MLB 14 The Show News Post

MLB 14 The Show Review (PS3)

12:23 PM - April 4, 2014 by RaychelSnr

As the immortal Babe Ruth once said “Baseball is the greatest game in the world, and it deserves the best you can give it.” Over the years, the development group at SCEA San Diego has found a way to do just that. The MLB The Show franchise from SCEA San Diego has widely been recognized as one of the best sports series going, and rightfully so. This year the development team finds themselves for the second time, in a transition period. The team was faced with the task of trying to keep the ball rolling on the PS3 and Vita, and start it on the PS4. The question now is, should you bother grabbing the PS3 version, if you have a PS4 system that is eagerly awaiting the date of May 6th?

Read More - MLB 14 The Show Review (PS3)

Game: MLB 14 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS Vita / PS3 / PS4Votes for game: 12 - View All

MLB 14 The Show Videos

Member Comments

# 1 fearwhatnow @ 04/04/14 12:45 PM

I wonder why there is a deduction of 1 point in the score compared to last year's game. I understand that MLB 13 was reviewed by another person, but looking now to both reviews side-by-side seems rather weird.
MLB 13 cons: Commentary ,fielding, sense of sameness
MLB 14 cons : Commentary, online
The new version has fielding improved, QC, Dynamic Difficulty, New and better Game Menu, Crispier gfx, better sound effects, more fluid animations...
I really don't care about scores/ratings when the product has a wide acceptance for its quality/gameplay but in this case something feels out of place.

# 2 bluengold34_OS @ 04/04/14 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fearwhatnow


	I wonder why there is a deduction of 1 point in the score compared to last year's game. I understand that MLB 13 was reviewed by another person, but looking now to both reviews side-by-side seems rather weird. MLB 13 cons: Commentary ,fielding, sense of sameness MLB 14 cons : Commentary, online The new version has fielding improved, QC, Dynamic Difficulty, New and better Game Menu, Crispier gfx, better sound effects, more fluid animations... I really don't care about scores/ratings when the product has a wide acceptance for its quality/gameplay but in this case something feels out of place.

The deduction came from the online portion.

# 3 bigdaddykraven @ 04/04/14 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_OS


	Spot on with the review. The commentary needs a new fresh start. Getting tired of hearing the same/stale commentary. Enjoying the quick counts feature. Although not as much as I did with All Star Baseball 2004. Imo it had the best quick counts feature of any baseball game to date.

I still think, especially for being a PS2/Xbox game, All-Star Baseball 2005 had some of the best commentary. Yeah it was a bunch of the same audio too but it was situational. For example, you have a guy on the trading block, they recognize that in the game. If teams have been trying to trade for a player they announcers talked about that. If you traded for, signed a free agent or brought up a rookie to fill a certain role (speed, leadoff, power) the game recognized that and commented on it.

I remember doing an expansion team and two seasons into the game I traded for I think Pat Burrell because I needed some power. Took a risk and traded my 3rd starter too. The game actually recognized that and in my first game after the trade discussed that when he came up to bat, even recognized that I took a risk in trading a starting pitcher too because as they said "we didn't have a lot of depth to back it up." The trade didn't work if I remember correctly lol.

Anyway, I'd always wished The Show would add in commentary that reacted to events in your world. Recognize when someone wins the MVP in 2017 as opposed to being in the year 2018 and they still refer to Miggy as "the MVP." Just more recognition about what is going on in your current world. Hopefully with the PS4 they'll be able to do more of that in the future versions of the game.

Still excited for the game but sad to hear it'll be the same old commentary.

# 4 aguero90 @ 04/04/14 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdaddykraven


	I still think, especially for being a PS2/Xbox game, All-Star Baseball 2005 had some of the best commentary. Yeah it was a bunch of the same audio too but it was situational. For example, you have a guy on the trading block, they recognize that in the game. If teams have been trying to trade for a player they announcers talked about that. If you traded for, signed a free agent or brought up a rookie to fill a certain role (speed, leadoff, power) the game recognized that and commented on it. I remember doing an expansion team and two seasons into the game I traded for I think Pat Burrell because I needed some power. Took a risk and traded my 3rd starter too. The game actually recognized that and in my first game after the trade discussed that when he came up to bat, even recognized that I took a risk in trading a starting pitcher too because as they said "we didn't have a lot of depth to back it up." The trade didn't work if I remember correctly lol. Anyway, I'd always wished The Show would add in commentary that reacted to events in your world. Recognize when someone wins the MVP in 2017 as opposed to being in the year 2018 and they still refer to Miggy as "the MVP." Just more recognition about what is going on in your current world. Hopefully with the PS4 they'll be able to do more of that in the future versions of the game. Still excited for the game but sad to hear it'll be the same old commentary.

