MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

[RaychelSnr]

MLB The Show 16 shipped with a wide assortment of game modes: from the very traditional franchise mode to the completely unique conquest mode. We took some time, gathered some of OS's finest staff writers around the roundtable, and discussed the modes in this year's game and what we think of them.

Check out our responses after the jump, be sure to join in on the discussion in the comments!

Read More - MLB The Show 16: Talking Road to the Show (Roundtable)

[Eh-Red]

Couldn't disagree more with Jayson Young on the RTTS comments. The last thing they need to do is add all that fluff to that mode. I buy baseball games to play baseball.

[WhiteBunny]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

Jayson Young:

I will never spend much time with Road to the Show until it becomes less about and "leveling up" and more about storytelling. The mode focuses on the worst part of role-playing games (grinding for experience points) while completely excluding the best part (telling a compelling story). I wouldn't have spent 40 minutes, let alone 40 hours, playing a game like Chrono Trigger if it was nothing but random battles, and that's exactly what playing Road to the Show feels like: mindless, repetitive action with zero emotional involvement.

An RPG game is a story driven experience. This is a sim sport game, you build your own story playing game after game. There's no need of narrative or script and i don't want to play a fictional character with an established background. Maybe that's a good idea for a tutorial mode, in which through the story of Joe Random you learn the basics of baseball. What RTTS mode desperately needs is more immersion and more relationship with your teammates. Those are key features to build a story in a sport game. It's not only about you, it's about you and who is around you. Who they like, who they dislike, what they think about you, about your performance, who is more friendly, who's not, etc... .
A sort of relationship system, something like the new morale one.

[R9NALD9]

Couldn't disagree more with Jayson Young on Rtts. I've stopped playing NBA 2k's my player mode since they started with the super cheesy story telling. It's stupid and in the end it makes everyone and every single career basically the same. I love Rtts as it is now, you can really create your own story. The last thing I need some generic voice and annoying generic family added to my Rtts player...it really kills all the joy imo

[Stolm]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

An RPG game is a story driven experience. This is a sim sport game, you build your own story playing game after game. There's no need of narrative or script and i don't want to play a fictional character with an established background. Maybe that's a good idea for a tutorial mode, in which through the story of Joe Random you learn the basics of baseball. What RTTS mode desperately needs is more immersion and more relationship with your teammates. Those are key features to build a story in a sport game. It's not only about you, it's about you and who is around you. Who they like, who they dislike, what they think about you, about your performance, who is more friendly, who's not, etc... .
A sort of relationship system, something like the new morale one.

Yep, totally agree.

I listed a few ideas a couple years back, involving a sort of team morale and chemistry system with players on your team.

And instead of all the gimmicky arcade additions, how about they restore and improve signs from the 3rd base coach. Baserunning is a complete borefest now that we have free reign to run and screw up as much as we want. That is not realistic at all. A huge blow to immersion upon its removal.

[TattooedEvil]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

I dont really touch RTTS other then maybe doing the showcase cuz I am all about franchise but that story stuff that I see on NBA 2K is horrible IMO. Let's face it, MLB fans for the most part are about 95% less flashy then the NBA and NFL fans. The celebrating after every little thing a player does well in the NBA and NFL is so tired....and while I'm all for Harper carrying the flag to let players show personality and not take 97 in the ear hole next time up, I fear the day we see celebrations after every single fly ball caught by the flashy new CF (or whoever). I get there are plenty of ppl that love story modes in this stuff but any hardcore baseball fan would say lets just get to work, play some ball and get my player paid! If that story stuff ever makes its way into MLBTS u can pretty much write off any upgrades to anything else for that years game.

[WhiteBunny]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

Yep, totally agree.

I listed a few ideas a couple years back, involving a sort of team morale and chemistry system with players on your team.

And instead of all the gimmicky arcade additions

Morale system is already in, they need to add more options in RTTS mode to create the wonderful micro-universe of a clubhouse. In a baseball team there are veterans, rookies, etnic groups and so on. I hope they give up with arcade features like showtime and perks, it doesn't add nothing to RTTS. More immersion is an incredible boost in a rpg-like mode. Your life in the clubhouse, in the dugout.

[chuckm1961]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

Arguably, at least for me, RTTS can never be something I would enjoy. Baseball is a Team Sport, at the end of the day, and RTTS can't help but focus on Me and My Greatness. Thus losing the essence of what baseball is about.

A mode that somehow integrated the individual and team glory in an immersive way ... I have no idea how that would look.

[Pythons80]

No love for Season mode, what gives?

[bxphenom7]

I'm really enjoying RTTS simply because the gameplay and the look of the game is addicting. Everything looks realistic from variety of hits to a strong most of the animation.

Side-notes: When importing my MLB 15 player, it switched up my city of birth and it doesn't look possible, hope that can get fixed. I'd just like my New York instead of Michigan lol
Also something weird happening with my guy's OVR when the yankees changed my position. I dropped 2 OVR points but in roster areas the OVR is as if I never did so I'm seeing 2 different OVR for my player depending on the screen I'm at.

[Battman]

Played a few games Battle Royal. Connection was really good. But in three games I played against trolls: One just did not start pitching. After around 5 minutes I left the game: Lost game. On two occasions I equaled the score in the bottom of the third with no outs. And then - out of a sudden - the formerly perfect connection was lost. Instead of getting at least a draw I lost the games. This really ruins the experience.

[cheechoo98]

I'm loving the Conquest mode and 3 inning games - I'm currently going through my second run through it. Battle Royale is fun becasue of the rosters, but then i realised it's 1500 stubbs to join all the time,, and i'd much rather spend the coin on players in the market than an admision fee. Great stuff this year form SDS

[KBLover]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

An RPG game is a story driven experience. This is a sim sport game, you build your own story playing game after game. There's no need of narrative or script and i don't want to play a fictional character with an established background. Maybe that's a good idea for a tutorial mode, in which through the story of Joe Random you learn the basics of baseball. What RTTS mode desperately needs is more immersion and more relationship with your teammates. Those are key features to build a story in a sport game. It's not only about you, it's about you and who is around you. Who they like, who they dislike, what they think about you, about your performance, who is more friendly, who's not, etc... .
A sort of relationship system, something like the new morale one.

And what's ironic about that...is that's the story he's talking about not having.

RTTS is like a pen and paper RPG...you make a character and the "adventures" he has playing through the baseball season, his streaks, slumps, injuries, etc., and throw in better interactions like you mention...THAT is the story.

I mean not ALL RPGs are like jRPGs like Chrono Trigger.

[Stolm]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

I'm trying, but I can't get into RTTS this year.

Too many issues.

Can't play the game the way I want to anymore.

[WhiteBunny]

Re: MLB The Show 16: Talking Game Modes (Roundtable)

And what's ironic about that...is that's the story he's talking about not having.

RTTS is like a pen and paper RPG...you make a character and the "adventures" he has playing through the baseball season, his streaks, slumps, injuries, etc., and throw in better interactions like you mention...THAT is the story.

I mean not ALL RPGs are like jRPGs like Chrono Trigger.

Yep. You can also bump immersion with simple generic cutscenes and better view of the game while you're not playing ( if they don't remove at all the watch game option ). For example, both NBA 2K and NHL have great cameras from the bench. And you can skip between bench camera and the default ones. In The Show it seems like you're watching the game from "deck".
So i'm with you. It's an rpg mode which needs more stats and immersion/atmosphere features to represent your life in the clubhouse. Not a classic story, but a better way to create your own story which is, like you said, streaks, slumps, injuries, records, etc... .