MLB The Show 24 Needs To Be Great
2024 is here, and MLB The Show 24 is on the horizon – I can’t wait! The Show 23 was a challenging year for the franchise, so I’m hopeful that it will get them back on track in 2024.
Even in what could be considered a “down year” for MLB The Show, it remained the best sports game available, achieving this status is not a significant benchmark considering the efforts of other sports games in recent years or lack thereof (cough 2K cough).
I’m fully anticipating MLB 24 to be a return to glory. Same as last year, my expectations are sky-high, as this game is my most anticipated release every year. If I’m going to dedicate so much time to playing a game, I want to enjoy it more each time. Unfortunately, The Show 23 did not provide that for me. The way San Diego Studios approached content, particularly in terms of sets, diminished many players’ interest in 2023’s lifecycle.
Diamond Dynasty:
Continued releases of the same 99 overall players across different sets disrupted the developers’ changes to Diamond Dynasty this year. Which aimed to create more variety between teams within the mode. Moreover, dropping 99 overall cards at launch with the World Baseball Classic downplayed any gameplay changes introduced in The Show 23, rendering them practically non-existent.
Having high-level cards to circulate early did not allow progression throughout the year, making hundreds of usable cards mere fodder for collections. Diamond Dynasty, in previous years, has been a slow, year-long journey to field the best cards possible. An abundance of high overall cards not appearing until the second half of the year at the earliest. Diamond Dynasty’s power curve should be a marathon, like The Show 19 and 20. Not a slow walk like The Show 22, and certainly not a sprint like MLB The Show 2023.
The introduction of seasons to Diamond Dynasty was intended to serve as a reset at points in the year for players. A good idea in theory. However, the content structure with significant drops centered around seasons led to a more negative outcome compared to previous games. In those down times with no major updates for weeks on end, MLB 23 felt very lifeless.
Gameplay “changes” did not have a significant impact, Diamond Dynasty content changes were disappointing, and Franchise and Road to The Show modes feel uninspired at this point. Online play has been the most boring it has been in a long time. Because of a lack of major changes to current modes and a lack of new modes being introduced.
Looking Forward to MLB 24:
Please understand my position; I have played this game annually since MLB The Show 17 and average over 650 to 1000+ hours per year. MLB The Show 23 is up there with MLB The Show 18 as one of the most frustrating games in the series. I say that because this series has been, and can be, so much better.
With the March/April release still some time away, I have plenty of time to dissect the good and bad of The Show 23 and also to outline what I hope to see in MLB The Show 24, very soon.
My biggest hope is that MLB The Show 24 is the best game in the franchise to date.
***
SUBSCRIBE to the Vendetta YouTube Channel!
SHOP for Vendetta Merch!
SUPPORT Vendetta on Patreon!
Click here for more MLB content
