MLB The Show 22 – Review, baseball as you’ve never played it before

MLB The Show 22 is the sports title dedicated to the world of baseball, a title certainly expected by a minority on Italian soil (compared to football titles such as FIFA or other sports such as basketball), and today we offer you our review. Despite the small niche in the Bel Paese, there have always been important games on the sport played on the diamond, so much so that until recently, this was a Sony PlayStation exclusive. However now MLB The Show 22 has arrived on both Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Will its 9th generation console version be able to impress us? Let’s find out below.

Sport does not change

As well as many titles that have an annual frequency, especially when it comes to a sports title, also for MLB The Show 22 It is very difficult to say that there have been major revolutions in terms of gameplay. However, in this specific case, in reality, there should have been some changes, as the federation that manages baseball has decided to change the rules of the sport. Elements that they will only be implemented in the next chaptersince in this version there won’t be, or at least hopefully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Vu57fGBGo

The fact is that pad in hand, the title is very pleasant, with a control system that varies according to your skills. You will have the opportunity to choose a different mapping based on the level of immersion you wish to have within the game. Obviously, the more you go into the simulation, the greater the difficulty. So if you are a beginner, we advise you to take one step at a time, before starting to run. Obviously, the beating heart of the game it basically remains the sameprecisely because – as already mentioned – the title has an annual frequency, so the developers do not have the material time to implement deep changes.

When you are in the role of hitter, you will see a kind of crosshair and a dial, with which you will have to anticipate the movement of the ball to hit it as best as you can, also trying to understand what kind of shot is about to arrive. As can be easily guessed, you will have to have even a bit of luck in guessing, just like in the “real” version of the sport. While when you find yourself “on the other side”, that is in the role of pitcher, you will have to do the same, but this time you can also decide whether to give effect to the ball: the latter it could also deviate the trajectory and drop you into a ball, which will not allow you to get points. Choose carefully and then throw the ball to the best of your ability.

As for the modes, in addition to the quick match, one of the most important this year is the March to October, which will make you live several seasons, instead of just one. Obviously the result is greater involvement on the part of the player, who will have to make all the right choices when it comes to buying and selling players, a bit like what happens in the career mode of FIFA 22.

One of the features that will make you jump for joy is the ability to play online, which was missing until this iteration. But this mode is perhaps one of the Achilles’ heels of MLB The Show 22, as there are limitations: it is not possible to choose to play with friends, just as it will not be possible to play a season together. A timid first step towards the online world, without infamy or praise.

In addition you will also be granted the opportunity to change the stage with a range of baseball-themed items, but also less inherent ones, so that you can unleash all your creativity. This implementation is exclusive to ninth generation consoles, so if you own one PlayStation 4, Xbox One or a Nintendo Switch will not be able to access it.

Technically next-gen?

When you think of a game for next-generation consoles – Xbox Series X | S and PlayStation 5 – you always think of jaw-dropping animations and super-realistic graphics that will take your breath away. MLB The Show 22 can you meet these standards? Not really, but it’s very close to it. Player animations are really smooth and the concatenation of actions is not very visible, while the graphic aspect has improved, but San Diego Studio could have done even better. Perhaps its cross-gen nature has been a bottleneck, preventing developers to be able push the hardware hard. The fact is, that it remains an impressive title that manages – through its control system and graphics – to be very pleasant even to the curious. One of the most important improvements, in addition to the graphics, is the physics of the ball. The latter is much more realistic than the last iteration of the game, and you notice it from the first bar.

As for the game audio, there is nothing to complain about. The soundtrack accompanies well in the menus and also manages to give the right charge, while every single stroke of the club is so well done – and above all well equalized – to be clear as if it were in the stadium.

But at this stage of the MLB The Show 22, can we recommend this game? Our answer is yes, both if you are just curious and if you belong to that minority of Italians who follow sport. After all, if you own an Xbox and an active Xbox Game Pass subscription, you can get your hands on the game without having to buy it. Does this mean it’s not worth buying? Absolutely not, but if you are just curious, the advice is to try it. While if you are passionate, you can throw yourself without fear of the consequences. Also, even if you own Nintendo Switch, you can finally play it, for the first time in the franchise’s history.