Title: World Series Baseball Released: 1995 Genre: Baseball Developer: Sega Sports Publisher: Sega Sports Regions: USA Availability: Rare

World Series Baseball Starring Deion Sanders is a shining example of what was so good about the Sega Genesis, and what was so disappointing about the Sega 32x. Much like Pitfall and Mortal Kombat, Sega’s premier sports simulation was ported over to the 32x with minimal enhancements, begging the question, “Why did you bother?” It’s a strange question to ask, especially when the game in question is so polished and satisfying. In retrospect, it’s easy to see the pattern. Sega had its resources spread amazingly thin during the mid 90’s, trying to develop games for the workhorse Genesis, the handheld Game Gear, the niche Sega CD, the Pico learning computer, and the next-generation Saturn. The 32x division needed to expand the pitiful 32x library if the add-on was to have any chance for survival, so they ported numerous established Genesis games over to the 32x, adding whatever enhancements they could with the minimal resources they had available. World Series Baseball seemed a natural, since Sega’s long-running series was widely viewed as the best baseball franchise around, and with good reason... it’s a near-perfect baseball simulation, equally fun for one or more players. Everything that made the game so great to begin with has been retained: the smooth graphics, the incredibly tight and intuitive control, all the big-league teams, statistical tracking, and a wealth of play options including Exhibition, Full Season, Playoff, and a mid-season All-Star game with your finest players. Trivial enhancements include the Deion Sanders license (Dion Sanders was slated to also appear in the unreleased Prime Time NFL Starring Dion Sanders), additional colors, slightly smoother animation, and mildly improved sound effects and music, though the overall sound presentation is still pretty weak. The "big" addition of a "gradual zoom" feature that provides close-ups of outfielders as they chase after balls is a marginal improvement at best, often proving to be more of a distraction than anything else. Everything else remains the same. At least Sega chose to play it safe and not mess with all the things that make the series so great in the first place. World Series Baseball is a slightly better game than its only other 32x baseball competition, RBI Baseball '95, but it's silly to seek out this elusive late-release title if you already have the Genesis version in your collection.

World Series Baseball first appeared on the Genesis, eventually making the rounds to the Game Gear, 32x, Saturn, and Dreamcast, as well as other next-generation platforms.