Xbox Game Pass turns mediocre sports games into comfort food

digitaltrends.com:

Most modern sports game franchises have settled into mediocrity. Companies like EA and 2K have found a lucrative formula for franchises like FIFA, Madden, and NBA 2K, so they rarely have to reimagine what those series look like despite some hardcore fans’ frustrations. Sony San Diego’s MLB The Show series has slowly fallen into the sports game slump in recent years.

While MLB The Show 22 features some new modes, updates to existing ones, and a new commentary team, the gameplay itself doesn’t feel like much of an improvement over MLB The Show 21. Despite that, I’m having a great time with it, thanks to Xbox Game Pass. Mediocre sports games are somewhat mindless, enjoyable comfort games for many players like myself. Playing them through Xbox Game Pass ensures I don’t feel self-conscious about spending lots of money on a game super similar to a title released 12 months prior.

As long as the series remains on Xbox Game Pass, I doubt I’ll ever play MLB The Show on PlayStation again. That said, I’m probably going to continue to play each new installment every year because of the niche it fills on Microsoft’s subscription service.

Only having some minor adjustments does make a bit of sense as MLB The Show 22 just launched on more platforms than ever. Historically, it was a PlayStation console exclusive series; following a 2019 deal with the MLB, Sony San Diego’s baseball titles made it to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and now Nintendo Switch. When you’re focused on expanding your audience and have to make a game in under a year, it makes sense not to introduce any radical changes to core gameplay mechanics and only tweak and add to what’s already there.

Admittedly, MLB The Show 22′s gameplay is also just in a really good