Out of the Park Baseball 9 - PC Video Game Review

Out of the Park Baseball 9 (OOTP9) is the latest version of Markus Heinsohn's excellent baseball simulation series. For those unfamiliar with the genre, its basic goal is to recreate the game of baseball in as complicated or shallow a manner as the player would like. In OOTP9 you have many different options when first starting the game. How would you like to manage the 1927 Yankees with Ruth and Gehrig the backbone of your very own "Murderer's Row"? Or see how you can handle the Big Red Machine as part of your 1970s Cincinnati Reds franchise? Either scenario is easily possible by starting up a historical league. My personal favorite mode is a fictional league though, as you can customize almost every aspect of your very own baseball universe, including filling every roster with computer generated players.

Warming Up

Initially the vast options available in OOTP9 can be overwhelming and a bit frustrating. There are so many options and possibilities that it can have you pulling your hair out before you've managed your first ballgame. Luckily the game includes a pretty good in-game help function, as well as a continually updated online manual that will assist the novice player. The best way to get started though is to fire up the included MLB 2008 league and get your feet wet immediately. Take control of your favorite team or simply run things from the Commissioner's seat, whatever fits your style of play.

Once you've played around with the default league then it's probably time to try out one of your own. OOTP9 includes a league setup wizard that painlessly guides you through the various options. Go with the controversial Designated Hitter rule or forbid it. Have a full minor league system for your teams or simply choose reserve rosters. Allow free agency, draft pick trading, or a multitude of other variables and truly make a league your own. For advanced players, there's also an in-depth league creation mode with so many options and permutations that it's simply impossible to address them all in this review. If you can imagine it in a baseball simulation then you're likely able to recreate it with OOTP9. I've even seen a baseball universe that includes virtually every known baseball league in the world, from the lowest minor leagues in the United States to the pro leagues in Israel. Of course such a huge simulation isn't for everyone so you're more than welcome to start up even a tiny 4 team league that competes year after year with each other for your version of the World Series title.

Play Ball!

OOTP9 also offers different ways to actually play games in the leagues you've set up. You can even choose to simulate through entire decades of baseball without stopping if you're so inclined. My favorite method of play is to manage each individual ballgame for my team throughout the season. I set the lineups and pitcher and it's off to the first inning. I like to play in one-pitch mode which means the results of the current at bat are calculated and then displayed by means of the final pitch. So if your leadoff man hits a double off the RF wall on a 2-2 count then the game will only show that fifth pitch. It speeds the games up quite a bit and lets you manage a game in around 10 minutes or so. It doesn't reduce the amount of strategy however. You still have the ability to set defensive alignments, pinch hit, steal bases, sacrifice bunt, and virtually anything else a real MLB manager would do in a ball game. The game even displays the ball flight of each pitch put into play though the graphics are more functional than anything else. The play-by-play portion of OOTP9 is also quite good though it does feel as if there are too many outstanding plays overall during your average 9 inning ballgame.

Off the field there is quite a lot to be done as well. Running a team can be as exhaustive or simplified as you like, depending on which options you've set. There is an extremely detailed scouting system with multiple rating systems, adjustable levels of accuracy, and many different areas in which players are rated. Or you can turn scouting completely off and see each player's true ratings if you'd like. From free agent contracts to Rule 5 drafts to promotions (and demotions!) through the minor leagues - this game pretty much has everything you'd expect in a modern day baseball simulation. The game can even handle expansion teams without fuss so feel free to add the Boise Spuds or the Omaha Huskers to your ML universe and see how they compete.

Of special note is the game's ability to handle the history of your leagues. I was very impressed with the way OOTP9 tracks every single player that ever played in your league throughout his career. You can easily see a detailed history of what awards he's won, his season totals from his Rookie of the Year season, what his batting average was versus lefties in July of his final season, plus much, much more. It also tracks injuries, contracts, and just about everything else on each player's journey to the Hall of Fame (or for the majority of players, their eventual retirement into anonymity. The game also tracks team and league history at the same level of detail, including various accomplishments, such as no-hitters, hitting streaks, and 3+ HR games. This is great stuff for players like me who love to see how players on my team develop throughout their careers.

Trouble in the Ninth

Unfortunately the vast depth of options and play modes are also one of OOTP9's greatest problems. It can be a very overwhelming experience to delve into the game for the first time because there's a bit of a learning curve to how everything works. You can easily cut out certain aspects of the game to minimize this but many players will want to experience everything without leaving the complicated portions out. There are also various bugs that might pop up but these are being constantly fixed and patched by the game's maker so you shouldn't have any worries about technical support. Many gamers used to the catchy graphics and action of modern day video games might also be put off by the low-tech graphical look of the game or its relatively slow paced gameplay.

OOTP9 Delivers the Save

Despite its lack of graphical flash and small shortcomings, OOTP9 delivers a strikeout when needed most and that's its overall fun factor. I believe any true baseball fan would really enjoy OOTP9 as a great simulation of the national past time. If you're willing to put in the time to learn how the game works and fiddle around with its various options then you'll be well rewarded with the best baseball simulator available in the video game market today.