MLB The Show Is Back…But Not Just On Playstation
I have been an avid Xbox fanboy since I got my Xbox 360 in 2008. My first MLB game I purchased was MLB 2k9 with Tim Lincecum on the cover. I loved the 2k series, despite what opposing Playstation fans would say about the game. I played those games like it was my job throughout my formative years until 2013 when 2k Sports announced they were ending the franchise after MLB 2k13. Fast forward to 2021: Sony announces the release date for MLB The Show 21 on both Playstation and Xbox. Wow. After nearly a decade of agony, I finally get to feel like a kid again. Naturally, I pre-ordered the digital copy, and now the release date of April 20, 2021 inches closer and closer just as the MLB season is within sight. But still, I’ve never owned MLB The Show game, so what can an Xbox guy like me expect?
Two-Way My Player
From what I’ve read, ‘Road To The Show’ (RTTS) is the most popular game mode in The Show series, where you get to create your own player and play through their journey as they get to the big leagues. Fans of the franchise have said that RTTS has become stale over the years. As a response, San Diego Studios and Sony have implemented a two-way player feature, in which users can develop players with attributes similar to a unicorn player like Shohei Ohtani. Not only that but now users can select different ‘archetypes’ and apply them to virtually any position and build power-players with elite middle-infield ability, similar to Francisco Lindor.
New Animations and Stances
Real-life baseball may be boring to some, but The Show is going to be quite the opposite. Brand strategist of San Diego Studios, Ramone Russell, said:
You want bat flips? We have bat flips. In fact, we have added over 100 new personalized bat flips, home run swings, and bat tosses. We’ve also got 140 new batting stances, 250 redone batting stances, 160 new pitching animations, 180 redone pitching animations, and more than 1,000 new fielding animations.
Stadium Creator
Perhaps the most innovative and exciting new feature coming to MLB The Show 21 has to be the ‘stadium creator’ feature. With ‘stadium creator’, users can build their own ballpark and make it their own with over 1,000 pieces to choose from. San Diego Studios has made specific stadium kits ranging from realistic to fantasy, with the ability to edit dimensions, wall heights, and more.
To say the least, I am ecstatic. Not just for the new features, but just to be able to play a baseball video game again. After seeing clips and snippets from previews of the game across the internet, the graphics and gameplay look crisp and smooth. Finally, Xbox users and Playstation users can share a game in peace. For Xbox users and loyal baseball fans like me, April 20 can not come any sooner.
