On Mar. 28, the Major League Baseball (MLB) officially kicked off: this means that not only will we have non-stop baseball action and fun through September, but also be able to play the new MLB video game, MLB The Show 25. Throughout the years, though, it has felt as if the makers of the game, San Diego Studios, have just been putting a new name on the same game with little to no change.
This year, however, it’s different. There are changes to the game, like ambush hitting, which is a new way to hit by allowing a player to focus on either the left or right side of the strike zone. Depending on which side the player chooses, they will have a higher chance of making contact with the side chosen while having a smaller chance of making contact with the side not chosen. It is a huge gamble, which makes it so much fun; the risk and reward and the feeling of satisfaction when the correct side is chosen is amazing.
Another change is to the Diamond Dynasty game mode. The Diamond Dynasty is a mode where players can create a team full of current or past players and take on others in online battles or co-op missions with friends. Last year, MLB The Show had a sets system where players could only use certain cards at certain times, causing players to take to social media to voice their concerns with this system. San Diego Studios listened to these concerns and this year, the sets system is gone and players can use any card at any time. “I really love how [San Diego Studios] listens to the community, you don’t see the same with companies like EA Sports where the games are just constantly the same thing,” senior Anthony Derbah said.
Something notable about MLB The Show 24 was the Stadium Creator that allowed players to create and customize their own stadiums. Last year, there were complaints about it being buggy and not working a lot of the time, so this year, there is a completely revamped Stadium Creator with new additions to stadiums and even different settings, such as snowy mountains and different planets. “The Stadium Creator is a fun way to add more customization options into the game. Now that it is actually a working and functioning part of the game, it is so much cooler,” sophomore Luke Veizes said.
Another significant addition this year is within the Road to The Show mode: throughout the years typically you would customize your player and then you would jump right into selecting what team you want to play for. A few years ago they added the MLB Combine to the game as well. This year though, San Diego Studios added the high school and college levels to the game. “I love being able to play at these new levels as it makes the game feel fresh and it also allows me to feel like I’m growing through the ranks of the game just like real life,” senior Jack Kerns said.
