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Baseball Mogul 2008 Review (continued)
More User Submitted Baseball Mogul 2008 Reviews
Date: 2007-06-17
WILL MAKE YOU KNOWLEDGEABLE
I usually start my game in 1901 and go far into the future. It is fairly easy for me to win most of the World Series titles even on the most difficult setting. I guess that's not too realistic, but the fun is in the numbers-setting new records, getting 300 wins, getting 3000 hits setting the single season HR so high even Bonds couldn't break it, etc. I also enjoy learning the history of old time players. Baseball Mogul makes me so curious about the players I look them up on Wikipedia. My baseball knowledge has grown immensely because of the game. Some of those old-timer were really characters such as Rube Waddell or Mike Donlin. Whenever I start a new game from 1901 I find myself trading for my favorite players. Roger Bresnahan probably tops list. My line up is never complete unless Roger is the catcher.
As another reviewer stated it is fairly easy to get an all-star lineup, but having all-stars does not guarentee a title. In the game I am playing now my starting rotation includes Walter Johnson, Pete Alexander, Dutch Leonard, Herb Pennock and Eddie Cicotte. Not exactly slouches, but I've finished 2nd the last two seasons after a string of 5 titles.
I deducted 1 star because of bugs. Even with the latest patch(10.14?)
there are some problems.
Date: 2007-05-31
Still too similar to last 10 versions
While this series has advanced some, I can't get over how similar 2008's version is to even 1998's game. This season the live game action is better, but you STILL have no control over baserunners. Sometimes your fastest runner won't try to score from 3rd with two outs on a single. The user should be able to decide whether he risks it or not. The free agency system is still out-dated and no other teams really bother competing for star players during the off-season. Basically if you're willing to pay the player's demands, you can easily build an allstar team within one year. Some may say this is realistic, but there still needs to be some competition for star quality players. They should have bidding wars where other teams drive up the price at the last minute and sometimes actually steal a player away from you.
If you really want to exploit the game's weaknesses, just control a very low budget team like the Royals or Nationals for one season. You will ALWAYS make a profit so you can triple your payroll the following year and build an allstar team. This is silly as any baseball fan knows the Royals and other low budget teams would never triple their payroll in one year, and can rarely if ever sign big name players. It's kind of a fun game to play one season in, but over multiple years it's laughably simple to have a lineup consisting of eight superstars and a a starting rotation of all Cy Young winners. Maybe the online leagues are better for live competition but who knows.....
Date: 2007-03-26
Excellent Game for Strategic-minded Baseball Fans
For those that are strategically and statistically-inclined, you are going to enjoy this game. It allows you to run a Major League baseball team, like an owner, general manager, and manager, all rolled into one, with control over roster personnel, trades, salary negotiations, lineups, etc. Moreover, you can choose to run any team at any time in baseball history (at least going back to 1901), with an additional option for control of in-game strategy, if you so choose. If you are more inclined to the grad scheme of running a team, and not individual game play, likewise, you can play your team in simulation mode for as long as you want (including multiple seasons).
One of the best ways to detect a video game's progression is its continual improvements. The first Baseball Moguls typically had problems with minor league player development, salaries, and drafts (which in the older versions were always after the season). No more. In the 2008 version, your drafts are held during the season in June, as the real ones are, and your minor league player development is dependent on not just length of time playing at a certain level before promotion, but also the amount of money you organizationally spend on your minor league teams.
Another improvement is the historically-accurate variation of stadium fences, seat numbers, etc., of individual stadiums, including the switchover to new stadiums for individual teams. So, if you are managing the Houston Astros in 1999, your next season will automatically transfer your home stadium over to Minute Maid Park. This is a drastic change from the old Astro Dome. In addition, you also possess the ability to manipulate and/or cheat by putting the game in Commissioner Mode and skewing league revenue sharing, team salaries, player/pitcher skills, etc., as well as control your difficulty level of play (from the easy fan to more difficult mogul setting).
All in all, this is a nice antidote to the graphics-oriented video baseball games that are more worried about visual realism of someone's slide than the real variables that determine an outcome of a game. If you are an aspiring baseball fan with a love for the nuances of the game, BM 2008 is for you.
Baseball Mogul 2008 Reviews Page: 3 of 3 Prev<< 1 2 3
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