It’s hard to take stock of sports every year and find new ways to talk about it. The only reason it’s hard to say anything new is that so many sports look and sound alike. Although MLB The Show 23 shares many similarities with MLB The Show 22, the former has a new game mode that I really enjoyed.
The biggest and newest mode in MLB The Show 23 this year is the addition of “The Negro Leagues”. Because segregation was still a thing in the early 1900s, many African American men could not play baseball with and alongside white people.
As whites were separated from blacks, the African American community founded the “Black Leagues” to allow young black men and women to play baseball professionally across the United States. The black leagues were so popular back then that they played in front of many happy fans who wanted to see baseball from unknown talent.
MLB The Show 23 Black Leagues are similar to show modes found in WWE 2K video games. In this mode, you will play through the careers of several famous African American baseball players to learn more about their history and career.
Some of the legends you will play with include Satchel Page, Jackie Robinson and many other sports legends. Several objectives for you to complete include hitting players, hitting runs, and more. You must complete eight objectives in total to complete each episode of Legend.
Another great thing about Negro Leagues is that it includes narration by Bob Kendrick, current president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Along with his narration, you can also view vintage archival footage and fun illustrations that shed light on the careers of black baseball legends.
Black Leagues is the only major new feature added to MLB The Show 23 so far. Alas, everything else in the game is nearly identical to what was in MLB The Show 22. All of the same familiar game modes and gameplay mechanics are still there if you’ve ever played last year’s game.
Graphically, MLB The Show 23 looks good when played on PS5, although it doesn’t look like any visual upgrades have been made. Although the game looks colorful, it still lacks the realistic look that NBA 2K games currently have. The character models aren’t as realistic as other PS5 games I’ve played since 2020.
The overall visual and audio layout is pretty much the same as last year. The developer didn’t even bother to change the HUD or main menu to freshen things up. Not to mention that the commentary team has been the same for several years now.
Several game modes return for MLB The Show 23, including Road to the Show, from March to October, Moments, Diamond Dynasty and the popular Home Run Derby. Road to Parade is where you pick up a rookie and hope to give them a thriving MLB career. This situation can sometimes happen again if you are a pitcher, because you are throwing balls on the mound all the time.
From March to October, you play a regular MLB season, but luckily you don’t have to play more than 100 games with nine full innings! Since baseball is a time consuming sport in real life, this mod only allows you to play a few games and short innings. Sometimes you will hit, other times you might just hit. It’s a fun mode if you want to take your favorite team to the top of the leaderboard.
Moments are similar to The Negro Leagues where you have to recreate famous moments from MLB history. However, you can play with other famous players from history who are not part of the aforementioned dark leagues. Some objectives can be difficult as you may need to land a certain number of home runs. It’s a nice little mod if you want to do something short term.
Finally, there’s Diamond Dynasty, an online mode where you collect cards that include various MLB superstars past and present. The only thing I hate about this mode is the random nature that exists in terms of collecting cards and players. Just like similar modes in other sports games, you may never get the chance to collect/play with your favorite player!
However, Diamond Dynasty has changed slightly this year, as there are more chances of 99 players winning in total at certain times of the year. Not to mention that you can play games with AI in this mode if you don’t want to play against real players.
Aside from the fun black leagues, most of what’s on offer on MLB The Show 23 is the same content we got from last year’s MLB The Show 22. The graphics haven’t changed much and the gameplay is very familiar. It’s only worth it if you want to keep up to date with the latest updates and listings.
The verdict: 7.5/10
