One of the most exciting announcements at the PlayStation Experience was that MLB The Show 17 would have a retro mode. It was only fitting considering the game’s cover athlete is none other than Ken Griffey Jr., who had previously had his own baseball series. Now we finally have some details on what the mode will offer.
According to a PlayStation Blog post made by Sony’s San Diego Studio, the mode can be played with a single button. This simplicity will make the game a lot easier for more casual players to pick up the action, but the developer stresses that it has “surprising depth.” In fact, it’ll also feature “all the new animations, gameplay additions, and improvements found in the regular version of the game.”
Here’s the full details from the post:
For example, in an effort to simplify the batter vs. pitcher battle, we’ve taken all the pitching attributes out and boiled them down to velocity, break, and control. Because there is no high and low in the strike zone, you have three pitches at your disposal that you can trigger with the touch of one button. To throw a fastball you hold down on the left analog stick and press X. To throw a changeup you hold up on the left analog stick and press X. And to throw a slider you press to the left or right on the left analog stick after the pitch is released.
One of the wrinkles we’ve added is that velocity is controlled by holding down or up on the analog stick just before the pitcher releases. In closing, you choose velocity before the pitch is thrown and you can affect movement (left or right) after the pitch is thrown.
That wasn’t the only announcement, as Sony also revealed the game’s regional cover athletes. The Toronto Blue Jays’ Aaron Sanchez will be on the Canadian cover, and Miami Marlins’ Wei-Yin Chen will be on the Taiwan version of the game. You can check out their temporary covers over at the blog post, and view the developer’s upcoming Twitch stream schedule.
MLB The Show 17 releases March 28 exclusively on PlayStation 4.
(Source: PlayStation Blog)
