But sometimes we get something special, something truly unique that sets itself apart from its previous versions and positions itself as the new standard for future titles.

We saw it happen with the WWE2K franchise, whereby in 2K22 they made it a point to dedicate an entire game mode to the wrestler on the cover which at that time was Rey Mysterio, this mode was highly praised and now in 2K23 the mode returns but with John Cena as the featured wrestler.

Stepping up to the plate this year is newcomer MLB: The Show 23, and while its predecessor MLB: The Show 22 almost covered all the bases, we felt that it just came up short of being able to take that walk-off home run. Batting up with an all new Storylines mode with slight adjustments to its gameplay and graphics, could this be the one to knock it out of the park? Read on and find out.

A Story That Needed To Be Told

Goes without saying that, Storylines is easily one of the best additions to the MLB franchise. It is an episodic dive into the history of the sport and in its current season, Storylines highlights the key moments and difficulties of the unsung heroes and legends of the Negro Leagues such as:

• Leroy “Satchel” Paige
• Hilton Smith
• Andrew “Rube” Foster
• Hank Thompson
• John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil
• Jackie Robinson
• John Donaldson
• Martin Dihigo

The mode opens up with a retro cutscene from the 1900s era with Bob Kendrick, President of Negro Leagues Baseball Museum narrating on how important the time period was and how these iconic players defined the sport and helped spread the strong message of race equality which was very much needed during that particular time period. It was moving to see and it definitely gets you immersed right from the beginning.

Storylines tells its tale through an excellently paced visual storytelling style which interweaves a very heartfelt narration from Bob Kendrick with cutscenes and early footage of the Legend that players have selected. It then thrusts you into these icons’ key moments or characteristics that defined them as legends for a bit of gameplay, for players to truly get into the moment and be more immersed. Once you take control of the Legend, you will need to fulfil criteria’s based on the moments or key characteristics that made the icon such a legend and only then will you clear that episode and be able to progress to another one. For example:

I used Leroy “Satchel” Paige and the first episode had me striking out 4 batters to clear that episode. This ties in very well with his key characteristics, as Leroy was one of the greatest pitchers the sport ever knew. One of his favorite moves was to call in his outfielders and then singlehandedly strike out the opposing team.

Once you have cleared all the episodes for a certain character, you will be given certain rewards based on that character which can be used on other game modes as well as fill your collections. 

Storylines is not only a good addition to MLB: The Show 23’s overall package, but it serves also as a great way to introduce players to these Legends and their corresponding success and struggles which helps give these great icons the recognition they rightfully deserve.

I also like how in this game mode the crowd density and models are different from the modern day era, its a small minute detail that helps cement the feeling of being in that particular time period which had its own unique look and identity. They also made new animations for the individual Legends style of pitching or batting which made the Storylines mode a truly unique experience from the other Game Modes such as Diamond Dynasty and Road to the Show. 

Building Up A New Diamond Dynasty

While not a new addition to the franchise, Diamond Dynasty has seen a slight change to its mechanic when compared to the one in MLB: The Show 22. 

In its latest iteration, Diamond Dynasty now cycle baseballers when the season changes, this affect players who use one dream-team consistently throughout the entire game mode and would most likely generate some pushbacks in regards to the implementation. 

I personally think its a great addition as it keeps the game fresh and gives a chance for different builds and team compositions to be made as players will need to periodically change their line-up based on who is available to use for that particular season. 

The game mode consists of an optional online play and mini-seasons which have 28 games in each season which is more than enough games to get your favourite players and play with them during that season before some of them eventually get rotated out.

The option to purchase new players is done through purchasing packs similar to that of Fifa Ultimate Team. Luckily, Diamond Dynasty also has missions, and by completing these missions, players can earn XP and Stubs (in game-currency) whereby EXP is used to level up your XP Reward Path which is basically a Battlepass that unlock rewards the higher the XP. While stubs are used to purchase packs or players.

It is important to take note that, microtransactions are still present in Diamond Dynasty but it never felt predatory as everything can be bought with Stubs either by buying packs to take your chance with luck or see what the community market has to offer. While the mode does have a ton of elements surrounding it, it is appreciated that the game tried to simplify things through the UI and Tooltips which is very helpful and is duly much appreciated.

The Road Not Usually Taken

Road to The Show is the standard career mode, where you will use the baseballer you have created and go through the motions of what the sport entails to be part of Major League Baseball. It definitely is one of the most interesting career modes for a sports title that I personally have played.

