Developer: SIE San Diego Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
MLB The Show 25 – Review
As our office is based in Belgium, we actually don’t come into contact with baseball all that much. We mainly see the sport being played in movies, where it’s often used as a standard pastime for the average American Joe. Nonetheless, the sport has always interested us because it requires a lot of skill and great reflexes to become a top player. Even the crowd seems to be a lot more laidback than many of the football crowds here in Europe, where hooligans are not an uncommon sight. Those sentiments aside, we were curious to see if we could become pro (digital) baseball players in MLB The Show 25.
Story
It’s not uncommon for modern sports games to have a dedicated career mode with a storyline to play through. MLB The Show 25 is no exception here, as you can make your own player, start from your last few high school games, and hopefully make it as a hall-of-fame player by the end of your career. It’s a fairly standard experience for a game such as this, but it’s a pleasant one nonetheless. If you’re more of a single-player type of gamer, we suggest playing this mode first before branching out to other modes.
Graphics
Graphically, MLB The Show 25 looks impressive. While there are of course still a few graphical inconsistencies, the game looks absolutely lifelike. When booting up the game without pressing a button to go to the menu, a random match will start playing, and when not looking at every little detail it feels as if a real match is playing in the background. The different stadiums, the players, the crowd, the weather conditions, everything looks extremely polished. Only a few cloned audience members and some janky movements here and there are the only real issues this next-gen baseball sim has. All in all, we were impressed with what MLB The Show 25 had to offer.
Sound
The sound design of MLB The Show 25 is great as well. You’ll be treated to upbeat tunes in the menu, active crowds and great commentators in-game, and of course, proper SFX to back everything up. There’s quite a bit of variety when it comes to commentator styles, so it’s fun to mess around with the settings until you find the one that you like best. We more than often just enjoyed the music when browsing the menus, as it gave us a sense of nostalgia, thinking back to other older sports titles that used a lot of licensed music.
Gameplay
MLB The Show 25 is a sports simulation title in which you’ll play through baseball matches via single-player or multiplayer modes. The game offers a varied package that consists of a lot more than playing through standard matches. You’ll be able to play through seasons, take up the mantle as a manager, try out the retro mode with simplified controls and mechanics, experience the Storylines: The Negro Leagues mode, and there’s even a Risk-esque conquest mode in which you have to conquer a board game-like board. On top of that, MLB The Show 25 also offers completionists the chance to collect digital baseball cards and new gear. The latter is also coupled with microtransactions, but you’ll also earn card packs by just playing. We were perhaps a bit overwhelmed at first by the amount of content on offer here, but we soon found the modes that intrigued us the most. Having the option to play locally with friends in the versus mode or even in co-op mode is certainly a plus as well.
We’re going to be honest here, even with all the tutorials and different difficulty settings, MLB The Show 25 isn’t an easy game to master. Timing your swings and judging a pitch is rather hard at the beginning. Luckily, as you make progress and start actively scoring points, you will notice that MLB The Show 25 has a lot to offer. It’s those initial moments that will require you to put in some time practicing. We enjoyed the Retro mode for this a lot, as it keeps things extremely simple with just one type of pitch and regular swings. There is not much more in terms of strategy here, but it did help us with timing our swings.
While most of the regular modes speak for themselves, we also spent quite a bit of time playing through the more quirky Conquest mode. This game mode reminded us a lot of an evening of playing Risk with friends, albeit in a single-player format. Here, you’ll have to conquer hexagonal spaces on a game board of sorts, to come out victorious. You’ll gather fans with which you can expand your territory, and depending on how many spaces you already have under your control, you’ll gain more fans per turn. You’ll have to take over enemy spaces via simulated matches or by short matches you’ll have to play yourself. While this mode is certainly not the meat and potatoes of MLB The Show 25, it was an enjoyable change of pace nonetheless.
Microtransactions are sadly a part of nearly every sports game nowadays and MLB The Show 25 follows this same format. You’ll collect stubs as you play matches and progress through different modes, but you’ll also be able to purchase them. With these stubs, you can buy different card packs that offer you new players, sound effects, or gear. It’s fun collecting new items and players, but we felt the grind to gain free packs was a bit too much. The prices of booster packs are rather high, so it will take some time for you to earn a few free packs. It’s a shame, but it’s still perfectly possible to enjoy everything the game has to offer without spending an additional penny. Your mileage may vary if you’re a competitive online player, of course.
Conclusion
MLB The Show 25 offers a well-rounded package to casual and hardcore baseball enthusiasts alike. While we aren’t a huge fan of microtransactions, the game itself has so much content that you can play through without having to spend a dime. We were impressed by the variety of modes, the streamlined gameplay, the impressive visuals, and the great sound design. If you’re a fan of baseball and sports games, then picking this one up is a no-brainer. While we probably weren’t the intended audience for MLB The Show 25, we’ll be spending some more time on this title, be it solo or with friends.
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