WSB2k3 is the best baseball game around this year. Pound for pound, it doesn’t get any better than this.
FRANCHISE MODE 9.7 – I don’t have any gripes with this mode. It’s very cool to have your Scout come back and say he found a new prospect. It’s also very cool to be able to edit how your coaches affect the rest of your team and minor league system. Not to mention attendance actually fluctuates and affects your teams’ bottom line. As far as franchise features, you just can’t get a baseball game with a better franchise anywhere.
GAMEPLAY 9.5 – WITH SLIDERS, I can’t find any issues with this game, other than the fact that it “might” be a little easy to steal. The batter/pitcher interface is extraordinary and the amount of HRs is extremely accurate. Out of the box, hitting is a bit easy, but you can up the CPU pitching ability. This game has enough tweaks to make your gameplay experience VERY rewarding. Did I mention the fact that the animations are spot on?
GRAPHICS – 10 – Extremely detailed stadiums, players, etc, make this a no-brainer. I’ve always been open to opinions, but there just isn’t a better looking SPORTS game on the market today. I’m in awe of how realistic the stadiums look. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and go to Wrigley. For those of us that have been there, you’ll understand when you see it.
SOUND 8.5 – I can’t say anything bad about the sound. In-game sound is extraordinary. I feel like I’m at the game with the hecklers, players kicking the sand, and all the other things that go on around you. The announcers are average at best, but the rest of the game makes up for it.
Okay, now I’d like to address a few things I’ve read in the posts.
FLOATY BALL COME DOWN – This is plain and simple a fact of the camera angle the game uses. The problem is, you can’t see the ball actually getting lower, but it is. Check the replay and you’ll see the ball physics are done very well. This should not be a big complaint.
SMALL STADIUMS – If you analyze them, I don’t really think that the stadiums are small at all. What makes them seem small is that the camera is closer to the ball than most games, so it’s really closer than normal. Go into instead reply and take a look at the dimension’s there and they pretty much lineup.
BASE STEALING – I’d say they’re a bit easy perhaps. But I don’t take leads. I can definitely see how somebody taking a big lead and try to steal a lot could manipulate this feature. I really with this would have been fixed, as this is my biggest complaints.
PLAYER SCALING – I’ll tell you what, I really thought this would be a big deal after reading everything. I really did. After playing a ton of games, I truly don’t notice this at all. I find myself concentrating on hitting the baseball and not analyzing if the player looks perfect. This is not a game killer in any way. At this point in the video game sports though, this feature really should be included.
BIG STRIKEZONE – Definitely a concern. This is improved over last year’s game, but is still not as small as it should be. I’ll say this, with the batter’s that tend to stand up taller, the zone is absolutely perfect. For those that crouch down, it’s a big big. That’s where the problem is, the strikezone doesn’t change per player and per batting stance, as it would in real life.
These are my takes on the game. I just can’t find anything that would ruin the gaming experience of being at the ballpark. To me, creating a good sports game is making you feel like your at the game, recreating the experience from beginning to end in an enjoyable manner, and extending the longevity of the title with a solid, thorough franchise mode. WSB does all of these very well. No other baseball game offers the flexibility, atmosphere, or overall thorough solid gaming experience that this game offers.
There are going to be little things that take away from the overall experience, just like any other game baseball game, but in the end, WSB just feels like a baseball game should.
If you’re thinking about buying a baseball game, definitely give WSB a look. One thing that really separates it from the rest is the fact that, no matter skill level you play on, or what you’re good or bad at, WSB can pretty much be adjusted to your liking, and that will lead to an ultimately more enjoyable game in the long run.
Am I misleading at all? Have I missed concerns? or highpoints?
FRANCHISE MODE 9.7 – I don’t have any gripes with this mode. It’s very cool to have your Scout come back and say he found a new prospect. It’s also very cool to be able to edit how your coaches affect the rest of your team and minor league system. Not to mention attendance actually fluctuates and affects your teams’ bottom line. As far as franchise features, you just can’t get a baseball game with a better franchise anywhere.
GAMEPLAY 9.5 – WITH SLIDERS, I can’t find any issues with this game, other than the fact that it “might” be a little easy to steal. The batter/pitcher interface is extraordinary and the amount of HRs is extremely accurate. Out of the box, hitting is a bit easy, but you can up the CPU pitching ability. This game has enough tweaks to make your gameplay experience VERY rewarding. Did I mention the fact that the animations are spot on?
GRAPHICS – 10 – Extremely detailed stadiums, players, etc, make this a no-brainer. I’ve always been open to opinions, but there just isn’t a better looking SPORTS game on the market today. I’m in awe of how realistic the stadiums look. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and go to Wrigley. For those of us that have been there, you’ll understand when you see it.
SOUND 8.5 – I can’t say anything bad about the sound. In-game sound is extraordinary. I feel like I’m at the game with the hecklers, players kicking the sand, and all the other things that go on around you. The announcers are average at best, but the rest of the game makes up for it.
Okay, now I’d like to address a few things I’ve read in the posts.
FLOATY BALL COME DOWN – This is plain and simple a fact of the camera angle the game uses. The problem is, you can’t see the ball actually getting lower, but it is. Check the replay and you’ll see the ball physics are done very well. This should not be a big complaint.
SMALL STADIUMS – If you analyze them, I don’t really think that the stadiums are small at all. What makes them seem small is that the camera is closer to the ball than most games, so it’s really closer than normal. Go into instead reply and take a look at the dimension’s there and they pretty much lineup.
BASE STEALING – I’d say they’re a bit easy perhaps. But I don’t take leads. I can definitely see how somebody taking a big lead and try to steal a lot could manipulate this feature. I really with this would have been fixed, as this is my biggest complaints.
PLAYER SCALING – I’ll tell you what, I really thought this would be a big deal after reading everything. I really did. After playing a ton of games, I truly don’t notice this at all. I find myself concentrating on hitting the baseball and not analyzing if the player looks perfect. This is not a game killer in any way. At this point in the video game sports though, this feature really should be included.
BIG STRIKEZONE – Definitely a concern. This is improved over last year’s game, but is still not as small as it should be. I’ll say this, with the batter’s that tend to stand up taller, the zone is absolutely perfect. For those that crouch down, it’s a big big. That’s where the problem is, the strikezone doesn’t change per player and per batting stance, as it would in real life.
These are my takes on the game. I just can’t find anything that would ruin the gaming experience of being at the ballpark. To me, creating a good sports game is making you feel like your at the game, recreating the experience from beginning to end in an enjoyable manner, and extending the longevity of the title with a solid, thorough franchise mode. WSB does all of these very well. No other baseball game offers the flexibility, atmosphere, or overall thorough solid gaming experience that this game offers.
There are going to be little things that take away from the overall experience, just like any other game baseball game, but in the end, WSB just feels like a baseball game should.
If you’re thinking about buying a baseball game, definitely give WSB a look. One thing that really separates it from the rest is the fact that, no matter skill level you play on, or what you’re good or bad at, WSB can pretty much be adjusted to your liking, and that will lead to an ultimately more enjoyable game in the long run.
Am I misleading at all? Have I missed concerns? or highpoints?
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