''MLB The Show 16'' is a
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
San Diego Studio and published by
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
. It is the eleventh entry of the ''
MLB: The Show'' franchise, and was released on March 29, 2016, for
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
and
PlayStation 4.
It is the first ''MLB: The Show'' entry to not have a portable version, and is the final version available for the PlayStation 3. Then
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
and 2015
American League MVP winner
Josh Donaldson
Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
is featured on the main cover for the game. He also appears on the separate Canadian cover edition, making him the first player to be on both the American and Canadian versions of the game.
Jung-ho Kang
Jung-ho Kang ( ko, 강정호; ; born April 5, 1987) is a South Korean professional baseball third baseman for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League. He previously played in the KBO League for the Hyundai Unicorns and Nexen Heroes. He also playe ...
of the
Pittsburgh Pirates and
Wei-Yin Chen
Wei-Yin Chen (; born July 21, 1985) is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins, and in the NPB for the Chunichi ...
of the
Miami Marlins appear on the Korean and Taiwanese covers, respectively.
New features
The game features more game modes than the previous iteration MLB The Show 15, such as Road To The Show and an all-new franchise mode. In addition, Conquest Mode and Battle Royale have been added to Diamond Dynasty.
Conquest Mode
Conquest Mode pits the user's Diamond Dynasty team against all 30
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
teams and their strongholds to capture new territories and eventually all of North America. Each territory is inhabited by fans of the user's team or one of the 30
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
teams. In order to capture one of the territories, the user must attack the territory by either playing a minimum three-inning game against that team or simulate to avoid playing the game. However, all 30
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
teams are also trying to capture territories and strongholds, which means the user's team will have to defend its territories and strongholds.
Battle Royale
Battle Royale is a competitive player-vs-player mode. The user has 25 rounds to draft their best team to go up against opponents to reach the 20-win mark in a double-elimination format, with smaller bonuses awarded for 19-win campaigns. Playing Battle Royale the first time is free, but any other entries cost an additional 1,500 stubs.
ShowTime
ShowTime is a feature that allows the user to slow down time while batting in clutch situations or making game saving defensive plays.
Camera views
A new batting camera called "Fish Eye" is now the default batting camera. It is much wider than last year's version of the batting view as it allows the user to see where all the infielders are lined up. It also allows the user to see where the ball goes in the event the catcher misses the ball.
Soundtrack
Reception
''MLB The Show 16'' received generally positive reviews, according to review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
...
'' gave the game 7.5 out of 10, taking issue with the lack of collision physics, Quick Count system, technical issues, commentary, and mediocre soundtrack, while lauding the core gameplay, writing, "If ''MLB The Show''‘s new MO is just coasting on the good gameplay and providing minor tweaks to disparate modes...then there’s no greater candidate for games-as-service that I can see...the baseball itself is as good as ever, and one of the better modes, Road to the Show, is far less clunky this time around."
''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' called it "the best baseball game available on any current-gen console", commending the animations, graphics, various modes, load times, and depth via consumable perks and the morale system. ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' praised the title's departure from being an authentic simulation, addition of new modes, and the core gameplay while likening the new gameplay experience to that of a superhero game.
''
USgamer
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
'' gave the title a 4 out of 5, concluding, "If you're a curious newcomer who likes baseball, you will find an extremely strong baseball sim; but if you're a returning player, your mileage will probably vary depending on how willing you are to indulge in The Show's card-collecting mode."
''Polygon'' praised its iteration upon
its predecessor, writing, "''MLB The Show 16''
's additions and changes may not be breakthroughs, but they refine weaker areas of the game that had been routine or even chorelike."
''
GameRevolution
''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshot ...
'' reviewed the game less positively, praising its in-depth feature modes, lighting engine, and representation of MLB careers, and expressed frustration with its new focus on
RPG elements and the dated graphics while still noting, "''MLB The Show 16'' is a solid sim that plays well and looks better than ever."
''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' heavily praised the Conquest and Diamond Dynasty modes, visuals, lighting, stadium detail, options, and incremental improvements, but cited the presence of perks and
microtransactions as negatives.
''
GamesRadar+
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites '' Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' thought highly of the presentation, accessibility, pitching engine, and roster updates, while the scouting system and bloat of content were seen as minor negatives.
''
Shacknews'' liked the core gameplay, accessibility, visuals, presentation, quality of life improvements, amount of content, and perks, but disliked the microtransactions, lag, and finicky controls.
References
{{San Diego Studio
2016 video games
Major League Baseball video games
16
Multiplayer and single-player video games
PlayStation 3 games
PlayStation 4 games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
Sports video games with career mode
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in Canada
Video games set in the United States
Video games set in Maryland
San Diego Studio games