Let’s just jump right into our MLB The Show 17 Review. [Note: There were (and still are) some issues with the servers for the game, or else this review would have been completed closer to the game’s release date.]
MLB The Show 17 starts off with a cool introduction where some of the great moments in baseball history are shown on a chalkboard and announced, which should have gotten everyone excited for baseball to be back.
Unfortunately, that may have been about as far as some people (including me) got because the servers were simply not working. For the first couple days of the game’s release, users were unable to download updated rosters, enter Diamond Dynasty, play an online game, or do anything that required working servers.
People were not happy at all on Twitter as the official account for The Show and community management provided almost no clarity on the situation, leaving users to find out solution for themselves (like putting the PS4 in ‘rest mode’ or closing the application and re-entering for a Diamond Dynasty game to save). Not only did they provide little clarity on the server situation, but they also did not even offer a simple apology for a huge issue that is still affecting some people. The closest they came to a real apology was tweets of “We understand” and “Thanks for your patience.” That is a slap in the face to their loyal fans, but we won’t dwell on the servers any longer.
Gameplay and Graphics
New ball physics for hitting have been a great addition to MLB The Show 17, as it has allowed for a much wider variety of trajectories, bounces, and spins after contact. There are weak line-drive hits that fall in between defenders, fair balls that curve away from corner infielders/outfielders, and more.
The fielding physics on the other hand, seem to be worse than they were in previous years. Something that has already happened a handful of times to me is a groundball in between two infielders turning into an extra-base hit because I thought I was controlling the infielder for a ball that is within reach, but instead it makes me automatically control the outfielder and run away from where the ball is headed, allowing a grounder to somehow reach the wall. I never had that happen to me in previous editions of the game. Also, outfielders appear to jog after certain balls for some reason.
It’s still also very frustrating to square a ball up with a perfect aim and good timing, only for it to be a swing-and-miss or fouled off. I’ve heard the developers say “that’s baseball” in response to this, so maybe they should add in perfect and great timing, rather than just good timing as the best you can do. In real life, if a major leaguer has “perfect” timing and the right path to the baseball, it’s going to at least be hit hard. I would rather have those good timings turn into line-drives right at someone or be caught at the warning track than a swing-and-miss.
The graphical improvements were much needed, as players’ faces look much more realistic. Also, different body types, such as making a guy more husky, make for an all-around better experience.
Diamond Dynasty
Despite the major server issues so far, I will maintain that MLB The Show has the best fantasy-card-collecting game mode (compared to EA Sports’ Ultimate Team modes and NBA 2K’s MyTeam). There are great legends, cool flashbacks, and plenty of versions of Ken Griffey Jr., but the thing that sets DD apart is the community market.
Unlike Madden and other games, there are no “watered-down” versions of cards, unless they are rookie cards, which is how it should be. It’s stupid (for lack of a better word) to have a superstar NFL player have his base card be an 85 overall like in Madden. Diamond Dynasty starts off all the players as they are rated normally (ex: Mike Trout is a 99) and their card overall will change as their actual ratings change.
As an example, Bryce Harper starts the game as a 90, but if he plays like he did in 2015, his rating will probably climb back to a 99 overall. This is great because you can basically play the market with cards as if they were stocks. If you really think a guy like breakout this season, but he’s only a 75 overall, then you have the option of buying a bunch of cards now and selling them when he works his way up to a 90 or wherever he ends up. Users are even able to put in buy and sell orders, so there is a real strategy to the mode. This is all nothing new in DD, but was worth highlighting as a real strong-point for The Show.
Diamond Dynasty does have flaws though, and it would be disappointing if they weren’t patched for this year’s game, or at least by The Show 18. First of all, there are no lineups for facing a righty/lefty pitcher (just a single lineup you can create), so platoons are non-existent in the mode unless you have divine powers to guess which arm your opponent’s starter throws with. Also, there is no DH, so you are forced to hit with the pitcher in Diamond Dynasty.
Another limitation placed on users is that you need five starting pitchers, 13 positions players, and seven bullpen arms. Limiting to five starters is a good idea because then people might have studs with high stamina in their bullpen, but if someone wants to carry five relief pitchers and seven bench players, that should be allowed.
Fortunately, there should be simple fixes for all these issues, but unfortunately, they don’t seem in a hurry to change things.
Road to the Show
The developers finally decided to add something to their stale career mode, making RTTS an RPG. While before there were just a few interactions that would sometimes be available and sometimes not, there are now decisions that you have to make throughout your career and narration to go along with it.
Everyone has to be on-board with the new changes, as now users can mold an actual personality for their player rather than just going through the motions and playing games until you are called up, and then playing more games. The narration seems a little cheap in my opinion, but I’ll give the benefit of the doubt for at least taking steps towards making a full-RPG career mode. Plus, unlike NBA 2K’s MyCareer, you aren’t forced into a specific personality that might be nothing like you are in real life.
The expanded equipment choices are also a welcome addition to Road to the Show. There is new equipment in each category, including gear worn by Ken Griffey Jr.
Franchise Mode
Franchise mode’s biggest improvement is the new option to play only critical situations, following in the footsteps of NBA 2K’s GameCast and Madden’s Play the Moments. I personally couldn’t get into offline franchise mode in previous years because the options were either to spend every second of your life playing 162 games, or simulating a lot of your season and feeling helpless if the team underperformed. By giving users the option of playing critical moments, people can easily get through a full season without leaving game outcomes up to chance.
Besides that, though, franchise mode remains mostly untouched. Those who play in online franchises will probably have the same exact experience as they did in MLB The Show 16. In future years, the developers will probably take some pages out of the NBA 2K MyGM book for a deeper franchise mode. It would be awesome if they added something as simple as actually creating a character, giving him a unique personality and look, including clothing.
The thing that hurts franchise mode from being really good to me is having no minor league players. Yes, there are people that create full minor league rosters, but they aren’t 100% accurate or complete, which takes away from the realism in franchise mode.
Overall Impressions
Pros
-New ball physics and graphics
-Diamond Dynasty (for the most part)
-RTTS = RPG
-More brands for equipment
-Critical moments in franchise mode
Cons
-SERVERS
-Online franchise remains untouched
-No minor league players
-Little things in DD
Verdict: “Caught stealing?” – MLB the Show 17 is a little smoother and deeper than previous years, but server issues have plagued the game in the first week.
Score: 8.1