A week after Sony San Diego (SDS) revealed details on what’s to come for MLB The Show 25, the developers released the first deep dive on February 11. This deep dive went over Ambush Hitting, plus new animations and throw meter changes that were briefly shown on February 4.
The first part of the deep dive glossed over the new ‘Ambush Hitting’ mechanic. It was originally revealed during the first trailer posted on February 4.
This, per Sony, was added to better emulate what it’s like to be a MLB hitter, by rewarding players who correctly guess what side of the plate the ball will be thrown.
If a player chooses to set up on the correct side (i.e., where the ball will be pitched), a PCI size & sweet spot increase will be granted, plus a slight improvement to timing. However, if the ball is thrown to the other side, this will lead to a PCI size decrease.
Sony San Diego also touted the new G.O.A.T. difficulty in MLB The Show 25. This new difficulty will bring smaller PCI sizes and faster pitches, compared to Legend.
As for other features, Sony highlighted new throwing and jump time tweaks.
A new throw meter has been introduced for the second time in three years, one that will put heavy emphasis on timing throws from the outfield. Now, a perfect throw with button accuracy will be marked by ending in the Blue marker. This is at the end of the Green (good) portion.
This was done to make it a more high-risk mechanic. Should one miss the timing, it will end in the Red (poor) portion, leading to an offline throw. A player’s throwing accuracy affects this timing window.
The reaction time for infielders also matters, as far as new jump animations are concerned. Players with the best reaction time will get going quicker, while slower reaction times will lead to increased delays.
Lastly, Sony went over the new home run rob meter. When a fielder gets to the new meter early and it hits the green portion, players can press the jump button to initiate a home run rob or wall scale attempt.
There were also some stealthy-added features inserted into the trailer. At around the 90-second marker, a ‘SW’ abbreviation was on a pitch, hinting at the sweeper being added. In past games, SDS has used the slurve to mimic the sweeper.
More details will be released on February 13, during Sony’s feature premiere regarding the gameplay changes. Next week, Sony is scheduled to reveal info on Road to the Show.
Make sure to check out more of our MLB The Show 25 coverage.