In this MLB The Show 26 Review, we take a look at San Diego Studio's latest entry in their critically acclaimed baseball series, which brings new gameplay improvements and more. The Show 26 brings an expanded Amateur Year experience, the WBC to Diamond Dynasty, new gameplay mechanics, and more. But do these improvements feel like enough? Let's dive right in and find out.
MLB The Show 26 Review – What is MLB The Show?
MLB The Show 26 is a baseball video game developed by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and MLB Advanced Media. The series has existed for over 20 years now, with the first installment releasing back in 2006. Furthermore, it's technically the successor to the MLB video game series (also published by SIE), which was developed by 989 Sports.
The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay – MLB The Show 26 Review
In terms of Gameplay, MLB The Show 26 offers a similar experience to its predecessors, but with various improvements scattered across different areas like pitching, hitting, fielding, and more.
Firstly, what I love most about The Show's gameplay is the amount of control you have over experience. The multiple hitting and pitching interfaces makes it easier for everyone to find something right for them. I still like to stick with the classic pitching system, but players can also try pinpoint, meter, pulse, or even a pure analog setup.
But that's not all. The Show 26 introduces Bear Down Pitching, which felt like a complete game-changer in big matches. Essentially, this mechanic boosts the velocity and control of your next pitch and makes it easier to deliver a more accurate throw. They tie into your Pitcher's Clutch Rating, and must be earned by playing well on the mound.
Having Bear Down Pitching adds a new level of strategy in late-game moments. Of course, you could use them early on, but the idea here is that they can be used for clutch situations. If you're pitching against someone like Ronald Acuña Jr. and the bases are loaded late in the game, you may want to consider using a Bear Down Pitch.
But it's not just the pitchers with new skills up their sleeves. Players have deeply expanded customization options for seeing pitch history, giving them a better idea of what pitch types may come next. The game also introduces a new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System that lets you challenge calls made by the Umpire.
I never found myself making much use of the ABS system, but it's a nice touch for players to have. For the most part, the umpire seems to make the correct calls, so I don't know how useful it will be in most situations.
Furthermore, Batters can try out the new Big Zone Hitting mechanic. This option allows you to choose a zone where you think the ball will cross the plate. It's much easier to use than zone hitting, which requires a bit more precision. Of course, your batter still needs good contact attributes, and you won't always guess the correct zone.
There's also Fixed Zone Hitting, letting you keep your PCI on a specific part of the plate. Personally, I actually prefer this setting over Big Zone Hitting as it feels more comfortable to me. And since you can adjust PCI sensitivity, it feels so much easier to control my swings.
If there's one thing I maybe wasn't too crazy for this year, it's some of the new attributes. Personally, I'm fine with the new Pop Time attribute, as well as the new attributes for pitchers. But I think the new directional attributes feel like a bit too much.
I wouldn't say it overcomplicates the game, but I think just one directional value would've been fine. That said, it's probably the only gripe I have with gameplay, and it's pretty small. Otherwise, MLB The Show 26 nails everything else out of the park.
These gameplay changes make a positive impact to all of the game's modes such as Franchise, Diamond Dynasty, Storylines. Speaking of the modes, how do they all feel this year?
Storylines returns once again with its fourth season of The Negro Leagues. For those new to MLB The Show, this series puts you in the shoes of historical Negro Leagues Players who made an impact on baseball. You get to control them in various moments throughout their career, playing missions and unlocking rewards along the way.
This year, Storylines brings the stories of four more players: Roy Campanella, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, John Henry “Pop Lloyd”, and George “Mule” Suttles. As you complete levels, you earn rewards which includes stadiums, uniforms, bat skins, and an 88 OVR James “Cool Papa” Bell card for Diamond Dynasty. So there's a lot of incentive to check it out.
Overall, I always love checking it out every year, and would love to see more stories in the future. It would also be cool to see Storylines for other players, similar to the Derek Jeter Storyline they did in The Show 24.
