Out of the Park Baseball 10 Review
Braves-Nation.com
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Out of the Park Baseball[/div]
Out of the Park Baseball is the baseball junkies delight. For everyone who gets caught up simulating their baseball games and taking on the role of being a general manager, OOTP is what you've been looking for. This game puts you in the seat of a general manager, making you think about the long-term and short-term goals for your team. You have to concentrate on the minor league system, while not losing sight of what is happening at the major league level. While doing all of this, you have to take a player's service time, option years, secondary rosters, etc. that forces you to make the decisions that a real-life general manager would face every day.
Last year's version of OOTP seemed to be what the doctor ordered, but as you went along in the simulation process, you stumbled upon the subtle things that had been missed. In the early stages of OOTP 10, it seems as if those things have been looked at in detail, giving you more of a feel of the pressures/stresses a general manager faces.
Salary Arbitration
One of those things that has been changes in this year's version is an overhaul to the arbitration system. In previous years, the team would give you a list of players going to arbitration, then told you of the salary the player would be making next year. This year, you are able to submit an arbitration offer for each of your arbitration eligibles, making it much more realistic in the long run.
Along the same lines, the free agent compensation has been worked upon in this year's version, as well. Last year, if a player was a Type-A free agent, you would get properly compensated when he was signed as a free agent. This year, you must offer arbitration to your free agents to get properly compensated through free agency. This forces you to take the risk of getting stuck with a player at a salary that may not be desirable to you. Is the risk worth the potential draft picks? You have to make the call.
Individual Pitch Ratings
Another subtle improvement in the game from the previous version is the implementation of pitch ratings. When a pitcher was previously rated on his stuff, command and movement, now you have the added benefit of tracking how that matches up with a particular pitch.
Previously there were problems with the top tier pitchers not performing as well during the simulation because they weren't equipped with a light's out fastball. The new system will allow a pitcher to get away without having overpowering stuff by having very good secondary pitches.
One thing I've noticed during the simulation process is that the pitch ratings will also have an impact on a prospect's progression and eventual role in the major leagues. If you are trying to stick a pitcher with just two good pitches in the starting rotation, you're more apt to pay for it than in year's past. The way a pitcher's pitches come along as he climbs up the minor league levels could determine whether or not a pitcher is destined for a rotation spot or stuck in the bullpen.
In addition to those, another added feature that promotes realism is the addition of setbacks while a player is on the disabled list. No longer can you look at a player's injury time and know exactly when he will be available to come off the disabled list. It might be that a player suffers a setback during his return and pushes back the return date for another week or more. I have noticed that starting pitchers are going deeper in games this year. Last year I had problems getting the pitchers that should be 200 IP pitchers getting to that mark, but this year that doesn't seem to be a problem. Not every pitcher will eat the innings that come with being a top of the rotation pitcher, but those who should are more likely to reach the innings pitched marks that you would be accustomed to in OOTP 10.
A full run down of the new features can be found here. The most important thing to me is an added sense of realism to what was already the go to option in baseball simulators.
Outside of the in-game play, OOTP also takes the cake when looking for developer feedback. Lead developer Markus Heinsohn and other members of the development team are constantly visible on the message boards and also play the game. With their visibility and experience while playing the game, they run into the same problems that a lot of the users do and are more likely to provide updates to the software than a game produced by a major gaming company.
Conclusion
If you're a baseball junkie, this game is for you. It will give you a better idea of what goes through a general manager's head on a daily basis and make you more in tune with the different rules that go along with roster management. The game is nothing but an improvement over the previous version. While they worked on addressing specific issues, they didn't allow anything in the game to take a step back. If you enjoyed OOTP9, you'll enjoy OOTP10 that much more with the modifications and added realism. If you've never played OOTP, diving into it with this year's version will not end in disappointment.
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Originally Posted by Chief Knockahoma
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