As the sun sets on another MLB season (and rises on nearly everything else), you may be tempted to trade in one of the best sports titles of the year for a shiny new game. And, really, who could blame you? There’s a wealth of new and seemingly quality titles that have released or will release before the World Series ends.

But before you do, I’d like to sing the praises of an overlooked mode in MLB: The Show 14. The Postseason Mode is a recent and simple addition, but one that captures some of the best playoff atmosphere in sports.

Postseason Mode
While I spend most of my time in franchise mode, I rarely make the postseason. Part of this is because I like to try my hand at rebuilding a beleaguered franchise; the larger part is that I simply lose too many games.

If you haven’t experienced the taste of virtual October baseball on the PS4, it’s definitely worth setting up a bracket and following/controlling a team. The mode is ripe with special commentary, graphics, and atmosphere, all geared toward recreating the feel of postseason baseball. And generally, it does a nice job.

How to Play
The mode also provides a great way to get your playoff fix quickly, and in whatever configuration you'd like (though you can't have an all National League or American League playoff).

One obvious suggestion is to simply create the 2014 playoffs and guide your favorite team to World Series glory (if you are curious, in my sim the Cardinals beat the Tigers 4 games to 1). The updated rosters from the end of the season make it easy to create realistic matchups.

Or, you could forego realism altogether. Play “What if?,” and create a dream bracket with your favorite teams. After all, back on Opening Day, everyone had a chance! It’ll be interesting to see if your own skills can make up for your team’s (presumed) lack of talent.

Finally -- and perhaps my favorite -- playoff set up relies a bit on user-created content. If you scour the vault, there are a number of historical roster sets that you can plug in to the Postseason Mode. I had fun setting up a 1994 bracket and seeing what drama that season might have brought. While the audio names aren't quite right, the players are instantly recognizable.

Final Thoughts

Again, I think baseball brings us some of the best playoff atmosphere in sports. If you don’t at least give your “own” postseason run a try in MLB 14: The Show, you are missing one of the best features the game provides.