Gabriel Moss
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Writing For
IGNLatest Reviews
In what feels like a minor but noticeable update, MLB The Show 20 doesn’t break what wasn’t broken. Developer Sony San Diego has tweaked and tightened everything that was presented in MLB The Show 19, and as a result, playing baseball on a console has never been this fluid. But even with the excellent new Showdown mode, longtime fans may be just a little turned off by the lack of big new changes. That said, those who haven’t picked up an MLB The Show since 17 or 18 will absolutely find that MLB The Show 20 is the best place to pick the series back up.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a nostalgia-heavy reflection of a triumphant but persistently jumbled-up franchise about spell-slinging ducks and Final Fantasy characters living in Disney castles, but it lovingly memorializes its legacy and honors the fans who have grown to love it. While it doesn’t do anything remarkable or exciting with its rhythm gameplay, and it may not be the most alluring for those who don’t have the same understanding and love of Kingdom Hearts, it’s certainly a delightful experience that’s well worth the time spent.
MLB The Show 21 does a great job of opening its pristine baseball simulator to a brand-new group of players as it arrives on Xbox for the first time. Much like MLB The Show 20 before it, it still plays a bit too safe in most instances, only offering marginal gains over its predecessor with things like menu organization and improved customization. Nearly everything is visually nearly identical. Meanwhile, it kneecaps one of the series’ key continuity features by cutting off save transfers from previous games. That’s a puzzling decision, but it’s hard to believe it’d be a deal-breaker for long-time fans in the face of additions like the flexible new Stadium Creator, cross-platform multiplayer, and awesome DualSense support. MLB The Show 21 might not be an all-star but it’s still far and away the best baseball game you can pick up and play on any platform.