The news that Online Franchise was being removed with MLB The Show 18 was tough for many to accept, and though SCEA had been collecting pre-orders for months by then at least that information was being provided prior to release. What wasn’t mentioned despite plenty of opportunity to do so along the way is that Season Mode had also gotten the axe. That’s especially damaging news to those who planned to carry over Season saves that had been active with MLB 17 and may have even been played going back further.

Some may wonder about the necessity of a Season Mode given the presence of a full Franchise Mode but the two actually differed in significant ways. Season Mode could be shortened while Franchise Mode requires a full 162 games. Season has been the primary home for classic rosters which would be transferred over. Season was also more of a simplified experience with basic roster management yet was not limited to just a single season as the name suggests, while Franchise tacks on many complex team management challenges and procedures. Simulating through games and the many day-to-day actions dramatically alters the experience compared to having actively played all of the games along the way.

The most distressing thing is that the removal of Season Mode was hidden from consumers. There is no excuse for that and no benefit to anyone for doing so. Now those who looked forward to playing Season Mode are either left with a game purchased that they felt was deceptive in its advertising – given that annual sports games are reasonably expected to return core features unless otherwise stated – while others will have to consider its absence in whether they pick up the game in the days or weeks ahead.

Back in February when Shohei Ohtani made a surprise appearance in a trailer for MLB The Show 18 the obvious conclusion to jump to was that he would be included on the game’s shipped roster. Any promotional material with Ohtani would not have been approved by the league unless his rights had been secured in advance. SCEA never commented on his inclusion however leaving fans to wonder not just would he be in the game – avoiding the normal wait until mid-late April that nearly all new rookies suffer from – but also whether he can be utilized in a unique way.

The former has now been answered with certainty while the latter remains in question. Ohtani is in fact included on the default roster for MLB The Show 18 and comes in with a healthy 86 Overall Rating. That ranks him behind only 16 other starting pitchers across the league and puts him at a potential All-Star caliber level. His higher ratings at the plate and defensively likely contribute to that Overall being boosted but it’s still a remarkable number for someone who has yet to prove themselves in MLB.  Read more

MLB The Show 18 is now just a few days from release and along with the bounty provided along with pre-orders there’s now also an opportunity to add to that with a bonus card pack. Just like last year completing a “quest” through the game’s website will earn a free Standard pack.

Here’s how to go about obtaining the pack. Log into your PlayStation account and go to to live.playstation.com. The quest is found on the sidebar where you’ll need to click to “Watch the MLB The Show 18 Countdown to Launch” video. After the trailer has been viewed to completion the code for the pack will be found by clicking on your profile in the upper right and then the “Rewards” tab. The code can then be entered into the PlayStation website or on your console and the pack will be in the inventory when the game is ultimately launched.

[Update] You can now also claim a Sponsor Pack and 1,000 Stubs.