Also on: PS5, Xbox Series X
Publisher: MLBAM
Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Medium: Digital/Disc/Cartridge
Players: 1-8
Online: Yes
ESRB: E
MLB The Show has had a mixed history on the Nintendo Switch. Some years, like MLB The Show 23, I actually preferred the Switch version to the PS5 one. At the other end of the spectrum, last yearโs edition occasionally verged on barely playable. So, with the June release of the Switch 2 on the not-too-distant horizon and MLB The Show 25 likely marking the seriesโ last entry on the original Switch, how does this yearโs version fare?
It depends on how you look at it.
See, thereโs no question that, visually, MLB The Show 25 on the Switch is really showing the systemโs age. Thereโs no getting around the fact that this game is pretty ugly at the best of times, and somehow the gap between this version and the one on more powerful consoles feels even more pronounced than before. Itโs bad enough that I started playing Road to the Show as a female ballplayer, and I wondered why, unlike last year, my characterโs best friend was now a man. It wasnโt until I read the dialogue closely that I realized, no, the best friend was still a woman, it was just that the game was struggling to make anyone look distinctive.
There is, however, a seeming upside to the game looking awful: it runs surprisingly well, for the most part. Where last yearโs version of MLB The Show on the Switch had noticeable issues, I didnโt run into similar problems with MLB The Show 25. Loading screens didnโt feel like they took forever. There werenโt graphical hiccups that made pitching and catching a challenge. It worked as it was supposed to, which is a welcome change from last yearโs edition.
Mind you, there are still some idiosyncrasies that persist on the Switch version of the game. For some reason, home run derbies continue to be an issue; much like in last year, it often feels like the pitcher is trying to get you out or induce weak contact, throwing all kinds of pitches well off the plate. The same thing definitely doesnโt happen in the PS5 version, so itโs baffling that it happens here. On a similar note, batted balls feel deader in the Switch version of MLB The Show 25 than they do elsewhere โ regardless of the mode I was playing in or my settings, I never saw any home runs get absolutely launched. Theyโd clear the fence, but compared to the PS5 version, they just seemed to lack a little oomph.
But if thatโs the price to pay for a version of MLB The Show 25 that, in general, runs well and gives you the same overall experience youโd find on more powerful consoles, Iโll take it. MLB The Show 25 on the Switch certainly wonโt win any awards for looks, but if youโre hoping that the game gets a decent send-off on the hybrid platform โ or even if you just want it to run better than last year โ youโll be pleasantly surprised.
MLBAM provided us with an MLB The Show 25 Nintendo Switch code for review purposes.
MLB The Show 25 Standard Edition - Xbox Series X|S [Digital Code]
1 used & new available from $69.99
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