[Dont Mess With Texas]

On the question of animation, I must say that it IS a plus in a game. For anyone out there who has played Strat-O-Matic Baseball, the addition of tiny animations make the games come alive. Most text sims keep me straight faced, watching the words, and when i win, i continue to look at stats. When playing SOM, homeruns get me on my feet, hi-fiving my little brother and celebrating another 3-run shot by Sammy. When the ball is in the air, the suspense builds. Though I've never played OOTP4, I'm sure SOM is the most realistic sim ever (without a doubt). I plan on buying OOTP4 due to the extra features (SOM doesn't even have playoffs or a world series). For anyone who just wants the most realistic stat based game ever (who dont need franchise modes, or even playoffs) SOM is the best. And the animation DOES help the atmosphere.