‘Out of the Park Baseball 18’ Arrives March 24th

Mar 21, 2017

Spring has sprung which means the latest edition of Out of the Park Baseball must be on the horizon. This season gamers can look forward to not only the most in depth simulation available of our national pastime, from OOTP Developments as usual, but also a slew of new features and tweaks; OOTP will even carry MLB and MLBPA licensing for the first time ever. The game will be available to the masses on March 24th but you can currently preorder through the 23rd to receive early access and a 10% discount. OOTP 18 carries an MSRP of $39.99.

About OOTP 18:

The Chicago Cubs’ historic World Series win is still fresh in our minds, and we can’t wait to see if they can repeat as champs in Out of the Park Baseball 18, the sequel to Metacritic’s 2016 PC Game of the Year 2016!

*** New Features in OOTP Baseball 18 ***

2017 Opening Day Rosters

Our brand new 2017 roster sets include all Opening Day MLB rosters, as well as the complete minor league system down to rookie leagues, including independent leagues. All major league (and over a thousand minor league) player ratings are based on Dan Szymborski’s popular ZiPS player projection system. The remaining minor league players are carefully rated by hand by our established research team.

Can the Chicago Cubs repeat as World Series winners, despite the loss of Aroldis Chapman and Dexter Fowler? Or did the Cleveland Indians’ successful offseason set them up for at taking the World Series trophy home this year? Will the Boston Red Sox’s rotation, anchored by Chris Sale and David Price, dominate in the AL East, or are the rebuilding Yankees already a contender?

Which team will win the tight National League West Division, the powerhouse LA Dodgers, led by the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw?

Of course, 8 international leagues (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, Mexico and Cuba) and several international independent leagues return to OOTP 18 with accurate and projected 2017 rosters.

New Challenge! Game Mode and Online User Profiles

Ready for an extra challenge? Experience a new game mode in OOTP 18: Challenge! This mode can be enabled in newly created leagues (standard / historical / fictional) and adds a unique twist, along with new rewards, while playing OOTP.

Certain areas of the game are tightly controlled to prevent cheating and the game flow is optimized and more streamlined. Several new types of achievements and statistics are tracked in a new (optional) OOTP online user profile. Are you the best OOTP manager on the planet? Compare your skills to other OOTP gamers and find out how you stack up!

Improved 3D Mode & Game Highlight Reels

With even more ballpark detail than before, the 3D game mode in OOTP has taken another leap forward. More advanced player models and improved on-field movements let you view the action like never before. On top of that, you can optionally save all the 3D action highlights to rewatch the game or catch the highlight reel, no matter if those games were played out or simulated.

Tournaments & Fall Leagues

OOTP 18 now features custom and real world tournaments. Watch the best prospects play in the Arizona Fall League, or set up your own tournament pitting the best of each nation facing off against each other! Set up your own national or international tournaments, choose from different tournament modes, and manage your favorite nation to international glory.

Negro Leagues Added to Historical Minor Leagues

With the help of Seamheads.com, our historical database experts have been able to add most Negro leagues seasons to the historical minor league feature of Out of the Park Baseball 18, including accurate rosters and player statistics. In addition, we have added the Federal League as an unaffiliated minor league in the years 1914 and 1915.

Improved AI

A lot of work has gone into improving the AI throughout the game, resulting in the most challenging gameplay ever. The roster AI, trade AI, and in-game AI have been optimized and enhanced to reflect the latest tendencies (for example, the usage of closers in high-leverage games by certain managers).

Redesigned Injury System

The injury system in OOTP 18 has been reworked to be more realistic and interesting. A detailed injury history is tracked for players, the injury database has been enhanced, there are now nagging little long-term injuries, injuries to different body types have different long-term effects, injuries in historical leagues are more realistic, and much more.

Every year we add many smaller features, and OOTP 18 is no exception. It includes:

The ability to retain player salaries in trades
New options for team promotions and relegations between leagues
Many 2017 CBA rule changes are incorporated in modern MLB games
Improved player morale / team chemistry system
Improved player creation & development system
Improved game recaps
Enhanced play-by-play text and league news
Beautiful new interface with three different skins
Much faster import speed of historical minor league seasons
…and more to be announced prior to release!

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Jeff McAleer

Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...