Apr 01, 2016 Simply put, MLB The Show 16 is the best baseball game available on any current-gen console. It looks, plays, and feels amazing, offering many ways to play the great American pastime. The Show is back! MLB® The Show™ 19 brings you the best of baseball. Play America’s pastime your way, with new game modes, expanded team building and player customization, and an extensive personalized RPG experience. Create your own player and rise through the MLB.
MLB The Show 17
Developer(s)
SIE San Diego Studio
Publisher(s)
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Series
MLB: The Show
Platform(s)
PlayStation 4
Release
March 28, 2017[1]
Genre(s)
Sports
Mode(s)
Single-player, multiplayer
MLB The Show 17 is a baseballvideo game developed by Sony San Diego and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, based on Major League Baseball (MLB). It is the twelfth edition of the MLB: The Show franchise, and was released on March 28, 2017, for PlayStation 4. The American cover features Ken Griffey Jr.,[1] while Aaron Sanchez is the cover athlete for the Canadian version, and Wei-Yin Chen is on the Taiwanese cover.[2]
MLB The Show 17, like the previous games in the series, is based on the sport of baseball; more specifically, it simulates the experience of the MLB. Several game modes are included, such as 'Road to The Show', in which the player creates a customizable player and plays throughout their career to the major leagues; 'Franchise', in which the player controls an entire organization; and 'Diamond Dynasty', in which the player creates a team of random players to compete against other players' teams. The game also has a licensed soundtrack with 12 songs.
While Matt Vasgersian returns for The Show 17, commentary from Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac replaced Eric Karros and Steve Lyons. Mike Carlucci returns as public-address commentator. MLB The Show 17 features three presentation themes: MLB Network, which features similar presentation to actual MLB Network broadcasts; Theme 1, which is used for other MLB games; and Theme 2, which is used primarily for Minor League Baseball games.[3]
MLB The Show 17 was released to positive reviews. Most critics praised the presentation and visuals, as well as the gameplay and amount of different game modes, all of which have hours of content. However, some critics still experienced online technical issues and game bugs.
New features[edit]
New features include MLB The Show 17's 'Road to the Show' story mode, 'Pave Your Path', in which a player controls the progression of the player's career. The mode intercuts scenes that present the player with decisions that affect the storyline.[4]
MLB The Show 17 also added a lot of features to other pre-existing game modes like 'Franchise' and 'Diamond Dynasty'. In 'Franchise' you make your moves and plan your perfect strategy as you take control of an entire MLB franchise. Choose what tactics to employ and where. Take over coaching, player development, and general-manager duties. New to this mode are ways to still keep the same level of control of your team as previous years but do it in less time if the player wants. Additions like critical situations, in which you only play important at-bats in late innings of games, and quick manage, in which you are in complete control of all managerial decisions during a game have been implemented.
Like previously, 'Diamond Dynasty' involves building the ultimate baseball team and maintaining a virtual trading-card collection. The player creates a customized team, selecting the players (current and past), a team name, logo, and uniforms. Games are played in tournament-style competitions against other players' teams. Additional legendary baseball players have been added to collect, new missions to complete, and live updated 2017 Topps player cards.[5]
Release[edit]
On December 3, 2016, MLB The Show 17 was announced with a trailer for the game that showed the game's release date along with new features.[6]It was released worldwide on March 28, 2017, for PlayStation 4. This was the first time since MLB 06: The Show that the game was not released for the PlayStation 3. There were four different versions of the game to purchase: Standard Edition, MVP Edition, Hall of Fame Edition, and Digital Deluxe Edition. If players purchase the Hall of Fame Edition of the game, they receive the Steel Book case cover, several physical items, such as a limited edition New Era Hat, and many in-game bonuses.[7]
Reception[edit]
Reception
Aggregate score
Aggregator
Score
Metacritic
(PS4) 85/100[8]
Review scores
Publication
Score
EGM
9/10[9]
Game Informer
9/10[10]
GameSpot
8/10[11]
GamesRadar+
[12]
IGN
9.5/10[13]
Polygon
8/10[14]
MLB The Show 17 received 'generally favorable' reviews from critics, according to review aggregatorMetacritic.
