MLB The Show 25 Review – Still The MVP

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Juan Soto jumped on the subway, changing one New York borough for another, and became baseball’s highest-paid player. The Japanese sensation, Roki Sasaki, reconnected with his fellow countrymen in Dodger blue, making the World Series champions an even stronger team. Corbin Burnes moved to the Arizona desert, the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker, and the Red Sox strengthened their rotation by acquiring ace Garrett Crotchet. The offseason was typical with its share of changes, including the Oakland Athletics temporarily leaving their 57-year-old home for Sacramento. As the weather warms and spring training concludes, the return of Major League Baseball is just around the corner, which means it’s also time for the latest version of MLB The Show. Last year’s game saw only minor updates, but MLB The Show 25 makes some progress by introducing overdue improvements to modes like Road to the Show and Franchise.

In recent times, the Road to the Show (RTTS) has lost its charm due to a lack of significant updates and the annoying connection with the card-collecting mode, Diamond Dynasty. However, in The Show 25, things have taken a turn for the better as it breaks away from that link and significantly revamps the initial stages of your career by introducing high school baseball. Now, you embark on your path to the Major Leagues as a budding high school student. By excelling in the three offered games, possibly clinching a high school championship, and demonstrating your abilities at the MLB combine, you’ll attract attention from various Major League Baseball teams as well as eight distinct college programs within the game, such as Vanderbilt, LSU, UCLA, and Texas. You have the option to sign with an MLB team immediately upon graduating from high school at age 18, just like previous versions, or choose to attend college for four years to enhance your attributes and hopefully boost your draft value.

Each college is given a rating from one to five stars in two categories: “exposure” and “skill development.” The former influences your draft position and scout’s evaluation, while the latter determines the number of upgrade tokens you’ll receive to enhance your baseball player. After selecting a college that suits your preferences, the game jumps ahead to your final year, where you’re preparing to compete in the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The results of each game could lead to playing all four series, increasing your chances of winning the national championship, which would significantly enhance your draft position if you perform well. Post-drafting by an MLB team, you’ll likely progress swiftly through the minor leagues, bypassing extended stays in AA and AAA if you opted for college instead, so there are significant decisions to ponder.

As a gamer, diving into the world of The Show 25, I find that the college baseball experience, though momentary compared to my overall career, is a refreshing change that adds a new twist to the familiar RTTS formula. The developers have really outdone themselves with the level of detail – from the authentic college uniforms to the crisp sound of a ball hitting an aluminum bat. The revamped progression system also offers a more personalized gaming experience, as it allows me to invest upgrades into any attribute rather than being stuck in the same power-hitting mold. In previous games, improvements were directly linked to performance – hit a home run and your power would boost; strike out a batter and your K’s per nine innings would improve. While this made sense theoretically, as a position player, I always ended up as a typical middle-of-the-order power bat. But in The Show 25, progression is based on earning tokens, giving me the freedom to shape my player however I want – for instance, focusing solely on contact and creating a leadoff hitter reminiscent of Ichiro.

As a dedicated gamer stepping up to the plate in The Show 25, I can attest that the diamond remains a familiar battleground for the series’ legendary brand of baseball. However, there are some fresh twists to keep things exciting. For instance, when I’m managing a solo player instead of an entire team, I can execute a nifty swim move to dodge tags while sprinting the bases, akin to cover star Elly De La Cruz’s agile maneuvers. This option doesn’t flood the game with base stealing opportunities but rather offers a thrilling, authentic moment during play.

The majority of the new features are geared towards defense, with more quick-time events for fielding sharp grounders in the infield, a slow-motion cutoff minigame for corner infielders, and an expanded array of defensive actions for catchers, from blocking dirt balls to directing fielders on ball trajectories. These enhancements make single-player defense a more immersive experience whether I’m playing RTTS or Franchise mode.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that the defense mechanics have been refined when managing a full team. Infielders now have various initial reactions that greatly affect how swiftly they grab the ball, if they do at all. This change makes top-tier defenders shine brighter than ever, while those with weaker defensive skills remain just that. When constructing my team in Franchise or Diamond Dynasty, this detail is crucial as it significantly boosts the worth of elite defenders. Plus, the abundance of new animations this year has made fielding feel more seamless and dynamic than ever before.

