Today PlayStation, alongside MLB The Show 20 developers San Diego Studio, released an extended cut of recently revealed new features and details that should be of interest of fans of the upcoming baseball sim.
You can view the full, nearly five minute long video below at the end of the post to hear the full explanation of all the new features announced by community manager and designer, Ramone Russell.
Quickly though, allow us to catch you up on the most important details before discussing them a bit.
New Legends Coming in MLB The Show 20
- Mariano Rivera, CP Yankees
- David Ortiz, 1B/DH Red Sox
- Shane Victorino, OF Phillies
- Gary Sheffield, OF Various but appeared in Marlins uniform in trailer
- John Franco, CP Mets
- Returning: Ken Griffey Jr., OF Mariners
New Game Mode & Gameplay Features in MLB The Show 20
- Real-time Attribute Changes During Games in RTTS more realistic and intelligent dynamic challenges, and on-field player relationship building.
- New Subtle Start Transitions for OFs
- The best outfielders will make subtle movements to better track the ball, while weak defenders will be by comparison more clunky/slow.
- Brand New Game Mode: Showdown
- Details were a little sketchy, but you’ll be able to draft players, upgrade them with perks, and then go against the best pitchers.
- Extreme Catch Indicators
- Outfielders, depending on their ability, will be able to approach balls more conservatively (safely letting the ball drop in front) or aggressively (high risk, high reward dive/shoestring catches).
- Players will have input on whether they want to go for either one of these types of catches.
- March to October will receive new front office moves, player development options, and a revamped reward system.
- Defensive Button Accuracy Meter Revamp
- “Faster, more intuitive” that will change based on throw difficulty, distance of throw and player skill
- Catcher Defensive Ratings Will Matter More
New Animations & Visuals for MLB The Show 20
- Nike-branded Uniforms
- Juan Soto “Shuffle” Animation
- 50 New Base Running Animations
- More Realistic Double Play Animations from 1Bs
- 700 Total New Gameplay Animations
- New Catcher Tag Animations
- New Dugout, Team, Home Run Animations
- New Home Run Swings
- Bat Slams
- New Robbed Home Run Animations
- New Blocked Ball Animations
Woo’ OK that’s a lot of stuff. The main takeaway for us, from this video at least, is that improving the quality and realism of defense is on the forefront of the mind of the devs at San Diego Studio for MLB The Show 20
Defense in baseball games is one of those things that you don’t notice as much when its smooth and feels right, but is one of the most jarring, annoying, and immersion breaking problems when things go awry.
Any amount of time invested on eliminating as many frustrating, ill-fitting animations that lead to unfair errors and/or just improving the quality of defense in MLB The Show 20 is time well spent.
We’re feeling pretty good about MLB The Show 20 after last year’s excellent offering put the game in such a great spot and was named our best sports game of 2019. Hopefully, San Diego Studios has another impressive effort in them prior to the start of the next generation.
