If you're familiar with baseball games, then there is a good chance you're also aware of the existence of Out of the Park Baseball. Last year we reviewed OOTP 11 (with a grade of A-; that's an elite, must-have kind of score), and I came away impressed:
The core game here is very strong, and there is a reason that OOTP has managed to get this many iterations in over the years. If you're a fan of the series, snag the latest version, and if you're new to the world of baseball sims, you can't go wrong picking up OOTP to fill that void.
For those of you that already know you're going to buy the new OOTP, the developers are running a second pre-order contest. The first involved a free iPod touch, but they have upped the ante this time: pre-order OOTP 12 by February 28 (a Monday), and enter to win a second-gen iPad. That product is so new that it hasn't even been released yet–OOTP is promising you a gift from the future. Sure, it's not a flying car or a robot with a positronic brain, but it does have a touch screen. If you already pre-ordered previously, you are entered into this contest, so don't feel like you got stiffed by committing early.
More details are available at OOTP's site. If you're hesitant to put your money down on the latest iteration of the long-running series, you can wait for our review of OOTP 12 to drop later this spring.
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I'd like something more than what MLB The Show provides but OOTP seems to go a bit far in the other direction.
Generally for my style of play, I'll autoplay a month at a time (though I set it so it'll stop autoplay if someone is out for more than two weeks). I'll play the playoffs by hand. Each month I tweak the major and minor league rosters and lineups/rotation/bullpen as I see fit.
The AI is still a bit easy to abuse with trades, but it's much better than it used to be.
Very fun, you have to find the right style of league for your taste, but I've got a good group of completely random people from around the world that make for an enjoyable experience.
It's been moving closer to a sabermetric view of players and stats, now using BABIP and scoring players with VORP.
Now I just need PECOTA for my OOTP league and I'll be set!
Actually, that's the one thing I wish OOTP had -- the ability to save a lineup order and use it later. They have a version of it, but it's more like copy a right hand lineup to a left hand lineup. It's cumbersome to have to re-order your lineup each time one of your integral players is out for 3 weeks.