Game Review: Out of the Park 2006

It happens to every true baseball fan. At one time or another, we jump off the couch after a disappointing loss and throw the remote at the TV. This is the disease known as “I’m better than that bum running the <insert name of favorite team here>. If I got a chance, we’d be winning in three years-itis.” Many people don’t get an interview to be the next General Manager of their team because of this, but it’s always nice to wish.

Wish no more. Sports Interactive’s latest release, Outside of the Park Baseball 2006, is giving you a chance to either put up or shut up. When you’re not watching your hometown team on the tube, you can run a facsimile of them on your own computer. The software allows for competition in leagues on the Internet, so you can play against 29 other die-hard enthusiasts like yourself.

The game takes into account many, many aspects of the baseball world. Earlier versions were already very in-depth. GMs had to control the farm system, team finances, and fan interest, as well as signing free agents and trading to fill your weak spots. It was difficult to find the perfect balance of having a good enough farm system to continually bring in good, young talent, while having a cheap enough team to keep finances in check and win enough to get your fans to come to the park. Also included were the Amateur Draft, Rule V draft, and having coaches to help your players reach their potential. All in all, it was a pretty complete simulation engine.

The latest version, if you can believe it or not, is much more realistic than previous versions. The new software simulates every single pitch, which results in much more accurate results. As Markus Heinsohn said in my interview with him, OOTP 2006 has pretty much become the baseball-reference.com website, which is an absolutely amazing resource and a definite must-bookmark. If you want to see the OPS of your catcher with a full count in the month of August, you can. If you want to see how many home runs your second-best pinch hitter has against the opposing team’s closer, you can do that, too. There seems to be no end to what you can keep track of in this new game.

For those international fans, OOTP 2006 has got you covered. If you don’t know too much about American baseball teams and players, you can take the teams from the Japanese League and place them all in, say, Jamaica. Want to take the Korean Baseball Organization and place it in Belgium? I don’t know why you’d want to, but you sure can!

For years, I have been playing Outside of the Park baseball and trying to put together a team that can win the World Series. My best team made it to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated, so no “rings” for me yet. However, I have had a ton of fun meeting baseball fanatics like myself from around the country. Trying to build a winning team is a great enjoyment and allows me to see just how hard it is for GMs in real baseball to do it.

Evan Brunell, the creator of mostvaluablenetwork.com and the Commissioner of the Boys of Summer League (http://mostvaluablenetwork.com/OOTP/index.htm), says that “running an OOTP league, although time consuming, is pretty incredible because you are pretty much forced to follow every team in the league, so you learn a lot more about the game, which is why I think so many commissioners succeed. It also feeds the desire to be a GM of a team, and you can find out whether or not you can indeed do a better job than ‘that [expletive] who thinks he can run a ballclub.’ ”

Jason Barrow (SN: AllStar0608), a die hard fan and great GM since the beginning of the OOTP line, says that “OOTP is a great game that has kept me busy dominating people for years. The best thing about it is that it is easy to use and learn, making it easy for someone to dominate if they have some common knowledge of baseball.”

I give this simulation engine a rating of four balls. The interface looks beautiful, and it will be only a matter of time before OOTP Baseball 2006 leagues get started (someone must create the ratings for all of the players, first). If you’ve never played before, now would be a good time to get started.

You can download the software here or check out a free trial here!

Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means it’s a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.

Feel free to leave comments in the forums or e-mail Daniel at daniel@athomeplate.com