The latest installment of Sony San Diego Studio’s “MLB The Show 21” was released on April 20. “The Show 21” is the 16th entry in the history of the franchise and is the first to be released on any Xbox console, in addition to the usual release on PlayStation 4 and 5. While San Diego Studio’s ambition seems to have paid off for it in terms of having an increased consumer base, it has created issues that it probably should have seen coming. 

The introduction of four new consoles to the online servers has caused headaches for users on all platforms, with consistent server error messages. It seems as though San Diego Studies would have anticipated these sort of technical errors, as the entire closed beta experience was plagued with the same sorts of server problems. Despite these issues, the game itself picks up where its predecessor left off: as an excellent baseball simulation. 

The gameplay and graphics are incredibly crisp, especially on next gen consoles. The menus seem less intuitive and user friendly than they have been in previous editions, but they are something that just takes a little getting used to. A few of the new features that were promised for this year’s game, specifically the stadium creator/editor, are next gen-only, a bummer for those still playing on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The game’s Diamond Dynasty mode, which is comparable to EA’s Ultimate Team modes in NHL, Madden and FIFA, continues to outpace the aforementioned when it comes to user friendliness. 

One of the truly great things “The Show 21” does well is it allows users to play with their favorite players, even if they may not have the best statistics. The newly added parallel system gives players the opportunity to upgrade the cards of their players by simply compiling statistics like hits and runs batted in. This allows for a variety of cards to be usable for even the most competitive of play. It would be intelligent for EA to consider adding a similar system into its games, and it’s something that fans have been requesting for quite a while now. The game’s franchise mode is mostly untouched from last year but did not have substantial problems and has just seen minor tweaks, like improved trade logic. This still seems iffy at times, but when compared to other sports games like “NBA 2K” or EA Sports’ “NHL,” “The Show” is relatively realistic. 

The biggest downfall in terms of actual gameplay within “MLB The Show 21” is in the player career mode, “Road To The Show” (RTTS). The game introduces an intriguing option to allow the player to have the ability to be a two-way player. This allows pitching as well as playing in the field. The main problem with this is that it’s relatively forced on the character and makes progressing their overall rating occur rather slowly.

“The Show 21” introduces a new system in which one created player is used for all “RTTS” files. The previous archetype program has been altered, allowing for the player to have interchangeable playing styles, called loadouts, based on which position they may be playing at the cost of realism. Since its launch, “RTTS” has experienced several issues with loadouts not changing between games, causing headaches for the loyal “RTTS” players. 

All in all, San Diego Studio has released three updates in an attempt to rectify some of the early issues, and they seem to have helped. The game continues to be a fan-serving baseball simulation that is consistently pushing the boundaries of their abilities, while still creating a quality product each year.

Image from MLB via YouTube