the winter. And the fall

is, like...Winter: The Prologue. I don't want read that story. But listen, this fall's a

different story. Because this

fall...we're still playing baseball in Pittsburgh.

This fall, it's Buctober. And in Buctober, the trees drop leaves.

And Johnny Cueto drops balls.

So you guys know where I usually stand on these modern baseball games. They're always

the same to me. But listen, I'll

be real honest with you. All I can think about is baseball right now, so when this came in,

I was all about it. I sat

down, I gave it an honest chance...I still prefer the old games by, like, 420 feet to

dead center.

But you know what? I actually had some fun with MLB 13: The Show.

Also, Cutch is on the cover. Welcome to Buctober.

Now, I told you guys. I'm in a real honest mood. Like, even more than usual. So I'm gonna just

tell you...these games

are 95 percent identical from year to year. They're always tweaked, never really changed.

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm

just saying...it is what it is. It's like most sports games, and

you either like that or you don't.

You can't be wrong, unless you're Johnny Cueto.

Now, from my perspective, that base model—that yearly thing that is the Show—is basically

the result of a

three-pronged strategy. One, emulate the look and feel of a television broadcast. Two, throw

in more gameplay modes

and features than I can seriously even imagine trying. And three...nuanced, realistic gameplay.

And that makes it tough to review them, because...that's all subjective. I'm a huge baseball fan, but

that stuff bores

the hell out of me in a video game. But here's the thing...with MLB 13, I had a lot more

fun than with the prior

versions.

And that's because...I could basically turn off number three.

So the very first thing you do is choose a difficulty. And if you go with the easiest

option, it really gives the game

a more old-school, arcade feel. There are less complexities to hitting and pitching

and fielding, and instead...it's

almost like a game of...RBI Baseball or something. Again, it's subjective here...but for me,

that was a fantastic

option to have. It really opens up the game for more people.

Now, a lot of the game's improvements have a lot to do with that first prong...the realism.

People get really excited

about...oh, look how realistic the players look. I'm really not trying to be a contrarian

here, but...I don't get it.

Some player models are much more impressive, but for the most part...eh. It looks alright.

I don't know. I was much more impressed with the camera angles, especially for towering

homers. Things like

that...that's when the TV realism actually adds something.

The

funny thing is...for a game known for being so polished, The Show has some obvious issues.

Graphics issues,

technical issues...issues with baseball logic. But once again, it compensates for that with

solid baseball gameplay,

that fantastic new Beginner mode...and a ridiculous amount of gameplay modes. I mean, I'm old-school—I

just like local

multiplayer for sports games. So something like this just blows me away.

Season modes, Franchise simulation, a player-focused Road to the Show, a new Live mode that uses

real-life baseball

results to basically let you play reality...there are more ways to play The Show than I could

even imagine playing.

I used to feel bad that, when I review games like this, I sometimes sound like a broken

record. But hey, if the games

are alright being the same every year, then I'm alright with repeating the same point.

If you like realistic sports

games, this is a really good one.

If not...hey, I'm with you. Let's go play Baseball Stars.