MLB The Show 25 Arrives: A Running Diary of My First Impressions in Franchise Mode

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If you were willing to dish out $100, then you too could have stayed up until midnight (east coast best coast) and played MLB The Show 25 last night. Yours truly took one for the team and did just that to take a run through some of the menus and play a game in franchise mode. This is a running commentary of thoughts I had as I played, broken down minute by minute.

(The OS community has also started to post its first impressions that will continue to add up in the days ahead.)

12:02 a.m.: As I boot up, I wonder if The Show will go with a “classic” feel for a game intro, a “modern” feel, or no intro at all — sports games that have no intro are breaking an unwritten cardinal rule and deserve to be thrown into Mount Doom. Thankfully, there is an intro, and it’s not tapping into baseball’s history or going with a “pulling at the heartstrings” feel like some Show intros have done. I’d say it actually goes more for an old-school sports game intro feel from the early ‘00s where it’s getting you hyped and pushing the stars of today. My critique would be it does not have Ludacris singing the intro or a bunch of CTE-driven highlights (how much have we memory-holed that ESPN had a Jacked Up segment well into the 2000s?).

12:05 a.m.: I’m grateful my eyes are not going to bleed anymore while playing ‘25. There are some dark colors and other palette swaps to make things much more aesthetically pleasing. I’m never sure how much credit you give a game for fixing something it broke in the first place, but at least the bright white menus are gone. My god, what were they thinking with that choice last year? OSers were unified on day one holding hands and saying “no, we don’t want to look straight into the sun!”

12:10 a.m.: Will the servers work or won’t they? The question you must ask every year with every sports game, and so far they’re actually okay. I’m not going to play online tonight, but I checked just to see and for now things are up. I’m not sure how the actual transfer process has gone for stuff like created stadiums, logos, and so forth for the Vault, but you can actually get online on night one.

12:12 a.m.: Speaking of stadiums, just poking at things, I don’t see much difference here for create-a-stadium. I’ve been very critical of SDS and their treatment of this feature, and longtime OS writer Kevin Scott wrote about the feature back in January saying it was a do-or-die year for it. It seems to be a “die” year.

I’m very understanding of the realities of sports game development and the tough choices that have to be made every year due to a tight development schedule and the sheer size of these sports games, but it’s too many years in a row with no significant updates to this feature. Stadiums are the lifeblood of baseball more than any other sport to me, and it’s a feature that could continuously bring new excitement to the game if you gave stadium creators more and more to work with. By not touching the mode for multiple seasons, you really do risk creators abandoning it and users not checking in to see if there is something new and cool to download.

12:15 a.m.: At least it appears we got some new classic stadiums, including a second Forbes Field? We now have one with some stands. I may be two Geritols deep right now and last year was the least I played MLB The Show in the last five years so I could be forgetting stuff, but that feels like a first. I’ll include a look at Forbes Field #2 in a quick video.

(It also looks like Oakland’s new home is in, Oakland Coliseum doesn’t exist at all — probably a rights issue — and the Rays don’t have their new home.)

12:20 a.m.: Okay, time to jump into a franchise mode game. I picked the Braves at random and I’m going to go to the first game after the All-Star break because I want to see the new storylines presentation feature and just get a feel for presentation overall. As an aside, we give every sports game a hard time for their own specific things, but then overlook when other sports games still do the “classic” things right. What a relief you can just go to “today’s schedule” and play any MLB game, any minor league game, and so on. The fact that you can’t just play random games on the schedule in games like Madden or College Football without workarounds is quite silly.

12:26 a.m.: The Yankees and Braves both looking strong, Yankees were on a four-game winning streak before the break and the Braves are similarly cruising right now. I still have no idea if the hot and cold icons actually do anything, and it’s been a feature for like 10 years in The Show, so I should probably figure it out.

Oh, also we can pick our PA announcer now, which is both funny and cool (PA announcers are another thing that are probably most important in a baseball game over any other sports game so this is a good thing to expand).

