MLB’s Show New, Improved

Jack Moeller, Staff Writer

MLB 14 The Show was released on April 1 for Playstation 3 (PS3). The official release date for the Play Station 4 version has not been decided yet, although it is scheduled for late May.

MLB The Show has been the top rated sports franchise game for 8 consecutive years, and the 14th edition has lived up to the hype this year.

For XBOX players, MLB 2k 14 has been cancelled. As a result, MLB 14 The Show is the only baseball video game this year.

MLB 14 The Show is much improved from its previous version. It has many new features, which makes the gameplay more fun and realistic. In any sports game, I look for reality, and MLB 14 The Show looks like a real life baseball game.

The best feature this year is the fast play setting. After every pitch or play is finished, the next pitch is immediately thrown. In MLB 13 The Show, the average 9 inning game would take 1 hour. Under the fast play setting, games take about 30 minutes. In MLB 13 The Show, a 162 game season takes almost 5 months to get to the postseason, however, with this new, faster version, it takes much less time.

One of my favorite touches to the game is that each season can be transferred to future releases. For example, I can transport the same rosters to MLB 15 The Show, which means I spend less time editing rosters and more time actually playing the game.

Another major change that the creators of MLB 14 The Show was that the menu. Instead of the old fashioned column format, options are now found under pictures with players. The options are still the same, but they look far more appealing and colorful. Other details also make the game far more enjoyable. During the season mode, there is a scoreline which shows the other games around the league. MLB 14 The Show’s scoreline font is more bolder and bigger compared to previous games, which makes it much easier to read.

The introduction to the game is often overrated, but this year’s is better. In MLB 13 The Show, the introduction showed great hitters and players having success. It was a boring introduction. However, this years version shows the Cy Young winners, MVP winners, and Rookie of the Year for both the National and American League. 

The only issue that I have with MLB 14 The Show is its release date. Last year, the game came out in March, a full month before Opening Day. The PS3 version came out in the 2nd day of the season this year. For PS4, the game will not come out until the middle of the season. I would rather have a quality game, but released later in the year. From the previews of the game, it looks spectacular. 

I believe that this game is worth buying. It has better graphics and the players are rated accurately to real life. It may be harder to score runs and hit homers in MLB 14 The Show, but it is more accurate to real life.

In the introduction, the players are actually shown playing in real life, and this is a great feature. This is one of the reasons why I enjoyed MLB 12 The Show’s introduction, because it showed players in real life. Under MLB 14 The Show, the best players in the league will not hit .500 and have 90 home runs. I believe that it is more fun to have closer games with realistic settings.

A great tough to MLB 14 The Show is the 7th inning stretch. In previous games, the stadium organ would play only the end of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The stadium organ plays the whole song and sounds more authentic. This is a nice touch to the game.

MLB 14 The Show is much improved from previous years’ versions, and has many new features. I would recommend this video game to anyone who enjoys baseball.