[sunshine666]

https://www.u4gm.com/mlb-the-show-25-stubs Every year, players look to MLB The Show to offer not just the best simulation of baseball gameplay, but also a faithful representation of the athletes who define the sport. While MLB The Show 25 has made strides in gameplay mechanics and stadium realism, one glaring issue remains: the player models still feel outdated, stiff, and in many cases, flat-out inaccurate.

Let’s be clear — when we talk about player models, we’re not just nitpicking facial features. We’re talking about the entire representation of a player: their physique, mannerisms, animations, and authenticity to real-life counterparts. Unfortunately, The Show 25 still suffers from legacy model issues that affect immersion and undermine the game's visual integrity.

First off, body proportions are still not where they need to be. Certain players have exaggerated shoulders, oddly shaped torsos, or completely mismatched builds compared to their real-life selves. While player scans help for major stars, there’s a sharp drop in model quality once you get outside the top 100 athletes. Role players, minor leaguers, and custom players often look generic, with no real personality in their animations or facial structure. For a series that prides itself on realism, this inconsistency is unacceptable in the 12th iteration.

The animations tied to these models are another issue. While batting stances and pitching motions are solid, fielding and base running still suffer from robotic movements and delayed response times. It’s especially jarring when a player glides into a catch or freezes mid-transition during a double play. These kinds of animations break the flow of gameplay and reveal the disconnect between the visual models and the game engine underneath.

Then there's the facial modeling. Many star players still suffer from uncanny valley-like representations. The skin textures, eye movement, and hair modeling lack the polish seen in other sports franchises. Games like NBA 2K and FIFA have significantly raised the bar in character realism. In contrast, MLB The Show has barely moved the needle in this department over the past few years. When a fan favorite like Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge doesn’t even resemble himself in close-ups, it’s hard not to be disappointed.

Let’s also talk about player aging and dynamic modeling. The game lacks any real-time aging system that reflects a player’s evolution through the seasons. Franchise Mode or Road to the Show would feel so much more immersive if you could visually track a player’s career — from a rookie’s fresh face to a veteran’s seasoned, weathered look. The absence of such features makes long-term playthroughs feel static.

San Diego Studio needs to prioritize a top-to-bottom refresh of the player modeling system. With the power of next-gen hardware, there’s no excuse to keep using the same outdated base models. Players deserve to feel like they’re managing or controlling living, breathing athletes — not plastic avatars from 2018.