World Series Baseball 2k3 Review (1 Viewer)

[Dave Bennett]

Well IGN posted their review. Here's the closing comments and the scores(If I'm not supposed to post the closing comments, mods feel free to edit accordlingly)
Closing Comments

Blue Shift has outdone themselves. At first glance, some may think this is just a rehash of last year. But play WSB 2K3. Play it a lot. And you'll begin to see that subtle gameplay changes make this a better game then last year. If you're wondering why the score is just a notch about the one given in 2002, it's for one simple reason. World Series Baseball is an improvement over last season, but there are too many things Blue Shift didn't fix. No balls bouncing in the infield? Come on now, that's gotta be there.

World Series Baseball 2K3 is the best console baseball game I've ever played. If you love baseball, there is no other choice. Buy WSB 2K3 and if you have some extra cash, think about one of the other ballgames as a backup -- something to play once in a while for giggles. But set yourself aside a serious amount of time, because WSB 2K3 will take over your life for a good long while.

I only hope next year I can say the same thing about World Series Baseball 2K4.


-- Hilary Goldstein

*

Presentation
The weakest aspect by far. The action replays start too late and there's nothing close to the amount of goodies offered in Acclaim's game.
7.0

Graphics
More stunning than it was last year on Xbox, with realistic self-shadowing and amazing details. Plus, the new double play animations rock!
9.0

Sound
Great use of Dolby Digital 5.1. The taunts are a blast to listen to and Rex Hudler is the master of hyperbole. Well, next to me!
9.0

Gameplay
Just about perfect. You get wall jumps, great dives, defense that matters, and baserunning that will actually keep you on your toes. If only the third baseman could bounce balls to first.
9.0

Lasting Appeal
The Franchise Mode is easily the best around. I honestly can't stop playing this game. Certainly the best single-player experience for your buck.
9.0

OVERALL SCORE (not an average)
9.1

Overall this looks to be a great title. As much as I was stalwart on wanting roster updates via Live, I think I may cave and pick this up despite it's lack of Live updates.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

Just read the review. I'll be picking this one up after work on Wednesday!

 

[Dave Bennett]

I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and pick it up as well. I have ASB 2003 and while it's a fun game, it's too unrealistic in some aspects. I was thinking of getting High Heat but it sounds like while it plays good baseball, it's not very good in the graphics and presentation department. It seems like WSB 2k3 is a nice compromise of both. I was looking into MVP but ultimately I don't like the throwing system(especially since you have to use the meter when having fielders throw) and I don't feel like waiting to see Microsoft's offering(which if Fever is any indication will not be my type of game). Looks like WSB 2k3 may just get my money after all. Downloadable rosters would be nice, but I'm not gonna let that be the deciding factor.

 

[Scott_W]

Review was good. I'm disappointed the hitting/pitching interface wasn't tweaked more, and there are only still 9 pitches. The other bothersome note in the review was that you have to use the power swing to hit homeruns. The normal swing won't doesn't result in any HRs, which is bad.

The same reviewer reviewed the game as last year. I felt he was a bit optimistic last year, and still think so. I'm hoping IGN will do a big comparison after MVP is released.

I'm still interested in MVP. I like the idea of the throwing meters, and the pitching duel seems well done. I just hope its not to arcadey. Rumors say EA wants sites to withhold reviews until release, which can't be good.

Don't shy away from High Heat because of its graphics. They are greatly improved. After a few games, the graphics fade, and the gameplay becomes more important.

 

[Dave Bennett]

Scott, I'm by no means completely writing off High Heat for it's graphics. However, I want a game that is realistic without being overly realistic(if that makes any sense). I'm gonna try to rent High Heat and WSB (and possibly MVP) over Spring Break next week so I'll know which one is the best fit for me. As much as I enjoyed ASB 2003, it sounds that graphically and gameplay wise this years edition is a step back. Alot of issues weren't fixed and some new ones were introduced. Either way I'll let you all know what I think of these titles as I try them.

 

[Scott_W]

I'm not sure about this years ASB, but last year WSB was a step beyond. I believe WSB has improved more. Check out WSB though, its a really good game in its own right. I'm slowly souring on High Heat for some of its other problems. WSB offers the complete package, and is definitely enjoyable. I'm still hopeful for MVP, but if I had to bet, I'd say WSB will probably be the most complete package this year.

