High: Out of the Park Baseball 2006 as a concept for a game is not only a great idea, big developers like EA LA are looking at the concept to either develop as a standalone game or an add-on to other franchises.
Low: Sadly this build of the game seems to be buggy and slow for a statistics based game.


Have you ever thought, after watching a baseball game that you could do better than the guy in charge? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to become a baseball manager? Out of the Park Baseball 2006 from Sports Interactive, the sports management development specialists, gives you a chance to live out that dream. Though it seems you will only get to live that dream some of the times, we tested this game on 6 systems all of which where above the "Recommended System Requirements".

Settle down in the comfort of your own home and experience the ultimate in realism, playability, and unparalleled customization. Create your own baseball universe using players of the past (through a direct link with the Baseball Archive), present, or using purely fictional players created by our award-winning game engine. All of which could, COULD be true if the game worked better, when we did get to play the game, it was a great management game.

Build your own dynasty by signing free agents, wheeling and dealing with other owners, or calling up that hot prospect from the minors. Watch your seasoned veteran's skills slowly deteriorate, and then replace him with one of your top picks from the amateur draft. It's your world, and you can elect to simply match wits against the computer AI or, for the ultimate experience, against friends in a multiplayer online league. You can become a commissioner and truly customize almost every aspect of the game.

Out of the Park Baseball 2006 (OOTPB) lets you take control of a baseball franchise in a world you define. You can create any baseball universe you like, for example with the real league setup, a historical league, or totally fictional leagues. The number
of leagues within your virtual baseball universe is not limited so you can have as many leagues and minor leagues as you like. Managing your baseball franchise takes a lot of knowledge and skills, but OOTPB offers you all the tools you need to succeed.

You can set up your roster, lineups, depth charts and your pitching staff. Sign new players, demote them to the minors, or release fading veterans. Initiate trades, respond to trade offers, and make the right decisions in the first-year player drafts. In a word, anything a real GM does can be done in OOTPB. You have the power to guide your team into the future. But beware - you might get fired if your calls result in your team finishing under .500 all the time. When you first start playing and learning he ropes this will happen to you, promise.

OOTPB plays out all games in full, using a highly realistic and accurate baseball simulation engine. You can take control in the dugout, making all the calls you want between each pitch, or you can act solely as general manager and let the computer handle the game management “ with your instructions, of course.

No computer baseball game would be complete without loads of statistics, and OOTPB is the undisputed king of statistics. Not only do you get standard stats, such as batting average, OBP, ERA, and innings pitched. You also get special stats such as VORP, Total Average, Runs Created and Secondary Average. And it doesn't end there - the stats engine also offers splits and double splits! If you want to know how your star shortstop is batting with 2 strikes in close ballgames on the road, no problem. Or check how many homeruns your closer has given up against left-handed batters in June this year “ on a 1-1 pitch. The stats engine can produce millions of stats per player, so all the information you need to make your decisions is at your fingertips.

Your league can feature a financial system that is the most realistic in any baseball game on the market. Just like almost every feature in OOTP, the financial system is optional and customizable. Baseball general managers have a lot to worry about. Do you give a player a contract extension, or let him walk in free agency? In the off-season, do you enter the bidding war for the most talented star players, offering well-constructed multiyear contracts including optional bonus clauses and no-trade clauses? Do you give high bonus money to a top draft pick, or settle for that cheap local high-school hero? You will also need to take care of your coaching, scouting, and management staff. Your owner dictates the budget. You make the decisions.

OOTPB offers the real life setup of every major baseball league in the world and in addition, you may also import every historical baseball season starting in 1900 from a freeware database (www.baseball1.com), or simply create your own fictional baseball league. Best of all, all kind of leagues can co-exist in your baseball universe and compete with each other for players or interact in the form of trades. Setting up leagues is very simple, and each league can have different financial options, AI options, etc. The possibilities are endless!

One of the greatest strengths of OOTPB is that many aspects of OOTPB are customizable. That is, you can make changes to the files that make up the game to customize the game to your liking.

In conclusion Out of the Park Baseball 2006 could be a great game, and is a great game when it works, sure its user interface looks like its from the mid 1990's, but what do you expect for this type of game. The interface does feel bloated and cumbersome at times and this really does take away from the game play value. At times the game can feel slow and cumbersome. With more polish, and maybe a graphics mode (for the baseball games themselves) this game could be a great standalone game. Without the polish and a graphics mode for the baseball games this game is more suited to being an add-on to some other baseball game.


PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
1 GHz processor
400 MB free hard disk space
256 MB RAM
1024 x 768 screen resolution

Recommended
Windows XP
2.2 GHz processor
512 MB RAM


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Reviewed By:EG Admin Reviewed On: Wed, 21 June 2006 16:50:03 Read:

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