Alright, folks, let’s dive into my recent tinkering with MLB The Show 24’s franchise mode. I’ve been a huge fan of this mode for years, and I was itching to see what’s new this time around.
Getting Started
First things first, I fired up the game and jumped straight into Franchise. I usually pick a team that’s, well, not so great. This year, my choice to test was the A’s. Their future in real is so uncertain, it adds drama, right?
Initial Impressions
Right off the bat, the menus and overall layout felt pretty familiar. If you’ve played previous versions, you’ll be right at home. No massive overhauls there, which is fine by me – I like the interface generally.
Diving into the Details
- Scouting: I spent a good chunk of time messing with the scouting system. They’ve tweaked it a bit, and I wanted to see if I could snag some hidden gems. It feels a bit more involved, which I appreciate. I really dig trying to find those undervalued players.
- Player Development: Next up, I was checking out how players were progressing. I fast-forwarded a couple of seasons to get a sense of it, and I did see a few no-name prospects turn into decent contributors, so I will continue paying more attention.
- Trade Logic: Okay, this is always a big one. I tried to pull off a few ridiculous trades, just to see what the AI would do. Honestly, it seemed a little sharper than last year. I couldn’t just fleece the computer with every offer. Still some funky ones can happen, though!
- Contracts and Free Agency: Navigated through a couple of offseasons, trying to sign some key free agents. The system seems pretty much the same, with the usual bidding wars and player demands. Nothing groundbreaking here.
Customization Options
I also played around with the customization settings. You can still tweak a ton of stuff, like sliders for gameplay difficulty and how fast players develop. I like to bump up the challenge a bit, makes things more interesting, at least for me.
Overall Feeling
After a few hours of poking around, my initial take is that it’s a solid, if not revolutionary, update to Franchise mode. It’s the mode I love, with some subtle improvements. I definitely need to spend more time with it to really get a feel for the long-term impact of the changes, but so far, so good. It’s a familiar playground, and I’m ready to get my hands dirty and build a dynasty (or at least try to!).
