''MLB The Show 17'' is a
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
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
San Diego Studio is an American video game developer based in Sorrento Valley, San Diego. A first-party studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment, it is responsible for '' MLB: The Show'' games. The studio also developed the '' NBA'' series, ' ...
and published by
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...
, based on
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), ...
(MLB). It is the twelfth edition of the ''
MLB: The Show'' franchise, and was released on March 28, 2017, for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
. The American cover features
Ken Griffey Jr. (who had been inducted into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
the previous year),
while
Aaron Sanchez is the cover athlete for the Canadian version, 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 ...
is on the Taiwanese cover.
''MLB The Show 17'', like the previous games in the series, is based on the sport of baseball; more specifically, it simulates the experience of the MLB. Several game modes are included, such as "Road to The Show", in which the player creates a customizable player and plays throughout their career to the major leagues; "Franchise", in which the player controls an entire organization; and "Diamond Dynasty", in which the player creates a team of random players to compete against other players' teams. The game also has a licensed soundtrack with 12 songs.
While
Matt Vasgersian
Matt Vasgersian ( '; born 1967) is an American sportscaster and television host. Vasgersian is a play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a studio host for MLB Network and FOX Sports. In the past, he has served as an an ...
returns for ''The Show 17'', commentary from
Harold Reynolds
Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from to , most prominently as a member of the Se ...
and
Dan Plesac
Daniel Thomas Plesac (born February 4, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with an 18-year career from 1986 to 2003. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and ...
replaced
Eric Karros
Eric Peter Karros (born November 4, 1967) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Karros played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1991 to 2004 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. He was the Nati ...
and
Steve Lyons. Mike Carlucci returns as public-address commentator. ''MLB The Show 17'' features three presentation themes:
MLB Network
The MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox C ...
, which features similar presentation to actual MLB Network broadcasts; Theme 1, which is used for other MLB games; and Theme 2, which is used primarily for
Minor League Baseball games.
''MLB The Show 17'' was released to positive reviews. Most critics praised the presentation and visuals, as well as the gameplay and amount of different game modes, all of which have hours of content. However, some critics still experienced online technical issues and game bugs.
New features
New features include ''MLB The Show 17''s "Road to the Show" story mode, "Pave Your Path", in which the user controls the progression of their player's career. The mode intercuts scenes that present the player with decisions that affect the storyline.
''MLB The Show 17'' also added features to other pre-existing game modes like "Franchise" and "Diamond Dynasty". Franchise mode places the user in control of an entire MLB team, including coaching, player development, and general-manager duties. New to this mode are features that allow the player to maintain the same level of control of their team but do it in less time than in previous iterations. Other additions include critical situations, in which the user only plays important at-bats in late innings of games, and quick manage, in which the user is in complete control of all managerial decisions during a game.
As in previous versions, "Diamond Dynasty" involves building the ultimate baseball team and maintaining a virtual trading-card collection. The user creates a customized team, selecting the players (current and past), a team name, logo, and uniforms. Games are played in tournament-style competitions against other users' teams. Additional legendary baseball players have been added to collect, new missions to complete, and live updated 2017 Topps player cards.
Release
On December 3, 2016, ''MLB The Show 17'' was announced with a trailer for the game that showed the game's release date along with new features. It was released worldwide on March 28, 2017, for PlayStation 4. This was the first time since ''
MLB 06: The Show'' that the game was not released for the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
. There were four different versions of the game to purchase: Standard Edition, MVP Edition, Hall of Fame Edition, and Digital Deluxe Edition. If players purchase the Hall of Fame Edition of the game, they receive the Steel Book case cover, several physical items, such as a limited edition New Era Hat, based on the modified version of the MLB logo with the hat on backwards to match Ken Griffey Jr.'s style, and many in-game bonuses.
Reception
''MLB The Show 17'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, 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 arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
Ray Carsillo from ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' enjoyed the game, giving a score of 9/10. Carsillo said ''The Show 17'' added depth onto Franchise and Road to The Show modes "sets a new pinnacle for the franchise". He also praised how the game looked, with smoother animations, new character face models, and three brand-new presentation packages. His only negatives revolve around some online issues and glitches that still continue to plague the series at launch.
Andrew Reiner of ''
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 ...
'' gave the game an overall score of 9 out 10 saying "''MLB The Show 17'' is an ambitious game that tries to dazzle players with new avenues of play and a story, but is at its best on the field, where the action has never looked or played better."
Richard Wakeling from
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 ...
gave the game an 8 out of 10 and praised the gameplay stating "the action on the field has never been better, with smarter fielding
AI, and enhanced ball physics that bring the hitting to life." Wakeling criticized the commentary as "stilted" and noted the game had a few "blemishes lurking throughout," but found those problems detracted little from the overall experience saying the product overall "is America's National Pastime at its best".
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 ...
's Ben Wilson gave the game a final score of 4 out of 5. Wilson enjoyed the game's polish and controls stating "Plays, looks and feels just like real baseball" and that the "Retooled ball physics and myriad new animations are the main differentiator from ''MLB 16'', with outfielders taking more varied angles to cut off line drive doubles, and more realistic spin effects." Some of Wilson's criticisms involve that any of the game's modes "requires significant time commitment, even with speedier options" and that "Last year's online woes remain its Achilles heel".
Caley Roark gave the game a positive review for
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 ...
. He scored it a 9.5/10, praised the overall presentation and gameplay, and stated: "Overall, ''MLB The Show 17'' builds on last year's version, which many cited as the best in the series, by adding some key features and improvements. Most notable are increased hit variety, MLB Network integration, and the RTTS documentary. All of these additions make the game feel more like real baseball. This authenticity makes games more fun to play, as it's easier than ever to become invested in every pitch."
''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
''s Owen S. Good awarded the game an 8 out of 10, concluding: "''MLB The Show 17'' continues one of the longest-running successes in sports video gaming, and it's not a regression. But its advances sound a lot bigger on paper than they are in practice." Good praised the gameplay calling it "wonderfully varied" with pitching mechanics that "just feels stronger". One negative aspect of his review involves repetition in its presentation, saying its "''MLB The Show''s biggest weakness".
The game won the award for "Best Player Career Mode" at ''
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 ...
''s 2017 Sports Game of the Year Awards, and was nominated for "Sports Game of the Year" at the
21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
The ''21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards'' is the 21st edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards, an annual awards event that honors the best games in the video game industry. The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and were ...
, and for "Game, Franchise Sports" at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.
Soundtrack
References
External links
*
{{San Diego Studio
2017 video games
Major League Baseball video games
17
Multiplayer and single-player video games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 4-only 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
PlayStation 4 Pro enhanced games
Video games set in Maryland
San Diego Studio games