Baseball: you
either love it or you hate it. Dissenters think baseball without a keg on
second base is simply standing on some grass and occasionally tossing a white
ball around. Fanatics dig deep into the numbers aspect of baseball (what is
Randy Wolf’s ERA in day games during a 2-1 count?), open packs of baseball card
packs and throw out the gum, and fill out personal scorecards at the game while
listening to the radio broadcast on cheap headphones.
This love hate
affair has often applied to baseball video games as well. Sega Sports sends a
high heater right into the chin of that notion and topples it over with their
latest baseball release for the Xbox, World Series Baseball 2K3. World Series
Baseball 2K3 is the first baseball simulation that both baseball fans and
non-baseball fans can enjoy.
Sega Sports
continues their tradition of combining incredible graphics with excellent
true-to-life gameplay while minimizing extra features in their second baseball
game for the Xbox. While most baseball games tend to bore people with their
slow pace, WSB2K3 manages to remain intense and stay true to America’s pastime.
WSB2K3 offers
plenty of customizable attributes to accommodate both rookies and seasoned
vets. Several gameplay sliders in the pitching and batting departments can turn
WSB2K3 into a game that matches your skill, taste, and style. Much too often in
baseball games, getting used to the pitching and batting scheme makes the game
easier than one of A-Rod’s groupies. In WSB2K3, the harder difficulty levels
are incredibly challenging and keep the batting averages down and the fastballs
fast.
Since many of the
new baseball games have the same basic modes, the key to liking this year’s crop
of games lies in the gameplay, specifically the batting and pitching interfaces,
and WSB2K3 has the best of the new bunch.
The
batting/pitching HUD shows hot and cold zones for hitters and the pitch history
of the current at bat (or last at bat if it is the first pitch), as well as the
standard baseball HUD features such as pitcher’s stamina, pitch selection, and
baseball diamond graphic with base runners. The standard camera is a catcher’s
cam, but a few different cameras are available, including a television-style
pitching camera.
The batting
interface is similar to most of the games out there, simply match the batting
cursor to the pitch and swing away. Unlike other baseball games, WSB2K3 really
gives players the feeling that they are right there in the box, rather than
matching a batting cursor to a pitch cursor in a simple game of cat-and-mouse.
Curveballs look like fastballs until the bottom drops out, changeups look like
fastballs but end up coming in 20 mph slower, and fastballs look like… well
fastballs, but by the time the scream into the catcher’s mitt, it’s too late. A
pitching cursor can be turned on in the game, but only WSB2K3 makes batting
without the cursor feel natural.
Batters can take a
hard cut by pressing B, or opt for contact with A. Swinging for the fences may
increase the value of your rookie card, but it decreases your sweet zone
resulting in more pop ups and whiffs. Contact hitters will have bigger batting
cursors, and power hitters will have larger sweet spots. Batting options
include slowing or increasing the speed of the pitches, changing the size of the
batting cursor, using timed batting (no batting zones, just swing at the right
time), using pro-power hitting which utilizes a power meter in addition to
swinging at the right time and in the right zone, or using the standard batting
mode.
Pitching in WSB2K3
is just as fun as batting, a baseball video game rarity. Each pitcher has a
repertoire of pitches according to their major-league counterparts. Randy
Johnson can throw in the triple digits, Zito’s curveball looks like it will
burrow straight to China, and Jamie Moyer’s changeup creeps along deceptively at
a snail’s pace. After selecting the pitch with the left joystick and the A
button, pitchers select the zone with the left joystick and pitch with the A
button. A pitching cursor can be turned on or off, but the game plays best with
the cursor off. When playing with the pitching cursor off, moving the location
to the edges of the strike zone sends vibrations into the controller. Combine
that with the television-style pitcher view (from behind the pitcher), and
you’ll feel like you’re right there on the mound.
Franchise mode in
WSB2K3 is every bit as customizable as the game play. Seasons can range from 10
games to the full 162 games, injuries, trades, and budgets can be turned on or
off, and minor league systems can vary from simple to deep. As you trudge
through the season, players will get injured, minor leaguers will play their way
into your lineup, and wear and tear will affect your starters. Virtual managers
can choose to use this year’s major league teams, throw all the players into the
free agent market and draft them with a fantasy draft, or scratch all the
overpaid baseball players and select from a pool of made up players. There is a
create-a-player option, but it’s about as deep as a pop up to the pitcher.
