Mainstream Reviews of APBA Baseball For Windows
A blast from the past
Mainstream Reviews of APBA Baseball For Windows
I was doing research the other day for a different project when I came across this:
This comes from the November 1993 issue of VideoGames And Computer Entertainment. And, to my knowledge, it’s the only text based game featured in that magazine.
There were other mainstream magazines in those days that reviewed APBA Baseball For Windows, by the way. Most of the ones I know about, however, were specialty magazines that catered to computer simulation lovers. VideoGames, in contrast, was unmistakably a mainstream publication, one that featured mostly reviews of console video games.
Anyway, I thought I’d share this rarity. I’ll let you know when I come across other gems like this.
It's funny how despite the full-color background, the actual graphics are the same as the original Random House version of the game. One of the legitimate criticisms of the game is that when sending a runner around the bases, there are literally no clues to guide the manager as the written description doesn't do a very good job of giving you the odds. Joe Elinich ended up reverse engineering the chances but someone shouldn't have to do that; there should be a physical representation of the runner on the basepaths at the very least.
One other surprising factor looking back at it is how expensive the Random House game was when it was released: $90 and this didn't include StatMaster which not only was sold separately but didn't come out until two years later! I think this was because Random House sold the game to APBA for whatever software cost at the time (maybe $30) and then APBA marked it up, acting as a retail outlet for its own game instead of insisting on a discount from Random House. Once the game became the domain of Miller Associates the price came down to a reasonable level. Of course, back then you had to actually know how to use a computer in order to use one so Phil Medon's column in the beginning was very nuts-and-bolts rather than strategy based.
Thanks Dan. Are there any updated reviews of BBW out there? When last I played it, in the early 2000s, the stat package had not been updated. I decided to make DMB my game of choice for replays because it came with actual lineups and pitching rotations. And I've stuck with it, though the DMB computer manager is often lacking.