One of the most consistent sports sims returns with what looks to be another homerun. MLB The Show’s excellent story modes introduced last year return for 24 with the Negro Leagues providing an immersive education on one of baseball’s most important historical eras.
Release date
Obvious one out of the way first, MLB The Show 24 will be out Worldwide on March 19th. Baseball enthusiasts and console owners rejoice, as San Diego Studio’s latest baseball sim will be available on past and current-gen PlayStation and Xbox, plus MLB The Show 24 will be available on Nintendo Switch for both in-home and out-and-about gaming. Alas, if you’re a PC owner you’re out of luck for now as there is currently no Windows version announced.
Editions
This year, there are three special editions of MLB The Show that fans can pre-order, as well as the basic version of the game. The first tier is the MVP Edition which includes numerous bonus items such as 1 Legend Diamond Choice Pack, 10 The Show Packs, and so on. Next level up is the Digital Deluxe Edition which provides all the MVP content plus some extras. The top tier, dubbed The Negro Leagues Edition, is essentially this year’s collector’s pack, including everything in the two lower rungs plus limited-edition physical steel book and new era cap. An oddity of note though is that the PS5 version of the collector’s edition does not come with a physical disc despite including the steel book. You’d need to order on Xbox Series X|S to get a disc with The Negro Leagues Edition.
Early access
One crucial point to note for those looking to gain early access to this year’s title is that they must pre-order one of the three special editions. Pre-ordering the basic game will not give you early access, which this year will begin on 15th March 2024. Pre-orders can be made now, so don’t delay if you’re after getting into the swing of this year’s edition earlier than everyone else.
Cover star
One of the most anticipated aspects of any sports sim game release is who the developer will choose for their cover star. Well, this year it is none other than Toronto Blue Jays athlete Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The son of a Hall of Famer, Jr. is the Blue Jays’ designated hitter, a rising star who was voted the youngest ever MVP to the AL All-Star roster in 2021.
Negro Leagues
Appearing for the first time last year, MLB The Show 24 will continue its partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum with the return of players from the Negro Leagues. This year’s edition features ten new Negro League Legends, each with their own distinct storyline to play through. This game mode puts players in the shoes of important baseball legends, with the chance to recreate the events of some of the most pivotal games of their careers.
Features
Diamond Dynasty, whereby players can create fantasy teams comprising legends gone and current stars from the world of baseball returns for 24. The series’ career mode Road to the Show, with player’s progressing from minor league to MLB and tournaments, will of course be included too. Storyline mode and franchise mode round out the expected features returning for this year’s iteration.
Franchise mode
Winning the World Series is the ultimate goal for any baseball team, and for MLB The Show 24 players will yet again get their chance to lead their chosen franchise to glory. Through coaching, developing the squad, and acting as franchise manager, players will again exert control over the on and off-pitch dealings of their chosen team to eventually get them to the top of the rankings.
Storyline mode
MLB The Show’s storyline mode gives players chance to learn, experience, and celebrate the legacy of baseball legends. This year the legend featured is New York Yankees great – and MLB The Show 23 cover star – Derek Jeter. A fantastic feature overall, this year’s storyline will give players chance to re-enact Jeter’s most challenging and iconic moments via an immersive career retrospective.
New legends
Alongside Derek Jeter’s unique storyline there are a host of new legends being introduced in the Negro Leagues Storylines: Buck Leonard, Hank Aaron, Josh “The Black Babe Ruth” Gibson, and Toni Stone, the first woman to play professional baseball at the highest level. More are likely to be revealed the closer we get to MLB The Show 24’s release date. These four revealed will be available at launch, with ten legends in total expected.
New and reintroduced stadiums
Derek Jeter’s playable storyline begins with his debut at Seattle’s Kingdome which San Diego Studio have painstakingly recreated to include it in this year’s addition after a few years out. At least one other new stadium is expected, although don’t rule out more. That stadium is Greenlee Field in Pittsburgh, and will be the venue for one of the Storylines focus on the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
Overhauled menus
Often an over-looked aspect of any video game, in-game menus afford players a seamless, easy experience when done right, and MLB The Show 24’s overhauled menu system looks to be just that. It’s not just a splash of colour to give additional vibe to Storylines, but it’s slick, modern, and simpler to navigate too.
No tech test
Unlike MLB The Show 22 and 23, this year’s addition will not offer players access to a tech test before the game’s release. Essentially an open beta whereby players can get a feel for the upcoming iteration and its gameplay tweaks, the lack of tech test this year may imply that, in actual fact, there’s very little differentiation in gameplay between last year’s version and this. We’ll have to wait and see once 24 releases. Of course, no tech test could also indicate a confidence in the gameplay, with San Diego Studio not feeling like it’s necessary. The tight schedule from announcement to release date might also have played a part.
Crossplay and cross-progression return
Crossplay will be back for this year’s MLB The Show giving gamers chance to play with their mates on other platforms. Cross-progression will also be an option, giving players chance to play the game on one platform before continuing their progression on another. Worth noting though is year-to-year saves won’t be a thing again.
Stadium creator returns
Yes, one of MLB The Show’s favourite features the stadium creator returns for this year’s iteration, although it’s available on current-gen consoles only.
Feature premieres
Every week leading up to the launch of MLB The Show 24 San Diego Studio will provide an informative video which will highlight new features and generally act as opportunities for the developer to reveal new stuff. At the time of writing, multiple premieres have already happened, but four are still planned. San Diego Studio haven’t provided much detail on what’s going to be included in each presentation though, but the dates for your calendar are 13th March for the dev tournament, and 14th March for a final feature premiere.
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