MLB 14: The Show Playstation 3 Review

Positive changes make this game worth it!

As a baseball fan and a Playstation advocate, I can honestly say that I enjoy the MLB The Show franchise more than any other sports franchise out there. The unbelievable amount of work that went into this year’s version proves that Sony still has faith in the franchise, and even made it one of the big titles coming out for the PS4 at the beginning of May. When playing the game you come across many unique changes and tweaks that make it both better and a tiny bit worse at the same time. Overall this year’s version of MLB The Show is worth the sixty dollar price, and this review will explain why.

First of all, the jump of quality that Playstation 3 games have taken in the past year is very large. As soon as you pop in the game you will notice the change in the menu and graphics, all of which are very good. The graphics have a huge bump from last year, as the developers focused more on the PS4 release, and then maxed out everything on the PS3. This ultimately leads to realistic grass, crowds, and weather. The commentators are executed perfectly, and rarely repeat themselves, but you will notice some repeating after playing as the same team for a few times. Overall, the presentation of the game is very good, and the ways the stadiums are designed create a realistic environment for the game to take place in.

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The gameplay has the biggest change of all. They have decided to keep the timing and zone mode, meaning you have to control the bat and swing at the same time. This can take some getting used to, and can be very frustrating when trying to win a game against a bad team during the ninth inning. This can be seen as a negative, but on the positive side the developers have changed the fielding, making catching easier for better players and harder for worse players. This adds some fairness when it comes to the fielding, as it comes down to how players read the hits rather than having the game decide for you. Also, there is a new quickplay mode, which skips all of the nitty gritty components of a baseball game and puts you in when a batter is at a 3-2, 1-2, 4-1, etc. count. The outcome of the count depends on the skills of the players and can turn a 45 minute game into a 20 minute one. Load times for this mode are definitely longer on the PS3 than they will be on the PS4. Quickplay disables all trophies.

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They have also added a game mode called “Community Challenges” which allow for users to recreate famous events in baseball (even including custom teams), meaning that you can always go back and find something to play. The creation is fairly easy, but it takes a little getting used to regarding the rules. The customization is also fairly simple, as you can change anything on the batting team and the outfielding team. The problem with the challenges is the creation of a currency that allows you to play some. By making a challenge you get paid an in game currency for every attempt someone else has, but to play the good challenges you have to wager that currency, risking losing it all if you fail. This implementation of a currency definitely makes it hard to have fun after you just want to have a short experience after a long day.

The replay value is the same as any other sports game, as you can play an exhibition match or playoff series as you wish. The “Road to the Show” mode that has been in all of the other MLB The Show games has returned and offers a long campaign mode for you to do for your desired character. The commentators pronounce the names right to an extent, and the minor league stadiums don’t look like they were thrown together last minute. Another important thing to note is that they have added in classic stadiums without having to pay for them, meaning you can play in historic ballparks whenever you want.

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Overall, this is a very reputable game in a very reputable franchise. The game includes many features that are new to the series making it an all new experience. Usually I would be against buying a sports game two years in a row, but the developers and San Diego Studios have created a great game for all baseball fans. It will be interesting to see the differences between the PS3 version and the PS4 version. It will most likely be very different, but the PS3 version is still very good for a Last-Generation game.

 

What do you think? Do you like sports games? Let us know in the comments section below.

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