World Series Baseball 2K2

"An accurate review from an avid game player..."

I had been waiting for World Series Baseball 2K1 for the longest time and when it finally came out, I read the reviews and it was terrible. So I had to wait for another year for World Series Baseball 2K2. I waited...and waited...and waited, despite all the delays. But finally, the day came yesterday. I went out as soon as I could and bought the game at Funcoland for a mere $39.99, which is affordable. So I went home and threw the game on in the Dreamcast and this is what I saw...

GamePlay:(8) Ok, the game plays rather fast and many of the hit balls seem to be hit hard. BUT...if you are an avid game player (which I am), you will be able to react quickly to the ball and make the play. I see everyone writing that fielding is too hard and everything gets to the outfield and ends up being extra bases. Well, if you have any kind of hand-eye coordination, you will be able to get to the ball when it's hit. One thing that is bad is the fact that when you want to throw the ball home from the outfield, the ball gets cut off when you dont want it to and it doesnt get cut off when you want it to. And when you hit the button to throw to a specific base, the player does a little shuffle before he throws, allowing the runner to have more time to get to the base safely. Other than that, the gameplay is fine if you are coordinated.

Control:(9) Easy to get used to. Buttons are easy and controls are easy, plain and simple.

Realism:(6) Not bad, not good. Sometimes homeruns come to often, sometimes not often enough. The camera angles are non-existant, HOWEVER, they are absolutely playable. Again, if you have any coordination, the camera angle is fine. Actually, I think the camera angle is better than most camera angles, but thats just my preference. This game is more of an arcade game than a simulation.

Fun Factor:(9) This game gets addicting (if you have friends). I was playing my friend and we played 6 consecutive games. We couldnt shut it off. When you are playing someone who knows how tok play games, the realism is there. But if not, then you will be chasing line drives in the gap all game. People are saying that there are no ground balls or lazy fly balls, just hard line drives. That is a ridiculous statement. There are plenty of grounders and catchable fly balls. And just last game, me and my friend had a pitchers duel. The final score was 3-1 (he had only 3 hits all game). So stop saying that every shot is a hard line drive into the gap because I threw a 3 hitter and I am not God.

Altogether, the game IS worth buying. It is a fun game and is the worth the money.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/01, Updated 08/15/01