MLB The Show 21 has finally fully launched, and the game is being received fairly well by critics and fans alike. The general consensus is that San Diego Studio has delivered yet another solid baseball simulation, and while some of the ongoing server issues in MLB The Show 21 are certainly annoying, the developer has ensured fans that it's actively working to resolve any problems. When the servers do work properly, the work that SDS put into this year's installment shines through, from the exciting stadium creator mode to the new pinpoint pitching control scheme.
Of the many refinements that San Diego Studio has made for MLB The Show 21, a few have been aimed towards the franchise's hitting mechanics. In most cases, hitting in The Show is challenging but satisfying, as properly timing a swing can mean the difference between a weak groundout or a game-winning home run. The hitting system is not flawless, however, as one of the biggest points of contention for fans is how check swings work. Like many other aspects of The Show, San Diego Studio has listened to feedback from fans to try and fix check swings, and the changes that have been made seem mostly favorable.
Check Swings in Previous Games
In MLB The Show, the ability to check swing has always been a key way to make sure players have full control over their at-bats in a game. The mechanic largely mimics what actual baseball players do to avoid swinging at a bad pitch. If a player is going to swing, but just as they are about to they think the pitch coming their way will be a ball, they can lightly tap it to keep from swinging all the way around instead of holding the swing button. If a player presses the button light enough, they will check their swing, but if there's too much pressure, then their bat will cross the plate and it will count as a strike if they miss the ball.
In games previous to MLB The Show 21, check swings were partially controlled by the player and partially influenced by the abilities of whoever they were using at the time. Baseball players in The Show have a litany of different attributes that vary based on the skill of each player, and one such attribute is called "discipline." This attribute factored directly into a player's ability to check swing, where higher discipline attributes would make it easier and lower discipline would force gamers to react better. This meant that if someone playing Diamond Dynasty, for example, had a team full of high discipline players, they could abuse those attributes and more easily check swing than they would with other players.
Check Swings in The Show 21
In the lead up to MLB The Show 21's release, San Diego Studio detailed how check swings would be changing to make them more fair. Now, instead of the discipline attribute factoring into the ability to check swing, it is completely up to the individual skill of players to check their swing. It's unclear what exactly the discipline attribute factors into now, but players won't be able to rely on it to keep from striking out on a ball outside of the strike zone. SDS has also said that it tweaked the animations of check swings to have different thresholds. This means that there should be less borderline check swings, putting even more skill into the equation.
One of the biggest aspects of MLB The Show is providing players with feedback on what they're doing right or wrong, and the same goes for check swings this year. As a part of the changes to the feature, SDS has added a visual indicator of where players stop their bats whenever they check swing. If a player checked their swing in time, they'll see their bat stop short of the front of the plate, and if they didn't, they'll have an idea of how much they need to let up next time. Not only does it take some of the guess work out of trying to check a swing, but it keeps the logic behind determining what swings are and aren't checked from seeming random.
Why These Changes Are Good
As contentious as the check swings in MLB The Show are, the changes that have been made in this year's game should prove to be a good thing in the long run. MLB The Show 21's online modes can get highly competitive, and just about everyone looks for an edge somewhere. Especially in the early parts of The Show's Diamond Dynasty lifecycle, when high-tier cards aren't as ubiquitous, there can be some players that will abuse game mechanics like check swings just because it can mean the difference between winning a game or losing.
These changes to check swings should ensure that the people that have put in the work to hone their timing are the ones being rewarded, instead of those that abuse the high discipline stats of certain players. Part of the charm of The Show is how accurately it replicates the challenge of hitting against some of the most skilled pitchers in baseball. Check swings aren't as prevalent in real life as they are in the game, so making them based more on player input should help drop the amount of lucky checks that players have gotten in the past.
San Diego Studio has done a lot of work to make sure that MLB The Show 21 is one of the most sensational installments in the franchise yet. The game has a lot to prove now that it's releasing on Xbox for the very first time, and it will also be the first time it appears on next-gen. The changes to the check swing system may seem minor to some, but it should prove to be a major quality-of-life improvement down the line. It will likely remain a hot topic amongst the community based on how some people use it, but with these newest changes the playing field should be leveled at least a little bit.
MLB The Show 21 is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.