Double Jump Gaming News

MLB The Show 17

Article by: Derek Gilkes

MLB the Show ‘17 was released on March 28, 2017. Though it hasn’t been out long, it is quickly making its case as one of the best sports games ever created. This year’s installment has improved an already impressive Road to the Show feature and Dynasty Mode. Diamond Dynasty is still one of the best game modes in all of sports video games right now. And finally, they have added a new Retro Mode that will bring back all the nostalgia of playing baseball games when you were younger.

The Road to the Show added a new story feature this year that allows you to communicate with your manager and coaches. The story adds a little extra fun to an already enjoyable game mode. In Road to the Show, you create your own players and work yourself through the minor leagues up to the major league. Once again, you get endorsements and get to use the equipment given to you by different companies. Different equipment also helps your players’ attributes. This is still one of the best game modes in the MLB the Show series.

Franchise Mode was another great mode of MLB the Show. Franchise Mode allows you to run, coach, and play as whatever team you want. Not much was added for this installment, but it was already exciting to play without any changes. However, one change they did make stuck out, and made a lot of sense: that is, the ability to have more control over how much you want to play. The MLB season is 162 games, so that is a lot of games to play. This year, you get to choose whether you to play full games, half games, or even just the important plays of the game. As usual, you can choose from a full season, half season, or less. This makes it easier for players to get through seasons faster while still playing the important parts. Another returning element is all the general management jobs you get to do. You aren’t just the coach, but also the GM who creates the team.

The last mode that continues its success is the Diamond Dynasty mode. This is a mode where you try to build the best baseball team with winning cards for different players. You get to create your own team and play other people online to see who has assembled better teams. If you love online play, this is one of the most fun online modes I have ever played. You get to create your own team name and logo. Players must also strategize when they want to play different players, because you only get to play a certain amount of games. There is no better feeling than opening a new pack of players and seeing who you got. This game mode is an absolute blast to play every time.

The newest mode in this game is Retro Mode. This mode reflects how MLB video games were played many years ago. You only get 2 pitches, and you must slide your pitcher on the mound to where you want them to pitch it. For the batter, there is just one button to press when you swing, and you must slide him in the batter’s box to try to hit the ball. You also get to use past legends on teams. However, this mode keeps the normal graphics of MLB the Show 17, which makes this mode extremely fun to play if you loved playing the previous MLB video games.

The graphics, once again, are just on a different level. MLB the Show has always delivered on its stellar graphics. There are nearly 40 different stadiums, and each of them looks as similar to the actual stadiums as they can. The grass and dirt look very lifelike, just like a major-league field would. Enough can’t be said about the care that goes into making sure these stadiums look lifelike. The gameplay itself is very smooth and plays much like an actual baseball game would. I have yet to run into a glitch in this game. It also has a good difficulty balance, where games are hard to win, but still beatable.

MLB the Show 17 once again shows how reliable they are in producing great games. They have been keeping this up for the past 7 to 10 years. It is the premiere baseball game every year for a reason. The game modes are the heart of the game, and Retro Mode now adds a fun new twist on the game. And lastly, the graphics are absolutely beautiful and about as good as they can be. Those are the reasons why I find this is to be one of the best sports video games ever made.