MLB The Show 21 Thoughts From a Lapsed Fan

[ChaseB]

With the release of MLB The Show 21 on the PS5, this marks my fourth different...

Written By: Brandon Kosal

Click here to view the article.

[KnightTemplar]

“Customizable”. Absolutely. Keyword.

[Caulfield]

two things strike me after reading this:
1) IMO the menu is vastly different from any of the ones from 14-20
I do like the change but I'm still getting used to it and I'm not yet entirely comfortable with. but I do like what they did in the change

2) no mention of create-a-stadium in a PS5 Show review? for someone who isn't into franchise or diamond dynasty but likes Play Now exhibition games, you'd think create-a-stadium might be right up Mr. Kosal's alley. I can't wait to get a ps5 and start playing in as many different stadiums as I humanly can

other than that, still an interesting read

[edaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChaseB

With the release of MLB The Show 21 on the PS5, this marks my fourth different... Written By: Brandon Kosal Click here to view the article.

Excellent article my man and I am not even a lapsed fan. I’ve played this game in the past maybe one time but I am thoroughly impressed and pleased at the immersion and gameplay this game offers. I have found myself playing this game and getting the enjoyment we all should get out of sports games. I am glad that I was not a every year buyer or player of this game so it’s truly a new experience. This game has me looking at the mlb network and watching games lol. I can also gain a new perspective of how some Madden players can not play the game for awhile and pick it up and say it’s the best Madden they have ever played!!. It’s a fresh perspective that they see and it does make a difference.. the realistic gameplay and broadcast immersion should be a goal for all sports games as this game model has proven to add both casual, new, and diehard simulation fans to the game and more importantly to the sport....

[munsonfan]

Enjoyable read and I agree wholeheartedly that customizability is a key strength of The Show. I, too, play The Show to enjoy games of baseball on the field and have little to no interest in being a GM, whether in The Show, OOTP, or any other game. But while I have played full seasons in the since-removed Season mode and in Franchise mode in the past (and certainly will again in the future), my mode of choice these days is Postseason and I think it might be an enjoyable choice for others who find themselves playing Exhibition mode because they aren't interested in slogging through a season in Franchise or because they like to play with historical rosters from eras that predate the current 30-team Major Leagues.

Postseason Mode isn't as flexible and customizable a tournament mode as I would like, but I find that creating the matchups I want to play in Postseason mode is generally simple and ups the stakes of the games by placing them in the context of a series, which allows me to experience the depth of teams' pitching staffs and benches in a way that single Exhibition mode games never could. It also allows me to set series length for all rounds except for the Wild Card round, which means seven-game Division Series for me, but could mean one, three or five game rounds for someone else. Want to play a single American League game without a DH or a National League game with the DH? That is possible in Postseason mode. You just need to choose the appropriate settings at the start and make sure you place your teams of choice in the proper slots in the brackets. Playing an interleague game or series of your choice is not easy in Postseason mode, but is possible if you are willing to sim to the World Series a few times until your desired matchup is created. While all games in Postseason mode are night games in October and November, I find that to be a fair trade off for the increased flexibility and control of my baseball universe.

I do have a wish list for Postseason mode that includes being able to choose start times for all games, being able to chose from among all previously used MLB postseason systems (and perhaps adding a 16-team tournament option as well), and having the option to rebrand teams in Postseason mode, which would be a wonderful addition for those of us who play with historical teams and all-time franchise all star rosters. (For example, with rebranding putting the Astros back in the National League or the Brewers back in the American League would be a relatively simple task.) Given that I doubt there are a tremendous number of Postseason mode players out there, I doubt these wishes will be granted. But it is always nice to dream.

[scottyo60]

Quote: Originally Posted by Caulfield

two things strike me after reading this: 2) no mention of create-a-stadium in a PS5 Show review? for someone who isn't into franchise or diamond dynasty but likes Play Now exhibition games, you'd think create-a-stadium might be right up Mr. Kosal's alley. I can't wait to get a ps5 and start playing in as many different stadiums as I humanly can

I can only speak for me, but I crossed create-a-stadium once on a DD play through for stadium options. It wouldn’t let me select something and I haven’t looked at create-a-stadium since. I think more often than not its easy to just forget it’s there which may be why there was no mention.

[LastActionHero]

Nice read although I must say the menu structure frustrates the heck out of me this year. When they switched to the square block menu a few years aho within weeks I could navigate with ease. Now after more than a month I still find myself clicking back because I’m not in the sublayer I thought I would be.
Could be personal but I know some of my friends feel the same way.

About the framerate, I only notice some small hickups in cut scenes.

[Shosum13]

If card collecting modes just really aren't your thing and you have no interest at all then ok. But if the main thing turning you away is that you feel like it's an endless grind or a money grab I really think you need to give the mode a shot. Between all of the sports games I play it's the only card collecting mode that I get in to. It is the furthest thing from a money grab, SDS puts out so much content that's easy to grind for for free that you can build a good tea to compete online without much effort. Myself I'm a grinder so I end up doing most of the programs they put out but I know several guys that barely grind and just focus on grinding for the specific players they want so they can spend more time playing competitively online. It's the only card mode that I feel like I can keep up without spending any additional money. I was primarily a franchise player until I tried a little diamond dynasty in MLB 19 then got heavy in to it last year.