12:28 a.m.: Okay so the Game Storylines feature looks cool, at least from a visual perspective. You can cycle through the storylines and pick one for your pregame audio/visual. There is also a league news tab and farm report tab (you can select the prospects and get a better look at the prospect and their stats). I select the offense of the Braves being on fire as my Game Storyline and get some audio about how they’re playing well as of late before getting into the “normal” pregame presentation. Sweet.

12:34 a.m.: As I said, I didn’t play nearly as much as usual last year. It wasn’t really for any specific reason, I just think it’s good to get away from a sports game every couple of years to cleanse the palette.

So to give first impressions about the visuals, it’s not beating the allegations, but the lighting and jerseys do look better almost immediately. The jerseys it’s noticeable especially on bigger dudes like Judge and Stanton because of how the jerseys sit on their frames, but the close-ups also reveal that the jersey textures are improved. With the dirt, I can also see it but that’s more when the dirt gets kicked up during the action so far.

12:41 a.m.: I’m playing on All-Star by the way because I’m a coward. I’ll get up to Hall of Fame or even GOAT soon enough, but I know I’m going to be bad in Game 1. That said, I struck out the side (IS THERE A STRIKEOUTS ISSUE!? — kidding) with Reynaldo Lopez in the top of the 1st.

12:43 a.m.: Oh no, I think the Geritol is already wearing off and my oldness is returning. It’s funny but every year with The Show it’s the same song and dance for me out of the box. My eye is great, my pitching remains fine, but I’m going to have at least one error and every fastball feels like it’s coming in at 212 mph. I’m like Brooks in Shawshank Redemption after he gets out prison. It always feels like the world has changed and the baseball is so fast now!

12:48 a.m.: Chisholm and Wells just got back-to-back opposite field bloop hits and I want everyone to know they have no right to do that to me. I kept my composure and escaped the jam.

12:49 a.m.: When do we collectively decide to raise the bar for what gets the flames/yellow pitch speed indicator (in both real life and this game). Everyone throws hard now, do we need to raise the bar to 99 mph to earn those flames? Just a thought.

12:50 a.m.: Nothing to say about my offense so far, I stink.

12:52 a.m.: And there is my first error. Ozzie Albies gets the honors as I release the button too soon and hit the red. This is a really weird and small thing, but I really like the way the throwing meter vanishes now after you input your command. It’s got this smooth little transition animation that you probably only notice if you’ve played 5,000 hours of The Show, but I still like it. I also like the placement of the green now to make it a little more risky, especially on outfields throws when you hunt that perfect input.

I would obviously love to be able to go full “clean screen” and also turn off the blue indicator under the player if I so choose (for presentation purposes and to up the difficulty to insane levels for my fielding) but we take the small wins.

12:56 a.m.: Okay, what were the odds on Braves catcher Drake Baldwin getting the full bingo of first hit, first home run, and first no-doubt home run of the year for me? Never tell me the odds!

It’s probably best to have the no doubt home run presentation conversation now. I’ve already seen this presentation package because I chatted about it in a previous newsletter, but I think the flow is pretty good. Some won’t like the cutaways at times to the player’s face and would prefer to just stay on the field, but video games can do things “real” sports broadcasts can’t, and so they try to up the cinematic value at times. I don’t take any issue with that because sports broadcasts end up stealing from sports video games more than we want to admit as we howl about how we want the video games to look like “real” sports broadcasts.

That said, I would like there to be multiple flows so you can get the “traditional” TV feel if you want it, but I don’t mind what they’re going for here. Still, the AR graphic for the home run distance is pretty bad. AR graphics are all the rage it seems on sports broadcasts, and they can be cool at times, but this specific one gives off “glowing puck on Fox NHL games” vibes to me (honestly, most AR graphics give off that vibe to me, so maybe it’s a “me” issue).

