June 18, 2007 - At first glance MLB 07 the Show looks nearly identical to last year's edition, a trend that seems to plague many sports franchises after many outings. A few new gameplay tweaks and an innovative new Road to the Show career mode are the most noticeable additions to this year's offering. MLB 07 the Show is a solid game of baseball, but is it ultimately a better title than last years?

One of the strengths of MLB 06 was that it offered up a variety of different gameplay modes that provided an excellent amount of depth, notably the Franchise and Career modes, as well as quick pick up and play fun with the Home Run Derby and King of the Diamond modes. All of these make a return in 07 along with the Manager mode where you take control of your team from beyond the diamond. The rivalry mode pits two teams against one another until a certain number of points are accumulated to determine which team really is the better ball club. If you prefer to just dive right into the action and forego all the menus and options, then the quick play mode is also available. You pick your teams and you are set to go. Online play returns with new online leagues for those who want to take on up to twenty nine other baseball enthusiasts. Game sliders are there to provide a little flexibility and help keep things consistent for everyone.

The two main modes of play are Franchise and Road to the Show. The latter is the more diverse of the two modes giving you complete control over everything that is involved in running a professional sports team. You can select your team by using the default rosters or by running a fantasy draft. Numerous tasks that are expected to be accomplished over the course of the season becomes your main focus. You may need to have players finish in the top ten in the league in hitting percentages, or you might have to balance ticket prices, along with concessions, as to maximize the number of people who come out to the ball park. You can even take control of your team and play certain games if you feel a more hands-on approach is necessary. The amount of choice you are given into running your team is significant. Your team's potential success may vary well depend on the decisions you did (or did not) make.

The Road to the Show Career Mode is an entirely different monster altogether. You take control of just one player. After creating your virtual ball player with the rudimentary create-a-player option (which also allows you to import your face through the eye-toy peripheral), you will find yourself in spring training where you are playing for a contract to stick with the big club. The game implements a handy fast-forward feature which accelerates the game to points where it involves your player. The tasks laid out to you are straightforward. If you're up to bat, you might be expected to get on base, drive a run home, or make the opposition just work to get you out. As a pitcher, you can expect to be told to strike batters out, or simply prevent them from getting on base. You'll know you achieved what was being asked with a rudimentary "goal succeeded" or "goal failed" pop up message. Successfully completing tasks gives you experience points you can use to improve the various attributes of your player.

Pitching and catching are not the only areas you need to be concerned with in the Road to the Show. Fielding and base running also have "tasks" associated with them. This is where some of the quirks start to surface. When fielding, the chances of the ball coming your way are usually quite good, yet on occasion the ball will land nowhere near a player, which can be a little disorienting when trying to direct a player to grab the ball. Speaking of disorienting, once you reach a base safely; you take control of your player with the purpose of getting him around the bases. The camera makes things difficult since it is focused on your player and not where the ball may end up being hit. A routine pop fly hit can leave you a sitting duck for what should be an easy out to avoid. The game also slows to a crawl when you are waiting for the computer controlled players to go through their turns at the plate; after numerous pitches the end result may be a strike out leaving you wondering what the point of sitting through it all was. Where is that fast-forward alternative when you really need it?