I got the bug again. It was a day in September. Baseball was in full swing and my beloved Cubbies were struggling, but still in the hunt for another division title. And I wanted to play The Show. Fortunately it was a few months after the most recent version of the game had released, and Gamestop was having a $30 sale on the game, normally priced at $60. Overjoyed, I ordered it online for in store pickup. I excitedly called my wife, who was out at the time, and asked her to swing by Gamestop on the way home to pick it up for me. She did, brought it home, and I had a joyous few weeks with it before the news hit. MLB The Show 19 was the new free game with PS Plus in October. My $30 bargain which had brought me so much joy only a few weeks earlier was now an albatross around my neck, yet another sign of my impatience and foolishness with money. Me, the man who will spend $40 on a trip to Chik-Fil-A without thinking, was seriously depressed about this waste of money. All of this is just to remind you that I am a total maniac when it comes to video game deals.
Anyway, 19 is just flat out awesome. There's not a ton here that I haven't covered before in my hagiography of this series, so go check that out if you want to see why this game is so great. The physics are flawless, the commentating is superb, the graphics are excellent, and the AI in the game is magnificent. It's the best baseball game series ever by a mile, the best sports game series ever by a mile, and it's one of my all-time favorite games. I now own several years worth of The Show, and I buy one way more frequently than any other series, with 2K as a close second.
Out of all of the series, The Show is by far the most fair with microtransactions. Like Madden and 2K, they have an ultimate team mode with collectible cards you unlock through packs which can be bought with real money. But you will actually get free cards and packs by playing this game (a minimum of one every ten days for login bonuses), unlike in its peers. And the currency you earn by playing will truly allow you to field a serviceable competitive team within a few weeks. Paying money is definitely an advantage, but you can feel fine about your team without doing it.
The commentating is perhaps a little more stunted than in the past. I heard the same line about what happens when the weather warms up and the ball starts jumping out of the park a lot. That was probably exacerbated by me slugging 60 homers every year. I also heard a lot of discussion about my character leading in all three of the stats in the Triple Crown. But they will constantly surprise you with new dialogue, and compared to other series, the commentating is MILES ahead.
One new addition (the last one I played was 16, so I'm not sure how "new" it is) that wasn't entirely great to me was the new progression system for players in "Road to the Show", in which you pull a minor league player up the ranks to the Show, and compete for new contracts, playing time, and eternal glory. Previously, the game would grant you points based on your performance, which you could spend on whichever attributes you want. Better at-bats mean better points means more advancement. Now, the game uses a system in which you advance in certain skills by using them more. So, if you crush a homer against a righty, your power versus right handed pitchers goes up. This makes a lot of sense in theory, but it has some gaps in practice. In baseball, righties almost always hit better against lefties, because they can see the ball a bit better coming out of the pitcher's hand, and, in my experience, the momentum of the ball coming towards the righty makes it easier to drive than a pitch from a lefty, which naturally carries away from the hitter's body. In the Show, this will never be the case, because you just don't get as many at-bats against lefties. You can always train certain stats in between series, but you'll never be able to close the opportunity gap that this system creates. I enjoyed advancing my character, but I think that the system in 2K is a bit better.
Some of the presentation options from 2K could also be incorporated into the show. It's pretty tough to know when changes happen with your team's roster in The Show, for example, but you get notifications of major roster moves on 2K a lot more clearly. Freddie Freeman once got traded off my team and I didn't realize it for weeks. There's also a great feature in 2K that I wish they would adopt in The Show, which is a tracker that follows your Hall of Fame chances. It keeps track of records you have, accomplishments you've achieved, awards earned, etc., and shows you what your chances of making the Hall of Fame are. In such an individually driven sport like baseball, this feature would be incredibly cool.
Regardless of a few tiny flaws, The Show is still the greatest sports game ever. I was thrilled when I heard that The Show would no longer be a Playstation exclusive. The developers deserve all the money they can make, and I'm excited for an entirely new group of people to be able to experience its greatness. I'll give The Show 19 a 9.5/10.
Up next is a game I've already teased (and completed), so stay tuned!
-TRO
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