Below are my thoughts, written as a stream of consciousness in real time as I played MLB: The Show 14 on Playstation 4. This was my first time playing a Sony baseball game since the Playstation 2. So the following thoughts are those of a newcomer to the series that's so widely acclaimed.

 

Day One: Very impressed with some aspects, but a little bit let down by others. Pulse pitching took some time getting used to, but now I really like it. Batting and pitching practice actually help a lot. In some games, practice modes are worthless but not here. I struggled initially with hitting as well, and I'm still not crushing the ball, but I'm getting better. Can't figure out base running yet. I just want the lead runner to advance! I'm on veteran difficulty by the way, with experienced controls.

Graphically, the stadiums are beautiful and even the details are detailed! Player models are somewhat hit or miss when it comes to player likeness, but overall very good and better than any I've ever seen in baseball games. It's very distracting the way that the lighting is seemingly “not finished” in some stadiums, where it looks like a bunch of lights went out somewhere. Mainly in the outfield of some parks and the city scape behind PNC Park for example. I love the detail in the uniforms and the uniform options. The game plays so smooth and the flow is so natural. Presentation, for a newcomer, is outstanding, and along with NBA 2K14, sets the standard that all sports games on PS4 have to meet. The Show Live mode is also great as is the Weekly Challenge option (McCutchen vs Wainwright this week). I came away from Day 1 with an official 0-3 record, but with mostly positive views and a great time was had!

 

 

Day Two: This game just continues to impress me. The detail at Great American Ballpark is really astonishing. I've been there several times in real life and I can pretty much pick out my seats on the first base line, in right field, and behind third base. This being my first time playing The Show, I've always read the “Little Things” threads every year. Now I'm getting the chance to see, hear and experience all of these little things that make this game special. There are so many and they add up to enhance the game so much! It's these little touches that are missing from Madden in my opinion and they make The Show so “alive.”

I had my first glitch today. I started an exhibition game in Texas' Globe Life Stadium and the dirt, outfield walls, and foul lines were all a shade of pink. That color gradually began to bleed all over the field onto everything until I quit and restarted the game. Once I restarted everything was normal again so maybe it was just an isolated incident on my end. I went ahead and changed my base running to automatic and I'm enjoying the game even more. I also switched to dynamic difficulty.

This game has something for everyone who likes baseball even a little bit. I do wish there were more minor league stadiums, but I'm sure that will be addressed next year. I don't mean to sound like I'm nitpicking, it's just that this game is so good and does so much right, that it's a little jarring when something is off or missing.

 

 

Day Three: One thing that's bothering me today, I've had several lighting glitches, including the pink stadium again and what I can only describe as a player blackout. It's like all of the textures loaded except for the players. They were all black silhouettes. All of these have happened in exhibition games too, so it's a little bit worrisome, as I'm only three days in with The Show. If Sony can get the pink stadiums fixed and the new black silhouette glitch can be eliminated, this game will be an easy Game of the Year candidate for me.

I've been reading on the OS forums and others and I'm not alone in having these strange color issues with the game, so it's not my console or my copy of the game. Beyond the lighting inconsistencies and the occasional graphical glitches, which are fixed if I quit and restart, I'm still very impressed. I love the way that a crowd heckler will yell at my batter if I've already struck out in a prior at bat. “He'll swing at anything” and similar barbs actually got to me a few times and made me want to prove the virtual fan wrong. The sounds in this game are so well done, from the commentary to the crack of the bats. From the ball hitting the catcher's mitt to the crowd swelling at two strikes late in a game. I'm so immersed in the experience right now. Day One impressed me with the visuals. Day Three has wowed me with the audio package. I can only imagine (literally) how much more having Sounds of The Show on PS4 would add to this incredible audio package.

 

 

Day Four: I can't stop playing this game. It's a very addictive experience. It's kind of amazing that a game as mechanically repetitive as baseball can be, is so engrossing in video game form. I give much of the credit for that to the developers of MLB: The Show 14. I've played a lot of baseball video games and while I know it's far too early to rank this game ahead of my all-time favorites, I can't help but to give this game my attention. There is that “just one more game” quality for me that so many other games lack.

Everything feels so authentic to the game. I love the graphic overlays that pop up during a game. Examples like the pitcher's game chart showing pitches and top speeds in the 7th inning. The way that a batter comes up in his third at bat and everything he's done is referenced previously. There are so many of these seemingly inconsequential details that make this game shine so brightly. I wish I could pound it into all sports game developers heads; these things matter so much! They really give a game soul. The devil truly is in the details, even the seemingly monotonous ones. I'm loving this game.

 

 

Day Five: I don't know what else to say. I feel like I keep praising this game to the point of overkill, but it's really that good. I can't believe I haven't had the chance to play this series before now. For someone like me, who lives and breathes sports games, this is truly a system seller. Yes, I'm occasionally still getting lighting/texture glitches. And yes there are a few nagging things that bother me, like the unnatural way that pitchers will turn their head during certain close up shots. But my goodness, there is so much to consume in this game. Just today I created my Diamond Dynasty team and customized every player on the team. The appearance options, batting stances/pitching deliveries, and other customization options here are amazing. Easily one the best create-a-player deliveries in any sports game ever made. I'm also just beginning to delve into many of the other modes too. Community challenges, while a little confusing, are a fun way to and involve the community at large and help change things up when you need a break from full games.

My first five days of MLB: The Show 14 have left me initially wowed, then slightly annoyed at a few minor issues, and now fully impressed with all of the game that is packed into this one game!

 

Final Thoughts

 

The depth, the options to customize, the modes, the entire package is just so good. I came into this game with super high expectations, and as I read back on my prior days thoughts, maybe they were too high. I began to nitpick and really scrutinize the game for a couple of days but the game won me over. It's kind of rare in my experience that a game wows you at first, then lets you down a little, only to grab you back. Most of the time, after the initial wow factor wears off, I start to see the issues and “warts” and they begin to detract from my enjoyment. With MLB 14: The Show, that's not the case. I enjoy this game so much, “warts and all.” That's just how great this game is and that's a huge kudos to the development team and to the MLB: The Show community of gamers for keeping this series going in the right direction. MLB: The Show 14 is a simulation sports gamer's dream. I hope that one day every sport can be represented virtually as well as Major League Baseball is by this game.