MLB The Show 23 Review: One of the Best Outings in Years

MLB The Show feels like a series that has merely been treading water in recent years. Outside of finally coming to Xbox and Nintendo Switch, the game itself has started to feel more stagnant than ever before. That's not to say that each new entry hasn't still been of a high quality, but this franchise has desperately been needing a jolt of innovation in some capacity. And while MLB The Show 23 isn't without some faults, this year's game definitely answered the call when it comes to new additions. 

As you would expect from virtually any annualized sports series, much of what MLB The Show 23 does is quite similar to last year. The core gameplay has remained largely unchanged, all of the same game modes are present, and the updated 2023 MLB rosters end up being one of the biggest reasons to go out of your way to snag this year's edition. Luckily, San Diego Studio has also heard fan complaints in recent seasons and has now added a whole new mode that centers around the Negro Leagues.

The biggest new aspect of MLB The Show 23 involves some of the most prominent stars that were ever seen in the long-gone Negro Leagues. Dubbed "Storylines" mode, this section of MLB The Show 23 highlights eight of the most legendary players that were ever seen in the various all-black baseball leagues that ran until the mid-1900s. From Jackie Robinson to Satchel Paige and Buck O'Neil, Storylines chooses to tell the tales of some of the best baseball stars that many fans have likely never heard of. 

What makes Storylines so excellent comes in regard to this educational element. Rather than simply allowing players to play out key moments in-game from the life of someone like Jackie Robinson, Storylines is also narrated by Bob Kendrick, who is the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Kendrick's narration and storytelling for each of the eight players included is both captivating and enlightening and makes the mode a must-play within MLB The Show 23. Although you might not be as familiar with the name Hank Thompson as you would be Babe Ruth, Storylines does a phenomenal job of making it known why these forgotten names should instead become ones of the household variety. It's also that much more exciting that Storylines will continue coming back in future MLB The Show games. 

Diamond Dynasty, likely the most popular game mode in MLB The Show 23, is where I feel a bit torn on this year's package. More than ever before, Diamond Dynasty has become incredibly streamlined and now offers more avenues to compete with the team you build than ever. Whether it's in Mini Seasons, Ranked play, or the various Programs missions, there's a ton to do in Diamond Dynasty that will keep you busy for literally hundreds of hours. 

My issue with Diamond Dynasty lies primarily with how frequently MLB The Show 23 hands out high-caliber players. In previous years, "Diamond" tier players were pretty hard to come by and took some actual work (or luck) in order to obtain. With MLB The Show 23, though, Diamond level players are handed out almost incessantly. This leads to virtually every team that you face, especially those online, feeling more stacked than in previous games. In turn, this made me feel far less compelled than to actually work to upgrade my Diamond Dynasty squad. My feelings on this front could change given how seasons have been restructured in Diamond Dynasty, but for now, the act of collecting players hasn't been as exciting as normal. 

The one thing that I do have to say that I loved about Diamond Dynasty was the emphasis on the World Baseball Classic. Taking place in the early part of this year, the WBC was an event that most major baseball fans had circled on their calendar. To feature this in MLB The Show 23, San Diego Studio chose to add a year-long Program tied to the WBC that lets players unlock some of the biggest stars of the tournament. What makes this a truly great feature is that it places a focus on some of the most notable superstars from around the globe who might not play in the actual MLB. Although Shohei Ohtani is now the league's most recognizable face, MLB The Show 23 also lets players become just as familiar with sluggers like Munetaka Murakami and Byung-ho Park through their own addition to the game. 

When it comes to the other modes present in MLB The Show 23, I didn't find too much different this year to praise or criticize. Road to the Show, Franchise, and March to October are all quite similar here to what was seen in MLB The Show 22. The changes that have been brought into each mode aren't that noteworthy and make me believe that much of what San Diego Studio looks to focus on with The Show 24 will be tied to these verticals of the series. For now, though, each mode is still quite fun to play even if it is samey. 

On a pure presentation front, MLB The Show 23 is also considerably improved. In its second year with a new announcing team, this year's entry feels like it has a whole lot more dialogue to choose from that isn't as recycled as often. Gameplay animations also look fantastic, although I do think that the graphics have still left me unimpressed, which has been true in MLB The Show for quite some time. Much of this is likely because the series is still running on last-gen consoles and Nintendo Switch, but I do hope that we see a significant boost in visual fidelity in 2024. 

As a whole, MLB The Show 23 is likely one of the strongest entries that we've received in quite some time. The addition of the Negro Leagues Storylines mode doesn't simply make for a lot of fun, but it's something that I'm convinced every hardcore baseball fan needs to experience for themselves. Between MLB The Show 23's other game types, much less has changed, but there's still enough meat on the bone that you'll find yourself plenty busy. Moving forward, I would love to see the gameplay and graphical elements of MLB The Show overhauled to some degree. But for now, I'm more than happy with the version of the game that we got this year.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

MLB The Show 23 is available now across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review and the game was primarily played on PS5.