MLB The Show 22 – Road to the Show Impressions

While I edit away on my MLB The Show 22 video for YouTube, I thought I would put together my initial thoughts of the Road to the Show mode available in the game. In Road to the Show, you will create your own player, choose a position – or a hybrid position which I would touch on later – and begin your career in the minor…minor leagues. After selecting the Blue Jays as my ideal team to play for, I was finally drafted and began playing minor baseball. How does this compare to other create-your-own-player modes in other games? Let’s dive in.

I could bury the lead and make you read a ton of stuff before I get to my opinion, but that is not how I role. Road to the Show is easily the best create-your-own-player mode in any video game. It works SO well, gives you options, and is so streamlined. It could be because of the nature of the sport, but it also could be because these developers just do things better.

Let’s compare it to NHL 22, shall we. In NHL 22, you select your player and position, and you can decide where you want to start your career. You will sit on the bench until your shift on the ice, at which point you take control of your character. Understandably, understanding hockey is a bit more complicated than baseball, at least in terms of video games. For example, if you choose to play centre field in MLB the Show, there is zero reason for you to trot anywhere near third base. In NHL, however, you do need to take positioning on the ice into consideration when playing, which adds a bit of depth that is missing in MLB The Show.

Because of the positioning element, each time you end a shift and head back to the bench, the game provides you an overview of your shift. How as your positioning, how was your passing, how was your shooting, etc. It’s great information at first, but once you become more of a pro, it becomes more of a nuisance AND it draws out each game. You can sim your time on the bench to hurry your next shift, but that takes way too much time, in my opinion.

In MLB The Show, depending on your position, the game only requires you to play when the simulated game says you need to. If you are the pitcher – which I think many people will choose – you will obviously pitch every inning (as a starter) until you are pulled, or in relief. I decided on a hybrid approach. I would relief pitch some games, and play centre field others, ultimately landing on centre field as my desired position. This hybrid approach is another plus for MLB the show, because it allowed me to recognize that I really didn’t like pitching! Imagine choosing to be a goalie in NHL 22 only to realize 10-15 games in that you hated it, which means you need to start over!

When playing at centre field, the game only made me control my character when I was going to be required to make a play. So if the pitcher was on a hot streak and struck out three straight batters, the game just sims through all of that, keeping you playing more often, and waiting around less.

I have just got my first Major League call-up, so I’m still early in my career, but the streamlined process of MLB The Show is making it my favourite game, hands down! This one isn’t even close, and I’m a much bigger hockey fan than I am baseball!