The game of baseball is controlled chaos, a swirling mass of variables you can never take for granted. Maybe your ace starter pitches a shut-out one week, maybe he gives up 12 runs the next. Short of the St. Louis Cardinals being insufferable, there are few things in the sport that are as reliably dependable as Sony San Diego’s The Show franchise, and MLB The Show 16 continues the series’ tradition of outstanding presentation and deep gameplay while mixing in some interesting if not game-changing additions.
Put Me In, Coach
The Show formula has always been built around authenticity to the MLB experience both on and off the field, and this year’s game is no exception. The new additions to Franchise Mode include features that allow you more flexibility in negotiating, scouting, and goal-setting just like a real GM. There’s a lot to do here, and those inclined to let contract negotiations and competitive balance taxes take over their lives will have no trouble doing so. If you’re like me and more interested in drafting preposterous fantasy teams full of legends like Al Kaline, Ted Williams, and Rollie Fingers’ mustache, the game will let you do that too.
The Road to the Show mode has historically been my favorite part of the franchise, with its focus on creating a player and developing them on their path to the majors. The idea of a baseball RPG seems like a no-brainer in the age of sabermetrics, and if last year’s entry pushed the game in that direction with honest-to-God loot drops, The Show 16 finally embraces its destiny. New consumable perks give you benefits like guaranteed strike zone pitches or an increased likelihood of fielding errors. The trade-off? Doing so depletes your Showtime meter, usable in Road to the Show and certain other single-player modes to pull off slow-motion big plays like rifling in a pitch just above a batter’s lumber or making a diving catch. The more perks you activate, the less this meter regenerates.
In theory, this forces you to think strategically and save for a game-critical moment, but in practice I found Perks and Showtime were more slight advantages than wild game-swinging effects. It’s amusing to get a favorable pitch count when you’re on base or mind-control a runner into stealing second, but the effect is subtle. If anything, I wished Sony San Diego had leaned even harder into RPG mechanics, perhaps by using skill trees to facilitate builds for specific positions.
The core gameplay remains more or less unchanged across the modes, drawing upon the lengthy history of the game to offer virtually every different configuration of hitting, fielding, and pitching controls from the rest of the series–whether you’re a pulse hitter or a meter pitcher you’ll find a method you’re comfortable with. Thanks to ample tutorials and fine-tuning of last year’s dynamic difficulty this feels like the most accessible Show to date, right down to the revised and simplified stat categories for created players. Even my notoriously whiff-prone self was hitting dingers with more regularity than usual.
Unfortunately, players looking for a more forgiving, arcade-like experience will find themselves occasionally frustrated as fielding and catching sometimes require finicky movements that can easily end in blown plays. Trying to move my glove to catch a pitch also sometimes moved my catcher forward on a steal attempt, taking away precious seconds needed to pick off the marauding runner.
Fields of Dreams
Visually, The Show 16 tries to evoke the sights and sounds of a day at the ballpark, from the analog scoreboard of Wrigley Field to the home run slide at Miller Park and everything in-between. Where the first two current-gen editions of The Show felt more iterative than impressive at times, The Show 16 smooths out some of the rougher, more repetitive legacy visuals with new animations and improved lighting, as well as incredibly detailed stadiums both modern and historic the baseball nerd in me wanted to walk around and explore. This is not to say there aren’t issues–the laughably awkward stock footage used as establishing city shots for the in-game broadcast and some occasionally shaky player models distract at times–but this is the best-looking game in the series by a long shot.
Previous editions of The Show suffered from load times and menus that were often frustrating to navigate, but The Show 16 moves like a dream by comparison. Menus are snappy and responsive, with only occasional simulation lag. Load times are brief, and when playing a multi-game series in Franchise or Road to the Show they are dispersed with altogether, allowing you to go from one game to the next without having to exit to the previous menu. It’s such a simple fix it’s kind of baffling it took them this long to figure it out.
Nailing the Fundamentals
Developers Sony San Diego are eleven games deep into this franchise, and it can feel at times like they are playing small ball–focusing on the fundamentals and what works without taking any massive risks. But swinging for singles and playing defense can win the pennant, and The Show 16 looks like it will be hanging up yet another one in its decorated clubhouse.
Editor's Note: Several new features, including Conquest Mode, Battle Royale, and changes to Diamond Dynasty require the use of the game servers, which were not online as of the embargo time. The review-in-progress will be updated as a full scored review once we can check out those additions.
This review-in-progress is based on a PlayStation 4 retail copy provided by the publisher. MLB The Show 16 will be available in retail stores and digital storefronts on March 29, for $59.99. The game is rated E.
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