Speaking of Diamond Dynasty, it's obviously back but with some new improvements. But to be honest, it was the mode I spent the least time in. I've never been a fan of the whole card-collecting mode, though I appreciate the option of having it. And to be fair, Diamond Dynasty feels a lot less predatory than similar modes from other games.
The Seasonal XP Path is completely free and doesn't offer some paid “premium” pass that offers more rewards. This makes The Show 26 one of the few modern sports games to offer everyone a chance to earn the cards themselves. Of course, you can still buy Stubs with real money to expedite the process and purchase more packs. It's not perfect, but definitely tolerable, especially in this day and age.
Furthermore, I am impressed with the amount of content Diamond Dynasty has to offer. Conquest, Mini-Seasons, Player Programs, and of course, the inclusion of the WBC make DD content rich at launch. There is so much content available from the get go, and that is much appreciated. So while I've personally never been a huge Diamond Dynasty player, I heavily respect SDS' approach to the mode.
If anything, I prefer to play both Franchise and RTTS. We'll get to the latter in a second, but for now let's look at Franchise.
Overall, the biggest improvements for me this year were the extra trade slot and new trade hub. You have more control over trades and access to more information than ever before, giving you a good idea of who/what you're trading for.
The developers also made improvements to the game's trade logic, as well as the intelligence of opposing managers. I feel like this improvement is made every year, so the changes don't always feel notable. But it's nice to know the developers want to improve the game logic.
This applies to lineups and rotations, all of which have improved logic as well. I didn't get far enough in my Franchise experience to really feel these differences, but again, it's nice to have.
But perhaps the biggest change to Franchise was replacing March To October with the new Streamlined experience. This new feature essentially does what MtO does, but offers a bit more control over your experience. You can decide how many games you roughly want to play, when you want to take control, and more.
For those looking for a simpler season setup, Streamlined is nice. But I personally recommend people try the Full Control experience. You can manage multiple teams, and have even more control over your league.
Overall, Franchise is still a blast to play. While I feel like more of the development time went toward RTTS and DD, at least it got a bit of love this year. And I know there are players who will spend hundreds of hours getting lost in Franchise, where no two files are ever the same.
MLB The Show 26 continues to offer a best-in-class gameplay experience that's accessible for newcomers and rewarding for everyone. The variety of modes, and depth within each modes, offers hundreds of hours of fun. And with more content on the way (gameplay updates, DD programs) players can expect more throughout the MLB season.
Story (Road To The Show) – MLB The Show 26 Review
Road To The Show is without a doubt the biggest mode in The Show 26. The player-career mode follows your story from the Amateur Years all the way to your retirement. Last year, we saw the addition of real colleges in the experience, giving you the option to play at school or jump right into the Minor Leagues.
This year, San Diego Studio embraced the idea of the Amateur Years even more with an expanded list of schools. In addition to schools like LSU and Texas comes North Carolina, Clemson, Florida, and much more. The Show 26 offers 19 different schools you can play in before heading to the MLB. The option to go right into the draft and play in the minors is still available, too.
I like the amount of control you have over your experience even before heading to the Pros. The amount of colleges, the different bonuses they offer, and the option to opt right into the draft make the Amateur Years feel like it's own mode entirely.
Furthermore, adding the NCAA Men's College World Series was a great touch. It adds more depth and increases the length of the Amateur experience, letting you enjoy your youthful days a bit more.
Something else I like about The Show is the versatility in positions you can play. I was able to create a Pitcher who was also a Designated Hitter and Shortstop. The goal was essentially trying to create a hybrid between Shohei Ohtani and Derek Jeter, which gives me a lot of playing time.
Many other sports games limit you to playing to just one (at most, two) other positions. In Road To The Show, you can really play as much or as little as you want. I was able to find a perfect balance, and I feel like many other players will, too. You can also change your position if you're not feeling your current setup.
That same level of control continues into the pros. Things like trade requests and contract management always felt smoothly implemented, and, you can make moves during the season which may impact your career. So you always have options to try new positions or sign with other teams.
