MLB The Show 25 Reveals Major Changes to RTTS and Gameplay

It’s hard to believe that we are already just six weeks away from the release of MLB The Show 25. So far we have gotten some small nuggets of information about what the new game could bring this year. Today, SDS released even more information, including some major changes to gameplay and RTTS.

The Amateur Years

In the description for MLB The Show 25 on the online store fronts, we got confirmation of a major feature that many thought could be coming to the game this year. In quite possibly the bigger addition to the mode in years, players will now be able to play both high school and college games before being drafted. Players will get to play two to three high school games and three to four college games.

So far, a handful of colleges have been seen in the gameplay trailer released earlier today. These include UCLA, TCU, Texas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and more. Along with these teams, players will get to use metal bats during these games. New authentic sound effects have been added for these new bats.

Alongside the new pre-draft experience comes a new progression system. Players will now have full control over how their player progresses. There will also be a new perk crafting system that will allow you to tailor perks to your player. 

In the field, there will be some new changes. There will be new impact plays and quick time events added. You will also now view some of these moments in first person.

Franchise

Franchise mode is also set to get some updates this year. In the game’s description on online stores, it points out improvements to “both Trade Logic and Defensive WAR.” 

In a blog post on the MLB The Show website, we got more insight into the new offseason experience that had been previously teased. This post says that this year, “choices matter, consequences are real, and time is precious.” It also says that the new Free Agency system adds a risk/reward strategy to pursuing the top players.

Diamond Dynasty

Diamond Dynasty is also getting a load of new features and enhancements this year. First up are two new game modes. The first is an offline mode called Diamond Quest. The game’s description refers to the mode as a “brand-new roguellke game mode, where rewards are yours to earn through moments, boss encounters and more.”

Online players are also getting a new mode in Weekend Challenge. This highly competitive multiplayer mode will be one of place to earn the best rewards in MLB The Show 25.

Gameplay

Game modes don’t matter much if the gameplay isn’t great, and MLB The Show 25 has tons of gameplay changes to keep things fresh. Among these are hundreds of new animations for things like robbing home runs, on the run catches and tags, and more. There is also a new G.O.A.T. difficulty setting that will provide a new level of challenge for the best of the best players.

There is also a new hitting setting called ambush hitting. This new hitting style is described as offering a more strategic plan of attack at the plate. We don’t know exactly how it will work yet, so we will have to wait for more information in the coming weeks.

Storylines

The popular Storylines mode will return in MLB The Show 25. The Negro Leagues Season 3 will see Bob Kendrick return to tell the tales of the legends of the Negro Leagues. Cool Papa Bell is confirmed to be one of the players featured in the mode this year.

New Legends

Finally, the gameplay trailer gave us our first look at some new legends coming to MLB The Show 25. As mentioned above, Cool Papa Bell is coming to the game for the first time this year. Bell won 2 Negro Leagues World Series championships with the Homestead Grays, and was known for being one of the fastest players in the world.

Alongside Bell, two faces of baseball from the 90s and 2000s are coming to the game. First is arguably the greatest pitcher ever in Roger Clemens. Clemens won a record 7 Cy Young awards over 24 seasons along with 2 World Series championships.

The third legend revealed today is former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez. Ramirez was one of the most feared hitters of the early 2000s. Ramirez was a 9-time Silver Slugger, and won the 2004 World Series MVP as he helped the Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino.