Played on:
Windows
Radeon 9800 XT
1GB PC3200 RAM
Windows XP
Baseball is a deep, deep game. On the outside, it looks like it isn't much more than one guy throwing a ball and someone else swinging at it. If it gets hit, some guy in the grass area chases after it and tries to catch it. If he does this three times, he even gets a chance to hit the ball!
Of course, there is far more to the game than that overly simplified description. Most of the video games available strike a balance between simulation and arcade-like action. MVP 2005, for example, allowed you to design your stadium and manage non-baseball related elements of your franchise.
Baseball Mogul 2007, on the other hand, is 100% simulation. By that, I mean you do not control a player directly. Instead, you're placed in the shoes of the general manager and, if you choose to be, the manager of the team. You won't be stepping up to bat with the likes of Andruw Jones but you'll have a chance to sign him away from the Braves and coach him to be an even better slugger than he already is.
I'll put this out there up front: Baseball Mogul 2007 is not the type of game for those that don't enjoy numbers. It isn't for those types of players that just want to play the game and ignore all the front office stuff.
So, with that out of the way, I'll go into the game. When starting the game up, you'll instantly recognize names - and not just those from current players. You can choose to start a season in 1901 if you wanted. You could even create your own custom universe - ever wanted to see what would happen if Roger Clemens got a chance to pitch against Barry Bonds? The custom universe option will give you the chance to set up this and many other potential scenarios that would only happen in the realms of fantasy.
All of the player stats are provided via an exclusive license with the Sean Lahman baseball database. The database contains highly detailed information on almost everyone who has played baseball since 1901. Through this database, you'll have access to a very wide variety of stats - from home run totals to how well the batter can hit a knuckleball, it is all here.
Once you finally get your season started, you'll be presented with a calendar. This calendar will show all the upcoming games for your team in the next month and also give you a chance to look at future months. Of course, there is a lot more to do before you actually get to playing games.
There are a lot of options to fiddle with. For example, you can try to make more money by selling broadcast rights to a cable TV channel. You might make some fans upset, though. You can make the fans at the park happier, though, by lowering the beer prices - doing that, though, causes you to make less money off the beer sales. Maybe you can increase the ticket prices by a few bucks? Oh look, now more fans are upset!
These are all decisions that a general manager of a team will eventually have to face. Your big goal is to balance your team's need to make money with your need to attract new fans. Outside of fiddling with prices, you'll also have to take care of trades for new players, re-sign players that go to free agency and even release players that aren't playing well.
I really enjoyed the interface for signing new players. You won't just offer then a contract - negotiations are needed. Depending on a player's overall attitude and how happy he is with your team, he might be willing to drop his asking price a bit. You can try to offer lower than that, too - if the player is happy in your team's hometown or just likes some of the players, he'll agree to less money. Otherwise, he'll throw a counter offer your way.
What if the guy you want is on another team? Well, go out and trade for him - just don't try to rip the other team off. The trading of players is pretty intelligent. You won't be able to rip off other teams like you can in other games - they won't trade you a hot rookie with tons of potential for an old veteran who may be better now but is in a decline. This actual intelligence in trades pleased me and actually made me think hard about trading away a young player for someone to help my team win the World Series in the current year.
