With under a month before the release of MLB The Show 17 , most of the details concerning the baseball sim title has already been announced. The last bit of information remaining before the release was just how Franchise mode would work in The Show. We reported that Sony introduced new ways to play games in Franchise mode, with the focus being that playing whole games is no longer necessary.
In this week’s Gamestop’s MLB Mondays, Sony announced what will be featured in Franchise mode in MLB The Show 17. The new detail that was announced was the introduction of Player Quirks. Not every player in Major League Baseball is the same and MLB The Show has finally realized that. This year Sony introduced Player Quirks which gives each player their own personality based on real-life data.
The example given was that of Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. In the picture above, Rizzo has five quirks.
- Unfazed
- Breaking Ball Hitter
- Rally Monkey
- Fighter
- Situational Hitter
The most important of these five quirks are the unfazed and fighter quirks. Unfazed means a player excels with two strikes. For most players, hitting with two strikes is a moment of stress because players are forced to swing at bad pitches. Rizzo excels at plate discipline when the opposing pitchers have all of their pitches to throw. As seen in the 2016 World Series, Rizzo is one of the best hitters when it comes to hitting with two strikes in the count, as well as being a fighter.
The fighter quirk is a player that performs their best in the 9th inning or later in games. Stamina becomes an issue as games go on and as pitch selection becomes an issue for many players. Rizzo rises to the occasion late in games, also something that the nation saw during the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians.
While many fans of MLB The Show 17 plays full games in their franchise, Sony gave players options this year regarding how they want to play games. Players can play a whole game, choose one player to play with Player Lock, Quick Manage a game or Manage Full Game. Sony even gave estimates of how long games will be with each of these options.
- Play Full Game- 45 minutes
- Quick Manage- 5 minutes
- Player Lock- 10 minutes
- Manage Full Game- 45 minutes
Critical Situations is another way for players to participate in a game without playing an entire game. Critical Situations puts players in only the biggest moments of a game. For example, moments like a late game pitching change with the bases loaded, two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, or even something small like getting your pitcher to induce a double play early in the game. This addition will give players who may not have the time to complete an entire game to participate in games as opposed to just simulating games.
Needless to say the additions to MLB The Show 17 adds new wrinkles to a game that already is one of the best sports games on the market. Just weeks away from its release, the stage is set for baseball fans to jump into MLB The Show and all of its amazing new features.
What are your thoughts about the new additions to MLB The Show 17 Franchise mode? Let us know in our comment section. In the meantime, check out th Franchise Mode intro video below.