Yeah, they were great!! Ironicly, Steve Lyons was in ASB, just like he is in the show. lol, remember in ASB when he would tell the story about the time he dropped his pants trying to get dirt out!

# 5 KingTuT was a Cubs fan @ 04/04/14 02:15 PM

****Conspiracy theory**********

I know online has notoriously been pretty poor with this game, but it sounds as though this year is particularly poor. What if, and this is purely hypothetical, Sony and San Diego Studios are trying to persuade Show users to make the jump to next gen by having online franchise (one of the biggest offseason additions) be an extremely poor ps3 experience. This would obviously mean that the PS4 online experience would have to be terrific, which I'm hoping it will be. Honestly, that is probably not a bad approach.

# 6 nemesis04 @ 04/04/14 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingTuT was a Cubs fan


	**Conspiracy theory******** I know online has notoriously been pretty poor with this game, but it sounds as though this year is particularly poor. What if, and this is purely hypothetical, Sony and San Diego Studios are trying to persuade Show users to make the jump to next gen by having online franchise (one of the biggest offseason additions) be an extremely poor ps3 experience. This would obviously mean that the PS4 online experience would have to be terrific, which I'm hoping it will be. Honestly, that is probably not a bad approach.

Terrible theory!

# 7 bluengold34_OS @ 04/04/14 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemesis04


	Terrible theory!

Yeah - the world being round was also

# 8 johnlnames @ 04/04/14 02:34 PM

I'm anxious to see PS4 gameplay, any news on when that will be available?

# 9 NAFBUC @ 04/04/14 02:38 PM

5/6

# 10 tnixen @ 04/04/14 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Profit89


	MLB 2K announcing was phenomenal.

Going by most of the impressions around here it sounds like it will be another year of playing the best baseball game ever with the commentary on mute again

I really hope someday soon MLB The Show will finally have commentary worth listing to more then 3 games. 2K's commentary has set the standard of how all sports games commentary should sound like. Sadly Sony is just going to have to at some point get rid of all the current commentary and start fresh with recording hopefully 2 or 3 new play by play guys all in the booth at the same time.

What worries we though is does the MLB The Show developers think the current commentary is Old, Stale and Boring like so many of us do?

# 11 Armor and Sword @ 04/04/14 02:52 PM

It is a very fair review. I can see why a full point was deducted due to the online portion not being up to snuff.

I don't play baseball online....so personally for me....at this juncture? This is the best sports game I have ever played bar none. Better than 2K11, Better than any version of The Show before it.....better than any Madden game I have ever played....better than NFL2K5.

I am talking the total package of recreating a sport from the grass, to the sounds, to the atmosphere, to the deep franchise mode, to the player creation and community rosters sharing which gives the game unlimited replay value (I still go back and play MLB The Show 11,12 and 13 because of the great classic rosters), to the intense realism on the field, facing down an ACE, facing a big bopper with the bases loaded and 2 outs...bottom of the ninth and to most importantly the commitment to excellence this team has given us over the last several years making this great game.

9.75/10

No sports game is ever perfect......this is about as close as any sports game has ever come to being perfect on any console in the history of gaming. And I think for a lot of publications etc...it is taken for granted because the game has been a continued evolution which really started with the 2009 version. That was the first one where I was like......wow that is next gen baseball. The under the hood tuning which has taken place every year, the incredible evolution of True Ball Physics 3.0, the still every improving color palate.....incredible 14 looks even better than 13!!! The ever improving tuning of the CPU AI......as this year in 1-2 and 0-2 counts I am getting the CPU to bite on out of the zone pitches far more than 13 and last years game was a monster improvement over any previous version to boot.....but yet again they improved it even more for 14.

I can literally go on and on and on. It's that amazing of a game.

And in a few years we will be singing the high high praises of MLB 16 anf how ground breaking it will be. I am sure 14 and then 15 will kick ***......but just imagine 3 years from now where this game will be on the PS4.

Just imagine!!!

SCEA SD does (imagine) and then makes it a wonderful reality for us baseball junkies......and I thank them for that. I know most of those guys over there played Atari Real Sports Baseball, Intellevision Baseball, baseball Stars, Tony La Russa etc......and sat in wonderment like I did....and wondered how it would be in the future.

