MLB The Show 18 review: It scores a triple

For a quality sports franchise like MLB The Show, which has been refining its formula for more than a decade of annual releases, creating a game that stands out from last year’s model isn’t easy.

While MLB The Show 18 falls a bit short of being a must-play advancement for the series, it does enough to remain one of the best sports simulations on the market.

Road to the Show (RTTS) mode receives the most love this time around. Created players will now grow based on defined archetypes, depending on position. For example, the Power Corner type focuses corner infielders on fielding and power hitting, but won’t prioritize speed on the basepaths. These archetypes come with caps to certain attributes, so there won’t be any almighty, 99-rated stats across the board this time.

Raising said attributes is more organic, too. Rather than in-game actions earning points that can be applied to the skill of your choice, your exploits or struggles are applied to the appropriate stat. So, launching a homer off a lefthanded pitcher will automatically go toward improving your player’s power-hitting prowess against lefties. Additionally, frequent opportunities arise throughout the season to passively train, either raising a certain attribute or the cap on some attributes.

As a result, there’s more time spent on the diamond than in menus in RTTS. It’s easier than ever to breeze through an entire career, which begins this year as a long-shot draft pick instead of a blue-chip prospect. This career mode may not be the definitive top dog among sports games, but it’s in the conversation.

Outside RTTS, there’s less to be excited about. Franchise mode is largely the same as it’s been for a few years. Splitting seasons into phases makes it a bit easier to digest what can occasionally be a repetitive experience — something inherent to most games’ franchise modes.

There’s also an option to play through the game’s niche Retro Mode, forgoing the more intricate visuals and controls of the rest of the game. A new batting stance creator is simple and fun once or twice, mostly when setting up an RTTS player.

Gameplay and presentation are tight as ever. Keen-eyed gamers will observe plenty of additions and upgrades to fielding animations and physics. Die-hards will notice some shortstops can make plays that others can’t. Just about every other sports franchise is playing catch-up to The Show in this arena.

MLB The Show 18 maintains the series’ commitment to quality, but it comes more heavily recommended to those who prefer RTTS over franchise mode.