MLB: The Show continues to be the best sports simulation game series available.

User Rating: 8.5 | MLB 13: The Show PS3
I've always thought that sports games get a bad rep for not having big improvements year over year. When you think about it, developers do not even have a year of development time to make huge improvements to their sports games. Between MLB 10 and MLB 12 The Show, I didn't see many huge improvements with the series. It's because the series has such a solid foundation and the developers have focused on the little things to make MLB The Show that much more realistic.

With MLB 13 The show, the same philosophy holds true. Some of the improvements I've seen this year include an overhaul of the player rating system. Players now have an overall rating(0 up to 99 or 100 I believe) for you to judge their skills by. There are some menu improvements and the interface of the menu continues to be intuitive and quick. I find this to be a huge deal with sports games because of the amount of time you can spend editing player rosters and making trades and such. The game continues to be the premier sports series when it comes down to features outside the actual gameplay.

I am going to just stick with the gameplay and Franchise mode in this review because it's all I play. The biggest change to the gameplay I've experienced is the toned down difficulty in the lower difficulty levels (From Beginner to Veteran). This does not mean that the game has been "Call of Dutied" just to appease newcomers. It's just a way to ease new players in to the game and learn all the controls and enjoy the game while doing so. The difficulty spikes at All-Star and beyond for veteran Show players, so no need to worry about the game being too easy for you.

A new throwing meter has been added to the game and I feel like this option was sort of tacked on. The speed of the meter is appropriate, but the placement of the meter on the screen can very and get really confusing. I've also experienced glitches where the meter gets stuck in the middle of the throw that caused errors. The mechanic needs to be patched and hopefully it will be in the near future.

I've also experienced many other fielding blunders in both the infield and outfield. Once, my pitcher went to field a ground ball in front of him, and he bobbled the ball. But the runner was still getting to first base and my pitcher would not allow me to throw the ball after the bobble. I've also experienced some awkward looking animations by outfielders that can be detrimental to the outcome of the play. I think the developers overall need to just work on the relationship between the fielder and the throwing meter. The ball can sometimes look really awkward coming out of the player's hands.

As far as hitting goes, not much has changed here. There seems to many new welcome hitting/home run animations by hitters. Definitely adds to the realism of the game, and the way the ball comes off the bat. There is one of the few games out there that doesn't assist you in the mistakes you make. You need to practice to be good at hitting in this game. This is where 2K fails. The Show makes you work the counts, bunt to get runners across, steal, and require you to time your stride and swing.

Overall, if you are a big baseball fan, then you need to get this game. Don't even think about getting 2K. There are many ways for you to play. Exhibition, Franchise Mode, Postseason Mode(new), Road to the Show(which has been "revamped"), Beginner Mode(to ease new players in to the game), and many different control options to fit your style. The graphics are insanely good with my only complaint being the inconsistent skin tone colors.