Thank god for the dreamers in this world......or we would all be up ****s creek without a paddle!!!

# 12 Knight165 @ 04/04/14 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnixen


	Going by most of the impressions around here it sounds like it will be another year of playing the best baseball game ever with the commentary on mute again I really hope someday soon MLB The Show will finally have commentary worth listing to more then 3 games. 2K's commentary has set the standard of how all sports games commentary should sound like. Sadly Sony is just going to have to at some point get rid of all the current commentary and start fresh with recording hopefully 2 or 3 new play by play guys all in the booth at the same time. What worries we though is does the MLB The Show developers think the current commentary is Old, Stale and Boring like so many of us do?

If you play enough of any game.......you hear the same commentary over and over.
You know what's getting Old, Stale and Boring?
YEP.

M.K.
Knight165

# 13 bluengold34_OS @ 04/04/14 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armor & Sword


	It is a very fair review. I can see why a full point was deducted due to the online portion not being up to snuff. I don't play baseball online....so personally for me....at this juncture? This is the best sports game I have ever played bar none. Better than 2K11, Better than any version of The Show before it.....better than any Madden game I have ever played....better than NFL2K5.

I absolutely agree with this statement. IMO it's the best single player experience that has ever been done -

# 14 tnixen @ 04/04/14 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight165


	If you play enough of any game.......you hear the same commentary over and over. You know what's getting Old, Stale and Boring? YEP. M.K. Knight165

It's not just the repeated commentary that I do not like. It's the way the commentary sounds is just kind of boring to me. I am sorry but it just does not sound like the commentary guys are all actually in the booth watching the game. Look when something is good I rave about it here and at the same time when something is bad I am going to let Sony know about.

# 15 Jimbo68 @ 04/04/14 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemesis04


	Terrible theory!

No such thing as a "terrible theory".

# 16 Knight165 @ 04/04/14 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnixen


	It's not just the repeated commentary that I do not like. It's the way the commentary sounds is just kind of boring to me. I am sorry but it just does not sound like the commentary guys are all actually in the booth watching the game. Look when something is good I rave about it here and at the same time when something is bad I am going to let Sony know about.

I'm with you.
Should I not have the same "right"!?

M.K.
Knight165

# 17 tnixen @ 04/04/14 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight165


	I'm with you. Should I not have the same "right"!? M.K. Knight165

Of course you do as does anyone else.

# 18 LastActionHero @ 04/04/14 04:16 PM

I don't believe in grading games. People only scroll down to see the grade or check metacritic nowadays. When you do a school test you can be graded on exactly what you had right and wrong. Reviewing games is just giving an opinion and (in my opinion) impossible to put an exact grade on. And don't get me started on grades like 8.3 that Gametrailers tend to have. Where the hell do they get that 0.3 from?!

Rant over.

# 19 Knight165 @ 04/04/14 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LastActionHero


	I don't believe in grading games. People only scroll down to see the grade or check metacritic nowadays. When you do a school test you can be graded on exactly what you had right and wrong. Reviewing games is just giving an opinion and (in my opinion) impossible to put an exact grade on. And don't get me started on grades like 8.3 that Gametrailers tend to have. Where the hell do they get that 0.3 from?! Rant over.

The 1,2,4,5,6,7,9,0 buttons are broken on his iPad?

M.K.
Knight165

# 20 ey215 @ 04/04/14 05:02 PM

I think it's a fair review, but I do think the hit on the commentary was a bit harsh. I actually think the commentary took a pretty big step forward this year. It is much more conversational in nature, flows much better, and is more relevant to what has happened on the field than it has been in the past. Specifically some of the new end of half inning transitions are particularly good.

People are basically saying that they're using the same lines, but missing that they are using them in a much better manner. Not to mention the new commentary that has been added.

I think we hold commentary to some mythical standard that hasn't really existed. If you play any game a lot you are going to hear repetition and in some games that have been heralded in the past you didn't even have to play a lot.

NBA 2K comes to mind. Is the commentary good? Yes, it is but by the second game of a franchise you've heard the same stories about your team that you did in the first game.

This is the danger or tying commentary to specific players. I would like The Show's commentary to be more responsive to what is happening in your franchise world.

I don't think any developer in any sport has really nailed this quite yet. I do like the steps forward that The Show made this year.

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