MLB 15 The Show

Batter vs pitcher duels can make for some incredibly tense situations, especially when there’s a lot at stake. There’s a real sense of rivalry that hits you wether you’re playing against AI or another player online. The only new feature that doesn’t seem to hold up as well (in my personal opinion, of course) is the new directional hitting system, which in concept allows the player to influence the direction of the pitch in question, which is a cool idea by itself, but in practice it falls flat as you never really get the feeling you’re actually accomplishing something by using the feature.

MLB 15: The Show is an excellent and complete package with lots of different ways to experience baseball in all its glory. But it’s a very familiar complete package. Other than functional online play, there’s nothing revolutionary about this year’s version. It does get to legitimately say that it looks and plays better than any other baseball game you can buy right now, but only slightly.

Clearing the fences. Again.

MLB 15: The Show's level of perfectionism is obsessive, making it a necessary pairing for baseball traditionalists.

As a baseball simulator, MLB 15: The Show delivers on almost every front, and it would be unfair to penalize the game for being too good, for too long. However, a good review score doesn't necessarily mean that the latest edition is worth $60, especially to players who bought last year's version. Those who haven't checked out The Show for a while will find a lot of value here. Everyone else, though? Download some fan-made rosters and stick with MLB 14 for a couple more years. You won't miss much.

While series like Madden struggle to create a worthwhile product year after year, The Show is fortunate in the sense that it has crafted a nearly-perfect baseball experience for several years. This year is no different and while that may not be everyone's cup of tea, the subtle improvements made to each new iteration is good news for baseball fans. The Show's annual debut shows the same kind of joy that any baseball fan gets on Opening Day. For me, I'm happy to grab my bat and glove and play ball.

Less than 11-months since the release of MLB 14, Sony’s best-selling baseball franchise is back on the PS4. With less than a year of development time under their belt I have to admit I am went in highly skeptical. I mean how much could the team at SCEA San Diego possibly accomplish in a mere matter of months? After some time spent with MLB 15: The Show, there is no question the series continues to firmly cement itself as the best in the business. Its sharp looking and the best looking baseball game I have seen to date. Yet somehow it feels stale and all too familiar. Maybe it’s time I take a b...

MLB 15: The Show is the most accurate representation of the sport yet again, but feels more like a roster update than anything else, outside of a few improvements here and there.

Yasiel Puig, the flamboyant star outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the cover athlete for MLB 15. But his appearance on the cover belies the game inside the box. Sony San Diego eschewed developing splashy back-of-the-box bullet points in favor of refining an already great game, exhibiting a confidence that is itself quietly remarkable — just like this series' consistency.