I've recently purchased MLB Front Office. The game offord was talking about in one of his previous posts. It is almost exactly what i would think a GM goes through day by day, except you can get a year done in a day if you really wanted to. The opportunity to search around team by team to make your organization competitive, i find, to be addictive. The game has every major leaguer who played this past season, but if you're looking for high profile prospects, like Andrew McCutchen's and what not, you will not find them. Instead you'll find a bunch of cartoony looking characters with certain attributes. Despite that part, I'm really enjoying the game overall.
I took over the Pirates organization and for the most part kept the entire team in tact while I was feeling my way around the game. Some of the moves I made were trading away Nyjer Morgan, Moss and Paulino. Traded for Joba Chamberlain and catching prospect from the phillies organization that has now become a perennial all-star in his third season with my club, and I also signed Andre Ethier and Brad Penny. Penny was a mistake, I gave him a long term contract and slightly overpaid in the hopes he would resort back to his former all-star self, but ended up being greatly disappointed. Ethier performed as I would expected and Joba has turned into a stud and is currently one of the highest rated pitchers in the league.
Through the first season I was having trouble grasping the concept of minor league free agency and arbitration periods, but I completely understand it now thanks in large part to Billy Beane who is the GM that walks you through the game. But, I struggled getting things under control in the first seaon and I think I ended with a record of like 52-110, haha. The second season I had a complete turn around and was in first place for the first half of the season, but seeing my team was starting to struggle and i was slowly sifting closer to that .500 mark, i dismantled my team and rebuilt. I finished my second season 80-82. I have just started my third season, I signed BJ Upton for 3 years, was able to get rid of my big contracts in McClouth, Sanchez and Penny, and now have a young, stellar rotation whose average salary is roughly around 1 mil per player. My rotation currently consists of Paul Maholm, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, David Price and a veteran lefty I'm having trouble remembering. I'm over 20 million under my budget and my prospects are making it rain.
If you love baseball as much as i do, and I know you guys do, you need to play this game. Watch out though because it's highly addictive. I sat for 8 hours yesterday playing this game (you know, since i don't have a job) and didn't even realized I lost an entire day.
The only down part is it doesn't let you fully strategize as the baseball manager and you can't actually play the field or hit. Though you can tell it to go through the sequence of the game batter by batter.
I figured I'd write it here since there was nothing important to push down.
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11 comments:
Sounds like a fun game. Is it only for XBox360 or Playstation3? Did you try to sign Sosa or Griffey for one year to see if it helped get butts in the seats? haha.
haha, no. Sosa or bonds weren't available and Griffey wasn't asking for the price of 3-5 mil like the amount he'll probably receive this year, it was in the 11-15 mil range. I just finished my third season last night with a record of 101-61! I got swept in the first round by the mets, but 100 victories! If i can do it so easily with this game, wtf are the pirates doing?
My other lefty starter is francisco liriano, i couldn't remember him before. And for that stretch run of over 100 wins i traded maholm and 2 prospects for tim lincecum who went something like 8-1 after i traded for him, and then signed him to a 3 year contract. I then went on to sign the FA Mike Gonzalez and seal up my bullpen. I now have the exact same team for my 4th year, a repeat performance? Only time will tell.
I think they might have it for PS2, but i'm not sure because i went straight to the 360 section at best buy and didn't look elsewhere.
oh bonds and sosa weren't available because they didn't play last season, i forgot to make that clear.
I got the game like thursday of last week, but I've taken my time and just about finished up the first spring training. I actually like managing the games so I can get a look at my pitchers, but it seems like they always do better when I watch the game compared to when I sim.
Overall, I am slightly disappointed in the game, ESPECIALLY with the lack of minor leaguers. Part of the reason I wanted the game was to see how McCutchen, Walker, and Co. would do in the majors. Alas, I'm stuck with something Manwaring as a backup OF...Also, McClouth won his arbitration..1 year 7.5 million! WTF.
Oh, and no free agents will sign with me. After cutting everyone who isn't on the team now, I freed up a lot of money and made better than they asked for offers to Mike Gonzalez and Monroe..neither which has signed yet and the season starts in a few days. I don't like the lack of communication...there should be some back and forth, not just waiting a week to see if they accept or decline.
Anyway, overall I would say this isn't much like being a real GM...unless I win 81 games in the first season that is.
I'll talk more about my first season goes on, but unlike Ryan, I have a full-time job and a dog and a gf. so..I get about one-hour a night to play after she goes to bed, and when I don't feel like playing wii...
don't sign monroe unless you're going to start him. I signed him for 3 years at like 2 mil or something like than and he ended up being a bench player. His overall dropped to like 25 or 30 and i had to include him in a lopsided trade for the computer just to get rid of the SOB. I hope his season turns out much differently in real life.
I am also disappointed with the lack of real minor leaguers, that's something i was also looking forward to, but oh well.
You will get better as a GM at signing players and trades as you play the game more. Your GM skill level will increase with the accomplishments of your team. You can even get your owner to increase the payroll if you're good enough! My goal is to get the pirates payroll up to around 80 mil, then i can die a happy man.
Your fault for having a job, a dog and a GF. And i find it hilarious you listed them in that order. How's the upkeep?
Haha, i may have to buy this for PC...
damn job, dog, oh yeah and that GF thingy. ugh, keeps me away from fantasy fantasy baseball...
Ryan, have you tried the fantasy section of the game? I have yet to.
And thanks for the tip on Monroe, perhaps I will pull back my offer. Oh, some other things I didn't like. Chipper Jones signed with the freakin Blue Jays! They need to have some sort of realism variable in there...and most of the free agents in real life signed with their old teams in the game...whatever.
My big offseason acquisition was Morgan Ensberg...sigh. He has been MUCH better than Andy LaRoche in spring training though and will sadly be my starting 3B. I'm thinking of starting Luis Cruz over Jack Flash too, he's been better in preseason.
wow, i did the exact same thing with ensberg...freaky. Atleast i did it for the first season. Chipper i think signed with cleveland in my game, and mike mussina signed a 3 year contract with the yankees, wtf?!
No i haven't tried the fantasy yet. I'm assuming its the same thing as we're doing now but you get to handpick your organization. I'm curious about xbox live though with it. I think it could get interesting to play other people.
Yea maybe. What system do you have it for? And Mussina signed a deal with the Yanks in mine too, not sure how long though.
xbox 360, hence why i would be curious about it through xbox live.
Oh ok. I didn't know what XBox Live was haha. I thought it was maybe a new system...
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