Another example includes selecting your goals. You can focus on things like reaching a certain amount of strikeouts, or bigger goals like winning a seasonal reward. And as you complete your goals, you'll likely unlock Perks along the way. These perks improve your character even more without making the experience feel too arcade-like.
Like Franchise, you also have the option to control your career simulations. I appreciate the devs adding a notification when a big moment is coming up. I try not to sim too often, but if I need to wrap a game up, the game has the decency of notifying you when big moments arrive.
Overall, Road To The Show is still one of the best player-career modes in a video game to this day. Between the replayability, the fun gameplay, and the amount of control given to the player, it offers everything I want out of the experience. It's the premier mode of The Show for a reason, and the improvements this year make it that much better.
If RTTS is your favorite mode, you won't be disappointed this year.
Graphics & Presentation – MLB The Show 26 Review
MLB The Show 26 features pretty similar visuals to last year's installment. If I'm being perfectly honest, I didn't really notice too much of an upgrade. However, I am also not the type of person to judge a game based on graphics. Considering these games need to come out every year, I don't expect big visual upgrades all the time.
But for the most part, I think MLB The Show 26 looks great where it needs to. Stadiums and uniforms look fine, as well as bats, balls, scoreboards, and more. Perhaps the player models could use a bit of tweaking, but I can still tell who's who at any given moment. And I'm glad SDS spent more time focusing on the gameplay and modes rather than the visuals.
So overall, the graphics of The Show 26 are fine. They're not exactly groundbreaking, but I also didn't expect to see something comparable to Crimson Desert on max settings. And if there's one big consolation, it's that the RTTS face scan works really well. So I'd say the developers did fine here when you consider the time restraints and focus on actual gameplay/modes.
But The Show 26 succeeds when it comes to Presentation. From the classic-style stadiums and uniforms from the Negro Leagues, to the current WBC uniforms, The Show 26 embraces all aspects of baseball history and tradition.
I noticed a definite upgrade in College Stadiums, where I heard new chants, saw team-specific traditions, and participated in the Men's College World Series.
Audio – MLB The Show 26 Review
Where The Show 26 maybe doesn't shine in visuals, it more than makes up for it in the audio department.
To this day, The Show offers the best commentary in any sports video game right now. Jon “Boog” Sciambi and Chris “Singy” Singleton provide great commentary that feels accurate to real MLB dialogue. I actually found myself chuckling at times just hearing their conversations.
Everything else, from player dialogue to the sound of the bat hitting the ball all sound fine. And the game is complemented by a solid soundtrack that's nice to hear in the background.
Verdict: Is MLB The Show 26 Worth Your Time & Money?
MLB The Show 26 is another grand-slam for the series. San Diego Studio continues to show the world that they offer the best baseball video game experience thanks to a fun gameplay loop, a great career mode, and a strong amount of content on launch day.
San Diego Studio keeps finding ways to improve the gameplay without compromising the core experience. The Show is still one of the last few sports video game series out there that prioritizes a fun gameplay experience over things like visuals or premium passes.
Road To The Show continues to be one of the best single-player career modes, and the expanded amateur years encourages multiple saves to try out all of the different schools.
And while I don't play Diamond Dynasty often, I cannot deny the sheer amount of content offered on Day 1. And I also can't understate how awesome it is that you can earn everything for FREE! Sure, you can buy stubs, but there's no premium pass or other system to take money out of your wallet. So big props to San Diego Studio finding a fair balance for the mode.
While Franchise didn't get as much love, it's still worth getting into. Having an option for streamlined vs. full control gives you a lot more freedom in how you approach the mode.
And that's perhaps the best thing about The Show 26. Alongside its superb gameplay, the game offers a ton of customization options, assisting the player in finding the right setup for them. No other sports game offers this level of control, and that's what makes this game a contender for best sports video game of the year. SDS has done it again.
Whether you're new to the series or a returning fan, I highly recommend checking this one out.
Score: 9.5/10
Editor’s Note: ClutchPoints received a PS5 review copy to allow us to cover this game. This did not, in any way, affect this MLB The Show 26 Review’s final score and verdict.
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