Each year, San Diego Studios releases another outing of MLB The Show, and each year yields yet another step toward a perfection that the previous version was believed to have achieved. From inception, MLB 14 The Show was destined to reach the same deified heights, even with the lack of competition in gaming’s baseball market. 2014 also marks the debut of the franchise on the PlayStation 4, but there’s still a wait until that releases. On home consoles, April’s opening baseball season is carried by the PlayStation 3 version, but is there enough here to warrant buying The Show more than once in a year?
Visually, the game has improved. Considering that my review of MLB 13 The Show anticipated no significant visual change until the PS4, I was wholeheartedly surprised. The lighting is always phenomenal in The Show, but each year always seems to look better than the last. Animations are even cleaner, the framerate feels sheen, and even the fans in the stands have substantiality; sure, they’re obviously fans, but they’re 3D models, not cardboard cutouts.
There are many enhancements, additions, and changes to MLB 14 The Show, but the biggest difference between this year’s and last year’s games is pacing. While the traditional game presentation has been refined even further, a few options have shortened the time it takes to play complete games. Quick Counts removes all animations and sequences that take place between plays, and the game time is nearly cut in half. Another change is the ability to lock onto one player for a game, so Road to the Show (RttS) fans can get into franchise modes much easier by locking onto a player or position and play only when that chosen parameter is on the field or in play. These aren’t default changes, but they’re available for those who want faster games. For those intending to buy both console versions, the Universal Profile feature compiles all activities and stats generated from both the PS3 and the future PS4 version into one location, granting the player a better understanding of their own habits in order to keep their styles fresh and unpredictable for opponents.
Two other changes in MLB 14 The Show will be guaranteed crowd-pleasers. The first is what’s coined Year-to-Year Saves, which means that players can transfer progress from MLB 14 The Show and carry on said progress in MLB 15 The Show next year without having to start a franchise over or recreate RttS players and user-generated teams. The other significant addition is the bigger of the two: Online Franchise. Online aspects of MLB The Show have been trickling in over the last three or four annualizations, and Online Franchise mode is finally present for playing with friends. What’s even better is that online servers support an Online Franchise mode that feels like offline franchising. There’s no menu lag and no massive loading, as with other sports games like Madden and NHL.
Unfortunately, I experienced some games where there was a graphical drop with other players online, which is a major blemish to the beautiful presentation of the game as a whole. While most menus load quickly, interacting directly with other online players tends to slow the loading process as well.
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Another interesting addition is an in-game currency called Stubs, which can be used to buy skill points for RttS players or gambled in online game mode Diamond Dynasty (where user-generated challenges can be found and completed). Before MLB 14 The Show, for example, players would have to spend money in order to obtain skill points without playing RttS. Now, players can focus on one mode and have an overall pool of Studs usable in all game modes for their respective functions.
Like every year, the soundtrack is worth mentioning. With popular, varied, and below-the-radar tracks that ebb excellence, the entire ambiance of MLB 14 The Show is completely welcoming. The sounds of the game are equally engrossing, as the top-notch commentating of Matt Vasgersian, Eric Karros, and Steve Lyons, whose delivery is borderline perfection, giving a clear, accurate picture of what’s taking place on the field. The cracks of the bat, the thuds of baseballs hitting gloves, and umpire calls are all expertly recorded, and the complete audible package of MLB 14 The Show puts almost all other sports games to shame.
With an entire list of improvements and tweaks across the board, the only impeding difference between the PS3 version and the upcoming PS4 version is one of aesthetic. More animations, textures, and customizations will be available when the PS4 version releases, but all new modes and gameplay changes are present on the PS3. With that in mind, early adopters won’t be missing out on what this year has in store, but the PS3 version obviously won’t have the visual horsepower of what the PS4 version promises.
The longevity of the PS3 and its still-bright future is validated by MLB 14 The Show and what San Diego Studios has managed to do on aging hardware, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed. All major advertisements have touted what’s coming with the PS4 version, and the PS3 as well as the PS Vita versions cannot hold up to this presentation benchmark. Understand that the level of detail and refinement in the PS3 version is above and beyond even that of the year before, but the lack of highly detailed character models leaves a bit to be desired. MLB 14 The Show really looks better than it should on the PS3, but the upcoming PS4 version holds the final key to realism–which may make the most elitist baseball fans hold off until early May.
The development team at San Diego Studios knows what it takes to make annualization look good, and MLB 14 The Show proves that now more than ever. New online and offline features make this the ultimate baseball option out there, but the PS4 version releasing next month may keep this from being a PS3 must-buy. Nothing is missing here, and the entire experience, both visually and audibly, keeps to a form from which the entire gaming industry could learn. San Diego Studios has outdone itself again, and MLB 14 The Show is a fortified success that, unfortunately, will also get better in a different iteration.
Be sure to check out our review for the MLB 14 The Show PlayStation Vita counterpart right here.