99 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
99 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
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MICRO LEAGUE BASEBALL II
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If you're looking for a baseball simulation that lets you swing a bat and move
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players to catch baseballs and run bases, MICRO LEAGUE BASEBALL II (MLBII) may
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_not_ be the game for you. But if you favor the management aspects of baseball,
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you'll love MLBII. (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.)
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Geared toward the manipulation of strategies and statistical data, MLBII uses
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actual teams and players from prior years. The manager also has the capability
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to input current teams' and players' stats, or (better yet!) create a new team,
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players, and stats.
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The game is at its best when two great baseball minds meet in head-to-head
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competition. Brawls erupted between disgruntled fans when Richard's '27 Yankees
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blew out Karen's '75 Reds by an 8-0 score before Karen conceded during the 7th
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inning stretch. But we're getting ahead of ourselves....
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The MS-DOS version of MLBII is supplied on two unprotected 5-1/4" diskettes
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(3-1/2" diskettes are available at no charge). We used an IBM XT and AT; the
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game will also run on the IBM PS/2, Tandy, and PC compatibles.
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MLBII offers twenty-four teams from American and National League greats,
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through the 1988 AL and NL All-Stars. Some other teams include the
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aforementioned '27 Yankees, the '45 Cubs, and a selection of championship teams
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from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s.
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You begin by selecting a team and deciding whether to manage the team yourself
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or permit the computer to call the shots. True bleacher bums can tell the
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computer to play itself; if you wish, you can sit back, pop a few brews,
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scratch, and spit. Ah, baseball: the American pastime.
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Managers are presented with several choices: designated hitter (yes/no),
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starting lineups, and bullpen picks. A myriad of statistical data is available
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at any time to aid this process. (We found a printout of the stats to be very
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handy.) The home team's ballpark dimensions are listed, giving stat-crazed
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baseball fanatics even more numbers to juggle while they plot and plan their
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strategies.
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Offense and defense options are activated by numbers from 0 to 10, giving the
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managers plenty of decision-making options. The defensive options let you
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position players, select pitches, visit the mound, warm up the bullpen,
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intentionally walk a batter, and even throw a pitch-out. The offense can swing,
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bunt, sacrifice, steal, hit and run, or put in pinch-hitters and runners.
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Batters usually get one pitch; so, unlike the real game, events move right
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along. There are some nice touches: rain delays, arguments and ejections, and
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even a condensed "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
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(Where is Harry Caray when you need him?)
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When the game is over, you have the option of printing out the box score, which
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includes the final score, player stats, stolen bases, and extra-base hits. You
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can compile these statistics, allowing players' stats to develop as additional
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games are played. Again, the stat freaks will be in heaven. Another nice option
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is the quick game, lasting just a few minutes, in which the computer whizzes
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through the game with limited graphics.
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Always a realist, Karen appreciated the option of having the player walk back
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to the dugout after an out was made. True, it slowed the playing time, but it's
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a great touch. She'd like to see the relief pitcher come to the mound in an
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automobile...but she'll just have to wait for MICRO LEAGUE BASEBALL III.
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Being an aficionado of games in which the movement of the players can be
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controlled, Richard was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't move his players
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and make the plays (right or wrong) to the various bases. MLBII gives you plenty
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of features you can control, but the actual plays aren't among them.
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MLBII game is similar to other sport simulation software in that the stats and
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ratings of the players determine the better team. MLBII lets the managers change
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the players' stats to allow the formation of super teams. Richard liked this
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option, thinking (incorrectly) that his naive wife wouldn't notice the .600
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batting averages, the blinding speed ratings, or the Golden Glove ability of all
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nine in his active roster.
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Players can be traded among teams, allowing for unlimited variety. Additional
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disks are available (at extra cost) to update your team statistics; otherwise,
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you must key in statistics from published books. We think MLBII should be a
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three-disk game, with the third disk including the previous year's teams and
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statistics.
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As with any other game, MLBII has a few drawbacks. The speed can be adjusted
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from 1 to 9 (to accommodate PCs from XTs all the way up to 386s), but we found
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the XT to be a tad too slow even in the fastest mode. On a 386, however, the
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game flies. The CGA graphics are a pale imitation of the EGA version (or VGA in
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EGA emulation mode). During the game, when a ball is hit to the corner of the
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ballpark, both the player and the ball disappear from sight. We thought a full
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view of the ballpark was definitely in order.
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MLBII has some nice features, which create the flavor of the old ballpark. It's
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easy to get hooked, and we really enjoyed the game. Armed with our new-found
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baseball savvy, maybe we can both be managers in the Show -- after we get
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divorced, of course!
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MICRO LEAGUE BASEBALL II is published and distributed by Micro Sports
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Association, Inc.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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