Jenfrin Rodriguez
Sports Editor
With less than a week away until the latest installment of the annual MLB The Show game, interest is as high as it has ever been. Previously, the game has been a Sony exclusive making it only accessible on Playstation, meaning serious fans were forced to pick up a Playstation in order to play. However, for the first time since March of 2013, when MLB 2K13 came out, players on Xbox will be able partake in the game as well. It will be available on over four consoles with the Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S & X.
Sports games are usually seen as nothing more than a roster update across the years. Although, with next generation consoles available, the capabilities of the game will be on full display. Creating a Stadium is finally a feature where a player will be able to create their very own ballpark with a wide range of customization options. The only real downside to that is the fact that it will only be available on next gen systems since the old hardware would not be able to handle all the things going on.
Every year, the addition of new legends into the game keeps it refreshing. Last year, it was Mariano Rivera and David Ortiz to name a couple. This year, Hank Aaron and Pedro Martinez have a lot of excitement surrounding them. MLB The Show also releases new cards and legends periodically throughout the lifespan of the game but the biggest ones will be announced prior to release.
Another attraction MLB The Show has is Road to the Show which is when you create a player and embark on a journey from the minor leagues to the majors. Each year quality of life improvements such as adding traits to give you boosts in whichever category you may lean towards, allowing players to change uniforms and other things that continue to make the gamemode enjoyable whether it is your first time or you’re a returning player.
The thing that has players most excited, hands down, has to be the fact that from the looks of it crossplay is enabled for the first time in any sports game. During the beta, Playstation and Xbox players were able to match up against one another with a symbol showing which console your opponent is on. If that feature was used in the closed beta, fans are assuming it will also be available in the final product. The importance of this should not be underestimated, as it would allow for quicker matchmaking, more games to be played and the ability to game with your friends regardless of console.
Whether you’re a fan of the game or not, most sports games will be put on notice after seeing how things transpire with MLB The Show. Other sports games will certainly have to take a look at things such as cross gen and drastically improving their products with new hardware.