Ray Carsillo from Electronic Gaming Monthly enjoyed the game, giving a score of 9/10. Carsillo said The Show 17 added depth onto Franchise and Road to The Show modes 'sets a new pinnacle for the franchise'. He also praised how the game looked, with smoother animations, new character face models, and three brand-new presentation packages. His only negatives revolve around some online issues and glitches that still continue to plague the series at launch.[9]
Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave the game an overall score of 9 out 10 saying 'MLB The Show 17 is an ambitious game that tries to dazzle players with new avenues of play and a story, but is at its best on the field, where the action has never looked or played better.'[10]
Richard Wakeling from GameSpot gave the game an 8 out of 10 and praised the gameplay stating 'the action on the field has never been better, with smarter fielding AI, and enhanced ball physics that bring the hitting to life.' Richard did have some issues, pointing out that the commentary was 'still a little too stilted for my liking' and the game had a few 'blemishes lurking throughout' but those problems didn't take much away from the overall experience saying the product overall 'is America's National Pastime at its best'.[11]
GamesRadar's Ben Wilsion gave the game a final score of 4 out of 5. Ben enjoyed the game's polish and controls stating 'Plays, looks and feels just like real baseball' and that the 'Retooled ball physics and myriad new animations are the main differentiator from MLB 16, with outfielders taking more varied angles to cut off line drive doubles, and more realistic spin effects.' Some of Ben's criticisms involve that any of the game's modes 'Requires significant time commitment, even with speedier options' and that 'Last year's online woes remain its achilles heel'.[12]
Caley Roark gave the game a positive review for IGN. He scored it a 9.5/10, praised the overall presentation and gameplay, and stated: 'Overall, MLB The Show 17 builds on last year's version, which many cited as the best in the series, by adding some key features and improvements. Most notable are increased hit variety, MLB Network integration, and the RTTS documentary. All of these additions make the game feel more like real baseball. This authenticity makes games more fun to play, as it's easier than ever to become invested in every pitch.'[13]
Polygon's Owen S. Good awarded the game an 8 out of 10, concluding: 'MLB The Show 17 continues one of the longest-running successes in sports video gaming, and it's not a regression. But its advances sound a lot bigger on paper than they are in practice.' Good praised the gameplay calling it 'wonderfully varied' with pitching mechanics that 'just feels stronger'. One negative aspect of his review involves repetition in its presentation, saying its 'MLB The Show's biggest weakness'.[14]
The game won the award for 'Best Player Career Mode' at Game Informer's 2017 Sports Game of the Year Awards,[15] and was nominated for 'Sports Game of the Year' at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,[16] and for 'Game, Franchise Sports' at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.[17][18]
References[edit]
^ abRussell, Ramone (October 27, 2016). 'Welcoming Ken Griffey Jr. to MLB The Show 17!'. blog.us.playstation.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
^Russell, Ramone (January 25, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17: Retro Mode Details, Regional Cover Athletes Revealed'. blog.us.playstation.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
^Mazique, Brian. ''MLB The Show 17': 20 Things We Learned About Commentary And MLB Network Presentation'. Forbes. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
^Sarkar, Samit. 'MLB The Show 17's new storyline puts you in control of your career (update)'. polygon.com.
^'New Features'. theshow.com. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
^Axisa, Mike. 'WATCH: The five coolest features revealed in the new 'MLB The Show 17' trailer'. cbssports.com. CBS.
^Mazique, Brian. ''MLB The Show 17' PS4 Release Date And Special Editions'. forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
^'MLB The Show 17 for PlayStation 4 critic reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ abCarsillo, Ray (April 3, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17 review'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
^ abReiner, Andrew (March 31, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17: A Return To Power'. Game Informer. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ abWakeling, Richard (March 31, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17 Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ abWilson, Ben (April 4, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17 review: 'Smart action and daily bonuses keep you returning for one more final game''. GamesRadar. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
^ abRoark, Caley (March 27, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17 Review'. IGN. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ abGood, Owen (March 29, 2017). 'MLB The Show 17 review'. Polygon. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^Game Informer staff (January 8, 2018). 'The 2017 Sports Game Of The Year Awards'. Game Informer. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
^Makuch, Eddie (January 14, 2018). 'Game Of The Year Nominees Announced For DICE Awards'. GameSpot. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
^'Nominee List for 2017'. National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
^'Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY'. National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MLB_The_Show_17&oldid=903886452'
carries the torch for the long-running Sony series, and continues to raise the bar in nearly every aspect. Building on the already-strong foundation of MLB 15: The Show, the overall aesthetics, franchise mode, road to the show mode, and especially Diamond Dynasty mode all received meaningful additions that make this year’s game better than it’s ever been.
When dealing with simulation games, the way real-life people and places look in the virtual world can make or break the level of immersion and believability. Here, the new lighting effects make a noticeable improvement in how the field itself and different materials on it look. For example, different types of metals are noticeably brighter, while the new matte helmets are more dull. It’s an attention to detail that stands out.
But while ballparks look better than ever, it’s the way the players move that jumps off the screen the most. A large amount of animations from years past have been redone, and are so fluidly stitched together that passersby might mistake it for the real thing. Specifically, the way pitchers transition from their pitching animation into fielding is smooth and natural looking.
The real prize of this new edition is the Road to the Show career-simulation mode.
Of course, incremental graphical improvements are expected year to year. The real prize of this new edition is the Road to the Show career-simulation mode, which makes its triumphant return with a few clever new features that start at the very beginning. This year you begin your career with an authentic-feeling scout day, where your performance in hitting and fielding drills results in an official scouting report. Once you get drafted and start leveling up your player, consumable and passive perks become available, and those open up interesting new ways to feel like your player has super powers, even if you’re not a star MLB player.
