World Series Baseball 2K2

"A sequel to the most talked-about baseball game of 2000, does it hit a home run of success?"

A sequel to the most talked-about baseball game of 2000, does it hit a home run of success?

World Series Baseball 2K1 (WSB2K1) caused a huge debate. The game played well, looked great and sounded good, but had no fielding. One of the first features noted for the sequel 2K2 is manual fielding. Also touted is online play, improved graphics and improved gameplay. Is it, indeed, an improvement? Read on.

Graphics – 6/10

Compared the graphic powerhouse of WSB2K1, 2K2 comes up shorter in many areas. The players aren’t as detailed and the skin tones are typically off. The animations aren’t as plentiful as WSB2K1, but are consistently smooth. The ballparks are also darker and less detailed than the smashing stadiums of 2K1. Finally, the always-great cut scenes of 2K1 are nowhere to be found. But, it still is a reasonable use of the Dreamcast’s power, overall.

Sound – 4/10

Ted Robinson, temporarily borrowed from 3D0’s overrated High Heat series, handles play-by-Play. He is not even as enthusiastic as the announcer from 2K1. He says nothing beyond the basics, and besides one line, is not funny at all, a far cry from the smashing team of Triple Play (Jim Hughson and Buck Martinez). Sega should have gone the route of NFL2K, NBA2K and NCAA2K2 and gone with a team of voice actors. The other sounds aren’t as powerful as 2K1, and the crowd is simply dull.

Gameplay – 5/10

Gameplay in World Series Baseball 2K2 is, to use the cliché, a mixed bag. The batting interface is solid, taking tips from previous WSBs, Bottom of the Ninth and All-Star Baseball. It is cursor-based, where you line up a circular target to hit the pitch. Pitching is a more typical interface from the innovations seen in 2K1. It works, however. Fielding, the most-touted feature of 2K2, works very well, with diving and jumping in full effect. Stat tracking of this game is horrible. For example, I played a game in a season and saved it. The next time I load up the Dreamcast, the stats of the game are still there, but it says the game has not been played. The home run derby mode is boring compared to that of Triple Play also (no puns!) Overall, gameplay is not exciting like in 2K1 or the Triple Play series. Online play, which I haven’t been able to try, is supposedly good, with little to no lag.

Customization – 3/10

WSB2K1 let you create dream teams, 25 players, and even your own all-Star team. WSB2K2 limits you to three players, has restrictive trading and you can’t touch the All-Star team. All of this, and it takes up a staggering 66 blocks more than 2K1. The actual player-create is a little better than that of 2K1, but rendered useless with the limit.

Overall – 5/10

The Dreamcast’s final baseball game falls short. Sadly, ESPN’s extremely promising Baseball Tonight (from the excellent ESPN sports series, second only to EA Sports and Sega’s good games) was canned, so WSB2K1 remains the only good option for exciting and fun baseball on Sega’s swirl. Combining lowered graphics, dull gameplay, horrible stat-tracking and anemic play-by-play, I cannot recommend this game.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/02, Updated 03/26/02