Out of the Park Baseball 2006

They are a bunch of no-names, but you will soon know everything there is to know about them. The world of Out of the Park Baseball is not the most intuitive, but this is one of the deepest sports simulations you are likely to find when it comes to the diamond.

The game does not rely on fancy animations, or pulse-stopping graphical displays. Instead, this title from Sports Interactive is a simulation at its finest, concentrating on the nuances of managing a team from the ground up. The downside, though, is that the user interface – while intricate – is not exactly player friendly and as such, gamers may be fumbling there way through the game before they can actually take the field for some baseball action … in a manner of speaking.

Why?

Because while there are not any “fancy animations,” in point of fact there are not any at all. The game plays out with static screens that look like either a Web page or an Excel spreadsheet. This may be good for baseball purists who wish the game to be a cerebral match, but for casual gamers, this may be a bit of a turn-off.  As the game was downloaded, there was not a manual handy. No worries. Sports Interactive offers a 360-page .PDF download of the manual. However, it is almost as complex as the interface and finding out how to simply play a baseball game may take some doing.

Once you step onto the field, you are in total control, pitch by pitch, unless you would rather just set the lineups and let the game quick sim to the end. But where is the fun of that? Baseball is much like a chess match with the anomaly of the individual battle between pitcher and batter determining the success of managerial decisions. But sometimes tendencies will come into play.

Rightfielder Danny Rogers is standing on first. Up to bat is the shortstop, Roger Allen, just inserted into the lineup. With one strike on him, the run and hit is put on. The pitch is fouled off. The manager signals in the hit and run, and this pitch is again fouled off. Two strikes on the batter, but the manager is playing the percentages. He knows that twice now he has shown a willingness to have the runner at first take off. The Chicago pitcher and team know that. So all signs are pulled off and Allen is allowed to swing at a strike, but Rogers won’t be off with the pitch. The call was perfect. Chicago’s pitcher was nervous and the team called for a pitch-out. Now that’s the way to work a count.

The game does not have any of the major league franchises because it is not a licensed product. It does, though, have a slew of leagues and fictitious teams and players. You start with being hired and from that point on, you are in charge of all the aspects of your team – from trades, to rosters.

The game itself opens in a window and because of the speed of play, you are not locked down into having your attention wander to other matters. The game will not move along to the next phase, whether in setting lineups and advancing closer to opening day or even to the next pitch without the player’s instruction to do so.

Coaching a minor league franchise is a real pain. Even after perusing the 360-page downloadable manual and following the steps indicated, there did not appear to be any option to do anything other than advance the schedule. Select a team in the MAL (Major American League) and when the schedule pops up, you have several options, including Quick Play and Manage.

When you enter the Manage mode, be prepared for a long game, as you are in there pitch for pitch. On the defensive side you can set your infield and outfield and call for a variety of pitching options, including pitching to the batter around the batter or even intentionally walking the batter in addition to intentionally hitting the batter or paying a visit to the mound. Offensively, you have few options at the plate with no one on – swing away, take the pitch or bunt. Once you get runners on base, the fun begins. You can hit and run, run and hit, steal, or call for the sacrifice to advance the runners.

The game will also enable players who disdain the idea of playing with purely fictional players (baseball is, by nature, a game of statistics and hence fictional players highlight that) to download historical rosters of actual players.  

There are times when the AI seems to make some questionable moves, and the typed broadcast lines can be a bit too cute rather than get to the core of the action.

The amazing thing is that in spite of the lack of sound, in spite of the lack of animated graphics that will have you sitting in wonder, as a true baseball fan, you will still be glued to your seat, agonizing over the text that scrolls up or pumping a fist at a twin killing that gets your reliever out of a jam.

Out of the Park Baseball 2006 is not a good fit for the casual baseball video gamer looking for a visceral experience; it is a treat, though, for the baseball stat fan who lives with a Baseball Encyclopedia by his or her bed and who lives to make decisions that affect franchises or just a game. This is a very good simulation.

Gameplay: 7.0
There is a big learning curve that will have you learning the nuances of the interface as well as the intricacies of managing almost every aspect of the club you are hired by. The gameplay does drag a bit as the game resets for each pitch, but you can quickplay through any portion of an inning.

Graphics: 5.5
Serviceable and attractive for a static interface that seemingly borrows its design from the Web and Excel. Be prepared, though, to read a lot.

Sound: N/A
There is no sound with this game.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The interface makes it harder than it needs to be.

Concept: 7.0
The game has an incredible learning curve that may discourage some, and the interface could be cleaner.

Multiplayer: 6.5
This is a bit messy to work out but once you do, you may be able to find some players who are dedicated to playing either a single game or in a league. As the AI takes care of the “twitch” elements, this way to play the game really becomes a cerebral challenge.

Overall: 7.3
This is a game that is a baseball purist’s delight, only dampened by the complex interface and steep learning curve. The game is detailed and precise and if you are a baseball nut, it can be rather immersive as you build a team, make the key trades and then work that team up through the division and set it up for several years. No sound and static graphics will make this a niche game, but for those who truly are hardcore baseball statistical fans, this is worth a look at.