The new edition of the MLB The Show franchise for the 2017 season has been released. I saw a copy of the PS4 version of MLB The Show 17 at the Game Stop at the mall. Here is my full review of the game.
Ken Griffey, Jr. is in the game.
Former Seattle Mariners star Ken Griffey, Jr., is on the cover, which probably means he is also in the game.
Whether there is some kind of “Legends” mode or you can replay seasons from past years or if they just put Griffey in the 2017 season because he remains one of the biggest baseball stars despite retiring seven years ago, there’s no way to really say without buying the game and finding out. It definitely would be misleading if they put him on the cover and they really shouldn’t mislead people when they’re charging 60 bucks for the game. That’s a lot of money.
The graphics are amazing.
Based on the screen captures shown on the back of the game case, the graphics in MLB The Show 17 are out of this world. It looks like you’re at a real MLB stadium watching an actual baseball game.
Full disclosure: the game claims you get the best resolution on a 4K television. Now, I personally don’t have the kind of cash to throw around on a 4K TV. Those things cost about the price of a couple dozen $60 video games. Maybe one day, though, who knows.
Either way, the graphics are way better than the last MLB video game I had: Major League Baseball 2K 11 with Roy Halladay on the cover. I had a lot more spending money back then because I was still living at my mom’s house. I wonder if Roy Halladay is also in MLB The Show 17. If Griffey is, maybe Halladay is, too.
Gameplay is questionable.
I had hoped to be able to play the game for a little while on the console they had set up in the store, but there was this kid on it for like 20 minutes and I eventually gave up waiting. There’s only so long you can browse around in a Game Stop without feeling like an idiot. They’re not big stores. I may not know how to make a lot of money, but I know that a grown adult hanging out at a Game Stop all night looks pretty creepy.
Anyway, the gameplay seemed good from what I could tell — and the kid playing it seemed to enjoy it (OBVIOUSLY!), but I can’t really give a fair review of that aspect until I actually get a chance to play the game. Maybe I’ll go back on Sunday when the mall won’t be so busy. I have a 2-for-1 coupon at Auntie Anne’s that I want to use anyway.
Price is a little high.
At $59.99 (plus tax!), MLB The Show 17 is cost prohibitive. It’s not that it’s impossible to pay 60 bucks for a game. I could probably do that no problem if I move some stuff around and maybe sell some old games that I haven’t sold yet, but there are a lot of hidden costs beyond that 60 bucks. For example, the cost of a Playstation 4 to play the game on. That’s way more than 60 bucks! If I’m not buying 4K TVs, I’m not buying $300 gaming systems either. I just don’t have that kind of money to throw around.
The guy at the store said I could probably get MLB The Show 17 for $55 bucks at the Used price in a week, but unless they’re throwing in a Playstation 4 at that price, too, I’m still S.O.L.
Overall grade: B+
The game looks great for baseball fans who are gamers, but the price is a bit steep. I’d definitely buy it and play it a lot if my life had turned out a lot differently.
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