You still don't need The Show. You might want The Show, but SMB4 is the game you need. It is better in every metric, just like SMB3 was. Do not write it off if you aren't a fan of the aesthetic. I'm telling you, it does not matter. Either it will grow on you and you will accept it's charm, or you will deal with it. It is the best baseball game on the market and it's not even close.

It will not scratch the realism itch right away. It, however, WILL be genuinely funnier, happier, cooler, and you will have a better time. And in terms of raw simulation (stats, numbers, etc), you will see that it actually does do this just as good.

The game is for everyone. The difficulty is highly customizable. It ranges from 0 Ego (trivially easy, young kids can enjoy) to 100 Ego (you have to be a computer), and these are able to be tuned for individual aspects. I find my sweet spot at 50-55 Ego (Hard). It was designed so that anybody can enjoy it at whatever challenge level they like.

If you like to create things, then this is the game for you. Forget just creating players, you can create entire leagues of custom teams complete with custom designed logos and uniforms down to the appearances and stats of every player.

It is also worth mentioning that in SMB4, they've added a league comprised of real veteran players from the past and recent history. It is truly awesome to play with these teams that have so many of my favorite players from when I was growing up. If you want to put more in there, there's nothing stopping you from creating them.

TLDR: If you like baseball in any capacity, you'll love this game.

You still don't need The Show. You might want The Show, but SMB4 is the game you need. It is better in every metric, just like SMB3 was. Do not write it off if you aren't a fan of the aesthetic. I'm telling you, it does not matter. Either it will grow on you and you will accept it's charm, or you will deal with it. It is the best baseball game on the market and it's not even close. It will not scratch the realism itch right away. It, however, WILL be genuinely funnier, happier, cooler, and you will have a better time. And in terms of raw simulation (stats, numbers, etc), you will see that it actually does do this just as good. The game is for everyone. The difficulty is highly customizable. It ranges from 0 Ego (trivially easy, young kids can enjoy) to 100 Ego (you have to be a computer), and these are able to be tuned for individual aspects. I find my sweet spot at 50-55 Ego (Hard). It was designed so that anybody can enjoy it at whatever challenge level they like. If you like to create things, then this is the game for you. Forget just creating players, you can create entire leagues of custom teams complete with custom designed logos and uniforms down to the appearances and stats of every player. It is also worth mentioning that in SMB4, they've added a league comprised of real veteran players from the past and recent history. It is truly awesome to play with these teams that have so many of my favorite players from when I was growing up. If you want to put more in there, there's nothing stopping you from creating them. TLDR: If you like baseball in any capacity, you'll love this game.