OOTP18 is the latest version of a great baseball simulator. I noticed two significant changes from OOTP16 (last version that I owned). First, the 3D view of the game. Pervious versions that I played was basically text-only with minimal graphical reflections of the action. This addition is a very nice touch and aligns with the play-by-play text that is presented. Since I tend to play all the games (not sim), I have enjoyed this feature much more than I would have thought. Another little nuance that I thought was great is after a completed game, there is a nice recap of the game along with player "quotes" and a probability of winning line as the game progressed. The other significant change that I found is the new "challenge mode." Although this does not fundamentally change the game, you can now compare your results to the other OOTP18 players out there. Challenge mode restricts a couple things in the game (e.g. player editor, long-term simulation), but does enable your score to be recorded against other players. These two changes were worth getting OOTP18.

For those that are unfamiliar with the series, OOTP18 is a baseball game for all of the armchair GMs and Managers that are out there. This is the third iteration that I have played (OOTP16 and OOTP10) and the game continues to evolve very well. As with the pervious couple of versions, OOTP has the MLB and Player's Association license. As a sports fan, you always wonder about how you would remake your favorite team into a dynasty and now is your chance. You start with the ability to manage a MLB team today or any year from 1871. You may also choose one of several International Leagues that are available. From day one, you can delegate authority to the AI or control everything. From the GM perspective, this includes player and staff contracts, free agent signings, major/minor league roster moves, drafts, trades, and organizational budget allocations. From the manager perspective, you set your pitching rotations and lineups. At that point, you can dive into playing each baseball game or sim through the days. All the statistics from MLB history is available and its fun starting from scratch in 1871 to learn about the early pioneers in baseball. The other great thing about the OOTP series is the ability to create your own fictional leagues, uniforms, and designs with the large user-mod community.

The bottom line is that this game is a must have for people who love baseball.