Storylines, Season 2
This time around, they’re launching with four highlighted players for the Storylines mode, with more to come via updates in April and May. The first four players are:
- Josh Gibson, candidate for greatest baseball player of all time
- Toni Stone, one of only a few women who played alongside men in the Negro Leagues
- Buck Leonard, a legendary Hall of Fame first baseman
- Hank Aaron, the Home Run King who briefly played in the Negro Leagues as a teenager
Toni Stone definitely stands out as the first female player in The Show. Unlike the recent additions of licensed women’s leagues in EA Sports’ soccer and hockey games, it’s hard to imagine The Show eventually expanding out to include a full women’s league, with the women’s game barely existing in the United States. But, you never know.
If you are interested in playing an officially licensed women’s league in a baseball video game, the Pro Yakyuu Famista series includes a few Japanese women’s leagues, with real player and team names.
Out of the Park Baseball 25 announced
Out of the Park Baseball is coming back for its twenty-fifth year, releasing March 15th. This year the game is getting a price increase up from $39.99 to $49.99 (not sure if or how this price increase affects regions outside the U.S.). Pre-orders and launch week purchases come at a 30% discount, resulting in a $35.99 sale price.
More important than price questions, the new game seems to include my most-wanted feature: An actual official button you can click to teach one of your players a new position:
This is the new Development Lab feature, with options for shaping the development of your player. This was badly needed and I’m pretty excited for it.
Pawapuro Game Genome episode
An episode of the Japanese TV show “Game Genome” broadcast an episode on the Powerful Pro Yakyuu series this week. It’s 30 minutes of talk about the history of the series, with a speical focus on little details in the old games and a funny segment following the development of a player in the Eikan Nine mode.
You can watch the episode with Japanese subtitles turned on here (for screen translation if you’d like), or without the subtitles here.
Jeff Gerstmann talks Slugfest
Starting at 2:15:55 and ending around 2:20:21, Jeff Gerstmann (formerly of Giant Bomb and GameSpot) talked about Midway’s Slugfest series in his podcast this week. It’s great to hear someone else recognize the series for doing something different and interesting with baseball games.
In the clip Jeff describes a goofy credits scene with Sal DiVita brutalizing his own employees in a mo-cap suit. Be aware he says this is from MLB Slugfest 20-03 but he’s actually describing MLB Slugfest 20-04. I could not have possibly told you which was which without having just watched them, so I’m surprised he got that close.
YouTube Viewing Guide
- EA Sports MLB Tap Baseball 2023 (iOS) Gameplay – Last week I talked about some minor cover athlete controversy, and a theory why a slightly lesser star in Vlad Jr. made the cover of The Show. This was the game Julio Rodriguez endorsed, which may have cost him the spot on The Show also. It really feels like a mobile game from 10-15 years ago.
- Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest (N64) Gameplay – I really like the N64 Griffey games. It’s a shame Angel Studios went on to make Midnight Club instead after this came out.
- Major League Baseball 2K8 (PSP) CPU vs. CPU Gameplay – There can be a beauty in harsh things. An abandoned factory, with geometric patterns of rust. An old cigarette carton half-soaked in mud, discarded in a damp ravine. And a PSP port where occasionally Bronson Arroyo will move in slow motion and the announcers will talk about something that happened a full minute ago. There is beauty to be found there.