MLB The Show 21

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. 3DJuegos
    Apr 29, 2021
    As the first next-gen entry of a long-lasting baseball franchise, which has set the bar so high over the last few years, MLB The Show 21 constitutes a bit of disappointment. Beyond the stadium creator, the game’s contribution towards modes and presentation is minor, not to mention a few irritating problems on the online front of the experience. If you are a fan of MLB that has never played a baseball game, this is as good as it gets, especially on Xbox Game Pass. If you are a veteran, you might as well wait for a few patches or a sale.

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
31
#31 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 163 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 163
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 163
  3. Negative: 95 out of 163
  1. RTTSisbroken
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    The career mode, Road to the Show, has been butchered for The Show 21. The new Ballplayer mechanic they've added to integrate the mode withThe career mode, Road to the Show, has been butchered for The Show 21. The new Ballplayer mechanic they've added to integrate the mode with the online card collecting one is terribly executed and the progression system and badge loadouts are currently bugged and broken.

    You can no longer have multiple unique characters to play through their professional careers. You are forced into a contrived narrative where you are a two-way prospect even though such players at a high level are absurdly rare. You will have to pitch and play a fielding position before you are actually allowed to choose the role you want. You get to choose your starting three pitches only once and then you're stuck with them, across all saves, until you get to a training session. And there is no feasible way to have a junkball pitcher and a flamethrower with vastly different repertoires going at the same time. The only way you can select different pitches is one at a time through training. And talking about pitch selections, knuckleballs have been completely ripped out of the game. They don't play nice online, so offline modes get to suffer and be limited by that.

    The two-way player mechanic is poorly shoved into the same old mode with no thought to revamp it or balance player progression. It is very easy to be so low in attributes and overall that your team will move you to a different position and then not know what to do with you. Then every game you attempt to play will have your character subbed out in the very first inning without playing anything and then you have to start all over again. The different loadouts you have so "your ballplayer can do it all!" is also horrifically bugged so that if you are trying to be a two-way player the game can't properly switch between them.

    I'm not opposed to the new progression system. I'm not up in arms about the fairly blatant attempt to get more microtransactions. But the stripping of popular, common-sense features in RTTS that limits player creativity and enjoyment is not good. And there was very little to no transparency on a lot of it in the pre-release materials.    … Full Review »
  2. Blakemaher
    Apr 19, 2021
    4
    Really disappointed about this game. Tons of bugs in RTTS including player development and the player buildout thing. Trying to have a pitcherReally disappointed about this game. Tons of bugs in RTTS including player development and the player buildout thing. Trying to have a pitcher and hitter as the same player is a nightmare, cool idea but execution sucks. The create a stadium is the dumbest thing I’ve seen in a while. The features they say makes the new game cool make the game suck. Wait and get it for cheap or wait till next year or who knows maybe they will actually work hard and put out an update that makes the new features work well and make the game kinda cool.… Full Review »
  3. TheGamerWes
    Apr 19, 2021
    4
    RTTS is the worst it has ever been, progression is heavily dependent on upgrading your archetype but the progression is completely broken andRTTS is the worst it has ever been, progression is heavily dependent on upgrading your archetype but the progression is completely broken and won't track 9/10 games. I played 2 full seasons in Double-A working on getting promoted and never even upgraded my archetype to silver despite the requirement being plate appearances. I re-signed before my 3rd season as a Triple-A starter and never saw a Triple-A game the entire following season. I had to force simulate multiple seasons to get my base overall high enough to be promoted due to this issue. The game in it's current state is completely built around DD and SDS' attempt to force micro-transactions. If you don't want to play RTTS then by all means get the game. If you wanted to play offline and enjoy working your way up to the majors DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, it needs major improvements and if it doesn't receive them this game will be no better than the copy paste sports games by EA. This game was a huge downgrade from MLB20 and a huge disappointment and waste of money for early access to what feels like a beta game. The gameplay is fun when it's working as intended, but in it's current state it's just an annoying pointless grind to nothingness, I'm not a fan of DD and I don't plan to play it, it being forced on me to try and progress my character in what should be an offline mode is just a blatant laugh in the face of all MLB fans looking to have a good time solo. DD is the only mode which is working mostly fine and tracking stats. Servers have been abysmal but I'll give it a pass since this is the first year of this series being on multiple consoles and seeing an increased amount of server stress.… Full Review »
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