MLB The Show 22 Missing Features

When it comes to video games, especially annual releases like sports titles, developers are often hard-pressed to squeeze in everything they would like ahead of a fast-approaching release date. The skeptic (or conspiracy theorist) might be tempted to suggest that this is at least somewhat by design in the case of sports games because it only helps ensure that there will be more to add next year under the headline of a new feature. The reality is though that getting too ambitious about what to include in one year can lead to stressed and overworked employees, not to mention a compromised product, when that deadline crunch inevitably hits. In the case of MLB The Show 22, there are a handful of notable missing options and features that would really help to round out the experience.

Some of these would be new additions that would take a little more time and money to implement. However, it’s frustrating that some were already in the game, and it’s a little confusing why they were ever removed in the first place.

MLB The Show 22 Missing Features

Previous Pitches Display

Anyone who plays MLB The Show 22 online knows that it can be immensely frustrating to face someone who insists on holding down R2/RT after every pitch while at the plate, which ensures that you’re unable to deliver the ball to the batter at your own leisure. While there are no doubt those who choose to abuse this mechanic to disrupt your timing or, in some cases, just try drive you crazy to the point that you’ll eventually just decide to quit the game and hand them the win, there’s actually a legitimate reason that some might be using this button regularly. That’s because it also allows you to view the pitch history of the at-bat to possibly look for patterns in the pitch sequencing that can give you a sense of what the next pitch might be and where it might be headed.

A helpful addition to eliminate the abusers would be an option you can toggle on or off that allows you to see the pitch history right up until the pitcher delivers to the plate in the same way that you can turn hot zones on or off in the menu. This would retain the valuable information that holding that button can provide without making the opposing pitcher want to tear their hair out every time they to start throwing a pitch only to be rudely interrupted by the batter. At the outset of every at-bat, you could also be shown the pitch sequence against the batter in a previous at-bat to gather any information on how the approach might be similar or differ this time around.

Co-op Program

I’ve already written in the past about the limitations of MLB The Show 22‘s new co-op mode when discussing online modes within Diamond Dynasty, but it bears repeating when discussing missing components of the game. Though not entirely unexpected when implementing a new mode, the absence of a dedicated co-op program within Diamond Dynasty where you can earn rewards for your performance is especially disappointing because of how fun the mode is to play. It’s easy enough to envision how reward tiers in co-op could work too, as the framework already in place in Ranked Seasons could be transplanted without all that much alteration.

If the developers wanted to deviate from that existing format though, they may want to consider cribbing a page from Rocket League (specifically the 2-vs-2 and 3-vs-3 matchmaking competitive playlist) by introducing even more tiers that you can climb, which would also help with improving matches when it comes to both teammates and opponents. Once you found the sweet spot for your skill level where you were playing with and against people with comparable abilities, it should regularly create some enjoyably tense games with close finishes.

Mini Seasons Innings Option And Stats

The introduction of Mini Seasons in Diamond Dynasty this year has turned out to be a smart idea, even if it hasn’t exactly been implemented seamlessly. The new mode gives you another welcome opportunity to use your best Diamond Dynasty cards and pit them against CPU-controlled teams that are assembled from the collections of other players from the community. Though you’re able to select your desired difficulty for the mode in order to receive better rewards, it’s unfortunate that you’re not able to also change the number of innings from 3 to a full 9-inning game.

As someone who prefers to play baseball just as it’s played in the majors, it would be nice if the mode provided an option to play longer games for the chance at better rewards should you perform well. Considering how there are already plenty of Conquest maps on which to go head-to-head against the CPU in 3-inning games, it would make some sense to allow the chance to go in another direction with Mini Seasons.

While we’re on the topic, a Mini Season doesn’t quite live up to its name without some kind of tracking of the statistics over the course of the 28-game season. Being able to see where your team is currently sitting in the standings like you can now is one thing, but it would take the whole mode to another level if we could see which cards from our teams have fared particularly well over the season and which others have slumped their way through the campaign.

Realistic Throwing With Adjustable Difficulty

MLB The Show 22 gives you control over both hitting and pitching difficulties, but it drops the ball a bit and commits an error in the field by not having difficulty settings for throwing. It doesn’t even take an elite player to master the throwing meter mechanic that the game uses to determine the accuracy of a throw from the infield or outfield, and there’s no option to increase the difficulty of the meter.

If it were possible to have the meter move a little faster on higher difficulties, especially for fielders who are known to be a little wild with their throws, then you might begin to see more realism from the defensive side of the game. In the past, the game at least had an option that took your input out of the equation completely and had each fielder make throws based solely according to their attributes, but the game has inexplicably removed this from the menu. Without any of these remedies being applied, you will continue to see few throwing errors from people who play the game even semi-regularly.

Manual Fielding And Baserunning

For anyone who likes to have total control over how they play the game of baseball, it’s maddening that MLB The Show 22 insists on having a couple of fundamental options where you’re unable to take full command. Within fielding, there’s an option called “Fielding Decision” where the only two possibilities to choose from are Auto and Assist. The way this translates to the game is that your fielder will always take a few steps via CPU control before giving it over to your input. This might come in handy when you get a hard liner off a bat and the CPU automatically has your fielder diving for the ball, but it’s a poor substitute for some kind of manual mechanic that would force people to react quickly to batted balls and showcase their quick reflexes.

Similarly, there’s a baserunning option called “Baserunning Decisions” that gives you those same two disappointing options of Auto and Assist rather than including one where you need to make every call on the bases. There’s no doubt that it’s helpful on those aforementioned hard liners when the CPU automatically sends any runners back to the base, but there are some occasions where it will actually hinder you when a CPU’s influence is too conservative and can cost you a run or even get you thrown out.

Control Over Umpire Disputes

Even though MLB The Show 22 does have an option for turning ejections on or off, they seem to happen pretty rarely. Even when they do, their occurrences are also fairly random and don’t serve any purpose within a game beyond a touch of added realism. Not all manager ejections are created equal in real life, however, and a skipper flipping his lid at the right time to dispute a critical blown call can be just what’s needed to ignite a listless team.

It’s for this reason that MLB The Show 22 might be better served by putting the call in your hands as to when you want to take issue with a ball or strike call. It’d be neat to see them go even further and give you several possible approaches to take with an umpire, with perhaps certain umpires being a little more susceptible to some influence if you come at them the right way. When you do decide to get aggressive and inevitably tossed, this could function similarly to how winning a fight works in EA’s NHL series by providing a slight boost to the team (or a specific player you’re defending) if you’re able to dispute a bogus call at the right time.