- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Release Date: Mar 24, 2023
- Also On: PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
-
Apr 17, 2023Baseball fans will love it, but the game does nothing special to feel like something new – or next-gen.
-
Mar 28, 2023The excellently executed Negro Leagues are the MVP of MLB The Show 23, adding an educational and entertaining interactive documentary to an already strong sports game. Diamond Dynasty sees some of its biggest structural changes yet, and has strengthened its respectable single player slate with some smart additions to Mini Seasons. Meanwhile, rebalanced fielding and batter/pitcher matchups add more tension to the gameplay, but the graphics are starting to look stale and Road to the Show feels like it’s almost been abandoned at this point.
-
Mar 27, 2023While 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 Spreading the game across multiple outdated platforms and also tying this to Game Pass is hurting the progression of the series as it has become visually dated.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.
-
Mar 27, 2023MLB The Show 23 offers solid and engaging gameplay, along with captivating Negro Leagues storylines. Still not in French though...
-
Mar 27, 2023To be fair, part of the reason it feels like MLB The Show 23 is treading water is that, for so many years, it was far and away the best sports game available. When you nail a sport so accurately, all that’s left is the sort of tinkering around the edges that MLB The Show 23 does here. But unless you have a burning need to play as Satchel Paige – and who could blame you if you do? – it makes it really difficult to see why you’d want to pick it up rather than just sticking with MLB The Show 22.
-
Mar 31, 2023Fundamentally, though, MLB the Show 23 is a good game. MLB the Show 22 was a good game. Adding the Negro Leagues mode was noble from Sony (and no doubt the kind of goodwill-generating progressive addition that will keep the licensor happy with how Sony is treating the IP). However, the misstep with the World Baseball League and a complete unwillingness to build on any mode but the awful Diamond Dynasty also make this year’s The Show unacceptable. If you missed last year’s iteration, then you can add a couple of stars to this score, because for you, it won’t be one of the most cynical annual iterations that we’ve seen in sports games for quite some time. For the rest of us, though. No. Not good enough.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
-
Mar 29, 2023I am almost 50 years old now. I was once the daily newspaper reporter for Cooperstown itself. Buddy, I chewed tobacco when I played T-ball, and I am bonded to baseball through my father and friendships going back to kindergarten. Still, MLB The Show 23 found a way to teach me something about the sport, and give me new reason to love it.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 22 out of 31
-
Mixed: 2 out of 31
-
Negative: 7 out of 31
-
Jul 14, 2023
-
Jun 22, 2023
-
May 23, 2023