MLB The Show 25 Review: Homer hose

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2025 Major League Baseball season is underway, and recently we received the newest edition in San Diego Studio’s baseball simulation series – MLB The Show 25. This game doesn’t just carry on the Negro Leagues for a third consecutive year, but it also brings significant upgrades to Diamond Dynasty and Road to the Show modes.

Leadoff

In MLB The Show 25, the initial set of major updates focuses on Road to the Show, the game’s career mode. This time around, players start their journey in high school, competing in a tournament before moving on to college. Your performance during the tournament influences which schools extend scholarship offers to you, with each school being ranked based on the exposure you’ll receive by attending it. There’s an early motivation to perform well, and there’s also a chance to accumulate numerous offers throughout the tournament. Although the number of colleges (8) may seem somewhat restrictive, it represents an advancement compared to last year’s options.

If you attend college, there’s a chance an MLB team might draft you after seeing your performance in a combine. You can either choose the team that drafts you or let your on-field success guide the decision. Once drafted, you have the option to join the Minor Leagues immediately and work your way up, or continue your college education with the goal of accelerating your journey to the Majors. Both paths are valid, but choosing either adds an exciting layer of complexity to your professional journey. I was originally picked by the Kansas City Royals, but instead of signing right away, I chose to play college baseball at Tennessee. Upon completing my studies, I was then selected by the Marlins.

Beyond these initial modifications, Road to the Show generally maintains its familiar structure. You can enhance your characteristics by assigning earned in-game tokens, and elevate your performance with bonuses that become accessible upon achieving certain feats.

Additionally, there’s a novel first-person perspective mode available during gameplay at different fielding positions. This perspective intensifies the thrill when attempting crucial plays, but I often switched back to the conventional third-person view for a comprehensive overview of my surroundings. Nevertheless, it’s an engaging feature that I enjoy experimenting with occasionally.

A baseball empire

In essence, one significant alteration in MLB The Show 25 lies in discarding the sets and seasons from Diamond Dynasty, the popular card-collecting fantasy aspect. Earlier versions had cards that could only be used during specific seasons, necessitating a recurrent overhaul of player lineups with each new season start. This repetitive rebuild process, which often instilled a fear of missing out (FOMO), was something I found frustrating in sports games like this one. However, MLB The Show 25 has provided a solution to my discontent.

Now, I don’t feel as pressured to chase after the latest must-have item or maximize the potential of a specific card before it becomes obsolete. There are still time-limited events, but the overall atmosphere is far more relaxed and player-oriented compared to what it was a year ago.

In addition to Diamond Dynasty, there’s a new single-player experience called Diamond Quest. This mode is similar to roguelike games where you move across a game board, aiming to collect the maximum rewards before escaping. Each square might contain a bonus, obstacle, or task. These tasks could range from straightforward ones like reaching base safely, to more complex challenges such as ending an inning without conceding any runs. Completing these tasks will grant bonuses, while failing will result in some form of penalty.

What makes this game particularly engaging is its Stadium mode. In Stadiums, players can engage in abridged three-inning matches against the CPU. The difficulty level chosen by the player determines the odds of receiving a reward pack or card, with higher difficulties offering increased chances. The game is honest about these probabilities and how they are influenced by the selected difficulty. However, beware: if you lose a Stadium match, your progress ends, all rewards are forfeited, and you’re redirected to the main menu. Each Diamond Quest includes multiple stadiums, so you must consider the risk versus reward when deciding to continue or calling it a day after winning one Stadium game.

Still got the fastball

MLB The Show 25 maintains its strong gameplay foundation and offers an array of customizable features to enhance the gaming experience. For a third consecutive season, the Negro Leagues are featured, providing valuable historical insights about baseball and paying tribute to the great players who made their mark in the sport.

In my experience, I primarily spent a significant amount of time participating in online matches, aiming to showcase my abilities against various players, especially to exploit the appealing Orioles lineup and gain a broader perspective of the game beyond my customary modes. The encounter was thrilling, yet there were a couple of persistent glitches that became increasingly irritating.

For one, it seemed like chance whether the game acknowledged the stadium you chose for a match. Frequently, it would default to the Atlanta Braves’ All-Star field instead. We looked forward to exploring some of baseball’s iconic stadiums, but unfortunately, this feature didn’t function correctly about half the time.

There was also a consistent lag issue that would typically occur post bat-ball contact, even when utilizing an ethernet cable and competing against various online opponents.

Moneyball

For quite some time now, I’ve strongly believed that MLB The Show stands out as the top annual sports simulation series. Although it does have its flaws, there’s no denying that it provides an unmatched replication of real-life baseball, backed by a variety of well-developed game modes. This year’s edition has kept me engaged more than any other MLB The Show game in years, and I suspect it will remain my preferred sports game for quite some time.

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2025-03-28 22:28