For years, the baseball genre has been on lock with MLB The Show. The series has been long running and a steady presence on Sony’s consoles. The latest entry, MLB The Show 19, has been one of the most acclaimed ones yet (you can see our review through here). It’s also smashed a home run in breaking a long standing record.

As reported via NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, The Show 19 is now officially the best selling baseball video game ever in the US. It breaks the record of MVP Baseball 2004, which has stood since that game released in March of 2004. That’s quite a grand slam. Considering this game was exclusive to the PS4, and the series will go multiplatform starting in 2021, this record may not stand long.

MLB The Show 19 is available now for PlayStation 4 with MLB The Show 20 announced to be coming in March of this year. With the multiplatform deal, it will most likely be the last one exclusive to a Sony platform.

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1217953777480687618

Sony has confirmed which two PS4 games it will be giving away for free to PlayStatio Plus subscribers during the month of October, and it’s… not the best lineup in the world. It’s not particularly bad, but not everyone will be happy with it.

The two free PS Plus games for the month of October are The Last of Us Remastered and MLB The Show 19. The Last of Us Remastered is, of course, an absolute masterpiece, and now is a great time to replay it (or play it) before the sequel hits next year. But this is a five year old game that a whole lot of people already have.

Then there’s MLB The Show 19, which is also a very well made and accomplished baseball sim. But it’s also a game that isn’t going to generate much (if any) interest in most places outside of North America (especially Europe), so a lot of people probably won’t care that it’s free.

Either way, if you haven’t played either of these two great games before, this is a great chance to do so. As mentioned earlier, these will be free during the month of October.

RAGE 2

Built on Avalanche Studios’ Apex Engine and packing the punch of an id Software shooter, RAGE 2 is a flawed but hellishly fun game. It is also a visual treat. Boasting a lot more flair and visual variety than its predecessor, and supported by the tech to back up its creative ambitions, RAGE 2 looks constantly impressive and explosive.

The NPD Group has released sales data for video game software and hardware sales in the United States for the month of April (via GamesBeat), and the two biggest releases of the month, Mortal Kombat 11 and Days Gone, both performed very impressively, as they have been doing in other parts of the world as well.

Though Days Gone has been maintaining a steady lead over Mortal Kombat 11 in the UK for a number of weeks running, in the US, the NetherRealm fighter topped April’s charts. Mortal Kombat 11 has sold so well on its debut, in fact, that it has immediately jumped up over the likes of The Division 2, Resident Evil 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and others to become the second best-selling game of 2019 so far, trailing behind only Kingdom Hears 3. 

Mortal Kombat 11 was also the best-selling game in April for each of the individual platforms it debuted on- the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This makes it only the second third party game ever to top the Switch software charts for a month, with the first being Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle in September of 2017, as pointed out by NPD group analyst Mat Piscatella.

Then there’s Days Gone, which debuted second in the charts, showing impressive sales performance in the US similar to the UK, as mentioned above, and Japan, in spite of mixed reviews. In fact, Days Gone has already become Sony Bend’s best-selling game in the United States ever, in terms of lifetime revenue accrued.

You can take a look at the full software sales charts below.

On the hardware side of things, the Nintendo Switch was once again the highest selling console for the month. Every system other than the Switch suffered a decline in sales. For April and for 2019 collectively, the Switch is the best-selling console in the US across both, unit and dollar sales.

NPD Software charts for April, 2019:

1. Mortal Kombat 11
2. Days Gone
3. MLB 19: The Show
4. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2**
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice**
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4**
9. NBA 2K19
10. Yoshi’s Crafted World*
11. Red Dead Redemption II
12. Mario Kart 8*
13. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
14. Minecraft***
15. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
16. Final Fantasy X2/X-2 HD Remaster
17. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
18. Jump Force
19. Battlefield V*
20. Borderlands

*Digital sales not included
**PC digital sales not included
***Xbox One and PlayStation 4 digital sales are included for Minecraft

While the Switch was the bestselling console of last month, it wasn’t a Switch game that conquered the software charts. No, to no one’s surprise, the bestselling game of last month was The Division 2, by Ubisoft. It was followed by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in second place, MLB 19: The Show, Devil May Cry 5, and, perplexingly enough, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rounding out the top five.

New release Yoshi’s Crafted World was in ninth place; it did have a later release in the month, coming right at the end of March, but losing to Smash, which is a four month old game by now, suggests that maybe demand for it hasn’t been as strong as you may expect. Elsewhere, Red Dead Redemption 2 continues to do fantastically well (it’s in sixth place), as does the now six years old Grand Theft Auto 5, which is in eighth place.

It’s also worth noting how well Kingdom Hearts 3 has done, as it is still the bestselling game of the year, in spite of The Division 2’s launch. Square Enix have a winner on their hands with this one for sure.

You can see the full charts below.