Good luck, and enjoy either game.

 

[Jack_F]

Why isn't anyone considering MVP Baseball 2003?

IGN's preview looked promising...

-Jack

 

[Scott_W]

IGN gave MVP an 8.5, said it was the second best baseball game. It has some serious flaws though, bad fielding problems, no fantasy draft, and a couple others. Still, what it does well, it does brilliantly.

 

[Brett Hancock]

I was considering picking up MVP but the flaw in the fielding system that IGN mentioned sounds like it would drive me absolutely up the wall. I hate little things like that in sports games. Bye the way the flaw is that you cannot control when your fielder dives or jumps for a catch and ign says that on some plays you outfielder will dive and miss the ball when you are standing right under it.

 

[Scott_W]

My only hope is that the reviewer is exagerating the problem, or just had some bad luck. Maybe he misjudged fly balls as well while getting used to the system. Doubtful though. The game seems so brilliant in some ways.

 

[Brett Hancock]

Agreed. The pitching and hitting system sounds amazing.

 

[Damien]

I think IGN reviewed the 85% beta copy of MVP baseball, so you can't believe everything that it says. It may be better or worse than what the score indicates, I mean how could gameplay get a 9 after all that was mentioned. That's IGN for you I guess. I know for sure that a behind the pitcher view was added in, something the ign review didn't talk about.

 

[Bruce Berti]

Gamepro review here

 

[Rob Varto]

I might have to pick up WSB... I've been playing HH2004 the past couple of days and Im just downright disappointed. Not that the realism isn't there - cause it is. HH has never failed to deliver a realistic game. The problem is that it's presentation sucks and it's boring!

Im not a graphics whore, so I didn't really care what HH delivered - but the graphics on the Xbox version are comparable to that of a PS1. Pedro Martinez's face looks like a 2 year old colored it with a black marker. Another thing that totally pisses me off is the fantasy draft. When I tried to review the available players by position, I couldn't do it!! Maybe Im missing something here, but why the hell should I have to scroll thru 50 or 60 players just to find the next available 2nd basemen (BTW - all the players are ranked in the order the HH developers thought they should be ranked). When selecting a player, you can select the "Advice" column to get "great advice from the game"... so Arod is available and the game suggests I take Luis Gonzalez??? WTF?

The things I mentioned above are pretty minor - like I said, HH delivers a good baseball game. Im not sure Im going to keep it, but at this point, I have more fun playing NFL 2k3 than HH. Overall, I give HH a 6/10.

 

[Bruce Berti]

I agree on High Heat. In this day and age when a player steps to the plate I want to be able to tell teh difference between players. Also in High Heat, I wish Home Runs were more majestic. When you make contact on a homerun you cant tell the difference between that and a popup.

 

[Wade Paris]

I just picked up WSB 2K3 and the case only says 480p. That is disapointing since someone who claimed to work on it said it supported 720p. My HDTV cant take 720p so I can't check myself. It does support 16x9 though from what little i've done so far.

 

[RudyN]

So far I have only played 1 game, but I like what I'm seeing so far. I won my 1st game 6-0, A's over Cubs on Pro with all default settings. Had Jermaine Dye leave the game ith the 4th due to a strained rotator cuff and it stated he would be out for 7 days. Crowd seems to get into it when it should. I'll post more when I get a chance.

 

[Joe Reed]

That sucks if what wade is saying is true, but hopefully they just left it off of the box but you can still use 720p in the game.

 

[RudyN]

Ok, just finished another game. Decided to start a Franchise with Oakland. Left everything default. Won the 1st game 3-2 in 10 against Seattle. Pulled off a few double plays, had a couple thrown balls pull the man off the bag. Had my 1st wall climb but timed it wrong and the ball hit above me off the wall for a double. So far the game is playing great.

 

[Jack_F]

When you say it supports 16x9, do you mean that you can play the game in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio?

If so, is WSB2K3 the only baseball game with this feature?

Also, what is the mechanism for pitching and hitting? Is it the traditional cursor model?

I still can't decide between WSB and MVP. MVP's new batter/pitcher interface really intrigues me, but WSB has a lot of cool features too.

Since I'm on PS2, WSB doesn't come out until the 18th anyway, MVP comes out tomorrow (13th).

-Jack