Gaming with lwgrs

MLB The Show 24: First Impressions

When I got a PS5 (for the 4K Disc player, remember) one of the games I really wanted to play was MLB The Show 24. Actually I would probably prefer playing 25, but I won't for two big reasons: 1) It's not released until March 18th; 2) It's $80 compared to 24's $40. I have yet to determine if this game tops my experience with MVP Baseball 2005 (PS2), but without giving away too much, it definitely tops my experience with MLB The Show 16 (PS3).

Before I dive into the meat of things, enjoy a couple of spectacular home runs I hit on MLB's beginner mode.

Gameplay #

The gameplay for The Show is largely the same as previous versions. If it weren't for some upgraded visuals (more on that in a bit) and updated rules to reflect changes in the last 9 years, you could easily mistake the two games for each other in terms of how the game plays. As near as I can tell, the controls are mostly the same. By "mostly", I mean that the basics are the same, but the mechanics of how some things work are changed a little.

For example, in MLB 16 your only options for throwing a ball on the field was hitting the button that corresponds with where you want to throw; you can "charge" your throw, and if you charge it too much you could commit an error. Charge it too little and you probably won't beat the runner. Conversely in MLB 24 they introduced a throwing meter - you want to release your throw in the green, middle part of the meter to get the ideal throw. The size of the green area varies depending on the player and how they field it. I like this little tweak a lot.

Hitting and pitching are both the same - all the different options are there. I started off using "Zone" hitting because that's what everyone online giving hitting tips uses, but I decided to drop back to directional hitting. This game is hard, it always has been. The ball moves realistically in every direction - pitching, off the bat, throwing. While I want a challenge and not wallop the computer every game, I also don't want to not be able to hit anything until I figure it out.

I set the difficulty levels for hitting & pitching to "dynamic", so as I get better at both, the difficulty level will increase, and later decrease, if it's too hard, creating a sweet spot of difficulty. In theory.

What I enjoyed was the process of choosing the control styles for each aspect of the game. Because you need to do a full copy and install of the game when you're using the disc on the PS5, you're given a limited version of the game to play while you wait for the rest of the game to be ready. This launches an introductory mode where little boxes pop up telling you the different ways you can control the game.

You can try various methods and see which one works best for you. I appreciated this because it gave me some space to try different things (such as choosing the meter-based throwing mechanism). Even if you don't look at the other mode options, knowing what's available is a good help.

Then the game lets you play through, and every time a new event occurs it tells you - based on the control scheme you selected - how to perform certain actions. I really liked this, because it was always a sort of guesswork for me when I was playing 16 - especially with fielding.


I was finally able to properly time a jump at the wall to make a nice catch.

Visuals #

While the base player models and movements are largely the same as the previous generation game I am used to playing, I can tell there are several improvements to the game. I don't think we'll ever get close to photo-realistic players, I can't see any player accepting the uncanny valley aspect of that. But the movements of the players are more realistic and I believe San Diego Studios has gone through each MLB player (and likely prospects) and meticulously coded individual mannerism. Hair moves the way it should based on real life physics. There's actually detail in said hair1.

This is one of the few instances where I will concede that upgrading to the current generation is worth it, even though at a base level the game is largely the same.

Other additions are more detailed crowds. They even have player-specific signs - I downloaded an updated roster from the vault2 which had Max Scherzer on the Blue Jays. In the crowd at the Rogers Centre was a fan with a sign with something about "Mad Max" (his nickname). So the crowd is dynamic and not stuck in a generic form. And randomly the game will give you a "fan cam" between innings that you can move around using the right control stick. Kind of neat.

The broadcast presentation is improved as well, and includes Google Statcast. This is a welcome addition because it gives you some fun in-game stats that you get in real life broadcasts. And the broadcasters themselves are changed from the 2016 edition, which is a welcome change because eventually they become annoying. I imagine this will be the case again, but that's where Quick Play and a music soundtrack on your stereo are a good thing.

Other Things #

There are a bunch of other modes available to explore. I haven't tried online match play (I doubt I will - I feel like I would get crushed against human opponents who spend a lot of time playing online), but I'm enjoying the Storylines feature that features the Negro Leagues. This gameplay mode acts as a mini-documentary (with real movie footage) mixed with gameplay challenges. It's an interesting way to play the game instead of the usual season mode.

There are other things like playing classic situations from MLB history but I haven't checked that out yet. Maybe they have the 1993 Joe Carter at-bat - could you play as the Phillies and strike him out instead of giving up that fateful home run? That would be a fun twist. I enjoy these little scenario-based games and had some fun with them in EA Sports' NHL series on the PS3, so I will check these out for sure.

I can see that there are many different modes of play that will keep me occupied with this game for a while.

Overall Thoughts #

This game is very well-designed and entertaining, and a huge upgrade from the game I'm used to. I actually started playing this series back on the PS1 - it's come a long way. The game is hard and designed to be realistic, but you can tone that side down and play for fun. Having both options is great for players who want to immerse themselves in "real baseball" and for players like me who like a mix of both.

4.5 stars.

  1. Unfortunately Bo's flow is gone this year, so I guess all we're left with is the memory of it in *MLB 24*.↩

  2. "The Vault" is where players can create logos, rosters, and other things for other people to download. I had this briefly on the PS3 for MLB 16 but it wasn't long before those servers were shut down.↩