When I was in college, I watched my mighty, mighty Arkansas Razorbacks play in the College World Series. I met my parents after the game for lunch and asked my dad if he'd watched the game.

"No, son," he said. "I don't watch much college baseball."

"Why not?" I asked.

"I'd like to take their aluminum bats and crack them over their heads."

See, dad's point was this -- the aluminum bat just took something away from the game. It didn't "feel" like a baseball game as far as he was concerned. Indeed, dad loved nothing more than watching baseball the way it was meant to be played -- on fields with real bats and where players were made to use wooden bats.

Sega has managed to produce a game that looks a heck of a lot like a baseball game, but it sure doesn't feel like one. I first suspected there was something fishy about this title when I saw there was no home run derby or chance to practice the basic moves. Want to practice? Play an exhibition game, junior.

While I can live with that, I can't live with the horrible batting control in this thing. Batting should rely heavily on timing, as far as I'm concerned, and this game just doesn't stress the element of planting that foot and taking a swing. Instead, the player is required to hold down the right trigger on the controller, move the analog stick around to position a dot on where the ball will likely show up, and then release the trigger at just the right moment. That method just stinks -- figuring out pitch placement precisely enough to allow for a hit is damned frustrating. It's no damned good. It's just un-American. When I did finally manage to get a hit, I'm surprised the sound effect was the firm "smack" of a ball hitting wood rather than the "clink" of an aluminum bat.

Let me put it this way. I had a choice between this horrible thing and High Heat Baseball 2002 for the Sony Playstation. I knew I'd enjoy High Heat Baseball 2002 because I love the previous year's version of that title (which is now scratched and unplayable). In that one, see, you can move the bat around and such, but the most important thing to learn is how to time things just right to hit that ball. If you can master the timing, you can come out okay. That's not the case with this nightmare of a game for the beloved Dreamcast.

So, why didn't I buy the old, faithful title for the Playstation? Because I was attracted to the snazzy graphics offered in World Series Baseball 2K1, that's why. For all the folks who scoff at those who prefer gameplay over graphics, I offer this piece of junk as evidence that a truly good game is both nice to look at and fun. The good thing about the game is that the players are nicely rendered, nifty shadows are all over the place, the stadiums are detailed enough to make it all worthwhile and little "extras" such as realistic-looking crowds are swell. The animation is smooth and looks quite realistic.

While Sega didn't cut any corners on the graphics, they sure as hell gutted the basic gameplay in this one. It's nice to look at, sure, but it's horrible to play.

The fielding here is nothing short of pathetic. In short, the CPU handles all the fielding for you, and you can then determine where the ball is thrown after it rests firmly in a player's glove. Huh? What the hell is that? I've never seen a game where the player had to rely on the gaming console to make catches and field the blasted ball. Robbing owners of this game the ability to simply field the ball is just pathetic.

Pitching isn't so bad in this, but it isn't that great, either. Use the analog stick to dial up one of six types of pitches (depending on the ability of the individual pitchers, of course). Then, start the pitching motion, aim the ball and let her fly. Pretty conventional stuff.

I've read a number of things in which people have griped about the stats in this. Yeah, they're a bit thin and not nearly as comprehensive as in other games, but who really cares? Since the gameplay is so rotten, who gives a damn about stats? Sega should have concentrated on making a game that would be fun to play before worrying about statistics, anyway. If the gameplay had been up to par, I could have lived with the basic number of stats in the game.

As for the rest of the game, it's pretty much what you would expect. There are four difficulty levels, and players can start a long or short season in which he controls the pro team of his choice. The major players, of course, are there and the game attempts to replicate their skills. The rosters for each team are close to MLB rosters from 2000. Heck, you can even make your own players or challenge a friend to a bastardized version of baseball. Still, what else would you expect from a game that purports to simulate pro baseball?

In sum, this thing goes back to the store in favor of that ugly but fun High Heat Baseball 2002 as soon as I get the chance. Sure, I'll take a loss on a trade, but I only paid $10 for this so I'm not going to lose much. Considering how darn good NFL 2K1 is for the Dreamcast (indeed, that's one of the better titles for the system and one of my shameful addictions), it's really sad to see how badly Sega dropped the ball on this one. Avoid it or give it as a gift to someone you truly hate.


Recommended: No