MLB The Show 23 Reviews

MLB The Show 23 is very similar to its predecessor, but a new story mode and refinements to existing features still make it worth picking up.

Each year, developers of annualized sports franchises work to craft new experiences to try and avoid the community criticism that each successive release is "just a roster update." While real-life sports don’t evolve much year over year, developers still need to provide players with reasons to come back each time, whether that be gameplay improvements, enhanced modes, or better visuals. MLB The Show 23 does all of that while also exploring a unique avenue – history – to great effect.

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MLB The Show 23 does enough to revamp an excellent formula, while the Storylines: Negro Leagues mode serves as an important history lesson within the confines of the game.

By exploring the Negro Leagues and some of its most notable players, MLB The Show 23 shines a spotlight on an important part of baseball and American history.

Another year, another impressive baseball game is upon us. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but Sony San Diego has again delivered us the best sports simulation on the market. Period. MLB The Show 23 is very much the sum of its parts. Building on an already outstanding foundation, this year’s entry makes several small steps (and one giant leap) forward. Culminating in an unrivaled experience, this is a baseball game all fans of the sport need to play.

Even though annual sports games are becoming more of a joke, MLB The Show remains an impeccable product. It offers several ways to enjoy the baseball experience, whether it’s creating your own character in Road to the Show or trying to build a championship team in either Franchise or Diamond Dynasty. But the most important part of MLB The Show 23 is the Negro League Storylines. San Diego Studios should be praised for telling the amazing stories of baseball’s forgotten stars. It’s features like this that transform a game into something more than just random pixels on-screen, and that’s exactly what MLB The Show 23 managed to do. San Diego Studio didn’t just manage to craft a good baseball game, but something special that goes beyond the sport it represents, which is no small feat for any title, more so for an annual sports game.

MLB The Show 23 is another solid addition in what is the best annual sports sim franchise. San Diego Studio continues to show a deep knowledge and understanding of baseball and the culture surrounding it. The addition of The Negro Leagues is a massive improvement to the overall product, and the ability to scan your face into Road to the Show is a fun new feature as well. Outside of some minor league woes, MLB The Show is another grand slam.

While not a lot has changed in terms of ways to play MLB The Show 23, the experience on the field is much improved. The time spent on the audio aspect and the focus on better replicating a television broadcast are this game's specialty. The lack of updated rule changes, however, is a weird gaff. The modes remain the same for the most part outside of the inclusion of the Negro League stories. This is hampered by tying progression down to the Challenge Mode, which has been historically frustrating. Spreading the game across multiple outdated platforms and also tying this to Game Pass is hurting the progression of the series as it has become visually dated. This isn't a big deal if you're already paying for Game Pass, but paying $70 for a dated-looking game where a good bit of it is unchanged and previous Diamond Dynasty progression is reset is a hard ask. MLB The Show 23 is still a solid game of baseball, but it has been a solid game of baseball for years and being stuck on one platform no longer offers an excuse for attracting new players.

There is nothing stale about this next mode, though, and it is quite easily the best aspect of MLB The Show this year. San Diego Studios brings The Negro Leagues to the forefront with their brand-new Storylines mode, detailing the journey of eight different greats from that era, including Leroy “Satchel” Paige, Jackie Robinson, Andrew “Rube” Foster, Hilton Smith, Hank Thompson, John Donaldson, Martin Dihigo, and John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil. Presented alongside the narration of Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, you're able to re-live moment after moment of some of the most legendary players the game of baseball has ever seen.