A lot of the most popular games get released in the fall leading up to the holiday season. But one of the games generating the most buzz right now is about to be one of the first major releases in the calendar year 2023.
May not be as popular as casino games that can be played online or in person. While those became a popular form of entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been a great form of entertainment to take a break from those fall game releases, a new game is securing the spotlight.
MLB The Show 23 is getting a lot of positive press since it began leaking info. It began with the cover launch with Miami Marlins young star Jazz Chisholm gracing the cover. He is known for his pizzazz while on 2/2/23, the game announced that former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter – who wore No. 2 – would be on the legend edition and in the game.
A New Game Mode
If that positive momentum was not enough, it was announced shortly after those reveals that the Negro Leagues would be in the game as part of a new storylines mode. While Jackie Robinson has been in the game for several years, it will bring a sense of history and allow the game to come to life for players who starred in the early days when the United States was still segregated.
Star pitcher Satchel Paige, Rube Foster – the father of Black baseball – Hilton Smith, Martin Dihigo, Hank Thompson, Buck O’Neil and John Donaldson will all join Robinson in the game. It is a big win that the rather passionate MLB The Show community is very excited about.
Last Year’s Complaints
The previous edition of MLB The Show had plenty of its own issues. Chief among them were the inconsistent, or rather consistent but wrong outputs, for hitting. Too many times, people would be getting perfect input, but the result would be a foul ball, line out or a ground out.
That was one of the most controversial elements of last year’s game, and it frustrated people from the best gamers who were competing in top level competitions to the everyday content creators who were also rather good.
Addressing Those Complaints
It appears as though those complaints have been addressed. While the developers were made fun of last year for saying, “the game is playing as intended,” they have since said they wanted a more realistic hitting spectrum in 2023.
One of the cool changes is the PCI, which is a big part of determining the hit spectrum. It can now look like a baseball bat, and a realistic visual is there while hitting. Moreover, the results of the timing of contact and quality of contact have seemed to be smoothed out during the tech test, which opened Feb. 15.
Other elements that have made the game more realistic is the fielding animations and throwing meter. Particularly with making throws, the more difficult the position to get to an arm slot, the more difficult, it is to have perfect input on throws. This should make the game more challenging defensively as opposed to the fairly robotic feeling in years past.
News broke that the max velocity pitchers can throw has increased, too. Some pitches have reached 104 mph, up two from last year’s game. That will make these elite pitchers even more difficult to hit.
The game is also adapting to the new Major League Baseball rules. The universal designated hitter will reportedly be used in the diamond dynasty, though it is unclear if pitching stamina sliders will be tweaked to account for those managerial decisions.
Breakout Year For The Game?
Professional baseball has yet to answer a major question as spring training camps are opening in the middle of February. The parent company of Bally Sports, which broadcasts games locally for around half of the league’s teams, is going out of business.
While commissioner Rob Manfred said that fans do not need to worry, there is no concrete plan out there, which is bad for the financial decisions of its fans. Plus, the blackout issues still haven’t been solved with MLB.TV. Perhaps an improved MLB The Show will be what fills the void.