12:58 a.m.: Michael Harris followed up the home run with a double to the wall (I’m always curious to see how the ball is bouncing off the walls and how all that feels from a physics and fielder speed perspective but too early to judge), and then my little rally ended with a terrible third strike call on a low changeup that wasn’t in the zone. I always leave the variable umpires on so I can make sure I’m not dead inside. With that in mind, I can confirm I still have emotions in me, and this virtual umpire is on the enemies list now.

1:01 a.m.: I took a small shot at the broadcast graphics a little before this, but I am really impressed by the UI and actual presentation packages (but am still offended it seems like there is no defensive lineup graphic once again). The visuals need work on the field, but the actual overlays and replays themselves continue to get better each year. It’s just a very smooth broadcast package overall.

1:02 a.m.: It’s a choice whether you want to use real head shots or in-game head shots. I would always prefer the real headshots, but it’s something where you also risk having a black/blank space if you don’t get a real one, so the safer play is the virtual headshots like The Show has gone with for batter walkups.

1:06 a.m.: Nine strikeouts through four innings for Reynaldo Lopez. Jazz got another bloop single and then stole second but he was left stranded.

1:10 a.m.: I think I’m going to end up loving Ambush Hitting, but I am still not using it most of the time, which I do think is a good thing and a sign of a good gameplay feature. I’m already very patient at the plate, and it’s actually making me even more patient. I’m not swinging so far if it’s not on the side I selected, which I might also get away from eventually, but here in Game 1 I’m sticking to that.

1:15 a.m.: DEFENSE MATTERS THIS YEAR! Sorry, the all-caps doesn’t mean I truly believe that yet, but SDS says this line every year now so I do want to mention it does feel at least somewhat different. So far in this game, Harris vs. Profar has felt different with the jumps in the outfield, and I dove over a ball with Albies because I didn’t think I would be there in time.

1:17 a.m.: I put together a walk, single, flyout (runner advances), single sequence to get a second run home but stalled out from there. Anthony Volpe responded in the top of the 6th with a blast to left field, and really the first solid hit by the Yankees in this game. Everything else up to that point had been more of a weak hit or opposite field bloop. Lopez is going to be done after this inning. He’ll be at 83 pitches, but no strikeouts the last two innings and has scattered 6 hits and no walks.

1:20 a.m.: I think what gets to me about the graphics is that the game looks too “clean” all around. This is super random and probably shows I am unwell — and I don’t have the tweet anymore since I deleted my Twitter a ways back — but I was so excited when NBA 2K added Andre Drummond’s back hair to the game years ago (see: unwell). But, like seriously, we need body hair in our game. We need some forearm hair in our game. Video games have always had issues with skin because it’s just smooth and all the same texture and color or whatever most of the time, but the Show feels especially “clean” and without blemish. I really don’t think I would have as much of a problem with the visual fidelity if we got some more “grit” and character into the models themselves. That also comes in the form of chains, hair, tattoos, etc. but really I think the skin is a big deal.

This same lack of “grit” does apply to the pitching for me as well. I don’t feel the exertion or the power of a pitch when I’m watching the game. A lot of pitchers do look really smooth as they throw the ball in real life, but there’s still a level of “violence” to any throw that is still lacking a bit here. I also think it’s why The Show looks so damn good in the super slow-mo replays. A lot of the animations frame to frame look great, it’s just at full speed they’re a little too cookie cutter at times.

1:26 a.m.: So, uh, are Braves fans worried about this bullpen? I don’t know how official these rosters are yet and can’t say I’ve started to do my MLB previews yet, but their pen looks a little sketchy.

1:33 a.m.: As if I knew what was coming, Aaron Bummer and Joe Jimenez give up three singles and a double and the Braves are now down 3-2.

1:37 a.m.: Oh god, I almost did the ultimate TOOTBLAN but at least tie it up 3-3 before being thrown out at third trying to advance. I had guys on first and second with two outs before an Ozuna perfect-perfect rope to left field. I get thrown out at third but the runner does score just before the out, 3-3 as we go to the 8th.

