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MLB The Show 19 Review: Another Home Run for PlayStation 4
PS4 EXCLUSIVE MLB THE SHOW 19 CONTINUES TO BE THE BEST BASEBALL VIDEO GAME ON THE MARKET BUT THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS THAT KEEP IT FROM BEING A MASTERPIECE.
In the current console generation Sony's MLB The Show has been the reigning champ of baseball video games. There's been some efforts to make other baseball titles, RBI Baseball comes to mind, but none of them hold a candle The Show in terms of production value, style, and most importantly, gameplay. Unfortunately, MLB The Show's relative monopoly on the baseball video game arena meant that in recent years the series' entries got rather stale. They were still of high quality but were basically the same game from year to year. MLB The Show 19 gets the franchise back on the right track and is a great title that proves there's still innovation to be made even when on the top.
For the first time in a long while MLB The Show 19 adds two new modes to the core baseball game experience. These new modes 'March to October' and 'Moments' are very similar to modes that have been other sports games. Yet The Show adds the series' customary quality and polish to them so that they+ enhance an already great baseline experience. MLB The Show 19 won't set the sports video game world on fire but it's still another terrific title in PlayStation 4's ever-expanding list of exclusive games.
Right off the bat, the presentation and graphical capabilities of The Show are second to none. It's easy to get sucked into a game of The Show 19 and forget that these aren't live-action players but computer generated models. From top to bottom MLB The Show 19 oozes charisma and polish. All the players move fluidly and realistically. This even includes their facial expressions as players will emote elation when hitting a home run and bitter disappointment when striking out on swings. MLB The Show 19 can't quite get over the problem of commentators making player names sound canned and stilted but everything else in the commentary track is stellar. Matt Vasgersian, Mark DeRosa, and Dan Plesac all sound like they're reacting to a real game playing out in front of them and not just spouting the same recorded lines with no gameplay basis.
Core gameplay is another obvious highlight of the MLB The Show 19 experience. Sony San Diego has done a tremendous job in making MLB The Show 19 enjoyable for both hardcore and casual baseball fans. If users want to get in the nitty gritty of roster charts, player trades and statistics that's definitely available. However all the truly complicated baseball manager decisions can be automated and players can just focus on the games. Even the individual games are tailor-made with several control options for pitching, hitting and field running. MLB The Show 19 allows gamers to play the title the way they want to and doesn't force them to learn one specific control scheme. MLB The Show's dynamic difficulty (which adapts to the player's proficiency) is also back and it continues to prove it should be an industry standard for all sports video games.
In the various modes the quality is a bit more varied. The usual stalwarts are available and besides some fine tuning they're just as solid in MLB The Show 19 as they were in The Show 18. Franchise mode delivers a fun, engaging and lengthy experience as you follow one team franchise for several seasons. Home Run Derby remains a light diversion. Exhibition play in local and online multiplayer is also a consistent experience. The single-player RPG experience Road to the Show doesn't tell much of a story compared to other single player sports games but the gameplay switch it offers in putting users in control of a single baseball player is surprisingly immersive. MLB The Show 18's retro mode which turns the controls into SNES like experience with PS4 graphics also returns and it's still as silly as ever.
As for the new new modes the more appealing of them 'March to October'. March to October is essentially a shortened season mode. One MLB team is chosen at the start so that various moments and games throughout their season are selected. These key highlights are a part of their March to October or the World Series with goals changing depending on the player's success of failure in a previous showdown. Considering how long baseball seasons and full games can be, even in video game form, 'March to October' is a welcome diversion. Its segmented gameplay lends itself to pick and play sessions making it much more approachable to get to the World Series.
The 'Moments' mode meanwhile is exactly what it sounds. Moments chooses specific scenarios from baseball history and puts the player in control of their outcome. It boils down to a challenge mode where specific goals must be met. As a brand new mode this makes 'Moments' a little less exciting as it's more just a collection of snapshots than anything meaty. However it can be enjoyable to hop in and does serve as a nice showcase of baseball history, especially as an additive feature to MLB The Show mix.
An underlying concern with 'Moments' is that it's closely tied to MLB The Show 19's worst feature 'Diamond Dynasty.' Completing 'Moments' earns credits which can be used in 'Diamond Dynasty.' 'Diamond Dynasty' is MLB The Show 19's version of the plague of modern sports game the online fantasy league. In 'Diamond Dynasty' players can craft their own MLB team with an all-star cast of players from past and present. Thankfully some of the online connection problems that plague MLB The Show 18 seem to be worked out in 19. In our copy of the game at least there were no serious hiccups with online play in 'Dynasty' or exhibition.
While it's a fun concept 'Diamond Dynasty' is severely harmed by those in-game credits. Players are primarily earned though packs and cards in 'Diamond Dynasty.' In other words, 'Diamond Dynasty' employs microtransactions to make teams better and that's very disappointing. Granted it's possible to earn credits without spending real-life cash. MLB The Show 19 is pretty generous in giving out credits for completing games, logging in each day and completing challenges in 'Moments.' Yet even if it's a free grind, it's still a tedious free grind to earn them. 'Diamond Dynasty' can be ignored. Thankfully, The Show isn't nearly obnoxious with the mode as some other sports game but it does ultimately feel like more of a burden than a feature.
The disappointing 'Diamond Dynasty' can't sink the total package of MLB The Show 19. The two new modes of 'Moments' and 'March to October' are such obvious additions that it's hard to believe that The Show is only just now including them. Yet that doesn't take away from the fact that they are executed in an very entertaining way. MLB The Show 19 is hands down the best baseball experience in current generation of consoles. With its level of polish and availability to all players, it might be one of the best overall sports games on the market.
MLB The Show 19 is available now for $59.99 on PlayStation 4.
OUR RATING:
4 out of 5 (Excellent)
