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“The one constant through all the years...has been baseball.” Or, to frame James Earl Jones’s Field of Dreams quote in another way, baseball is a game that stubbornly sticks to tradition. New rules like pitch clocks aren’t rushed into practice without years of deliberation. With the sport itself remaining relatively static, it’s hard to fault MLB The Show 17

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Hits and Highlights

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Our National Pastime All the Time

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Mode Trip

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Yet, last year, the game took its biggest step this generation, with major additions to the career mode and a total revamp of its card-based Diamond Dynasty. For a series that seems to constantly tweak and not rebuild features, these changes were a big deal. Certainly, I thought, a second year of huge upgrades would be asking too much.However, I was surprised to find that MLB The Show 17 does, in fact, take major strides to make the game more authentic and, in turn, more fun.The expectations are set high early, with a surprisingly good opening video; it’s definitely worth watching at least once. From there, the menus have been given a fresh look. They continue to be easy to navigate and put the stuff used most often right up front.In-game, lighting has been improved, which is especially notable after the attention it has received over the past few years. Day games are especially vibrant. I continue to be impressed by the MLB The Show 17’s ability to communicate the time of day and year based solely on changes in the sky and lighting.The game is full of new animations, which do more than look nice. They have a definite impact on how you and the AI play the game. For instance, infielders read the runners in order to put an appropriate amount of velocity on their throws. No longer will you see a runner beat out a throw because the fielder casually took too long.In the outfield, defenders don’t take robotically precise routes to the ball anymore. I’ve seen outfielders get a poor jump on a fly ball, then compensate and make a great catch. I’ve also witnessed a fielder close in too quickly to the ball, only to watch it skip to the wall for extra bases. These animations are very subtle sometimes, but noticeable if you’ve been a regular fan of the series.Add to these new animations a large increase in hit variety, and you’ve got a very authentic looking and playing baseball game. Sony touted a big jump in the number of different types of hits you can get, and they didn’t exaggerate. Floating line drives, spinning grounders, and wind-blown fly balls look and act very realistically. My favorite type of hits to watch are bloop singles that fall just out of reach of any fielder. I don’t recall seeing this type of hit in past versions of The Show.New MLB Network broadcast elements also increase the game’s authenticity. One particularly neat aspect is Showtrack, a stat-driven overlay that appears on some replays. For example, I hit a long home run and was treated with an illustration of the path of the ball, exit velocity, hang time, and distance. It looks exactly like something you’d see on TV. If there’s one complaint regarding the presentation of MLB The Show 17, it’s that the transitions reveal some framerate issues. To be fair, these are the only performance hiccups I’ve seen so far, playing on a regular PS4 and standard HDTV.The MLB Network stuff also brings new commentary, thanks to on-air personalities Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac. Initially, I felt that there wasn’t a lot of connection between long-time announcer Matt Vasgersian and the new guys. Their lines seemed to exist in a vacuum. But the more I’ve played, the more I noticed conversational exchanges between the three. Vasgersian still dominates as the play-by-play guy, but both Plesac and Reynolds offer timely and accurate information. There seems to be a new focus on explaining batters’ past performance against each pitcher, which is neat.Unfortunately, repetitive lines of dialogue continue to creep in. In fact, during one game Harold Reynolds described both starting pitchers by using the same exact lines. With a limited amount recorded content, repetition is something that will likely be more noticeable the more I play. Still, this is probably the best team of broadcasters The Show has had, thanks to their fresh and interesting dialogue. The three-man crew ably brings the feel of real TV baseball onto the PS4.The three main modes of play return: Road to the Show, Franchise, and Diamond Dynasty. Added to the mix is the new Retro Mode, an attempt to replicate old 16-bit baseball games like Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball. While I loved those old games, this mode falls flat for me. For one thing, splash screens, text, sound effects, and music are delivered with old-school charm, while the players and animations are still current gen. And as good as the current gameplay is, it doesn’t quite fit in with the loose arcade setting of the past. I get that the mode is likely designed for local multiplayer sessions with your buddies, but I can’t see any other reason to revisit it.Road to the Show contains one of my favorite new additions so far: the entire career mode is now framed as a baseball documentary. An off-screen narrator describes the important locker room decisions players will have to make.For instance, my AA catcher, who honestly wasn’t that good at catching, was asked to move to the outfield. I agreed; the team was stacked with catchers and lacking power hitting outfielders. I could have complained about or refused the move, and my story would have played out differently--with me likely riding the pine or being shipped to another city. It’s fun shaping the player’s personality as well as his skills. All of this is presented as though I was the focus of an “30 for 30” style show. In all, I found the entire documentary idea novel and interesting.Franchise mode is relatively similar to last year, but the “Critical Situations” feature is the new star. While simming, if something big is about to happen, the game will pause and allow you to take control. Thus far, I’ve been given chances to walk off a game in extra innings, close out a tight contest, finish a complete game, and try to complete a batter’s cycle. This feature should allow users to get through more seasons without missing the big moments.As for Diamond Dynasty, the core components of this card-based mode remain intact. The goals and reward system have been tweaked, with more ways to earn XP and currency throughout the game. Franchise mode itself is given a whole “ladder” of ways to earn points and cards for use in Diamond Dynasty. In fact, for a new user the number of options might be a bit overwhelming.I’m intrigued by the promise of timed events with specific entry requirements. Hopefully, these events will give life to the variety of cards that typically never make it into my starting lineup. On the other hand, I’m disappointed that the Conquest game within Diamond Dynasty is unchanged. This odd mix of Risk and baseball was fun last year, but felt like it needed one or two more twists to keep it interesting; I don’t see myself reinvesting a lot of time recapturing the USA, especially since my team has been effectively reset.Finally, while my online experiences have been limited thus far, they haven’t been flawless. I had some noticeable lag between swing and contact, and in one instance my fielder kept glitching out while waiting for a fly ball. Neither issue affected the game as a whole, and the rest of my online matches have been fine.