Software Rankings

Top 20 best selling titles (March 2019) – Includes Physical and Digital sales

1. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2^
2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice^
3. MLB 19: The Show
4. Devil May Cry 5
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
6. Red Dead Redemption II
7. NBA 2K19
8. Grand Theft Auto V
9. Yoshi’s Crafted World*
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
11. Anthem^
12. Mario Kart 8*
13. Jump Force
14. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
15. Far Cry New Dawn
16. Minecraft#
17. Battlefield V^
18. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
19. Borderlands
20. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

* Digital sales not included
^ PC digital sales not included
# Minecraft digital sales on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One included

"The Show has always been exceptionally pretty even on older hardware, but this year really knocks it out of the park."

This year we’re treated to some mild but noticeable visual upgrades. Some characters look a bit more like their real life counterparts than previous years, and although not every player is a perfect recreation, the vast majority could be easily identified even without their jersey. The fields look as beautiful as ever, players have received a noteworthy increase in animations, and the lighting has seen a moderate upgrade to help the graphics feel a bit crisper. The Show has always been exceptionally pretty even on older hardware, but this year really knocks it out of the park.

While the fundamentals of The Show remain relatively unchanged, we get some much needed quality of life improvements in 2019. The core gameplay offers some substantial upgrades to fielding – an issue that has plagued The Show for years. Players now have colors assigned to them to indicate their level of skill. The lowest level of gray indicates errors are more likely with that player, and the highest level of gold lends a sense of relief in knowing that the player is highly-skilled and likely to pull things off without a hitch. Having an idea of which players are going to be culpable for poor plays and which ones you can count on can be a boon to how you play the game. This excellent change also dictates how easy it is to position the players for things like pop flys as skill variation plays a role in how clear of a path you receive to field the ball. Lower-ranked players will create a lot more tension in these moments and force you to make split-second decisions based on gut instinct. As always, difficulty can be augmented further with a suite of sliders for every element of play.

The game’s premiere mode remains the RPG-lite Road to the Show. It’s a mode of mixed bags every year, and I often feel bogged down by the busywork and really just want to get back to playing baseball. Spending half of my time with this year’s new additions of doing things like playing weight-lifting mini-games or messing around on a virtual phone doesn’t add anything of value to my experience in a baseball game.

"The game’s premiere mode remains the RPG-lite Road to the Show. It’s a mode of mixed bags every year, and I often feel bogged down by the busywork and really just want to get back to playing baseball. "

But what Road to the Show does right is its actual RPG elements. Having the ability to choose between different classes for your player is a real treat, and choosing a specific path for him to follow opens up various perk opportunities. Having a list of perks along a skill tree may feel more RPG than baseball for some, but I love the ability to make decisions about my character and how he’ll assist his team moving forward. Shaping my player’s personality and improving his class-specific abilities stand out as some of the best moments in the mode, and it makes suffering through the more tedious moments of the mode far more tolerable and worth it.

In addition to these class-specific leveling options, Road to the Show sticks to the normal case of specific actions begetting specific rewards or consequences. If you do well at something during a game, you’ll find that your skill increases in that area. If you do poorly, you’ll lose some of that momentum, creating a feeling of genuine concern. I like this because it makes me try harder than I would in a normal exhibition game, and I know that many times my failures can be attributed to poor calls on my behalf and truly cost my player stat improvements.

I’m extremely disappointed to see Season Mode still absent and replaced by the lackluster March to October. Rather than giving players full control over a season, March to October simulates the majority of its season and only grants players control over key moments throughout the year. I like that the outcome of your time with the games plays a big part in how the remainder of your season plays out, but this knock-off version of a true Season Mode is a depressingly simple affair. Giving me control at the end of the 7^th inning and tasking me with pulling off some kind of miracle to propel us towards a winning streak isn’t nearly as engaging as giving me full control of the games to grant me a feeling of security in my team and players.

"Franchise Mode, meanwhile, is consistently underwhelming each year. 2019’s iteration of The Show does nothing of value to improve this despite some minor additions that the more hardcore number junkies among baseball fans may find intriguing."

The other new mode titled simply “Moments” is a fairly straightforward affair that puts you in the shoes of some of baseball’s iconic players and asks you to relive their most impressive moments in short bursts of gameplay. I’ll admit I had a smile on my face playing as Willie Mays as he scored his 600^th career homer in black and white, and I adored the real-life, old-timey footage shown to set the stage that teaches you about the player’s background. For instance, I learned Babe Ruth started his career as a pitcher – something I’d have probably never learned otherwise – and I was granted an opportunity to play with him doing just that. There’s a promise of more moments being added throughout the year, but although I enjoyed the mode tremendously, I’m not sure the limited gameplay and simplistic nature really offers anything beyond a quick distraction.

