Review: 'World Series Baseball 2K2' strikes out

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By Uncle Dust

(IDG) -- Sega passed control of its baseball series over to super-developer Visual Concepts in hopes of a rebound from last year's disastrous outing. Unfortunately, "World Series Baseball 2K2" doesn't live up to VC's other stellar 2K sports games.

"WSB2K2" doesn't quite have the same shine of last year's title. Player animations are gorgeous -- but the fielders make certain plays tough with their sloth-like speed. The retooled pitcher/batter interface has some cool options, yet the defensive controls -- this year's big addition -- are infuriatingly hit-and-miss. The soundtrack, especially the horrendous commentary, continues to be a problem for the series, but the crowd noise is pretty strong. Also, there are occasional A.I. and stat bugs.

Although the season mode is rather robust with options and the game delivers on last year's promise of a home run derby, the online play is crippled by lag. "WSB2K2" lacks the polish of its NBA and NFL counterparts. Still, it's a decent game for Dreamcast-owning baseball fans.