Video Games : World Series Baseball 2K2

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from: Sega Of America, Inc.

 : World Series Baseball 2K2

Price: $10.99
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Binding: Video Game
Brand: Sega
EAN: 0010086511529
ESRB Age Rating: Everyone
Label: Sega Of America, Inc.
Manufacturer: Sega Of America, Inc.
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
Publisher: Sega Of America, Inc.
Sales Rank: 15075
Studio: Sega Of America, Inc.




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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
World Series Baseball 2K1 nearly ruined one of the most cherished franchises in sports gaming with its poor gameplay. For the 2K2 edition, Sega turned to Visual Concepts--the developers behind its excellent football, baseball, and hockey titles. The developers only had 10 months to work on the title, and while it's the best baseball game on the Dreamcast to date, it plays like a game that needs more work.

Thankfully, fielding is back in the game (fielding was automatic in 2K1). Unfortunately, the controls can be very tricky. Ground balls hit within a reasonable range of the player often pass him. The only alternative is diving, which leads to spectacular shots of players diving over and past baseballs. The batting and pitching controls are simpler than in last year's version, but could have used more polishing. Hitting is way too arduous (in the video game sense)--even after dozens of game hours, tracking pitches is far more difficult than in other games. Positives include sharp graphics and a plenitude of modes, such as exhibition, season, playoffs, home run derby, franchise, and online. This is currently the only baseball game on a console that supports Internet play, albeit with some lag and bug issues.

Problems aside, this is as good as baseball gets on this platform. If the Dreamcast is your only system and you're itching for a baseball game, then don't hesitate to pick this one up. Gamers with other consoles should consider EA Sports's and Acclaim's baseball titles. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros: Cons:

Amazon.com Review:
World Series Baseball 2K1 nearly ruined one of the most cherished franchises in sports gaming with its poor gameplay. For the 2K2 edition, Sega turned to Visual Concepts--the developers behind its excellent football, baseball, and hockey titles. The developers only had 10 months to work on the title, and while it's the best baseball game on the Dreamcast to date, it plays like a game that needs more work.

Thankfully, fielding is back in the game (fielding was automatic in 2K1). Unfortunately, the controls can be very tricky. Ground balls hit within a reasonable range of the player often pass him. The only alternative is diving, which leads to spectacular shots of players diving over and past baseballs. The batting and pitching controls are simpler than in last year's version, but could have used more polishing. Hitting is way too arduous (in the video game sense)--even after dozens of game hours, tracking pitches is far more difficult than in other games. Positives include sharp graphics and a plenitude of modes, such as exhibition, season, playoffs, home run derby, franchise, and online. This is currently the only baseball game on a console that supports Internet play, albeit with some lag and bug issues.

Problems aside, this is as good as baseball gets on this platform. If the Dreamcast is your only system and you're itching for a baseball game, then don't hesitate to pick this one up. Gamers with other consoles should consider EA Sports's and Acclaim's baseball titles. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros: Cons:



Customer Reviews
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Upgrade from 2K1, but still some work to do...
If you haven't looked at 2K1 yet let me save you some time, DON'T!!! We all know it stinks and all we Dreamcast gamers feel at least a little ashamed for SEGA. If you have looked at WSB2K1
here are the updates in this version.

PROS:

(1) Fielding! 2K1 was almost massacred with ratings saying that "automatic fielding was so boring". I admit I was one of them. Well, here it is. This was sort of a problem for me as it sometimes a pro and con at the same time. One minute your player makes a stupid dive right over the ball, the next a diving catch or snag of a line drive 10 feet in the air. HOWEVER, this manual fielding isn't so bad as everybody says, although sometimes I wish that automatic fielding was an option.
(2) Graphics! WOW! If you gamers thought that 2K1 had some sweet microchips for graphics take a look at these. I'm talking about the view of stadiums here. I'll get to players' graphics a bit later...
(3) "Oh, the selection of modes..."! This pretty much sums up this section. You can choose from Quick Start, Season, Playoffs, and Franchise gameplay modes. There are also, of course, Options where you CAN create a player.
(4) STATS! If you play sports for none other than stats, get it on the spot. I love getting stats, and they show it all... (pitchers) ERA, I.P., Saves, W/L, and CG. (for batters) BA, HRs, Hits, RBIs, SLG%, SB, and Runs scored. Let me tell you, Mr. Ichiro Suzuki can sure rack up the stats in this game!