Your reward for completing much of these two modes is merely Diamond Dynasty rewards. I’ve had a long-running distaste for Diamond Dynasty based on its mix of grinding and microtransactions-based design, but for those into fantasy baseball, there’s a lot to love. There are a few dozen new legends, fairly fun objectives to unlock packs, an improved overall layout, and a well-implemented guide to help newcomers explore the systems behind the mode.

Franchise Mode, meanwhile, is consistently underwhelming each year. 2019’s iteration of The Show does nothing of value to improve this despite some minor additions that the more hardcore number junkies among baseball fans may find intriguing. The lack of an online franchise ability is also still sorely missed in a generation where many sports game have a fully fleshed out option for online play.

"While The Show hasn’t ever been a game without flaws, there’s so much it does better than any other baseball game in the history of video games, and 2019’s iteration proves it yet again."

Otherwise, normal online play didn’t give me any major performance problems aside from the occasional jitters I’ve come to expect from the servers in The Show. The addition of an online rating system for matchmaking is a welcomed improvement, but it does increase queue times noticeably since it uses multiple criteria to find a perfect head-to-head matchup. I found my matches felt more fair and balanced as promised.

Rounding out the game is passable commentary, a great thumping soundtrack in the menus, and the usual enhancements to the UI and navigation that make things feel efficient. While The Show hasn’t ever been a game without flaws, there’s so much it does better than any other baseball game in the history of video games, and 2019’s iteration proves it yet again.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

While Bryce Harper was revealed as the cover athlete for MLB The Show 19 – the newest instalment in Sony San Diego’s consistently great yearly baseball series – some time ago, we didn’t know what the final cover art of the game would be, since it was unclear what team Harper would be part of. This is because the former Washington Nationals player was shopping around.

Now that he has signed up with Philadelphia Phillies (in what is the single largest deal in the history of not just the MLB, but North American professional sports in general), Sony has begun to update the marketing material for MLB The Show 19 all around. The first of these? The new cover art for the game, which was shared on Twitter today, and which you can see for yourself below. It’s not a moment too soon either, because the game is out in less than a month, which means Sony was going to be in a very tough spot if they didn’t have a finalized cover very soon.

MLB The Show 19 launches exclusively on the PS4 on March 26.

Breaking News: Harper, Phillies reach agreement:https://t.co/fCHLTdfb4J pic.twitter.com/PCYVTx5j2u

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) February 28, 2019

We’ve been wondering about SIE San Diego Studio’s MLB The Show 19 and what new features it’s going to bring to the table for a while now. It’s releasing on March 26th, exclusively for PS4, and Bryce Harper is the cover athlete, but we’ve yet to see any gameplay. That is, until now. Feast your eyes on the reveal trailer below.

Along with featuring the same sharp visuals – including realistic facial stubble and expressions – MLB The Show 19 is touting some nifty new features. A full RPG experience has been promised, and it also seems like we’ll be able to play through the career of the legendary Babe Ruth. The question now is- how many legends will be available in the full game?

Otherwise, the experience will look pretty familiar to fans. The realistic nuances of the sport mixed with character creation and dynamic challenges look better than ever. Now we just have to wait and see if it’s a bigger leap forward than its predecessor, MLB The Show 18. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

With rumours teasing a PlayStation 5 reveal some time this year, it’s good to know that the current machine still has plenty going for it. Let’s take a look at those games that will be releasing for the PS4 this year and beyond, whether they’re timed exclusives or first party wonders.

This list consists of all types of exclusives: Full, timed and console exclusives.

Judgment

This isn’t your typical Yakuza game…even if it is developed by the same team and utilizing the same combat system. Instead, Judgment is classified as a “legal thriller”. Players control private investigator Takayuki Yagami as he follows a string of murders taking place in Kamurocho. Yes, the same Kamurocho from the Yakuza series. Despite all the similarities, Judgment does have a few tricks up its sleeve including an Investigation mode for detecting clues. Will it have the same zany substories that define Sega’s other action adventure series? Here’s hoping for that and a karaoke minigame or two.

Sony San Diego have to be among the most consistent developers ever, putting out a new MLB The Show game every year, which is almost always great, and mostly without restoring to the kind of egregious monetization abuse that so many other sports games resort to. If you’re a fan of the MLB The Show games, there’s good news for you, because Sony has just announced next year’s entry.

MLB The Show 19 will launch in March 2019, which is traditionally the release window the series has held for years now. The cover athlete for the game will be Bryce Harper, which anyone familiar with baseball would tell you is a sensible pick, given his current status as the Home Run Derby champion.

There will also be multiple editions available—a standard edition; a Gone Yard Edition which will include a hat and some other memorabilia for $100 (and be exclusive to GameStop); the Digital Deluxe Edition, which will also be $100, and come with in-game goodies to get you started with your Diamond Dynasty squad; and the MVP Edition, which will come with a steel book, and be $70.

You can check out the first trailer for the game below. If you’re curious about how the series has been doing of late, make sure to check out our review of MLB The Show 18.