MLB The Show 21

For a long time, I’ve believed that MLB The Show is the best sports franchise you can buy. No other game – arguably with the exception of the NBA 2K series – simulates the sport it’s trying to recreate better than The Show. I admit that it must be a lot easier to mimic the ebbs and flows of a sport that involves as much standing around as baseball does. But that’s a shallow excuse reserved for developers that are most guilty of releasing what feels like the same song and dance, year after year.

MLB The Show is now multiplatform, so more players can see what makes it one of the best annual sports sims in the world.

Ultimately, MLB The Show 21 reigns supreme among sports games. From the wide variety of game modes to many different playing styles that fit any player, MLB The Show 21 goes above and beyond to be an experience for everyone. While some player ratings can be a head-scratcher, there isn’t much to get upset about in that department. Other than the frequent hiccups with the online servers, each mode runs smoothly and offers in-depth tutorials to ensure optimal success. Hopefully, the server problem is more of a launch issue and will sort itself out as time goes on. MLB The Show 21 shines with its ...

Man was I excited for the 2021 installment of MLB The Show! This is our first season on the next-gen consoles, so what’s not to be excited about? With my PS5 at the ready, I fired up the game and was greeted by the ever-familiar glow of my favorite franchise in all of sports. However, herein lies the problem: MLB The Show 21 seemed too familiar. Where was my new console pomp and circumstance? This felt like the same goddamn title I’ve been playing for the last decade. Now, if that is a good thing or not, I will leave for you to decide.

It's a fantastic year to be getting MLB The Show 21 on Xbox. There's a welcome 'Casual' preset for beginners, the gameplay is more enjoyable than ever, and newcomers will likely be overwhelmed (in a good way) at the sheer amount of content at their disposal. Road to the Show's new Ballplayer integration won't satisfy everyone, and needs a few tweaks, but it's nevertheless still a highly enjoyable mode to play, and the likes of Diamond Dynasty and March to October are excellent options as well. We've been waiting a long time to experience The Show for ourselves on Xbox, and it's amazing to fina...

MLB The Show 21 is still the best baseball game available by far. But don’t buy it expecting a substantial next-gen showcase.

The pressure will be on for next year's edition, but MLB The Show 21 does just barely get over the hump when it comes to feeling like a worthwhile upgrade.

Being the most consistent annual sports franchise out there, MLB The Show manages to overcome the loss of a few key features to give players yet another reason to step right back into the batter's box in MLB The Show 21.

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-t...

MLB The Show 21 maintains the series' continued excellence on the diamond, but missing features and uneven additions hold it back.

Sports games, for all the ire they attract, subscribe to some of the most brutal development cycles in the industry. Spare a thought, then, for Sony San Diego, which has not only transitioned from one platform to four with its annual baseball simulation MLB The Show 21 – but it’s also done it during a global pandemic. There are clear compromises as a consequence, but fortunately the series is working from such strong foundations that it’s still relatively easy to recommend.

In closing, it feels good to have baseball back on Xbox again, because the core gameplay of MLB The Show 21 remains excellent. You’ll have a blast learning and mastering the mechanics, and once you get the hang of it, everything just clicks. Outside of the gameplay itself, the game feels like a sometimes-ugly, disorganized collection of menus that wants you to pay extra money to really enjoy the most engaging content without falling victim to an endless grind.