CONS

(don't be scared because I didn't put up enough pros up there!)
(1) Graphics... I told you I'd be back for player graphics! The players don't look anything like the real thing. Although you rarely get close enough, unless in replay, to see their faces, Ichiro Suzuki looks more like Ronald McDonald! And Cal Ripken Jr. (which is retired now, of course, but the game doesn't know that: another con!)
(2) Gameplay Realism... Have you ever seen Ichiro Suzuki throw a that little white ball before?? I'm sure you've seen his April 8th, 2001 throw to David Bell to nail Terence Long of Oakland at third base?? In this game Ichiro's throws are almost as good as mine! (No offense, Mr. Sultan of Swat!!) They just go up, up, up, etc., and then drop down perfectly to the base they are throwing to. Only 3 times (out of some 100 bil. throws) have I seen him throw a lazer beam, but only when he is standing perfectly still for about 2 seconds flat.
(3) Create Mode... Now, of course, like most of you gamers, I like being fair to the CPU and try to make a well balanced team and it seems when SEGA made this they wanted that, too. COME ON!
The trading won't let you trade for anyone else unless they have exactly the same ratin or you getting ripped off. You also can't trade more that I player at a time. If you want to get some superstar (I tried to trade for Scott Rolen to bring him to the Cardinals) you have to create a player literally a clone of a body-builder with 100% rating to get someone of that value!! Try trading for Ichiro now..!!! I also need to say that this clone will put a log-jam in the statistics with .400+ avg., 60+ HRs, 150+ RBIs, 100+ SBs, etc.!! Like I said if you are a statistics person like me, you have to hate that.
(4) Celebration... We all want to make our favorite team suped up for the postseason to go all the way, of course! Unlike you NBA, NHL, and NFL 2K, 2K1, 2K2 you will find a mean suprise at the end of the World Series. (assuming you got the guts to go all the way to the big dance!) NO CELEBRATION, TROPHY PRESENTATION, ANYTHING!!!!! The least WSB2K1 had was a little sendtence in the season mode say "Congratulations, you are the WORLD CHAMPS!". In this game, they all just trot off the field (even after a Game 7, walk-off grand slam by Cliff Floyd of Boston: of which I was getting hoarse from yelling) as if this was a preseason game, which they would celebrate anyway! Also, as the review below me states, when you hit a walk-off HR, the player does not get credit for it. Only for the RBIs and Runs. Also, what happened to MVP, Gold Glove, and Rookie of the year awards?!?!?!?!?

I could add more, but the reviews below me will probably fill the rest of you questions (and time) with useful answers. I hope this helps you, a fellow consumer, to be thrifty about spending money on video games. ...



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - The Best Baseball Game Out There
This has got to be the best baseball game on the market.The learning curve is not to steep and you will be hitting the ball with ease in no time.Base running,throwing and fielding are all excellent.
I just got through playing a complete season which took about 3 months playing it pretty regulary and made it to The World Series and won....the cpu is smart and depending on what skill level you have the game set on the cpu is a tough opponent.

Pitching in this game RULES!Curveballs,Sinkers,sliders,fastballs,Change-ups,forkballs and splitters.They're all here!

The players are so realistic it's like you are controlling real life players.Each player has their own unique body type,batting stance and swing.

Mark Mcguire looks and acts JUST like Mark Mcguire.All of the players are true to life.

If you own a Dreamcast or are thinking of buying one this game is a must in your Sports Collection.



Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Not the best, not the worst.
I had high hopes for this version of World Series Baseball after the disaster that was WSB2K1. This game is definitely a solid improvement, but it wasn't the grand slam that I was expecting.

PROS:

1. The stadia and fields are very realistic.

2. At first, I was concerned that there was no "spring training" or "batting practice" mode. Then I figured out that "rookie" mode is all about BP.

3. This game has the best create-a-player that I've ever seen.

4. Actual gameplay (controls and movements) is top-of-the-line. Better than any other baseball game I've seen to date. Once you master the reaction needed to field grounders (after changing infielders, if necessary) and position yourself for shagging fly balls, you're golden. I will agree with the other reviewer who mentioned that there seems to be at least one dropped fly ball per game, but in my case (thankfully), it usually happens to the CPU.

