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Hype does NOT deliver

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The hype, the anticipation, the letdown, and that's the nice version. I reviewed ASB2000 for N64 at 2 stars, but now I've learned to appreciate the quality of that poor game. WSB2K1 is so far below expectations that I'd rate it as the biggest letdown in the history of video games. This is coming from a guy who felt that no baseball games have even compared to the previous WSB games for the Saturn and Genesis. Those games are better games than the latest installment. This game doesn't even deserve a star, and don't make the mistake of ordering it like I did. The game looks very good to the naked eye, the stadiums are all beautifully rendered in 3D and the rosters are current, but that's about it. Let's start with gameplay, and I'll give you the abridged version since I could have written a 100 page book about how poor the game play is after the first time I played this game. The batting mode is peculiar to say the least as it involves holding down a trigger until the ball comes. On defense, the problems really begin to multiply. You do not even have the option to field manually, so you're at the total mercy of the computer, which to me, takes half the fun out of the game. You can, however, throw the ball, but it must be thrown to a base, so there are no cutoffs, which are helpful in other games. The throws also always get to their destinations on the fly, another unrealistic aspect of the game. In terms of the defensive controls, 2K1 reverts back to the Nintendo style of freezing the players in place until a button directs them to run or throw. This can be a headache on close plays and could have been easily remedied with a little more production time. The baserunning style is also similar to that of Nintendo games and it's hard to control multiple runners. While you're getting frustrated with the very poor gameplay, you're forced to listen to the annoying drone of the announcer, whose voice you don't have the option to turn off. This no name announcer is easily the most annoying I've heard on a video game as there are clear gaps in his speech and he's very repeatious; in one game, he'll say the same thing at least 10 times. In terms of in game options, WSB2K1 most closely resembles the early versions of RBI Baseball. You can't warm up pitchers or make any complex switches. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point: WSB2K1 uses the facade of good graphics to disguise shallow programming, limited options and poor gameplay (and the graphics aren't even that good, just look at the crowd). Don't buy it, it would be more fun to put your $40 in a toilet and watch it flush down than it would be to play this game.

What a nightmare!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: September 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Remember the OLD World Series Baseball games for Genesis and Saturn? They were great, with a ton of features not found in other baseball games. Plus, they were tons of fun to play. Well, unfortunately, they both put World Series Baseball 2K1 to shame.

Don't get me wrong. As nice-looking as those old games were, 2K1 looks much nicer, with nice, smooth animations and very well rendered ballparks. In fact, the game starts off with a bang with a great intro featuring some of the more exiting plays from the game and almost photo-realistic graphics at times. However, as any gamer knows, fun in videogaming does not rely on graphics. Think about Pac-Man. The graphics are very primitive compared to the new state-of-the-art stuff, but it is still a very popular game because it is so addictive and tons of fun.

Sega has played a cruel joke on us with 2K1. Of course they'll hype it as being a great game, but it is very, very far from being great. In fact, it is not even very good. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Auto-fielding. Excuse me, I think the players would like to control what happens in the field! Especially when you see some of the stiff and/or jerky plays they make. Plus, once the fielder has the ball, it's your job to throw the ball to the infield and you can only use the analog stick. That means if your thumb slips, you might throw to the wrong base. Aaarrgghh!!

2. No batting control. You just swing. Period. No switching between contact or power hitting, just swing. Tap the R trigger and the rest is up to the computer.

3. No color commentary. This makes for a very quiet game. The crowds are half-dead, too. Even the music is quiet and annoying.

4. Iffy pitching control. The pitching control is decent, but is below-average compared to most other baseball games.

5. None of the "little things." No wind. No homerun derby of any sort. No funny or interesting commentary. No motivating music to pump you up to play. No getting to make the exciting plays yourself. No fun.

I really have to wonder about Sega. People have been waiting for quite a while for this game and you'd think they'd have put their hearts and souls into it. That didn't happen. Instead, they released a game that would show a lot of promise if it were HALF done. I mean, compare this with NFL 2K or NBA 2K. Not only do they look great, but they are also FUN! And that's what it's all about! This is a rental at best. Give me the original World Series game on Genesis anyday over this...thing!

World Series Baseball 2K1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 43
Date: April 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is the ultimate baseball game. It has awesome graphics and the game is the works. It has all teams and the croud actually looks real. This game is none of that 2D crap it is the Best Dreamcast You Can Buy!