The franchise
modes in baseball have gotten more complex every year, and WSB2K3 gets serious
with coach selection. Batting and pitching coaches will help develop young
players and keep veterans sharp, and their attention to various elements (such
as power or contact for hitters, velocity and accuracy for pitchers) can be
adjusted to develop specific kinds of players. If it all sounds too
complicated, which it is, players can just have the computer handle everything.
The physics and
gameplay of WSB2K3 are almost perfect. The game can truck on at a fast pace
because all cutscenes and slow parts of the game can be skipped with the A
button. The games move along because there’s no need to wait for foul balls to
land as unplayable foul balls have their own fast cutscenes and batters and
pitchers get ready to play quickly, but players should still expect about thirty
minutes for a nine inning game. Ball physics are very lifelike, and errors
aren’t simply throws past the first baseman. If a throw is off course, it can
pull the first baseman a few feet off the bag, instead of skipping by him past
the bag and into the dugout while the runner strolls into second.
There are only a
few extras in this baseball simulation. There’s a home run derby, five classic
parks, and several throwback uniforms complete with old-timer shoes and gloves
for each team. Old school can meet new school with the Legends team that
includes sluggers like Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt.
You can’t mention
Sega Sports without mentioning quality graphics. All the set viewpoints (the
batting box and the pitcher’s camera) look flawless. The detail on the
uniforms, players, and field looks incredibly realistic. Combine it with the
ESPN broadcast and you’ve got a game that looks like the real thing. The tough
critic will take notice of the occasional “phantom” catch, runners not rounding
the bag, and low-res fans, but the rest of the game is prettier than a suicide
squeeze.
Who can forget the
friendly sounds of the ballpark? Sega Sports certainly haven’t, as all the
sounds of the stadium are here. Vendors hawk their wares, crowds cheer their
players, and stadium PAs announce batters and position changes. Many of the
sounds show that Sega Sports are not without their humor. It’s not uncommon to
hear inebriated fans taunt opposing players. Several players have personal
taunts like “Tejada? More like Te-Not-A!” The stadium announcer even gets a
little annoyed when plays slows to a halt, letting the players know he has a
dinner reservation after the game. The umpire has the classic
“I’ve-smoked-too-many-cigarettes” voice, and announcers Rex Hudler and Ted
Robinson call the game nearly flawlessly. Some of the crowd reactions are a
little off, but overall the sound is very solid.
WSB2K3 for the
Xbox is the best baseball game available for any console. The sights, sounds,
and action of the ballpark is all in WSB2K3. WSB2K3 has all the gameplay,
graphics, and audio gamers expect from Sega Sports. Baseball fans who do not
pick up this title may as well hope for a player’s strike.
World Series
Baseball 2K3 is rated E for everyone.
Gameplay: 9.5
This game has everything that
a simulation baseball game needs. The customization of the game is absolutely
incredible and suitable for everyone. This game has the best pitching and
hitting interface available, making it the best pure baseball simulation on the
market. The excellent controls allow managers to easily call hit and runs,
perform drag bunts, and hit the cut off man.
Graphics: 9.0
It has its minor
flaws, but much of the game looks incredibly realistic. The batter’s box and
pitcher’s mound views are great. The instant replay mode is fantastic.
Sound: 9.0
The crowd is a
little on the weak side, but everything else sounds like the real thing. Kudos
to Sega for including personal taunts.
Difficulty: Medium
WSB2K3 has so many
customizable options that anyone will feel right at home in the game. Want it
difficult? Speed up the pitching and decrease the size of the batting cursor.
Need it a little easier? Turn on the pitching cursor or slow down the pitches.
The options are nearly endless.
Concept: 8.0
It’s baseball at
its purest. No frills, just like the real game.
Multiplayer: 8.5
Multiplayer
eliminates the possibility of a pitcher’s view, but the chess game within the
pitching/batting system is a great challenge between friends.
Overall: 9.3
Sega Sports has
done it again. WSB2K3 has enough to keep casual and intense baseball fans
happy. There aren’t many baseball games I would call addictive, but this game
is definitely one of those “need to pry the controller away from your hands”
game. If you’re looking for bench-clearing brawls or long balls threatening low
flying aircrafts, you’re better off looking elsewhere. WSB2K3 is all about the
game of baseball.