''World Series Baseball '98'' is a traditional baseball

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of Conceptual model, models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or proc ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

, released in

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and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

for the

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and

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

as a sequel to '' World Series Baseball II''. The game was first released in Japan under the title which used the

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

license.

Gameplay

Development and release

Reception

The Saturn version of ''World Series Baseball '98'' received mostly positive reviews. The series' transition to polygonal graphics was generally approved of, particularly since the game still runs as fast as its predecessors, though multiple reviewers criticized that the bats are grossly out-of-proportion, saying they look like two-by-four

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planks. Most also commented on the inability to trade players. However, the batting/pitching quadrant system was highly praised. '' Next Generation'', in particular, argued that in conjunction with the deep fielding controls and management strategies, the quadrant system makes ''World Series Baseball '98'' a genre-redefining game comparable to the likes of ''

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'' and '' NFL GameDay 97''. The reviewer stated, "Clearly, this is the new standard for baseball games, and there are no current games that even come close. Saturn may not have much, but it's got baseball." Other critics were more moderate, though still positive. ''

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'' concluded that the fast, fun nature of the game overrides its issues with graphics and sounds, and compared it favorably to contemporary baseball games on the Saturn such as ''

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''. Kraig Kujawa and Dean Hager both said that it is inferior to ''

MLB '98 ''MLB ‘98'' is a Major League Baseball video game for the PlayStation developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and released in August 1997. It precedes ''MLB '99'' and is the sequel to ''MLB Pennant Race''. Gameplay Games are called by pu ...

'', but still very good, and Hager added, "I'll say for sure it's the best baseball game for the Saturn." The Genesis version was released at the end of the console's lifespan and was largely ignored by the press. A brief review in ''GamePro'' criticized that the only improvements over ''

World Series Baseball '96 ''World Series Baseball '96'' is a video game developed by Blue Sky Software and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1996. Gameplay ''World Series Baseball '96'' is a baseball game featuring Blue Sky's engine with updates for the players. Recep ...

'' are updated rosters and interleague play, making it only worth buying for those who do not yet have a baseball game for the Genesis. During the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, the

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nominated the Saturn version for " Console Sports Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to ''

International Superstar Soccer 64 ''International Superstar Soccer 64'' (officially abbreviated as ''ISS 64'', originally released in Japan as and then later adapted as ) is a video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka in the ''International Superstar Soccer'' s ...

''.

Notes

References

External links

* * 1997 video games BlueSky Software games Multiplayer and single-player video games Sega Genesis games Sega Saturn games Sega video games Video games developed in the United States Video games set in 1998 World Series Baseball video games {{Baseball-videogame-stub