I’ll be the first to admit that I started up Baseball Mogul 2008 with a fair amount of uncertainty. Even though I know next to nothing about sports, the idea of managing a baseball team seemed fun. Unfortunately, when I began to play the game, I found out that the game was more aimed at the hardcore baseball fan and those that aren't, like myself, will begin to founder before they've quite known what's hit them. I would say that this game is only for those who really know their way around the baseball diamond.
I quickly learned that the amount of information the game has for the new player to consider is, at both, the game's strength and weakness. The amount of info you have to read through and memorize is staggering. There is the usual information about the game: game modes, how to play, etc. But it also packs in information about the game of baseball itself such as the 25 different styles of pitches which appear in the game. This is what made me think a newcomer to the game of baseball would have trouble with this game. To remember 25 types of pitches would be a challenge for anyone but more so for the non-baseball fan.
So, the manual done, I felt at least somewhat prepared to start playing the game itself. The first thing that must be said about the game is that it is broken up into three gameplay modes that you can change at anytime during the game. These modes are General Manager, where you set up the specifics of the game and then just sit back and watch the game play on with the batters appearing one after the other and making their swings without any further input from you. If that's not your cup of tea you can go down the 2nd level down which is that of Manager. In this mode you also plan out the game but you can interact with the players by telling them when to swing or what kind of pitch to throw. The final mode continually stands on the dirt of the playing field for in Player mode you are the player, being the batter or the pitcher depending on which team is in the infield or outfield.
The chief problem with the game is that it's not poorly designed, but not anywhere near as a good as it could be. The interface is tedious, and even with the ability to shuffle around the team, you never really feel like you're interacting with the game. You click, you point, you click again. This static image seems reinforced by the game screen itself…there is the screen which contains the motion captured images of a batter and pitcher. The video animation is all right enough, but the same models are used on each player no matter who is at bat. The character information to the right changes, but the place for a picture of the pitcher and batter is merely a silhouette. The rest of the graphical additions aren't much better as they only feature a static image of a baseball stadium which has, as it's only piece of animation, a round white circle flying through the air and hitting the dirt somewhere in the field.
I'm sure there must be entertainment in here somewhere, but I wish I could find it.
If you are not a hardcore baseball, you may want to look elsewhere for your videogame entertainment.
The game promises the a lot but in the end, absolutely fails to deliver any kind of entertaining experience. It's the point and click adventure meets baseball and, frankly, it seems like an insult to both.
