MLB The Show 24 Review (PS5)
Summary: Improves of the last one across the board, making it the best of baseball sims.
4
Big hitter!
This year sees another iteration of the world’s biggest baseball video game: MLB The Show 24. Not a lot has changed since last year– they still haven’t made the full jump to current gen consoles– but it adds just enough that it’s a worthy improvement on the last one. There are new stadiums, new animations, new gameplay tweaks, new storylines, and you can now play as a woman. If you’re a fan of Mr. November, you’ll be pleased to see that Jeter has got his own storyline and if you enjoyed the Negro Leagues storylines from last year, they have returned with new players too.
Since MLB The Show 23 was a popular release and a return to form for the series, MLB The Show 24 focuses on refining that experience rather than redefining it. The lighting is a little better, the new animations make the game more varied and lively, and the fielders have been made more aggressive– they no longer get confused by hitting the wall or defensive plays.
One realworld change is that they’ve increased the base size to the new 18-inch bases. MLB made the change to reduce injuries, and MLB The Show made the change just to be realistic. It’s unlikely you’ll notice the difference when stealing a base, but you can’t fault them for trying. Another surprising piece of attention to detail is how well they’ve implemented women into the career mode. If you made a female player, you’re given a separate changing room, and the announcer will give unique callouts as you rise through the ranks– you’ll even be touted as the first woman in Major League Baseball.
And speaking of first women, Toni Stone is highlighted in the negro league storyline as the first woman to play professional baseball (as a regular on a big league team). The negro league storylines add a lot of spice to the MLB The Show formula, being both engaging and interesting pieces of baseball history. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick returns to narrate their stories with the same infectious enthusiasm and pannash as he did for the last season, and playing through the historical moments in mid-century america is a lot of fun.
The Derek Jeter storyline is a little less exciting. It’s not that the five-time World Series champion and 3,000-hit club member doesn’t deserve the spotlight, but his consistent career isn’t as explosive or dramatic as others– the unbreakable records of Ichiro Suzuki, or the career of the man with the most valuable baseball card of all time, Honus Wagner, come to mind.
Final Thoughts?
Quality-of-life changes is the name of MLB The Show 24. It’s a great addition to the series, without any major flaws– the biggest might be that it hasn’t committed fully to the current gen, but it’s still the best looking baseball game out there. The perfect swings are just as satisfying, the baseball card collecting isn’t stingy, and the career mode still gives you that feeling of an underdog rising to the top against all odds. So if you love baseball sims, you’ll love MLB The Show 24.
About the Author
Branden Zavaleta Based in Perth, Branden writes on the arts for a handful of Australian outlets. He's also a street & creative portrait photographer, who's work can be found @brandenzp on Instagram.
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