In the game, although hitting fundamentals remain unchanged, there’s a novel Ambush Hitting technique that provides an opportunity to gain an edge on inside or outside pitches. By concentrating on the inner half of the plate, the Positioning Chart Interface (PCI) slightly widens on that side while narrowing on the outer side. In theory, this lets you anticipate specific pitches, thereby incorporating real-world strategy into each at-bat. However, in practice, I haven’t observed a substantial advantage from accurately guessing the correct half of the plate, so maintaining a neutral stance seems to be the most effective approach. Ambush hitting is an interesting concept, but it feels unnecessary in its current implementation.

In this year’s Franchise mode, the free agency aspect has undergone significant improvement compared to last year’s game. Instead of having a wide range of potential signings, you’re now tasked with prioritizing three specific targets. As time passes, these players become more interested in joining your team, making roster construction a complex puzzle that requires careful thought. Do you aim for high-profile free agents like Vladimir Guerrero or focus on acquiring less expensive players to build up the team? If you do choose to sign a star player, will you use the remaining spots to generate interest from backup options or concentrate on addressing other roster gaps? This updated system in The Show 25 offers a balance between simplification and added depth. However, there are still some contract-related features missing, such as the option for back-end deals, but these modifications represent a positive stride towards improvement.

This year brings us a third season of the TV series titled “Storylines,” focusing on the Negro Leagues. At first launch, only three players are included – James “Cool Papa” Bell, Wilber “Bullet Joe” Rogan, and Norman “Turkey” Stearnes. However, additional players will be added for free in April. Despite a seemingly light start, these initial players preserve the mode’s impressive quality, blending real-life footage with custom artwork, and featuring Bob Kendrick’s engaging narration and storytelling.

Season three delves into the lives and careers of three remarkable men: James “Cool Papa” Bell, a swift leadoff hitter who declined to race against Jesse Owens; Wilber “Bullet Joe” Rogan, a versatile two-way star who excelled both at bat and on the pitching mound; and Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, a speedy slugger with a powerful arm and a cannon for a bat that even intimidated Satchel Paige. Hearing Bob Kendrick recount tales about these players is both enlightening and motivational.

The fundamental gameplay may be repetitive at this stage, but each vignette is well-crafted and valuable enough to warrant the admission fee on its own.

One significant aspect missing this year is the absence of a standalone player narrative, similar to Derek Jeter’s storyline from last season. With its multiple branches and Diamond Dynasty-related rewards, such narratives seemed to be shaping the future of Storylines. However, in The Show 25, there’s no equivalent content. Given the wealth of captivating baseball stories throughout history, it seems peculiar that this isn’t included, especially considering the addition of legendary players like Ted Williams, Roger Clemens, and Manny Ramirez to Diamond Dynasty. The story behind Boston’s 2004 World Series win, avoiding Curt Schilling, appears to be a natural fit for such a narrative, making its omission surprising.

In contrast to previous versions, Diamond Dynasty no longer adheres to the Sets and Seasons structure that has been its mainstay. Now, instead of cards being confined to specific time frames, you can utilize every player throughout the game’s duration. This change significantly improves the process of earning top-tier cards, as players obtained during the initial month of play could serve as foundation pieces for your team.

In essence, Diamond Dynasty presents a fresh single-player mode called Diamond Quest, which is reminiscent of roguelike board games combined with baseball. At the start of each round, you’ll roll a die, and every square you land on offers a gameplay task, a reward, or nothing at all. These tasks are diverse and could ask you to achieve something like getting an extra-base hit in two innings or scoring a specific number of runs before reaching 15 outs. Generally, they’re short challenges, with the ultimate objective being to reach the Stadium (or Stadiums) and win a three-inning match using your team. If you triumph, you get to keep all the rewards you’ve gathered so far and even have a chance of receiving a high-level card. It’s an exciting experience, and because the squares are randomly generated, it offers endless replayability, especially when new cards can be earned at the end of each game.

As a dedicated gamer diving into MLB The Show 25, I can vouch for another top-notch baseball experience. While Ambush Hitting could use some spice, the refined fielding mechanics make up for it, creating a more balanced game overall. The long-awaited overhaul in Road to the Show is nothing short of a game-changer, with the addition of amateur games and an improved progression system; free agency in Franchise mode feels more engaging than ever, and Diamond Dynasty wisely moves away from the Set and Seasons model while introducing a fresh single-player mode. Whether these changes are subtle or substantial, MLB The Show 25 delivers enough improvements to keep me on the virtual diamond for another year.

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2025-03-24 21:40