The Bigs 2 Review

One of the most anticipated sports titles of the year, The Bigs 2, which is set to release on July, 7 2009, is already shaping up to be one of the most fun and accessible sports titles of this generation. The sequel to the most popular “new” sports franchise, boasts a very entertaining mix of realistic baseball action, and over-the-top arcade fun. The hits are harder, the catches are more extreme, and the fire trails are hotter. This is The Bigs, this game isn’t for the weak.

If you played the first The Bigs game, you are already pretty familiar with about 75 percent of the sequel’s content. Everything has been tweaked in one way or another in order to improve upon the first game. About 10 percent of the new content covers the new Legendary moves, Wheelhouse bonuses, and Player Power-ups. Legendary moves include spectacular pitches and killer pitches that really help you get the edge on your opponent (different players have different legendary maneuvers).

The Wheelhouse bonus feature shows you where a batter’s “hot spot” is. If you throw a pitch into this zone, and it gets by the batter, you’ll get a turbo bonus. This can come with much consequence though, as the result of a hit will probably end up as a double at least. Different players in the game get unique power-ups, that can really boost the team when they’re down. These power-ups are relative to what the real life counterparts do for their respective teams, such as David Ortiz’s “No Doubter Home Run” which cannot be stolen. The other 15%? A 162 game season mode and an in-depth player creator; this gives the game a good amount of replay value and extra length over the first iteration.

The Bigs 2 has taken the successful formula from it’s 2008 entry, revamped it in ways that make it more accessible to the non-sports gamers while still staying loyal to the fans of the series. There have been a few mini-games added, not to mention Home Run Pinball makes a triumphant return. The music in the game really says Extreme Sports featuring: Disturbed, Pantera, POD and other heavy bands put a hard sound to an already action packed game. The look has been streamlined to be more realistic, while still bulked up to make the game more “in your face”. The controls remain the same with a few minor tweaks on the PS3/Xbox 360, and have been simplified for use with the Wii. The developers have confirmed to us that there is no support for the newly released Wii-Motion Plus.

This game looks to be a killer addition to any sports gamer’s collection, as well as the casual gamer looking for an easy to pick up sports game. It is still just as difficult as it’s predecessor, yet somehow keeps you coming back for one more adrenaline packed game. The Bigs 2 could very well be one of the most fun, and highest selling sports titles of the year. In an industry where sports titles contain the same monotonic gameplay, and never-changing formula, it’s good to see a change, and for that change to become so popular among gamers of all kinds.