Average Customer Review: ( 32 customer reviews )
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ASB - Probably the most realistic, but easily the most boring to actually play. Good graphics, and it's very in depth...too bad the batter/pitcher interface stinks. This game just isn't fun.

High Heat - I had this and returned it. The graphics are AWFUL, this game looks like it's from 1997. Game controls are cumbersome. There is nothing slick or sexy about this game, everything looks generic. Very intense franchise mode though, you manage all the way down through A ball. There's also a slider for every conceivable option, which is nice.

MVP - 2nd best game after WSB 2K3. Admittedly, it's pretty good, but WSB just has it beat in every category. I didn't like how you just swing at pitches, rather than aim your swing. The pitch meter (a la golf games) doesn't work well in a baseball context.

Then there's WSB 2K3. The graphics are amazing, and the player animations just make it better. Stadiums and fields were rendered to perfection, even city buildings near stadiums were captured perfectly. Player faces are almost photo-realistic. The gameplay itself is easy to understand, but not simple enough that it requires no skill. Scores usually reflect real games, with some pitcher dominated 2-1 games, some real exciting slug fests, and some that are in between. And you'll see all kinds of hits and outs and different plays, there's a TON of variation. The add-ons are sweet. ESPN is partnered with it so that the whole game has an ESPN broadcast/SportsCenter feel to it, complete with graphics and music. The franchise mode is great, with everything you can imagine. There's a home run challenge, and some on-line capabilities I haven't explored yet. Each team even has 4 retro and one alternate jersey, which I love...there's 5 old ballparks and HOF players to play with. Pretty good adjustability too with the sliders.

Look, this is the best baseball game for now, and I am an EA loyalist saying that. You could get MVP and be happy, but get WSB 2K3 and be ecstatic instead.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Best all-around baseball game this yearApr 19, 2003

World Series 2k3 has the best gameplay I've seen since Triple Play 2001 (the only good version of Triple Play). A friend and I sampled WS2k3 and EA's MVP. While MVP has a challenging (and fun) pitching interface, World Series has the best all-around gameplay.

Some features that World Series has, and MVP doesn't:

-WS has a timed hitting mode, which, for me, is the most realistic way to hit. You don't have to guess where the ball is going to be pitched (and if the pitch is anywhere else, [you'll miss]), you just time your swing and try to go with the pitch.
(Also, you can turn off all the interface graphics for both pitching and hitting, so you don't have to play a cat-and-mouse game with the cursors, like you're playing Missle Command, or something.)
-WS has manual leadoffs.
-WS has manual dives (I may be wrong, but I don't think MVP has manual dives).
-Realistic fielding. The fielding in MVP is atrocious.

One word of warning:
Even if you're new to the game, the normal pitching velocity is very slow and hard to time. You need to adjust the pitch speed to "Very Fast". Very fast is actually easier to hit and seems more realistic than "Normal" or "Fast".

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Happy with my decision....Apr 15, 2003
By Shawn Miles
Like many of my fellow Baseball fans, I wasnt sure what game to buy this year. But I finally made a decision based on various reviews and got WSB 2k3.

For me I need a game that is as realistic as possible stat wise and AI wise. The graphic arent that really important, but I dont want something that doesnt even make an attempt at looking..good.

But 2k3, was a pleasant surprise. The graphic are good, the stadiums are very impressive, the players are...ok. The frame rate that people have complained about soo much, I havent seen yet.

AS for the rest of the game. Well let me explain this. I am playing a season with the Indians, and I was playing my 3rd game against the "O's". It was 3-4 O's up, and come the 8th inning they put in their setup man, and then come the 9th they put in their closer. I was pleasantly surprised that the AI was smart enough to put in a closer and setup man in the correct situations.

ANother aspect I like, is the time off factor. Again since I am the Tribe, I have Elis Burks, and if you know him , ya know he cant play everygame. SO if you dare do so, he will go down on an injury or if you over play him he just wont be able to produce. That is just one little thing I really like about this game.

The game is EXTREMLY deep as in manager and stats. You control every aspect when it comes to your lineups and Minors, and contracts and everything else! it is really impressive

One thing I dont like is that the managers are fabricated, and you cant change the names. Like whats a game if you cant see Pinella freaking out and gettin thrown!

Oh well. I like the game and I think I really made a good choice. If you are a guy who likes stats, and baseball played "correctly" I would get this game

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

No question - this game is the best out there...Apr 22, 2003

Thankfully I rented High Heat, which many say is the best game out there. There is simply no competition - World Series 2K3 blows this title away in every respect.

As someone who was driven away from baseball games by the bazooka home runs and intelligence-insulting ease of Triple Play a few years back, I can honestly say that World Series 2K3 is the game we've been waiting for since Tony Larousa on SEGA. The graphics are fantastic, the gameplay is smooth, and the Franchise/stat tracking is solid. Finally there's a baseball game with the same realism of Madden.

When the only thing you'd change about a game is its use of the analog stick over the directional pad, you've got a game you can stick with. You won't be disappointed with this purchase.

9 of 11 found the following review helpful:

WSB Coming Out on topFeb 28, 2003

I've had a chance to play it and I'm lost for words. This is by far the best baseball game ever produced. It has incredible graphics and gameplay, including a deep franchise mode which will keep you busy all year long. The AI has improved deeply the games are much more realistic and fun. They've added new retro players and ballparks, including uniforms. This game is #1 and belongs in your home.

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