There is just over a month until the release of MLB The Show 20 and we could not be more excited!
The release of the trailer and subsequent trailer rewind has us overflowing with excitement as they teased and subsequently explained many new features across Franchise Mode, Road to the Show and Diamond Dynasty.
The latter of which is the recipient of a brand new game mode. The introduction of a new game mode to DD speaks to its rise to the favored mode for many The Show players.
Like many trading card/fantasy team modes its strength lies in its addictive nature, customizability and breadth of options. However, that’s not to say there aren’t some features we’d love to see added.
Offline DD modes
DD MEETS FM: Single player DD needs some love
DD is an online mode. That’s part one of
the entire mode. It does have PvsCPU modes, but these are limited and don’t
rival any of the fully offline modes, like FM and RTTS.
That’s not to say single player gamers don’t want to play DD, though. There are a lot of gamers who love to build a team through DD, love the missions, customization and many other features, but don’t want to play PvsP.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about MLB The Show 20
After a while it gets to be too much of a grind to only play single player modes, and FM, RTTS and March to October don’t satisfy like DD can.
So, implementing offline modes to play while using your DD squad would be a game changer.
No trading card style mode has a mode that
would let you play a full offline season like you would in Season/Franchise
mode. It would be the first of its kind and would give single player DD players
hours and hours of gameplay.
Even a single player postseason or tournament
format with stat tracking would suffice. It would add real purpose to playing
DD for people who don’t play PvsP.
Box score overhaul
WHO: We should know which version of a player was used
Within DD there are a ton of modes,
difficulties and players, and that changes even more depending on the opponent.
However, box scores don’t reflect any of
this, which undermines the value of them considering the fluidity of your
lineup and the difference between game modes and opponents.
This is something that has been brought up on MLB The Show’s sub-reddit and is supported.
READ MORE: New game mode - Showdown - confirmed for DD
Within the box score it should indicate which version of the player you were using, seeing as there are multiple versions of most players. It should also show which game mode was played, the rating of the opponent and the difficulty setting of the game.
It doesn’t seem like a huge change, but in terms of keeping track of stats and your records it would be a welcome change to many dedicated DD players.
Pack to marketplace
CASHIN IN: Big Papi is sure to command huge prices in DD
Of course, a huge aspect of any trading
card game mode like DD is the players and the packs they come in.
Whether you religiously rip packs, treat
yourself occasionally, or only open reward packs, they are a big aspect of the
game.
Alongside them is the marketplace, where excess cards can be flogged and scooped up with the in-game currency
READ MORE: What did we learn from the extended trailer?
For many it is largely a platform to get
rid of most of the players from packs to build up their stubs stockpile, but
that process can be repetitive, unnecessarily long and frustrating.
There should be a feature which allows
players to open up the marketplace directly from pack openings. So, when you
see a player you’re going to sell you can immediately view the marketplace and
operate it as you need.
Again, this is a seemingly small change, and will go unnoticed for the majority of your time playing, but it is something that will improve the experience for everyone and ultimately allow you to spend less time navigating menus and more time playing.
NOW WATCH BELOW: MLB The Show 20 extended trailer
With Showdown coming to DD in The Show 20, and several new legends having already been revealed, there figures to be much more coming to DD in 2020. Tune into the San Diego Studio developer livestreams to find out more.
READ MORE: What will Xbox Series X mean for MLB The Show 21?