MLB 14: The Show Reviews
The same great baseball simulation now caters to a wider group of gamers with online franchises and shorter game times
MLB 14: The Show was a great game a month ago when it came out on PlayStation 3, and it remains so on PlayStation 4. MLB 14 on PS4 is a rare year one sports game on a new console that is both significantly better looking and feature complete with the last generation version.
This is a tricky one to score. Again, MLB 14 The Show on the PlayStation 4 is a great baseball game, and I undeniably have a great time playing it. Still, as a next-gen debut, it is a little underwhelming. Sure, all of the features of the PlayStation 3 version are here, but the graphical improvement is more of a single than a home run. Of course, sometimes you need those small base hits to win a game, but let's be honest; the homers are more fun.
MLB 14: The Show is a must have for any baseball fan. Road to the Show alone is worth the purchase and the overall improvement on an already great foundation is what we want to see from sports games.
MLB 14: The Show is a step forward for the franchise, but it's a smaller step than we've come to expect.
MLB '14 The Show is an integral upgrade for fans of the franchise that recently upgraded to the PS4. With no competition in sight, PlayStation 4 players don't have any other options when it comes to baseball simulations, but then again, the year-in and year-out committment to quality from Sony San Diego made it so they never really needed those options in the first place.
While have always enjoyed making my march to the majors, there is another mode that I try to jump into at least once a day and that is The Show Live. Baseball is a marathon of a season and each and every game, right down to the proper line-up and pitching match-up, is replicated daily and each game can be played in this mode. You can also use this screen to check real game times, live scores, and live situations. You can exit out of the mode and re-enter to refresh the games if you want to use it as a real time score tracker. Pretty nifty and the mode is available for the PS3, the PS Vita and the PS4.
Fans of baseball and even those only slightly curious have yet another great title for the new console.
Sony's MLB franchise has unquestionably made a successful leap to PlayStation 4. The franchise has never looked better and the game has made yet another jump into the realm of 'true to life'. MLB: The Show retains its crown as the undisputed king of baseball games. This being said, it remains by in the large the same game we have played over the course of the past few years and the glitches do seem more prevalent.
MLB 14 The Show is a great baseball game marred by long load times, inconsistent online play, and performance issues. It's still a fun game and Road to the Show is, as usual, a great way to play the game. Fans of baseball will enjoy the game, but it's a little disappointing to see the performance issues.
And if you are ready to give up on The Show because of those longer-than-usual load times, just turn on a real baseball game – I'm guessing you'll be back playing the video game in no time.
The good news is, MLB 14: The Show translates wonderfully on the PlayStation 4, but outside of improved presentation, there isn't much new to be excited about.
MLB 14: The Show continues to prove itself as the best baseball franchise around, despite its PlayStation 4 debut doing little to separate itself from its last generation brethren.
MLB 14: The Show has made a welcome arrival on the PlayStation 4, and will only get better from here. Can you imagine the future possibilities?
If you waited to buy a next-gen version of "The Show," you're in luck. The PS4 version isn't worse than the PS3/Vita version, but it isn't any better either. All of its visual sheen brings new problems, but it's still a big league sports sim.
Coming into the release of MLB 14: The Show, it was clear that this is the king of baseball games. Not only is it the king but no other game is coming anywhere near it's level of greatness for quite some time. Thankfully, Sony San Diego does not take that lightly as they have continued to build on an already fantastic product. There is no doubt that some of their additions fell a bit short, but those are the risks you can take when you are the uncontested king. The graphical enhancements in the PS4 version of MLB 14: The Show are undeniable and true proof of how far we can go with visuals this generation. Whether it is in graphics or gameplay, MLB: The Show continues to rule the sports game world.
"The setup of the menus has been drastically redesigned, and although it took some getting used to at first, it's actually a much more user-friendly design over all."
MLB 14 The Show may not be a game changer, but it doesn't need to be. It is a great game with enough new features and ideas that it manages to stay fresh despite its problems, and fans of baseball sims will be hard-pressed to find better.
The Show was clearly on its last legs on the PS3, and the revamped, more true-to-life ballparks infuse some much-needed atmosphere in the series' PS4 debut. Meanwhile, Road to the Show includes several tweaks that help you create a more dominating prospect. Unfortunately, the player models don't receive the same level of care, and the game's online components aren't on the level of most other sports franchises—issues that absolutely must be addressed going forward.
The definitive version of the definitive baseball game, MLB 14: The Show on PS4 is the best reason to own the new console.