Cheap World Series Baseball (Video Games) (Xbox) Price

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Customer Reviews of World Series Baseball

The Secrets of World Series Baseball; Why This Game is Tops
There are crucial secrets to playing Sega's World Series Baseball that aren't disclosed in the instruction booklet. Nor are there any 'cheat' books available that reveal this necessary knowledge. I will discuss this shortly, but first let's look at the game itself.
Having played all of the major computer baseball games extensively, I can easily say that World Series shines above all others. In terms of overall play, artwork, motion graphics, stats and seasonal continuation, this one has the outfielder watching the ball sail over the fence, while the best the competition can offer in comparison is a routine fly ball.
To be objective of course, we must admit that, like all of the other baseball sims, Sega's offering has several strange flaws. The strike zone is a bit too large, the batting cursor can't be made invisible, and when the pitcher's guide is turned off you must train yourself in selective location. As well, for a game this detailed it's odd that relievers don't have to warm up in the bullpen. (Perhaps that's because they know that an umpire will never eject them, no matter how often they hit a batter.) And finally, it seems strange that the beautifully-detailed stadiums are filled with fans who look like thin cardboard cutouts. But these flaws are acceptable when compared to the shortcomings of the competition.
The game's greatest strength is also its biggest potential flaw, at least for those who desire simplicity. As a player and field manager, your mechanics and game mentality have to be top-drawer, or you're fried. When do you charge a ground ball, or dive after it? What base do you throw to with a milisecond to decide? How do you position your infield and outfield in given situations? How best to pitch to a particular batter--do you pitch just to his weaknesses(which he may lean toward), or do you sneak one into his prime hitting zone? All of these decisions--managing, fielding mechanics and hitting--require training in the 'minors,' and this game does have a minor league training mode, although it isn't revealed. If you're serious about buying this game, let's go into it, since you probably won't find out otherwise.
INFIELD PRACTICE--In two-player mode, turn off all pitcher guides, set to variant pitching, and sling fastballs down the middle. As the batter, lift the hitting cursor so that the top of the oval is even with the pitcher's belt, and swing away. Every hit will be a ground ball. There will be enough tough grounders and base hits that you'll have adequate practice at charging, diving and learning to turn the double play. Believe me, you'll need the practice.
OUTFIELD/INFIELD FLY PRACTICE--Simply set the oval into the grass below the pitcher's mound. The lower it's set, the higher the popup. Set just below the mound will feature a lot of homers. In this mode, infielders will learn how to play the wind; outfielders will learn whom to play deep or shallow for.
OVERALL DEFENSE--Vary pitch selections (NOT location), with the variant pitch mode turned on, and then raise or lower the batting cursor slightly. Swing at everything. Don't be concerned about the score. (Eventually, of course, you'll have to train yourself to be selective at the plate.)
PITCHING AND HITTING--Turning all pitching guides and variant off, concentrate on just one pitch at a time, in one location at a time. Have the batter swing only occasionally at first, favoring the pitch's location, and then swinging frequently as your control becomes more accurate. Don't be concerned with the score. Use this mode as well to learn to adjust your infield and outfield in relation to various hitters and base runner situations.
As for being a long-term owner in frachise play, you'll either gain a greater appreciation for the grunt job you've got now, or you'll be begging to take over the Tigers. Or not.
All of the above should tell you that if you want a game that's as close to real baseball as a computer can get, World Series is the one for you. If you want a simpler, arcade-style baseball sim, any of the others should fill the bill for you.

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Solid Game
While far from perfect, this is the only excellent baseball game available for the X-Box.

The Positives:

1. The franchise mode is very deep in this game. Not only are you able to conduct trades and manage your roster, you also have to worry about resigning free agents and checking the scouting reports on your minor league roster.

2. The graphics are good. The player movement physics are great.

3. I have played a full season and the end of season stats on the all-star mode skill level are more or less true to life. Though this game is not as good as High Heat Baseball for the stat junky, it nevertheless does a reasonably good job of mimicking the player's real on-field performances.

4. The sound is fantastic. From the crack of the bat, to hot dog vendors, to fans heckling certain players on the visiting team (example: Hey Jeter, you're overpaid!).

5. You can choose to play in "classic" uniforms. For example, if you're the Pirates you can play in those gold uniforms with the black pill box caps. Aklaim's All-Star Baseball game for the XBOX only allows you to do this in Exhibition mode. This game allows you to play in those uniforms even in franchise mode.

The negatives:

1. The crowd graphics are the worst I've seen for any high end console game. They look like blurred out cardboard cutouts.

2. The play by play commentary is even more dull and repetitive than in most baseball games. Furthermore many mistakes are made. For example, often when a line drive is hit right to the third baseman the announcers will scream out: It's a fair ball down the 3rd base line! Or a routine play will be made and they will scream out that it's a great play.

3. You can't tweak or edit the player profiles like you can in High Heat's PC game. For example, if a certain player is hitting way too many home runs in High Heat you can go in and tweak his power rating. If the same thing happens in this game you just have to grin and bear it.

4. Fielder reactions can be sluggish. This is especially frustrating when you're trying to turn two or prevent someone from taking an extra base on a hit to the outfield.

The bottom line is this: despite it's flaws if you own an XBOX there is no better baseball game available.

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Franchise
The franchise mode for this game is unbelievable as you can now watch your players develope throughout their entire careers. Cons of this franchise mode is that there are glitches such as during the middle of the your season your lineup may be discomobulated by the computer. The gameplay sucks as it always has. World series 2k1 is by far the best baseball game ever. So if you want pitches to come in unbelievably slow then this is the game for you.