CONS:

1. No color commentary. There is a play-by-play announcer, and it is not very dynamic play-by-play--the announcer will repeat himself frequently. And if you score more than 100 runs in a game (yup, I have), he gets really confused. It's quite humorous.

2. Every single player has the same home run "trot" that involves pumping his fists in the air and landing defiantly on home plate. It's funny to see a player like Edgar Martinez--who shows very little emotion on the field in real-life--acting like he has never hit a home run before.

3. You can strike out anybody, anywhere, anytime by simply locating your pitch just beneath the strike zone. It doesn't matter what pitcher you are using.

4. There are lots of bugs. I won't repeat them since other reviewers have covered most of the, but one that is worth mentioning (and proves that I've played the heck out of this game) is that no player can have more than 127 homers in a season. Once you hit the 128th, the counter resets to -127 and counts back to zero. NICE.

5. I'm not sure why Sega even included the ability to "trade" in Franchise mode, because the CPU will reject any trade. I tried to trade Barry Bonds for Charles Gipson. Ixnay. Now THAT'S funny.

There are other issues, but these are the major pros and cons. I'm still waiting for a computer baseball game that truly blows me away but in the meantime, there is always the real thing.



Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Best baseball game on Dreamcast, but flawed
World Series Baseball 2K2 for the Sega Dreamcast is a very fun and exciting game despite having many flaws. After having a terrible game World Series Baseball 2K1 game I knew this one just had to better, but I was reluctant to get it because of the way 2K1 made me want to get rid of it (Which I did afte rplaying it 3 times). This game is probably one of the deepest baseball games out there now. It has a very, very deep franchise mode where you can manage your team through several seasons by signing free agents, making trades, drafting players and re-building your team if you are struggling or your star gets signed by a new team. Another great mode is the Home Run Derby which is the best Home Run Derby in a video game for a very long time.

This game has many flaws that make this game frustrating at some points though:
1) There is a bug that allows pitchers to get the save and win if the come in in the top of the 9th after you scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth

2) If your player hits a walk-off homerun, he will not be credited with the homerun in his stats
3) In this game it seems like arule for there to e an error made in the game while trying to ctach a fly ball
4) All homerun celebrations are the same, no Sammy Sosa leap, no Barry Bonds flinging the bat and walking, just pumping of their fists in the air.
5) Your catcher always throws out the computer if they attempt to steal.
6) In franchise mode you can't do blockbuster trades with multiple players, you can only make straight-up trades

Due to these and many other glitches this game is challenging, but still very fun. I foyu want a great baseball game for your Dreamcast check this one out, it's definitely worth 20 bucks.



Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Many Inaccuracies, but Still Fun
Although I've found the gameplay much better than other baseball games, there are several things that are quite annoying about 2K2:
1) The reason the batting averages are so high is that anytime a runner is moved over, even on a groundout to the shortstop, it is considered a sacrifice.
2) Your catcher always throws out the computer's base stealer.
3) Pitchers hit far too many home runs.
4) It's useless to try to dive with an infielder, becuase if you miss the ball, the outfielder dives as well, so the computer will get a double or triple.
5) You can always move up on a flyball, because the computer will throw 2 bases ahead. This counts as a sacrifice fly, which also improves the batting average.
6) If you hit a "walk-off" homerun in the bottom of the ninth, the batter will not get credit in the statistics for either the hit or the home run. He'll only get credit for the RBI and run.
7) There's a glitch that allows a pitcher to get the win and the save.
8) Even though fielding is user-controlled, the computer intitially picks your fielder. Many times, it picks a fielder that is further away from the ball, and the one it should have selected will be running to cover the bag. This can make it tough to get some ground balls.
9) You can only do straight-up trades for a player of equal or lesser value. This really takes away from the franchise mode.
10) Your outfielders throw to the base, not a cutoff man. That means if the computer has a runner on 2nd and gets a base hit, you either have to concede the run and hold the batter at first, or try to throw the runner out at home and allow the batter to go to 2nd. The game doesn't allow you to select another fielder while the ball is in the air so that you can cut the ball off.

Because of all of these glitches, the game is definitley challenging. Because it's hard to "master," it's more fun, but some of these things are very basic that could have been avoided by using a little more care.

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