Reviews

By Arei Swain SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR “MLB: The Show 22” was released on April 5. The game is a part of a series of games based on Major League Baseball. From a partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment established in 2014, “MLB: The Show” has been the sole baseball simulation game that is connected to the Major League. Throughout the years, the game has developed with a new release annually. For a price of $60 on PlayStation 4 consoles, and $70 on PlayStation 5 consoles, it seems to be kind of pricey. However, with XBOX Game Pass for $16 a month, and PlayStation Plus for $10 a month, you can play the game without purchasing it. “MLB: The Show” also known as “The Show”, presents features that are fun for everyone playing the game, not just experienced players. The game specializes in including tutorials with every aspect of the game in order to help newer players better understand how to play. Along with the user-friendly controls, the game has multiple modes that players can enjoy. “Road to the Show” is one of the modes in the game. It allows players to create a ballplayer and take him from the minor leagues to the major leagues. With many customization options and the option to change the difficulty, this game mode is truly for everyone. Another game mode in The Show is “Diamond Dynasty”, which allows players to draw from packs and create teams with both current and past ballplayers. “Diamond Dynasty” is a good feature because it has more features within the mode itself. It allows players to play against people from all over the world, and it matches them against players with the same skill level as them. The last mode that is really popular in the game is “Franchise” mode. “Franchise” mode lets players play as current day teams and even gives the option to lock onto one player and play as them. Another feature that “Franchise” mode has is letting players take over teams as owners and general managers and make trades and sign players to the team as well. “Franchise” mode is my favorite because of the customization ability it allows players to have. My least favorite game mode is “Diamond Dynasty” because it is not as well-suited for beginners, which I am one of. The graphics in “MLB: The Show 22” have also been one of the upsides of the game. Visuals may not be all that important to all players, but the game definitely has an advantage because of its graphics and overall feel that it has to the game. “The Show” also presents a feature that many other games that are releasing do not have, called cross-play. Cross-play allows players from one console to play with players who are using a different console. One problem that I found with the game is that it does not have an easy way to rank up your player in the “Road to the Show” game mode. Improving your character in this game mode is tedious, which could be a downside to someone who may have less time to play. The development process is all too complicated, because of the time that has to be spent in order to upgrade your player’s attributes. This could definitely be improved by Sony Interactive Entertainment in upcoming years. “MLB: The Show 22” earns a ranking of 4 out of 5 stars because of all the good features it possesses like cross-play, userfriendly controls and a variety of game modes. However, there are elements that could be fixed that take away from the overall rating of the game.

PLAYSTATION

Mediocre meal: New restaurant leaves you wanting more By Bella Yoakam SECTION EDITOR

When looking for a mediocre restaurant where you are willing to wait for lukewarm food, you should go to SS Mini Burgers and Fried Chicken. I did not know that it was take out only, and had to take refuge at a friend's house to consume my meal.

The inside of the actual restaurant was pretty clean. It had red and yellow walls except for one random grass wall that had a giant neon sign with their name. There were also some chairs against a wall and their menu framed above it. As a whole, I thought the decorations were pretty tacky. Despite my initial shock at the decorations, I did end up having a great experience with the woman who worked at the counter of the restaurant. She by far was the best part of my visit. She was extremely friendly, kind and apologetic. Customer service was extremely helpful when it came to apologizing for the wait, which ended up being about 30 minutes. I ordered the combo meal number one, which contained two double patty sliders, house fries and a drink for about $13. My friends ordered different things off the menu including the grilled chicken sandwich, the veggie burger, and the cajun fries. After all of us took a bite we agreed the cajun fries were the most amazing part. The menu does get some bonus points for the multiple vegetarian options, including falafel and veggie burger, that were not completely disgusting. For a burger and chicken place it is nice to see the variety. The food itself was okay, though it was only a step up from a McDonald’s burger. This was surprising considering how good the sandwiches looked on the menu. The photos did not match what I ended up eating. The bun was soggy and the patty was extremely greasy. My burgers were unfortunately lukewarm and strangely wet. The house fries included in the combo were just normal fries with salt and pepper. Though good, I was expecting something exciting, or at least more options. After being catfished with my burger, I was really looking forward to the house fries so I was understandably frustrated. If it wasn’t for the slice of pizza I had before going to the restaurant I would probably still be hungry. Overall the food was fine, but a little pricey for the small portions. Though there were some positives at this restaurant, the flaws outweighed the good. I would give this restaurant 2 out of 5 stars as it wasn't the worst place I’ve ever been to, but it definitely wasn’t great. The amazing staff member single handedly made my experience better.