MLB The Show 16

Voices of: Eric Karros, Brandon Thompson
Developer: San Diego Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Rating: E
Genre: Sports
System: Playstation 3
2016

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Major League Baseball is presented in all its glory as players compete to win the Championship.

Review:
Tim: I haven't played a baseball game since MLB 2k8, so video games have vastly improved since then. I was fairly impressed with MLB The Show 16, which offered a significantly better baseball experience than anything I've seen before. I did play the game much later than when it was first released, but this is still a vast improvement over previous games. I played the game with my 7-8 year-old son, and we had an absolute blast with it.

What I loved most about the game was the Road to the Show mode. We started our MLB career in AA, with the Arkansas Travelers. I'd never played a game like this, where you can follow a player from their beginning, to hopefully one day make the Show. It was so fun to learn the game in an easier setting, while we got better and better at it. We played 63 games in Arkansas, with 281 AB, a batting average of .516, 145 hits, 43 R, 24 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR, 6 SB, and we were also the All-Star Game MVP. We crushed it and deserved a promotion.

Next up, we went to the Salt Lake City Bees. Quick note- I loved getting to know some of the minor league teams. We did it randomly, so we were exposed to teams in the south and west that I never really knew much about. It was fun seeing the different ballparks and getting to know these minor league clubs. In SLC, we continued our hot streak. We spent 1.5 years in AAA ball, 571 AB, .580 AVG (even better than AA), 331 H, 138 R, 83 HR (!), 208 RBI, and 15 SB. We were a powerhouse, winning The National Championship and being named the National Championship Game MVP. Finally, it was time for us to get called up.

We (my son and I, taking turns playing his character) moved to The Show and joined the Los Angels Angels. There, we had 425 AB, .581 AVG, 247 H, 112 R, 71 HR, 57 2B, 169 RBI, 17 SB. We won the Rookie of the Year Award, as well as the Silver Slugger for 3B. In the Wild Card, we defeated the Cleveland Indians (a little sad, that's my team!), then the ChiSox in the Divisional Round, before overcoming the Red Sox in the ALCS. We went onto the World Series, an all-California match up against the San Francisco Giants. They took us to 7 games, where I hit a go-ahead Grand Slam, and we won the Series, 4 games to 3. We were named the Postseason MVP as well as the World Series MVP. I know our stats were absurd- the game was pretty easy for us. Even with that, though, we nearly lost the WS. I was so relieved we won, because after AA, AAA, and then the Majors, I was pretty tired of the game. Winning the Championship was a blast and it allowed me to finish this game forever- go out on top.

The game itself is incredible. I loved the ability to improve your stats and see growth as you progressed in th e game. The gameplay was great, it really puts you into the middle of the action. I also loved that you could select to just play yourself- that allowed us to skip most of the boring parts of the game. This was a big difference between MLB 2k8, when I played every out for my team for the entire season. It was much more fun to streamline the game this way.

I also loved the music (for the most part). The highlight for us was "Could Have Been Me" by The Struts. Such a tremendous song, perfect for baseball. I still to this day can't hear it without immediately thinking about this game. The music is good, but that song was perfect for this game.

My favorite part of video games is the narrative, so I don't end up playing a ton of sports games. They're fun, but they are time consuming. Still, I'm really glad that I was able to play this game with my son. I think it improved his understanding and love of baseball, and we had such fun hitting so many home runs. It worked well for us to take turns hitting (I mostly fielded, it was a bit challenging for him) and there's nothing more fun than seeing your son crush a home run out of the park. I was really impressed with how amazingly well he did. So, MLB The Show was an absolute ball to play. I love baseball and I loved how this game put us into the middle of the action. There were quality of life improvements in the game that allowed this to be a fun, accessible experience. It wasn't that challenging, but it was a lot of fun.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: MLB 2k8