MLB The Show 21 may already be giving baseball fans a lot to be excited about after its official announcement earlier this month. Not only will the game be releasing on Xbox consoles for the first time in the franchise's history, but MLB The Show 21 will also support cross-play and cross-progression, effectively remove many barriers around the diamond. San Diego Studio has also said that many of the fan-favorite features of the series will be refined to make progression much smoother, which shows that it's committed to making this year's entry as enjoyable as possible for everyone.
With the release date creeping closer and closer as the days go by, there are a number of features that fans have wanted for a long time that would elevate MLB The Show 21 above its predecessors. The series has done a respectable job at pleasing fans up to this point, especially with how it treats microtransactions, but there are still a few things on a lot of player's wish lists. Considering this will be the game's first time appearing on both Xbox and next-gen consoles, here's hoping that San Diego Studio has included some of these features to make the game worth coming back to every day.
RELATED: What to Expect from MLB The Show 21
One of the most popular game modes in MLB The Show is Diamond Dynasty, which is essentially the equivalent of Madden and Fifa's Ultimate Team modes. Much like Ultimate Team, this mode allows gamers to collect cards for various different baseball players and add them to their own fantasy lineup. Whereas Ultimate Team has caused a lot of controversy for having some predatory microtransactions, MLB The Show is known for being generous when it comes to allowing Diamond Dynasty players to build a stellar team without spending extra money.
That being said though, the majority of the mode's rewards are most easily acquired by playing online, which can be discouraging for newcomers that are going against people that have been playing the series for years. In order to remedy this, MLB The Show 21 would benefit greatly by adding more offline content for gamers that simply prefer playing against the CPU, but still want to build a great fantasy team. This would make the mode much less intimidating for first-time players of MLB The Show, and it would level the playing field a bit for the incoming Xbox players that may have never touched the game before.
When it comes to customization, MLB The Show offers a large variety of tools that allow players to make teams look however they want. From custom uniforms to custom rosters, there is a lot of room for creativity in the series, but stadium customization is one thing that many fans have been craving for a very long time. Baseball stadiums are some of the most unique stadiums in the sports world, and it's due in part to the fact that there aren't any strict guidelines on what the dimensions of any team's field should be. This variation in stadiums across the league makes every game unique, because there are times where a home run in one stadium would be a fly out to left field in another.
Putting this level of variation in player's hands in the form of a custom stadium creator would be a game-changing move for MLB The Show, as it has the potential for some truly beautiful and hilarious creations. There could be stadiums where it's physically impossible for even the strongest hitter to hit a home run, and there could also be stadiums where a ball that barely gets any air flies over the outfield fence. Ultimately, a stadium creator would be a great way to add some variety to the series, and it could end up being a great selling point for MLB The Show 21 for people that think the customization features have gotten a little stale.
Of the many offline modes that MLB The Show offers, Road To The Show is the one that lets players live out their baseball dreams. This particular mode is essentially a baseball RPG, allowing players to make their own player and watch them climb through the ranks of the minor and major leagues. This mode does have its moments of depth, allowing players to choose what position and occasionally what team they would like to play for, and San Diego Studio has tried to make the mode more engaging in previous installments.
That being said, there is some room for improvement for the series that would make it more interesting. The Show could learn a thing or two from games like NBA 2K, where players have the chance to build up their own public presence through press meetings and brand sponsorships. Additional features like deeper contract negotiation and more interaction options with teammates would only serve to expand the wealth of possibilities in the mode. With a sports game like The Show, it's important to keep as many game modes as interesting as possible so that players don't have to feel like they're stuck to one mode.
No matter what new features MLB The Show 21 provides, anticipation is at an all time high for this year's version of the game. With an Xbox release, cross-play and progression, and special editions that include tributes to Jackie Robinson, MLB The Show 21 seems to be doing everything it can to be the most memorable edition of the game yet.
MLB The Show 21 releases for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on April 20th, 2021.