San Diego Studio recently shared its first look at the presentation upgrades for MLB The Show 26. The upcoming game will feature upgrades to the commentary with Jessia Mendoza, Boog Sciambi, Chris “Singy” Singleton, and Robert Flores covering the action. As you progress from the minors to the majors, the broadcast will adapt to your standings with stat-focused presentations. Stadium atmosphere also sees some upgrades with better visual effects, fireworks, smoke, and more.
Unfortunately, players over at the r/MLBTheShow are less than impressed:
“Why does none of this seem new? I swear I’ve seen 90% of those in previous games.”
Now, it’s not really like there’s absolutely nothing notable about these presentation upgrades. For example, the fan culture is expanded with 19 colleges now, with new fans, chants, and uniform colorways. There are also new ballparks, like the Tokyo Dome and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico, where you’ll be able to play with your Diamond Dynasty.
So yeah, there are definitely some changes here. Are there big changes to the presentation? Not really, and that’s the problem with annual sports games, as highlighted by this comment:
“All these games, sports and other genres basically release the same shit every year or couple years. Arc Raiders is one of the only few games that’s been exciting. Sports games are really at a low. Yes you are just playing the sport what else could they do? Well, up the presentation game, find new ways to improve the movement of the players to be even more fluid, find ways to improve the graphics. I don’t know, I think sports games should release every few years and they can sell a roster update every year.”
Business As Usual
To be perfectly frank, there’s nothing really new to see here, as we see the cycle repeat itself with a majority of annual sports releases. There are incremental or marginal improvements, fans complain, some people still enjoy the game, and we wait to repeat this for the next entry to the series. But this doesn’t excuse the fact that the presentation and graphics are not a major improvement for MLB The Show 26. As we discussed a few weeks ago, SDS needs to realize it’s a new era.
