Baseball Mogul 2002 Review
Baseball Mogul 2002's greatest success, as well as most disappointing failure, is that the captivating gameplay remains virtually identical to the first game in the series.
Baseball Mogul 2002 is the computer game equivalent of a dream come true for anyone who collected baseball cards as a kid. The management simulation lets you trade in that cheap cardboard and take complete control of your Major League faves in a drive to bring home the pennant. Sign 'em, sit 'em, or ship 'em off to Montreal at the trade deadline--it's completely up to you. The game is so effective at drawing out your inner child that by the midway point of your first simulated season, you'll find yourself longing for a stick of cementlike gum.
Unfortunately, the above could also have been said for the original Baseball Mogul, way back when the concept was new and intriguing. Now, three iterations and as many years later, the bloom is off the rose and the entire idea seems a bit tired. Those who have been with the series from the very beginning can't help but get a sense of déjà vu when loading up the new game, which is a lot like the "new" game from last summer, which was a lot like the "new" game from the summer before that. As much as it might be unfair to fault a game for what it isn't, it's hard not to demand some sort of rejuvenation from a series this far down the road. Winning concept or not, nobody wants to buy the same thing, year after year.
Of course, if you've never played one of the previous releases in this line, you're in for a real treat. Broken down to its basics, Baseball Mogul 2002 is all about winning, both on the field and in the accounting ledgers. You're sort of like an owner, general manager, and manager rolled into one, with godlike control over everything from the price of admission to who gets to bat cleanup. All the official Major League Baseball Players Association members are on hand, in contrast with previous years when fictional players were used. The game still lacks the full Major League license, meaning that you'll have to input team nicknames yourself if you want that extra touch of authenticity.
You keep track of everything with an easy-to-use interface that organizes all of your team's stats and relevant financial data on readily available menus. Player cards containing all the current stats and a scouting report can be checked by just double-clicking on the players' names. Complete box scores and remarkably thorough game summaries are available from the calendar screen. Games themselves can be simmed one day at a time, or you can move through the schedule by the week, month, half season, or entire season. Simulation time is incredibly fast. Click on "entire season" and run off to make a sandwich, and the game will have made it to October by the time you reach for the mustard.
Important league happenings are further highlighted in the Mogul Insider. Updated every day with at least one story, this screen runs down the current headlines, complete with full newspaper-style stories and photos. This feature, which has been with the Baseball Mogul series since its inception, now covers more big-league happenings than ever, from hard-fought wins to noteworthy individual achievements to failed negotiations and trades. It remains the most memorable part of your experiences with the game, providing Basball Mogul 2002 with a lot of its unique charm and attitude--you'll enjoy being able to read about the exploits of your team and players in the newspaper.
The only significant interface miscue is an inability to track player movement around the league, aside from just scanning the headlines for an announcement. Still, the game is very friendly to beginners. This is a consequential achievement all on its own, considering the often confusing interfaces found in similar games. Compared with most other baseball management simulations, such as the ridiculously convoluted Diamond Mind Baseball and the unwieldy APBA Baseball for Windows, Baseball Mogul 2002 is as accessible as a first-grade primer.
- GameSpot Score 7.3 good
Critic Scores
- IGN 8.7 / 10
- Computer Gaming World 4 / 5
- PC Gamer 89 / 100
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