MLB The Show 21 | Review, baseball comes to next gen

MLB The Show 21 | Review

In the old continent, when it comes to sports titles, thoughts can only run fast and decisively towards FIFA. Thanks to the great passion for the game of football, the EA title manages to establish itself every year without too many problems among the best-selling video games. Trying to disturb its hegemony are only PES, another famous series dedicated to the same sport, and, more in the background, NBA 2K, the main videogame transposition of basketball or basketball, if you prefer. Then, from time to time, WWE 2K, a series of works clearly dedicated to wrestiling that has found some good fortune in our country, also appears.

Almost unknown are other works dedicated to disciplines that are not exactly loved on European soil , but in any case characterized by a production quality that is often very high. Two shining examples of all this are surely Madden, a title dedicated to American football, and MLB The Show, based on baseball. The latter series will appear on the market on April 20 MLB The Show 21, an annual appointment with the work of San Diego Studio which, among other things, also celebrates the landing of the saga on next gen, as well as, finally, , even on Xbox.

MLB The Show 21: between novelty and tradition

As easily predictable, the aficionados of the series will find themselves at home in MLB The Show 21, to say the least. In addition to several new features, which we will tell you about shortly, the latest effort by the guys from San Diego Studio proposes the most popular game modes of recent years, such as Road to the Show and Diamond Dynasty. All, of course, with the necessary and appreciated improvements.

In Road to the Show we will in fact, as usual, be called in the shoes of our digital alter ego to step on the most renowned diamonds on American soil, slowly forging what is our legend. A particularly complete experience, made up not only of baseball games, but also of micro-managerial choices, dialogues with teammates and the coach and, of course, the inevitable great possibility of customizing our character.

Absolute novelties this year are the introduction of pre-recorded sections, in which well-known American TV personalities will comment on our performances from time to time, and the fact that our adventure will start directly from the night of the draft. In short, no more apprenticeships this year.

Another illustrious return is that of the always appreciated Diamond Dynasty, a sort of Ultimate Team applied to the magical world of baseball. In this mode, which we remember however has been a well-oiled machine for a long time and able to function perfectly, not many innovations have been introduced, with the experience that is therefore, all in all, similar to that of previous years. Despite presenting a series of possible micro-transactions, Diamond Dynasty did not seem to us during our test a game mode that wants to push too much in this respect, remaining usable also for all those who do not want to invest further in the title. For more precise statements in this regard, however, it is necessarily necessary to wait at least a couple of months to observe the evolution of the situation.

Obviously, in MLB The Show 21 there are also other classic modes, such as performances, online matches and much more. Especially noteworthy is the way in which the stadium is created, which will allow us not only to handle every single aspect of our playing field with a very high degree of freedom, but also to modify the surrounding scenery under different levels. An editor full of possibilities, to say the least, which, we are sure, will give fans of the series more than one satisfaction.

Casual? Not really

As far as gameplay is concerned, San Diego Studio has introduced changes and improvements this year that affect the two extremes of the game's fan base. On the one hand we have a new game system, called casual, which winks at newbies, while on the other the introduction of different mechanics that can be selected at will, such as the one to throw the ball, which exponentially increase the player's freedom. but which also require not indifferent skills.

For all those who have never been so interested in the series to date, it is necessary to reflect in particular on this topic. MLB The Show 21 is not in fact the classic sport we are used to in the beautiful country, such as FIFA, PES or, why not, even the NBA, but a more tactical and reasoned experience, characterized by a considerable number of mechanics. Although it is something capable of significantly raising the quality of the work of San Diego Studio, it is however undeniable as, as happens for example with Madden, that what is lost is the immediacy of use. If while with FIFA it is therefore possible without any problem to start a match with some relative or friend, even absolutely not accustomed to the videogame world, in The Show 21 everything is much more complex.

To break a lance in favor of San Diego Studio, this year decisive steps forward have been made in this respect with the introduction of the aforementioned casual game system, which allows to partially reduce these barriers at the entrance. Despite these appreciable improvements, MLB The Show 21 still fails to prove simple enough to understand for a total neophyte of the saga. So if you intend to let us play someone who has come to see you, keep this in mind.

Baseball on next gen

We could not but dedicate a paragraph to what are the improvements on the technical side of the title. MLB The Show 21 is, played on PS5, little surprisingly nothing short of fantastic. The technical characteristics of the new Sony flagship have in fact been properly exploited, with players and diamonds that have been recreated with maniacal care. The stadiums, and here a tear falls thinking about today's situation, are then full and alive, with the enthusiasm of the public that will drag us between one innings and another. The work done on the fluidity of the gaming experience is also excellent, with the Sony studio introducing in this new chapter about 100 new animations capable of making everything even more realistic.

Being a first studio party, San Diego Studio certainly could not fail to exploit the great potential of DualSense. The haptic feedback of the new PS5 controller allows us to feel what happens on the pitch directly on the skin, making us even more involved in the games and once again demonstrating the great playful power of this innovation.