By 2012, "MLB: The Show" had established itself as the premiere baseball simulation game. The "Major League Baseball 2K" games were on their way out, especially with "Major League Baseball 2K12" being a case of diminishing returns, and "MLB: The Show" was in a position where it was the "as good as it gets" for baseball sims. Being that there was no competition, it wouldn't have been surprising if SCE San Diego Studio just decided to coast and rest on their laurels a bit. And sure, they did start to do that a tad with "MLB 12: The Show," but that doesn't mean the game wasn't good.
When it comes to the general experience of the franchise, "MLB 12: The Show" delivers everything you would expect out of the series: the photorealistic visuals, the decent blend of commentary, the addictive gameplay, and a bevy of modes to explore. When it came to new content, "MLB 12: The Show" was a little lighter on new goodies, but there were a few big ones. For starters, the Diamond Dynasty mode, where you can build your own franchise from the top down, became a massive staple that's continued to be huge in the series today. I was never as deeply into it back in the day, but it's definitely a cool mode to have in the game. As someone who also enjoys my fair share of motion control in baseball games, it was cool seeing full PlayStation Move support for the game instead of it simply being tied to the Home Run Derby mode. Furthermore, the new Pulse Pitching mechanic is a cool new feature that definitely can be great fun to use when you master it.
For me, I think the thing that holds this game back from the other entries in the series is that, while those new features are nice, they don't really dramatically change much for the series. It was bound to happen sooner or later since it's a yearly sports title, but "MLB 12: The Show" was an example of a game that only felt like it changed the series in very incremental ways. Also, while I'm happy the game added full PlayStation Move support, said support mostly feels fun on batting and pitching, but not defense and baserunning.
Overall, though, "MLB 12: The Show" is another strong entry in the series. Yes, it does feel a bit like something you've played before, but all in all, it was an enjoyable game. Per usual, I can't recommend an older version of a yearly sports title over the current version, but if you're having a nostalgia burst and looking at how the series developed, "MLB 12: The Show" will nevertheless be fun to revisit.
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"