OOTP15 expected to be a hit; releases Friday
By Aaron Somers
Sometime Friday morning the lucky masses who pre-ordered their copies of Out of the Park Baseball 15 will be able to download and start playing the latest incarnation of the iconic game. The OOTP series of games have long since established themselves as one of the most comprehensive full-featured baseball simulation games on the market and this newest version promises to bring a host of new features to the table – potentially making it the best version yet.
Want a crack at taking over as General Manager for your favorite team? Think you can bring the Cubs back to the World Series quicker than Theo Epstein or that you could do a better job running the Yankees with that enormous budget? Maybe you want to pick up the mantle of a young and up-and-comer like the Astros, seeing just how soon you can bring the team to the postseason. Take control of every aspect of running the organization – from filling out your Rookie League bullpen to which infielder to select in the late rounds of the draft and everything in between.
Perhaps one of the biggest features to join this latest version of the game is the 3D ballpark support, something that brings a whole new experience to the in-game view that truly highlights where the ball is carrying off the bat.
OOTP15 also features the full 2014 Opening Day rosters – from MLB all the way down to the Rookie Leagues and even includes the Venezuelan and Dominican Summer Leagues for the first time. Thousands of real minor league players are available, all carefully rated with the help of Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections. As the GM of any team you’re given full access to mold and shape your roster in just about any way that you can imagine.
With OOTP15 there is a brand new interface, an improved player rating system, added options to control your team, and even the ability to import your existing season (or seasons) from a previous version of OOTP.
There’s a learning curve, especially for those who may not quite be as familiar with all of the inner workings of different types of transaction moves (from DFA to non-tender decisions and even re-signing first base coaches and scouts) but the game can and is addicting for those passionate about the game.
Pre-ordered copies of the game will be available on Friday, April 18th. Copies can be purchased directly from OOTP Developments as of Monday, April 21st.