Background Info

Screens(8)

Microsoft "Baseball 2001" is the first PC-based baseball game that combines the features of the award-winning Baseball Mogul simulation technology with Microsoft's tradition for eye-popping graphics and gameplay. Players can manage from the front office to the field as the game allows them to draft, trade, sign and manage players while also supervising finances for their teams over multiple seasons. Microsoft "Baseball 2001" captures the excitement and intensity of an authentic Major League Baseball (MLB) game insuring a grand-slam experience for players of all skill levels.

Features

• Manage teams and players' careers over multiple seasons. Thanks to the newly added Baseball Mogul technology, Microsoft "Baseball 2001" lets gamers build and develop a team over time – just like a MLB General Manager. Features include the ability to simulate games over days, weeks, months or even seasons and team and player statistics carry over from one season to the next. In addition, new players are developed through AAA minor league teams and the game's artificial intelligence trades among both human and computer teams.

• Control a team's finances. Microsoft "Baseball 2001" allows gamers to manage the action not only on the field, but behind the scenes as well. The game keeps a close eye on the bottom line throughout, tracking player salaries, farm system, scouting and other expenses against revenues. Microsoft "Baseball 2001" won't allow players to win at any cost – revenue success is based on team performance, but also ticket prices and other financial factors.

• Real-life Major League atmosphere. Licensed by MLB, the game features all 30 teams, more than 1200 players and 35 stadiums including four new stadiums – Milwaukee, Houston, San Francisco and Detroit. Using actual MLB player statistics from the 1999 season, the game is able to re-create a given player's actual ability on the playing field. Commentary by Arizona Diamondbacks announcer Thom Brennaman and true-to-life ball physics make Microsoft "Baseball 2001" the next best thing to being out on the field.

• Superlative graphics. Microsoft's rich tradition of supplying consumers with the best graphics available in any PC baseball game continues in this third version of Microsoft "Baseball." High levels of detail include player movements based on extensive motion capture sessions, lifelike stadium renditions and multi-polygonal player's models at the highest resolution.

• Improved Home Run Derby. Microsoft "Baseball 2001" has improved upon this already popular aspect by including better distance indicators, the ability to track the longest homeruns and using the number of outs versus the number of pitches – just like real MLB.

• Endorsed by one of the hottest players in the game. Microsoft "Baseball 2001" features the likeness of Boston Red Sox All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra both on the box and in the game. The 1997 American League Rookie of the Year, Garciaparra has been selected to Major League Baseball's All-Star team twice in his four-year career and was an integral part of the 1999 American League Wild Card Red Sox team.