The Joys Of Limitations Via MLB The Show 22
I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of limiting power until I started playing MLB The Show 22’s Diamond Dynasty mode. For those unfamiliar, it’s similar to FIFA’s and Madden’s Ultimate Team mode where you create a custom team consisting of player cards that span the history of the sport. The fantasy of Tom Brady throwing dimes to Jerry Rice or Lionel Messi dishing passes to Pelé is what drives these modes to be more popular than traditional online sports multiplayer matches of current teams.
It’s also what has led to arguably the most predatory business model in gaming. Other than hundreds and potentially thousands of hours grinding, often the only way to acquire the best cards requires spending real-life money to buy packs in the hopes of pulling one of these legends. It is not uncommon on launch week of FIFA or Madden to start up an Ultimate Team match and find yourself facing a team full of top tier cards that your middling squad has no hope of defeating. Worst of all, these games come out on an annual basis so whatever money or time you poured into last year’s mode is wiped away and all you get for your trouble is a couple of ‘loyalty’ packs to start again.
Related: FIFA 23 Needs To Rework Team Of The Week
The Show 22 is a refreshing change of pace by smartly lowering the power curve of the good cards available to players. On launch, back in April, the best cards were in the high 80s and very low 90s. As we head towards June, new limited edition packs are coming with players in the 95-96 rating range. There are three 99 rated players that can be acquired via collecting live cards for every team, but even with this caveat to whales who want to spend hundreds on launch, the beauty of the sport of baseball limits
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