Just about 2 weeks ago, MLB The Show released the 9th game in the series for PS3 and Vita. Up until now, I have played every game in the series, and I did not see any reason to stop now, so the day it was released, I picked up a copy for both systems. I have played both, but I have played the Vita version the most and have seen a ton of improvements from the previous installments.

Up until now, the 2010 edition of the game was my favorite, but now, with all of these new features and such, this edition is now my favorite and I believe could keep its title of favorite for a couple of years.

There are literally dozens of new featured that litter the new game and change the overall feel of the game in a variety of ways. Two of the features though, have really made a giant impact on the way that I play the game. The first big feature is the save states of the game, which can now be carried over into future versions of the game. Sure, this does not have much of an effect right now, but as future games are released, everything that you have done in this years game could drastically change how you play the rest of the games. Of course, you don't have to use the feature, you might be the kind of player that likes to start fresh each year. In my opinion, the 2nd of these features takes a lot of stress out of the game. The 2nd feature is that Advancement goals will no longer be in use. Advancement goals have always proved to be a burden for me when I play the game because every once in a while, you will have a bad game that messes some stuff up.

GRAPHICS  10/10

The graphics are still as good as they can get. It’s not like a fighting game where you need explosions and stuff, you just need people, and the people that are in the game do not fail at looking like people. I know it sounds weird, but it’s right. The graphics make the game look realistic, and that’s really all you need if you are playing a sports game. All you see is a stadium full of fans, and the actual game. Because of this, and the very realistic looks, the game gets a perfect score for graphics.

SOUND 9/10

Aside from the sounds of the game such as screaming and commentary, there isn’t much music that I am fond of. There is a soundtrack that consists of about 10 or so songs, but the music is not really memorable. What causes this category to get such a high score is the commentary, which is just as good as that of the previous games, if not just a bit better.

STORY 9/10

The story is just about the same as the previous games, and can be summed up in four words, Road To The Show. That is pretty much the only story that the game has, and frankly I don’t care because that is the best possible storyline that any baseball game could ever have. I no longer want to play a season, or manage a team, now baseball games are about having a full career as a player and that is what this game does with RTTS. 9 out of 10 for story. In the previous titles, this didn’t really count much as a story, but with the new features that have been implemented, this couldn’t be any more of a story.

ADDICTIVNESS 10/10

What is there not to like about a baseball game? We all love baseball, right? So baseball video games should not be any different then just watching the game on TV. First, let’s take RTTS, this is the kind of game mode that you can beat with one character and then start brand new with another character. Then of course, there is online mode where you can play various game modes against other users. Perfect score.

DEPTH 10/10

This game series was already perfect when it comes to depth, and in this particular game, it gets even deeper with all of the new features. As a matter of fact, it has been rumored that there are nearly 2 dozen new features scattered across the game. The new ability to save game states and use them in future games allows for even more depth and there is simply so much that you can do with each game mode offline and online. The possibilities are endless once you play online because you can play a limitless amount of games against random users from across the globe. Depth also gets a perfect score.

DIFFICULTY  3

This game is no harder than the previous titles in the series and the previous titles weren’t hard at all. It’s a baseball game, there isn’t much that you need to learn aside from fielding, hitting, baserunning, and pitching. All you need to do is get used to the controls and everything will flow. Some sports games may be a bit hard to play because of the controls and depending on the sport, but this game is a walk in the park if you know what you are doing.

OVERALL 9.8

This is a wonderful game for anybody who likes baseball. If you are a baseball game fan, but you have been playing the 2K games, or even games from The Bigs, then you have been missing out on a lot. But, it’s never too late to start. You might be about 9 years late by now, but once you begin playing with The Show, your thoughts on what baseball games are like will be changed forever. Because of this, I believe that this game deserves a 9.8, the same grade as the previous game, but with a few new upgrades and improvements. All in all, this game is as exciting as it could ever be.