This Game Is So Bad It Hurts

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: July 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

World Series Baseball 2K1 is surprisingly the worst Baseball game to date. You don't play this game, you watch it. When your on the field you don't even have the option to CONTROL your own players. You can't even imagine making a cool dive for the ball or stealing a Home Run from a batter because its all controlled by the Dreamcast. When your base running, you can't control your leed off, when you slide, where you slide, or even if you slide. Some how there is no bull pin in which to warm up your pitchers, there are no fielding errors, the game doesn't know the infield fly rule, its only two players, the announcer for the game makes Ben Stine seem exciting, the players batting stances make them look like hunch-back rejects, and the game is a flat out joke to M.L.B. This game might be fun for a six year old who doesn't know what a Baseball is, but is excited by all the pretty colors on the screen.

da bomb game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 29
Date: May 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

i just played this game and its da bomb. if u got 2 choose from espn baseball 2 night and this game defintley choose baseball 2k1. it has awsome grahphics and it has all the baseball stuff u need. it makes u fell like ur in the stadium.. the best part is it has all the players updated and its sooooooooooooo realistic.

The only game I have ever returned.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I was really looking forward to playing this game, but when I started playing, I couldn't believe how bad it was. You can't play defense! You just have to sit there and watch the computer field the ball. I tried to like this game, but without being able to play defense, it's not really baseball. Running the bases is next to impossible as well. If you hit a short pop up all of your baserunners take off at full speed for the next base. You end up getting doubleplays off of routine pop ups, which gets extremely anoying. The same goes for pop flies in the infield, there is no shadow for the ball, so you can't tell if it will be a hit or an out. You end up getting double plays agains you regurally. It all ads up to an extremely frustrating game. This was supposed to be the best baseball game of all time, yet they dont even let you participate in the basic fundamentals of the game. Poor effort. Save your time and money for the next one, hopefully they will fix these problems.

I got hosed on this one.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: February 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is the worst baseball sim I've ever played, and I consider myself an expert baseball sim critic - back to Atari days. I'd rather play one of those right now. The AI on this game kills it. I thought maybe that I wouldn't need to have the fielding necessarily - that it would be okay, since no baseball sim has really reliable defense. I was wrong. Players have the blood-boiling habit of hesitating about 3 seconds before breaking for the ball. I have had balls hit directly at fielders who do not move until it is past them. And for some unknown reason, every throw into the infield will result in the infielder tagging the bag with his FOOT! Even in non-force-out situations, or when there is nobody coming toward the base at all. Pitching is extraordinarily difficult - and I think this is why there is no fielding. Who could get a jump on the ball when they are concentrating on holding the analog stick still at a perfect 38 degree angle in a north north easternly direction while trying to stop a power bar at the top?? It's just silly. I prefer the (1)select pitch, (2)select location (from 9 square grid) type of pitching. That gives you control enough and allows you to still field. Batting is also of the worst interface type. I hate games that have you move a cursor to the pitch location. How do you hit a breaking pitch?? You don't. Timing (and sometimes, if you want to get fancy, a simple high-low-out-in bat movement, as in Accolade's "Hardball" series) is again, good enough. But this game felt it necessary to not use the interface found in 90% of baseball sims. And there are no extras - no batting practice (which would be nice, since it's hard), no homerun derby, no nothing. Subbing is lame. Want to pinch-hit for a player with a pinch hitter playing the same position (e.g., a OF for an OF)? You'd better know what position he plays (I personally don't know every player on every team), because it won't tell you. This baseball sim demonstrates what happens when designers go for style instead of substance, form instead of function. And (general) when will anyone design a decent sim with historical teams?? The gashouse gang, the big red machine, the Bronx bombers?? Why not?

Waste of Money and Time

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game has the most outstanding graphics. But the worst concept of gameplay and controls ever to grace my television scream , there is no batting/pitching cursor. Fielding is terrible. An advisory to gamers of the world. Sega struck out with World Series Baseball 2k1

Buyer beware

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 19
Date: July 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Go read Igndc.com for initial impressions of Baseball 2K1. Apparently, this game has been rushed out the door and has commentary and graphics bugs. It made me change my mind about pre-ordering this, at least until I read more reviews. And I was so looking forward to it!

The Baseball Epic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 24
Date: April 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is a perfect example of a Sega Dreamcasts powers. The graphics are as amazing as a dog doing a back flip. I request this game to all gamers.

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