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MLB 14 The Show

SCORE: 92

Most sports franchise lose a step when they move from one home console to the next one. They also usually gain it back in the following years. MLB 14 The Show is on the Playstation 3, and Playstation 4. Family Friendly Gaming was provided a copy to review on the former. There are a few areas of concern this year.

I should mention that the MLB The Show franchise has set the bar really high. They have dominated the other baseball franchise for so many years now. I have come to expect massive upgrades, and huge improvements every single year from MLB The Show video games. Maybe my expectations are on the high side. But this franchise is the one who set those in past years.

MLB 14 The Show is a bit of a let down in a couple of areas. I saw blurry graphics, and graphical glitches here and there. There are all these different camera angles but too often I am seeing the action happen way far away. Some things look great, and others disappointed me. Then there is the 5 gig or 10 gig installation. That is massive. Loading times are long with the 5 gig installation. But I had to delete all kinds of content to make room for the 5 gig.

With that said the MLB 2K franchise could not catch MLB 14 The Show if they wanted to. And I read a report that 2K Sports was canceling that franchise. Which means families have little choice when it comes to baseball video games. MLB 14 The Show is still a very solid title. I hope the lack of competition does not slow down improvements in coming years.

The presentation in MLB 14 The Show really stands out. It is neat to see so many little touches in what the announcers say, and how it fits with what is going on - on the field. I am not a fan of this menu screen layout. It was too confusing to learn in the beginning. Replays, the mascots, fields and more are fantastic.

There is online play with MLB 14 The Show. There is also local multiplayer. Difficulty settings can differ depending on the player. Maybe you are great at pitching, but not so great at batting. MLB 14 The Show will adjust to your skill set. I found the Home Run Derby to be much more difficult this year.

Advertisements like Topps can be found in MLB 14 The Show. Players earn experience points for things they do - like hit a home run, throw a strike out, and more. This was neat to see. I liked watching myself level up thanks to playing good, and smart baseball.

Umpires in MLB 14 The Show have different strike zones. Just like in the real world. So you may find yourself adjusting your pitches trying to stay within that umpires zone. The new animations mean action will look different many times. Although I did find I could keep hitting to the same player and they would throw to first base generally the same way. The first baseman would catch it differently though.

Errors are a part of MLB 14 The Show, and can impact the outcome of games. I won quite a few games thanks to the errors by the other team. There are a variety of modes, functions and features in MLB 14 The Show. Which means months can be spent playing through all of them.

Game saves can be moved to the Cloud and played on all three systems. You can move your PS3 game to the PS4. You can start a franchise on the PS3, and move it to the PS Vita. This functionality is only seen on the Playstation brand. Maybe Nintendo will catch up one of these years.

All in all I like MLB 14 The Show. I find it to be a solid baseball title. I feel it stumbled a bit this year. It did not meet the high expectations the franchise has set in previous years. I hope to see MLB 15 The Show shatter all my expectations since they are coming down a bit.
- Frank

Graphics: 89%
Sound: 90%
Replay/Extras: 95%
Gameplay: 92%
Family Friendly Factor: 95%

System: PS4/PS3(tested)
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Sony San Diego Studio
Rating: ‘E’ -  Everyone
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