This is due to the fact that when you first boot up the game, you will be greeted with several messages asking you about your baseball preferences such as favorite team and ideal pitching arm and so on.

When you get into this game mode, it starts off with a talent acquisition scout from your favorite team asking you to join up with them. It’s a small but meaningful detail if you’re a big fan of baseball as the game naturally tailors your story experience based on the criteria you input during the beginning.

From there you will make you way through a draft and eventually be recruited (or refuse) to join in with your team of choice. This is when you play multiple games to become champions in Major League Baseball with your team. The career mode is extremely extensive and has many interesting elements to it such as a relationship building mechanic with your teammates as well as the ability to review your current teams stats and numbers to sub them in and out accordingly.

There are several Quick Play modes available in MLB: The Show 23 which are:

• Challenge Of The Week – Players compete in global leader board ranks and are eligible to win signed official Major League Baseball items.
• Moments – Play as Superstars and Legends to relive or rewrite baseball history
• Home Run Derby – Fun mode where you compete online or offline to see who hits the best Home Run
• Multiplayer Mode – An online mode which has a 2v2 or 3v3 queue.

A Small But Welcomed Change

MLB: The Show 22 had great baseball mechanics, it felt true to life and captured everything players needed to know about the sport. MLB: The Show 23 continues this trend by making small adjustments to how certain elements work. The one noticeable change was in the throwing meter.

In the previous installment, when attempting to throw the ball to your fellow teammates a throwing meter would appear and be marked with either green or yellow, this determines whether the throw you make will connect with your fellow teammates or it goes to unintended places. It is different now due to its overall aesthetic change and how the mechanic works which could help differentiate the good players from the great ones.  

Now, the throwing meter is now a throwing arrow and instead of hitting the green area in the middle like in the 22 version, the arrow progressively gets narrower and hitting that “good throw” definitely feels more rewarding if you manage to land it properly. 

With such minor tweaks yet still feeling like an authentic baseball playing experience, other than actually going outside and playing it, it shows how far San Deigo Studios has come in perfecting their craft with the MLB series. 

The game still feels great to play, and because of its authenticity and wide range of accessibility options ranging from CPU overall smartness as well as dynamic difficulty scaling, MLB feels like it could be picked up by just about anyone and enjoyed. The game is definitely difficult to get into, but it tries its best to help ease players into it with as well with a great tutorial and practice features that helps you brush up on any specific area.

Returning Features

Features that are brought back to MLB: The Show 23

• Retro mode – Old school mode where it eliminates all the modern day elements such as cutscenes and additional commentary
• Create a stadium – Returning feature and looks as good as ever, tons of customization options to play with
• Create a character – Tons of options to choose from and extremely detailed in terms of elements that matter to baseball such as your hand offset, batting stances and walk out music.

Familiar Kind of Beauty

The game looks phenomenal despite the fact that it supports previous generation consoles. Player models look fantastic and some legends almost look like their real life counterparts while textures on the uniforms and lighting are marginally better as well when compared to MLB: The Show 22. 

The same cannot be said for the Stadiums which are serviceable at best, and while the grass, although looking very plain during zoomed out moments, it looks much better when zoomed in as there is detailing there which allows you to sometimes see the individual blades sticking out as well. Overall, the graphics are a step up from MLB: The Show 22 but only by a small increment. 

Verdict

With the game being the product of Playstation’s first-party studio, one would expect more than just a new game mode despite it being the best feature for this generations release. That being said, it would not be fair to compare it to a game like The Last of Us which had tons of changes in its sequel as the time between release was close to 7 years and that meant more development time.

Not only that, San Diego Studios has already done a phenomenal job in making the game feel and play like actual baseball in previous entries of the series, hence it is also understandable as to why there was not much gameplay tweaks to be had. So goes the saying, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

Ultimately it all boils down to whom this game is actually for, the real baseball fans are the ones I believe who would appreciate the game the most, the new Storylines mode dives deep into the sport that they love and seeing it through different eyes and recounts of Legends are definitely a highlight of this years version.

That’s not to say newcomers would not enjoy what the game has to offer either, it is one of the best baseball simulators that you can get today, and with such a strong emphasis on accessibility options, MLB The Show 23 definitely covers all the bases for both old and new and could potentially hit a home run in its next iteration. 

MLB: The Show 23 is on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. You may find further details regarding the game at their official website.

MLB: The Show 23 was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

MLB: The Show 23

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Sony San Diego Studio

Release Date TBC

Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

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