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Out of the Park 2 is the follow-up game to Out of the Park, the critically acclaimed baseball game by Markus Heinsohn. First off, I am not a huge fan of text-based sports simulations. However, OOTP sounded intriguing enough for me to try, and I was immediately won over. The depth in OOTP is incredible. Statistics lovers are not disappointed by the offerings in OOTP. Career play is deep and involved, with the ability to import players using Sean Lahman's Baseball Database. Meanwhile, the gameplay and accuracy of this game stand out as being top-rate.

Given the excellent quality of gameplay exhibited in OOTP, it is hard to imagine OOTP 2 being significantly better. However, after spending a good deal of time playing several builds of this title, I am amazed at the sheer amount of upgrades and improvements Markus has made. It must be mentioned that Steve Kuffrey has joined Markus in the development of OOTP 2. This duo is making something very special for sports gamers. I hate to sound like I am gushing over OOTP 2, but it is hard not to gush over a title that quite simply kicks ass.

Out of the Park 2 essentially keeps everything that was great about OOTP, and adds a wealth of better features, options, and league support. Briefly, several aspects of OOTP 2 jump out as being nice additions and upgrades. Users of the DOS-based OOTP will immediately notice that OOTP 2 runs in Windows. Cosmetically, OOTP 2 is a step above OOTP in every area. Other new features include: a financial system, a full minor league system, a record book, full online league support, the ability to import a past season and play it in career mode, and much, much more.

There is so much to talk about in this preview that organization is a tough chore. I will try to take the significant new features to this game and break them down one by one. It is impossible to touch upon every new feature and upgrade in OOTP 2 due to its sheer depth. Leading off, the “season import” feature has been upgraded in a big way. It was time consuming to import players one by one into OOTP. However, using Sean Lahman’s Baseball Database, entire seasons can now be imported, saving the user a lot of time. Not only can entire seasons be imported, but the user can play subsequent seasons in career mode from the time of the original season onward. Sound pretty cool? Well, hold onto your horses, we are not done yet. Once the career is underway with the imported season, the actual players in subsequent years can be imported into the rookie draft! That is right, the entire history of Major League Baseball can be played from your PC.

The second feature that is impressive is the HTML export feature. I was expecting this feature to be fairly limited, with basic league information displayed. However, people wanting to run or participate in online leagues will be amazed at its depth. The HTML “Master Report” feature creates an entire site for the league. An enormous amount of league info is simply a click or two away. League standings, individual player reports, records, trades, detailed team reports, injuries, minor league reports, team history, etc., are all accessible via this master report. The ease of use and detail of the HTML export feature will make for some serious online league play. There is an example of this feature displayed at the official OOTP site (address listed at the end of this preview).

Third, the overall visuals are much better. From the opening photo of Safeco Field to the play-by-play box, the graphics are colorful and easy to read. A cool feature that has been added is a graphical display before each game of hot and cold players. If a player is hot, then a fiery background appears, and if a player is cold, then an icy background is shown. The fonts and font sizes were selected well and make for a quick reading of the wealth of information contained in the game.

Fourth, there is now a financial model. Not only do gamers have to sign and re-sign players, but the overall financial aspects of the team must be considered. A nice team financial report is generated throughout the season. Broadcast revenue and ticket prices can be set. Owners of small market teams will benefit from revenue sharing. I become a bit apprehensive anytime a game has a financial model. There is so much that can go wrong with a financial model from the standpoint of accuracy. While the financial model of OOTP 2 is a nice feature, it still needs some work. I found that the tension of re-signing players is not much of an issue since it is fairly easy to re-sign your players. Keep in mind that the financial model was not complete as of the writing of this preview.

Fifth, the all-important accuracy of stats and computer AI has been improved in OOTP 2. I spent a good deal of time simming seasons. It is uncanny how well this game generates believable stats. The key word here is “believable.” I do not want to waste my time with a game that generates near identical stats in comparison to the real-world season. However, I also want the stats to be within the realm of possibility. For example, I do not want Pokey Reese hitting 62 dingers, while Big Mac only hits 21 homers in a full season. I thoroughly analyzed the stats of each of my simmed seasons in relation to such things as player ratings, real-world potential, etc. I was impressed with the outcome. There are a few stat categories that seemed a little off, but given the fact that the user can tweak everything in the game, and the version I played is not a final version, even this minor issue should be absent when the game is finally released. The AI of the computer complements the stat engine nicely. The CPU-controlled teams play a smart game of baseball. I found myself getting a little angry when the CPU out managed me in key late-game situations. Anyone who has actually managed the game of baseball will appreciate the nuances of the CPU management.