1:39: a.m.: One negative and one positive I will say here about the audio. The mix overall sounds great, and the crowd isn’t as overly excited as they were last year. I think the PA is a little too forward in the mix and too audible, but at least you’ll be able to tell the difference right away between the PA announcers. With the crowd, the chants aren’t as constant and I like most of the ebb and flow. I would love even more nuance so guys like Judge get more cheers or just more raucous reactions on the road, but I like the soundscape overall.

On the negative side, the Storylines feature has been a bust outside of the intro. The general commentary itself is decent (taking your biases about the commentators themselves out of it), but there hasn’t been any mention of the Braves offense being pretty weak in this game even though it was the selected storyline at the start of the game. I’m also bummed to hear nothing about this being the first series after the All-Star break. The post All-Star break first series back is a perfect sort of “generic” conversation you should be able to have in a sports video game because you can talk in platitudes or just look at each team’s record and talk about how they’ll be approaching the second half.

It’s this weird thing happening where the UI and graphics are doing awesome work to try and pick up the slack for the limitations with commentary. I’ve gotten a look at the standings, I’m getting interesting factoids about players as little visual pop-ups, but the commentary can’t match that depth and personality. Storylines is a great idea, and it looks cool for the pregame, but I don’t think it’s a game changer for the actual inning-to-inning experience, especially as it relates to commentary.

1:44 a.m.: I am going to lose this game on All-Star, oh god I’m washed. This Braves bullpen is a problem, and Dylan Lee and his southpaw stuff can’t get the left-handed hitters out here in a big spot. To be fair, he’s a little snake-bitten as Dominic Smith gets a bloop hit up the third-base line to score runners on second and third. It’s going to be 5-3 heading to the bottom of the 8th. I think the Yankees have 900 hits this game and 898 of them are soft contact hits, so it’s a fraud squad in my book.

1:47 a.m.: Matt Olson gets one back with an absolute bomb to center. Olson had struck out looking on back-to-back dots with cutters running back to the outside of the plate earlier in the game, so this was a good moment for him to get it to 5-4. The rally would continue with men on first and second, but Devin Williams would come into the game with two outs and get out of the jam.

For the record, Williams didn’t deserve to get out of it, but spoilers, the best pitch to throw me is a heater down the middle because I will drop my PCI without fail.

1:52 a.m.: A fast end here as Profar flies out to the warning track and the Braves are going to lose 5-4. I must deal with the shame of losing on All-Star in my first game back.

1:57 a.m.: …I mean I got to at least poke around the pitching stats before signing off, right? I had assumed that the bullpen usage would still be completely hosed because it’s been a legacy issue for years and they didn’t talk about it in the Franchise Mode Feature Premiere, but it might not be? I have doubts about the actual bullpen/starters usage in tie games you’re playing around the 5th-7th innings, but these overall stats look better? It looks like the relievers in the pen are all being used.

I think what I’m noticing at a glance is the bullpen numbers are better but the complete games are inflated — perhaps to make up the gap in bullpen usage. There were 28 complete games thrown by starters last year in real life (a record low), but there are way more than 28 being thrown here in The Show. I don’t want to make too many proclamations after looking at half of one simulated season, but this certainly looks a little different than prior years (perhaps for better and worse).

2:01 a.m.: I’m tired and going to bed. The latest episodes of The Pitt and Severance will have to wait until tomorrow to be watched. As for first thoughts? It still feels smooth and wonderful to play on the field, and I like a lot of what’s going on with some of the presentation elements. The graphics are still not there, but it runs great (at least offline, we’ll see about online), and as with all sports games, this isn’t a whole new game. It feels familiar enough, but I do want to play again and explore everything going on here, so that’s never a bad place to be after one night.

Until next time y’all. And, as always, thanks for reading.

-Chase