When Sega came out with
World Series Baseball 2K1, I was hoping for a great baseball game for the faithful ol' Dreamcast. The graphics looked great, but there was one major problem with the title -- no fielding. What the hell?
Fortunately, that glaring flaw was fixed in
World Series Baseball 2K2, resulting in a fine baseball game. It's not a perfect baseball game, but it's pretty darn good. Besides, good luck finding something else for the beloved -- yet very dead -- Dreamcast. Fortunately, this title has enough bells and whistles to satisfy most baseball fans, I should think.
Now, since
Homerun came out for the Atari 2600, baseball games have always been judged on three factors -- hitting, moving players and realism. If a title falls short in one of those three categories, it's not worth a damn. If, on the other hand, a game is
too realistic, it's not too great, either as you want some arcade action factored in there.
Fortunately,
World Series Baseball 2K2 succeeds all the way around. First of all, the "hitting" scheme is set up quite well. The player can move the "target" for his swing around a bit before the pitch is delivered and is also required to learn a bit of timing, hit the "A" button and hope for a solid hit. While it's easy to pick up on how to control batting in the game, getting a solid hit is difficult as everything from a fastball to a frustrating changeup is supported in the game.
Moving players around is easy, too. Advancing runners is done at the touch of a button. When it comes to fielding, the player nearest the ball will be highlighted, but selecting other fielders can be done quickly and easily (essential when you've got nine fielders out there chasing down a fast-moving ball).
As for realism, you've got enough of that factored in to keep most people happy. Batters can bunt, runners can steal bases or try to stretch singles into doubles. Fielders can dive or slide for balls, and selecting which base to throw to involves a simple, intuitive scheme. Pitchers can select their pitches and choose to throw to areas in the batter's strike zone which are "hot," "cold" or "neutral." Batters can attempt to select the anticipated pitch location for effective hits, pitchers tire and suffer in both speed and accuracy and etc.
Furthermore, every player in the MLB from the 2001 season is represented here, and the game does a fairly good job of reproducing their strengths and weaknesses. And, stats for players are compiled and are fun to follow in "season" mode.
Still, the purely realistic elements of the game are tempered considerably with good ol' arcade action. Indeed, developing the timing to hit the ball comes fairly quickly, and it's not hard to figure out how to field balls, either. The controls are set up for ease of use, so it's a simple matter to, say, snag a grounder and throw a runner out at first without having to look at the controller and figure out which button corresponds with first base. Nifty stuff.
Truth be told, the only mode I really know about is season mode, in which the player can pick a team and play either a full or abbreviated season. There's also a franchise mode which lasts more than one season and allows for a draft, as well as the standard "exhibition game" mode (for practice) and the boring homerun derby. Oh, and I don't mess with multiplayer modes because I don't give a damn about them. This is set up for online play, but how many Dreamcast fans take advantage of
that feature these days?
Now, the game does come with a few flaws. First of all, developing the knack for fielding can be difficult. The ball comes off the bat
very fast, meaning it's hard to haul a player in position to grab it after you realize what the hell's happening. Also, the "rookie" mode is downright worthless, unless you're the kind who enjoys beating other clubs by about 30 points. Fortunately, "pro" and "all star" modes provide much more challenge.
Also, the graphics are crisp, sharp, and players and MLB stadiums look fantastic. However, the spectators in the stands look flat and don't add much to the atmosphere of the game at all. Furthermore, the lone announcer on the game is uninspired and boring (I still wish a software developer would hire Bob Uecker to provide the type of commentary he did in that wacky
Major League movie).
Still, this title is a very good baseball game for the Dreamcast. If you still love that ol' system, this is a title worth having as it's fast, pretty and dandy fun. And, besides, this game is a great source of escapism -- while my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates wander around like lost souls during the regular season, I can bring the club to glory on this little game. Yes! A World Series championship for the Pirates!