Consumable perks can only be used once per game, but can be activated at any time. Having a “flyball hitter” perk, which forces fly balls if contact is made, really came in handy when I needed a sacrifice fly to win the game. I was able to do exactly what needed to be done, in a simple and straightforward way. Having that kind of control (which the batting system doesn’t typically offer) once per game opens up more strategies. Other perks include things like eliminating foul balls for the at bat, and forcing the next pitch to be right down the middle.
Perks are great because they artificially create great baseball moments.
Passive perks, on the other hand, come into play automatically depending on the situation. For example, if you find yourself at bat with the bases loaded, you can fast-forward to a 3-0 count, forcing the pitcher to throw strikes. You can also make the umpire use a hitter-friendly strike zone, or have the altitude be similar to that of Coors Field, which makes home runs easier. Perks are great because they give you the option to make meaningful situations lean in your favor and artificially create great baseball moments, but still force you to actually make the play yourself.
There is a cost to using perks, however, and that makes using them a difficult decision. Each perk, depending on how powerful it is, removes time from the brand-new ShowTime meter. ShowTime allows you to slow down time in critical moments, helping you to either make a clutch play, or make a complete fool of yourself as you miss anyway. Although it can take some getting used to, it can really come in handy when you’re batting and want to get a better read on the pitch, when you’re on defense and need a faster reaction, or when you’re attempting to steal a base and want to perfectly time your jump.
Is all of this cheating? Yes, a little. But it’s also fun.
At first glance, ShowTime might feel a bit too “gamey” for a baseball sim, but since ShowTime is only available in Road to the Show, the new feature artificially creates and enhances big moments for your player. Is all of this cheating? Yes, a little. But it’s also fun, and the AI doesn’t care if you’re not playing fair. The best part about perks and ShowTIme is that they’re optional: you can completely ignore those features if they’re not your thing.
The addictiveness and quickness of each Road to the Show game encourages you to play multiple games in a row, especially because this year, an entire series can be played without ever going back to the menu as long as you’re playing against the same opponent and in the same ballpark. Even if you want to upgrade your player, the training screen is available without needing to load a new page. The valuable time that used to be spent staring at loading screens in MLB 15 The Show was spent actually playing MLB The Show 16.
Likewise, The Show 16’s franchise mode is deeper, and consequently, better than ever. Individual players are now ruled by a morale system which alters their overall rating based on a number of realistic factors. The astonishing amount of information that’s now available consistently made me feel like I was making informed decisions when making trades and lineup changes. For example, the way a player feels about his team role can range from happy when batting cleanup, to angry if he’s downgraded to eighth in the lineup. When a player is angry his overall rating takes a hit, making my managerial decisions even more thoughtful and complex. Other factors affect player morale as well, such as contracts, team performance, and distance from birthplace. The same bits of emotional information becomes especially useful during contract negotiations.
Even if the aforementioned changes weren’t enough to lure me down the rabbit hole, the ridiculous level of stat tracking certainly gave me a nudge. Every statistic you can think of, from batting average against lefties to wins above replacement, is recorded.
While other modes have been meaningfully, yet mildly adjusted and expanded, the virtual card-collecting mode, Diamond Dynasty, has been vastly improved upon. Most of the features that were previously featured are still available: collecting cards to fill out your roster, creating a logo and uniform from scratch, and using a created player to round out your team.
You’re only allowed to lose twice before your team is disbanded.
On top of that are two new modes. The first – and best – is Battle Royale, The Show’s take on Madden’s Draft Champions mode in which you start by drafting a temporary team and try to win as many intensely contested online head-to-head matches as possible. Drafts go for 25 rounds, each of which allows you to pick one of the randomly selected players available. The catch, to ensure a competitive balance, is that you’re only allowed to select a predetermined amount of players from each rating level. This forced me to stop and make critical decisions about who I wanted to select in each of the higher ranked rounds. To make games quick and easy, each one is only three innings long. But to keep baseball strategy intact, pitchers will tire much more quickly to compensate for the condensed time. Increasingly valuable rewards, in the form of new cards you get to keep, are earned by winning. You’re only allowed to lose twice before your team is disbanded, and in order to join in the first place you’re required to buy-in using in-game currency. These factors led me to become incredibly invested in my teams, despite the fact that they’re temporary, and that makes Battle Royale the best way to play MLB The Show 16.
Conquest mode builds a turn-based strategy game in which you wager the size of your fanbase on the outcome of a single-player game to determine the difficulty, and isn’t as successful. Conquest is just a bit too convoluted, and ended up feeling like a bunch of unnecessary steps I had to make between games. It failed to steal much of my time away from the other fantastic modes.