Customer Reviews

Sega Sports: World Series Baseball 2K3

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Simply put, this is the best baseball game, and maybe the best sports game ever. Sega perfectly blended great gameplay, stellar graphics, and tons of extras to keep this addictive. Let me quickly compare the other 3 basball titles:

ASB - Probably the most realistic, but easily the most boring to actually play. Good graphics, and it's very in depth...too bad the batter/pitcher interface stinks. This game just isn't fun.

High Heat - I had this and returned it. The graphics are AWFUL, this game looks like it's from 1997. Game controls are cumbersome. There is nothing slick or sexy about this game, everything looks generic. Very intense franchise mode though, you manage all the way down through A ball. There's also a slider for every conceivable option, which is nice.

MVP - 2nd best game after WSB 2K3. Admittedly, it's pretty good, but WSB just has it beat in every category. I didn't like how you just swing at pitches, rather than aim your swing. The pitch meter (a la golf games) doesn't work well in a baseball context.

Then there's WSB 2K3. The graphics are amazing, and the player animations just make it better. Stadiums and fields were rendered to perfection, even city buildings near stadiums were captured perfectly. Player faces are almost photo-realistic. The gameplay itself is easy to understand, but not simple enough that it requires no skill. Scores usually reflect real games, with some pitcher dominated 2-1 games, some real exciting slug fests, and some that are in between. And you'll see all kinds of hits and outs and different plays, there's a TON of variation. The add-ons are sweet. ESPN is partnered with it so that the whole game has an ESPN broadcast/SportsCenter feel to it, complete with graphics and music. The franchise mode is great, with everything you can imagine. There's a home run challenge, and some on-line capabilities I haven't explored yet. Each team even has 4 retro and one alternate jersey, which I love...there's 5 old ballparks and HOF players to play with. Pretty good adjustability too with the sliders.

Look, this is the best baseball game for now, and I am an EA loyalist saying that. You could get MVP and be happy, but get WSB 2K3 and be ecstatic instead.

World Series 2k3 has the best gameplay I've seen since Triple Play 2001 (the only good version of Triple Play). A friend and I sampled WS2k3 and EA's MVP. While MVP has a challenging (and fun) pitching interface, World Series has the best all-around gameplay.

Some features that World Series has, and MVP doesn't:

-WS has a timed hitting mode, which, for me, is the most realistic way to hit. You don't have to guess where the ball is going to be pitched (and if the pitch is anywhere else, [you'll miss]), you just time your swing and try to go with the pitch.
(Also, you can turn off all the interface graphics for both pitching and hitting, so you don't have to play a cat-and-mouse game with the cursors, like you're playing Missle Command, or something.)
-WS has manual leadoffs.
-WS has manual dives (I may be wrong, but I don't think MVP has manual dives).
-Realistic fielding. The fielding in MVP is atrocious.

One word of warning:
Even if you're new to the game, the normal pitching velocity is very slow and hard to time. You need to adjust the pitch speed to "Very Fast". Very fast is actually easier to hit and seems more realistic than "Normal" or "Fast".

Like many of my fellow Baseball fans, I wasnt sure what game to buy this year. But I finally made a decision based on various reviews and got WSB 2k3.

For me I need a game that is as realistic as possible stat wise and AI wise. The graphic arent that really important, but I dont want something that doesnt even make an attempt at looking..good.

But 2k3, was a pleasant surprise. The graphic are good, the stadiums are very impressive, the players are...ok. The frame rate that people have complained about soo much, I havent seen yet.

AS for the rest of the game. Well let me explain this. I am playing a season with the Indians, and I was playing my 3rd game against the "O's". It was 3-4 O's up, and come the 8th inning they put in their setup man, and then come the 9th they put in their closer. I was pleasantly surprised that the AI was smart enough to put in a closer and setup man in the correct situations.

ANother aspect I like, is the time off factor. Again since I am the Tribe, I have Elis Burks, and if you know him , ya know he cant play everygame. SO if you dare do so, he will go down on an injury or if you over play him he just wont be able to produce. That is just one little thing I really like about this game.

The game is EXTREMLY deep as in manager and stats. You control every aspect when it comes to your lineups and Minors, and contracts and everything else! it is really impressive

One thing I dont like is that the managers are fabricated, and you cant change the names. Like whats a game if you cant see Pinella freaking out and gettin thrown!

Oh well. I like the game and I think I really made a good choice. If you are a guy who likes stats, and baseball played "correctly" I would get this game

Thankfully I rented High Heat, which many say is the best game out there. There is simply no competition - World Series 2K3 blows this title away in every respect.

As someone who was driven away from baseball games by the bazooka home runs and intelligence-insulting ease of Triple Play a few years back, I can honestly say that World Series 2K3 is the game we've been waiting for since Tony Larousa on SEGA. The graphics are fantastic, the gameplay is smooth, and the Franchise/stat tracking is solid. Finally there's a baseball game with the same realism of Madden.

When the only thing you'd change about a game is its use of the analog stick over the directional pad, you've got a game you can stick with. You won't be disappointed with this purchase.

I've had a chance to play it and I'm lost for words. This is by far the best baseball game ever produced. It has incredible graphics and gameplay, including a deep franchise mode which will keep you busy all year long. The AI has improved deeply the games are much more realistic and fun. They've added new retro players and ballparks, including uniforms. This game is #1 and belongs in your home.

This is an excellent game! The graphics are great and the gameplay is perfect. There are only a few bad things about the game. The extra uniforms are great and some are very awesome. You can control the players very easily. The views of the stadiums are beautiful. Here are the pros and cons.

Pros

gameplay
graphics
create a player mode (you are able to make the player perfect in every way!)
extra uniforms for each team
options can make the game very easy, easy, medium, tough, or impossible
being able to adjust the rosters... without having to trade players
stadiums are nice
replays are realistic
easy to control the players

Cons

announcers - very annoying, say the same things over and over again (but you can turn the option off)
players' faces need improvement... they are all the same
batting stances are horrible... they are all the same... not like the players at all
no create a team mode

Anyway, get this game... I promise you won't be dissapointed!!!

If you like to customize and micro-manage a team and carry it all the way to the World Series, this is the game for you. From the player's uniform # to the color bat he uses, WSB offers the most customization out of any sports game I've ever played. Saving in-game, pitching from a normal TV cam, and great replays are some highlights. Many players' batting stances are way off, but they are changeable. The sound and commentating [are bad]. However, the graphics are good, the ESPN presentation rules, and fielding is fun. Definitely recommended!

If you are looking for a baseball game then this is it. This game has everything. Let's start with the graphics. On a scale of 1-10 I would give them an 8. The ball parks are beautifull and very detailed. The player likeness as far as hitting stances and pitching motions are right on. However, Nomar looked like Nomar but Manny didnt really look like Manny. Double plays are very smooth and they very depending on the situation of the play. The stats in this game are insane. You have all your typical year to year stats but you can also challenge all time records. Want to beat Bonds 73 home runs record..... you can. Want to challenge Nolan Ryans all time strike outs in a season...... good luck. I can't even get into all the stats this game covers. Pitchers can have winning streaks and hitters can have hittings streaks which you will be made aware of through out the season. The management mode is also insane. I started a franchise mode and the very first thing I had to do was hire a coaching staff. I simulated a season so I could simple check out how the draft and free agent system works..... very cool, very detailed and very realistic. As a matter of fact, after the season players retired, of course, however some of them where intucted into the 2004 Hall of Fame...some guy named Roger Clemens was inducted. It even has a "loyalty" based system. If you continually shop a guy around for a trade or continually try to snow ball him on contracts, or routinely lose games, eventually he'll ethier ask for a trade or will refuse to re-sign with the team. It's the little things, those little details that make games fun and this game is full of them. I'm leaving out a lot of stuff and I'm sure I havent even seen everything myself. I seriously doubt anyone would be disappointed if they gambled and just went out and bought this game. The only thing it's missing is Sosa's corked bat.......I think.

This game is absolutely amazing, it sets a new standard for baseball games. Anything you expect a baseball game to have, chances are it has it, from the ESPN style presentation to the ejections of pitchers for throwing at batters, Sega has thought of everything, and then some! My only quips about this game is the lack of a manager mode, managing your team instead of playing in the game, a feature All-Star Baseball has. Also, the replays often show the conclusion of a play, meaning if say Giambi makes a great diving catch, the replay will show Giambi on the ground and getting up, missing the catch entirely. It does not, however, really detract from the gameplay. I have finally found a baseball game that I can play through the whole season!

Finally WSB is back. This series started as a great game on the genesis and continued on being great right up until the Saturn. WSB 2k1 on the DC was awful and nearly killed the series but now finally the game is back to greatness. Great graphics, Great gameplay, Lots of customization options. Sega has put together the complete package again.