Out of the Park Baseball is the kind of game where changes are best kept very small in scope and number. The game has a reputation for its high level of simulation accuracy and vast database of baseball leagues, players, and historic events. The potential downside of this is that the game becomes redundant and doesn’t evoke the same routine drive to re-up every new baseball season.
So, after a few releases that mostly kept the same structure and flow of the previous Out of the Park games, Out of the Park Baseball 19 seeks to make more sweeping changes to keep the game modern, while retaining all of the expected quality of its past. New 3D stadium and player models with full action sequences during games tops a list of good but incomplete updates to the OOTP series.
Out of the Park Baseball 19 is a full access baseball simulator that allows you to assume control of a team in a massive number of real life leagues across the world, including the MLB. The game has an incredibly accurate roster of players across all leagues and gives you complete control of a fully custom league as an option as well.
The idea is to not perform in-game, but manage the team from the long term farm system down to the individual at-bats and everything in between. The game is easy to navigate and operate, but requires at least an intermediate knowledge of baseball to fully understand and enjoy.
While not fully restrictive, this combined with the lack of action can be a steep curve to take for a lot of players. Those dedicated to the game, or new converts that want to learn more about the sport, will find a lot of bang for their buck in the incredible depths of control and customization.
Overall the game itself is unchanged. There are numerous small updates to the user interface, AI and ratings system that are nice but only slightly noticeable. The biggest change is the fact that there are now full 3D models of players and stadiums, playing out the action of the game as you manage.
The game includes the standard mode, a historical mode, and a custom mode where you can create your own league using the optional collection of over 800 logos. The historical mode plays out MLB seasons back to the 1800s and is impressive in its scope, from the players down to the optional inclusion of scripted real-world events.
However, one big glaring omission is a promised “Perfect Team” mode that is as of yet still unavailable. The mode, in a beta at this time, appears to be an “Ultimate Team” clone where you build teams using cards. How it will play, and how it will flow is still in the air.
Microtransactions would be an unwelcome inclusion, but seems to be a natural reason to create such a mode in a a game where you can already fully customize a team to be any group of players you want. If included, their relegation to Perfect Team mode would be appreciated.
This is the most modern Out of the Park Baseball release by a mile in terms of aesthetics and UI design. The menus, fonts, and interface have all been updated to a sleek and glossy look. This combined with the overhaul on the game’s 3D game display makes for an impressive looking OOTP for perhaps the first time ever.
Patrick Rost has been with Gaming Trend since 2013. At first focused on sports coverage, Patrick has gone on to cover a wide range of games and other products for the website. Outside of Gaming Trend, Patrick writes and records music, grinds perpetually in Elder Scrolls Online (PS4), and lives day to day with his two dogs, Bob and Stella.
Out of the Park Baseball 19 keeps its excellence intact while molding some big updates and changes around its core product. The addition of 3D game display is very welcome, but the game leaves its biggest change still on the table with plenty of questions surrounding it.
PROS
- Customization on the highest level
- Extremely accurate simulations
- An encyclopedia of baseball knowledge
- New 3D models for in-game action
- Lots of small updates to UI, AI and others
CONS
- Large learning curve
- Perfect team mode not ready at launch
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
