Features That Need To Be In ‘MLB The Show 18’

PlayStation’s exclusive baseball game, MLB The Show 18, released their first gameplay trailer and new screenshots earlier this week. The Show is one of the best video games to buy for sports fans every year, but could it be getting a little stale? While new features are added every year, I think at least a couple of these big ones need to be in this year’s version for me to buy it.

 

Create-A-Park

Ramone Russell, the Community Manager and Game Designer for the game, has said there will be a feature that fans ask for year after year finally make its way in MLB The Show 18. Most people believe that means Create-A-Park, and I agree because it would improve both franchise mode and Diamond Dynasty. In DD, people can already create their own uniforms, so the only thing missing that would really separate from Madden’s Ultimate Team and NBA 2K’s MyTeam is a custom ballpark option. As for franchise mode, it would either allow you to upgrade an older field or build a new one for a…

 

Team relocation and league expansion

Madden has it, NBA 2K has it, and NHL has it, so what’s stopping MLB The Show from adding team relocation? Portland, Nashville, or Las Vegas are among the cities that could use an MLB franchise, and The Show already has the create-a-uniform and create-a-logo functions from Diamond Dynasty. There could also be league expansion from 30 to 32 that would allow users to create a whole new franchise to bring to prominence.

 

Improved weather

I’m not getting my hopes up, but having dynamic weather would add a new layer of realism to The Show. Dozens of time every season, there is a rain delay or game cancellation due to weather, and having that added to franchise mode would create a better overall experience. Also, the rain in last year’s game looked a little too computerized.

 

Improved trade logic

A lot of people play Road to the Show or Diamond Dynasty, but the development team has done a nice job of not ignoring those who spend their time playing franchise mode by adding personality and chemistry aspects recently. However, the trade logic, particularly near the trade deadline, could be improved with more multi-player trades.

 

Face scans

Create-a-player skin is apparently going to be better in MLB The Show 18, but it’s still tough to get an accurate facial representation for yourself in the game. Perhaps it’s best to avoid this feature so there aren’t any accidental monstrosities caused by face scans gone wrong, but gamers would at least welcome it as an option.

 

Mound visits

Unless it’s an arcade-style game like NFL Street or NBA Jam, fans want more realism in their sports games. MLB The Show has long had mount visits with the pitching coach and the infielders, but it would be awesome to have more variations, such as just pitcher/catcher or pitcher/catcher/shortstop interactions.

 

Diamond Dynasty moments

Diamond Dynasty is a really fun mode with Conquest and head-to-head games, but although they are as short as three innings, it could be even shorter with challenges. For example, players could earn cards by doing things like hitting a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth or overcoming a seven-run deficit starting in the eighth inning.

 

Road to the Show depth

RTTS made some good strides last year with a documentary-style story, but it didn’t feel as impactful or natural as it could have been. Some storylines, for example, shouldn’t be used for all players—if I have an elite glove in centerfield, they shouldn’t want to use me at second base for a trial period. I think it would be great if they added something like the MyCourt in NBA 2K where you can have a house that you can upgrade, as it gives players something else to aim for rather than just going through the motions once you make it to the majors.

 

 

We could see some of these features be introduced over the next two months in various blogs/streams, with the schedule listed here: