World Series Baseball

by Blue Shift

Product Details

• ASIN: B0000664J8
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,513 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

In 2001, Sega and developers Visual Concepts--the same people who brought you the NFL 2Kx series and other sports games--turned out a solid console baseball game that was a major improvement on the previous version and the first with head-to-head Internet play. This version for the Xbox marks a similar leap in quality, combining some of the best features of its competitors into one well-considered whole. Alas, the only thing missing is Internet play.

Going beyond motion-capturing batting stances (there are 89 distinct ones in here by my count), they've done a great job of animating pretty much every aspect of the game in pitch delivery, fielding, and base-running. The instant replay system, which borrows from and improves upon the one seen in the High Heat series, allows you to move the camera anywhere on the field to see the realistic movements at any speed. You can also use the feature to see the game's sophisticated artificial intelligence--for example, there's a brief, realistic delay when a player tags up from third on an outfield fly.

There's also a solid pitching game that lets a starter like Tim Hudson get off without a shelling when pitching heat down the middle, but try it with a pitcher like Byung-Hyun Kim and you're bound to see different results. And the TV-style zone chart shows which locations each batter is best at connecting to and where your sequence of pitches has landed.

A number of the new features are so obvious that you may wonder why you've never seen them before. One is a controller map in the pause menu that quickly shows you exactly which buttons perform the task you want. An option is also included that sets the relative speed of pitches to the plate. This really comes in handy when coming from another baseball game like All-Star Baseball 2003 where pitches seem to blur to the plate.

To put it bluntly, the game has almost no downside. There are some very powerful GM and manager functions--including a fantasy draft and exhaustive franchise tools--though using them is somewhat counterintuitive. Stealing is kind of tough to pull off; in one game, Ichiro got caught twice out of three attempts. And, as stated above, there's no Internet play--but that gives us something to look forward to for next year. --Porter B. Hall

Pros:

• Realistic player movement
• Smart AI
• TV-style zone chart marks hot and cold areas for each batter
• Variable pitch-appearance speeds

Cons:

• No head-to-head play over the Internet

Product Description

This is the game World Series Baseball for the Xbox. This game may not come with the original case and instructions. We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Baseball Game for the X-Box, May 22, 2002

By 

Ryan (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Series Baseball (Video Game)

Year two of my franchise and I'm having trouble stopping. After playing all three baseball games for the X-Box (Triple Play, ASB, WSB) I can say without thinking, WSB beats them both. Triple Play is just plain bad. ASB is very good, almost as good as WSB, but it doesn't offer as many features. Now, back to WSB. Fans of the 2k series of any sport will instantly be familar with the layout of the menus of the game, simple to navigate. I have yet to find a real flaw in the gameplay. It's very easy to pick up and play, the batting, pitching, and fielding all goes very well. The graphics are excellent, the player faces are copies of their real life counterparts. The commentary lives up to the standard that the 2k series has set so far.

One of the games best features is it's franchise mode. For those of you that don't know, it really puts you in the game, you sign coaches, bump up the minor leaguers, sign free agents, and all very easily, not the same clumsy menus of NFL 2k2. I played two seasons as the White Sox, the first went pretty bad, but the second was half decent after I drafted some potential and made some trades. I also beefed up my pitching staff. It really makes you feel like you own the team.

Lastly, for those of you who are very picky on accurate rosters, you'll be pleased. The rosters are, from what I've seen, accurate within very recently.

Overall, this is the baseball game I'd recommend for anyone. If you have doubts, rent it first, but, you probably won't regret buying it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Approaching greatness, July 20, 2002

By 

punkviper (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: World Series Baseball (Video Game)

This is basically a slightly enhanced version of World Series 2002 for the Sega Dreamcast. As such, if you liked WS2K2, you will like WS2K3. Others have focused on the many, many positives of the game (graphics, player animation, pitching control, franchise mode, etc) so I'm going to focus on the few aspects of the game that prevent it from being perfect:

A) I realize that the developers wanted the graphics & animation to be silky smooth, and they are, but that hi-res visual goodness comes at the expense of fielding accuracy. I'll echo the complaint that double-play grounders that should be automatic are far too often not. I'm sorry, but Kevin Young hasn't been seen beating out a DP ball ever. Same goes for outfielders after catching a fly ball. The CPU AI is tight and will run on you at a moment's notice, but the throws from the outfielders are very slow to react when they throw to a base, thus giving an unnecessary edge to baserunners. Both problems would be solved by ironing out the "molasses effect" that restricts fielding.

B) The commentary, while not often incorrect, is horribly bland. The play-by-play is strictly meat-&-potatoes stuff (name & position) and the color commentary is often too generalized and rote. Besides the opening of the game, and maybe during a relief appearance, the announce team will say nothing individualized about any of the players. And there is a glitch when it comes to CPU pinch-hitters: they are 100% always announced as pinch-runners by the color commentator (former SF Giant pitcher Mike Krukow). This might be being tough on the game, but a powerful next-gen console like the XBox deserves better than PS1-era play-by-play announcing. You'll be begging for NFL 2K2's cheesy announce crew by the time 9 innings are up.

C) Make sure you know what base you want to throw to as a fielder, because once you press the button, that's where the throw is going. I have botched a few plays at the plate because at the time I caught it, the runner wasn't tagging, but then he decides to go, but the fielder will throw to whatever base you initially chose. In other words, there is no button override function. This goes similarly for baserunning: if you are halfway down the 1st-base line and push the button to go to second base, then decide against it, make sure you return to 1st base because the game keeps that first button press in memory, but luckily the baserunning allows you to return fairly easily.

D) The graphics often fail to match up to the play being made. A runner attempting to steal might be called out merely because the throw was in time, though the tag was obviously (via replay) not applied at all. The fielders will occasionally pull a Matrix move and magically slide across the field on their feet to make a diving catch. Once again, it's not to much positioning deciding the catch, but general timing. Which again, might be harsh, but in a next-gen universe, these same old shoddy corner-cutting measures need to be cured, or we all might as well go back to MLB '99.

Even with the small gripes, WSB2K3 is still far and away the best choice for baseball on the XBox. And perhaps because the game is so strong in most areas, it leaves itself open to minor criticism in lesser areas. Sorta like pointing out a handful of weeds on an otherwise lush, green lawn. I can only imagine if Sega remedies these small issues, we might be as close to perfection as possible.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EPIC BASEBALL GAME, June 10, 2002

By 

J. Corlett "SNAFU" (Woodinville, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World Series Baseball (Video Game)

The much anticipated World Series BB2K3 is a phenomenal effort from Sega, and does not disappoint. The game delivers on all levels:

>> Superb graphics: This game is rich in texture and the graphics are deep. There are hundreds of never seen before action sequences, highlights, play-making shots, slow-mo, instant replay, batting stances, authentic pitching motions, etc., you name it, Sega's done it.

>> Realistic playability: On the "All-Star" mode, the game provides a solid challenge. There'll be close games, occasional blow-outs, hot streaks, cold streaks, etc., just like a season should be.

>> Miscellaneous: Other options include -- Extensive franchise mode to test your managerial aptitude; Legend Mode where you can play with the likes of Cobb, Mays and DiMaggio; Create-a-Player mode (where you can choose gloves, shoes, sleeves, bat color, stance, power, speed, etc.); Season, Playoff, Quick Start modes; Home Run Derby ---- basically, there's enough exciting options for hours and hours of competitive fun.

A must have for the baseball season ahead. A leap beyond WSBB2K and 2K1, and an eternity from half-inspired games such as All Star BB and Triple Play.

Now get to it.