The Bigs 2

The Bigs 2
250px North American cover for the Xbox 360
Developer(s)	Blue Castle Games
Publisher(s)	2K Sports
Series	The Bigs
Platforms	Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 2 Wii PlayStation Portable Nintendo DS
Release date(s)
Genre(s)	Sports Baseball

The Bigs 2 (known in Europe and Australia as The Bigs 2 Baseball) is a baseball sports video game developed by Blue Castle Games and published by 2K Sports for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and PlayStation Portable. The game performs as the direct sequel to The Bigs. On March 3, 2009, the first trailer for the game was released revealing that players like Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Roberto Clemente, and Reggie Jackson and a number of other Hall of Famers would be playable in the game. On April 7, 2009, the Milwaukee Brewers All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder was announced as the cover athlete chosen by 2K Sports. For the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii editions of the game, play-by-play is announced in English by Damon Bruce and in Japanese by Kasey Ryne Mazak. It was released on July 7, 2009.

Gameplay

The BIGS 2 features an over-the-top playing style, like the first game established. Unlike the first game, The BIGS 2 allows players to play through the full 162 game season and will allow the player to act both as general manager and as the players on the field by allowing the player to trade, draft, and manage other front office activities. The game also, includes new game stats called Power, Glove, and Contact. The Bigs 2 does not support the Wii MotionPlus for improving control precision.

At bat, the game also gives the player a new hitting system that consists of a "wheelhouse". Pitches thrown into the wheelhouse can be hit more efficiently by the batter or gain more turbo if taken for a strike. Strikes in the wheelhouse also shrink the radius of the wheelhouse. For some hitters, the circle will be bigger based on stats. For example, Alex Rodriguez possesses very high hitting stats. His wheelhouse radius covers nearly the entire strike zone, excluding the four corners.

The game also include real-time sequences where the player can quickly tap a button to catch a ball speeding quickly past a fielder's head. Like the original game, each button simply like (X) will stand for a different base. When the button is pressed, the ball would be thrown to the selected base.

The new "Big Slam" mechanic allows the player to bring four consecutive batters up. If the first batter makes contact a single will automatically register. This will continue until the 4th batter is reached. If the first three players reached base by making contact, the 4th batter, upon making contact, will automatically hit a grand slam.

Become a Legend is a mode where the player creates a character who is recovering from an injury in the Mexican League, is picked up by a Major League team, and then tries to reach "Legendary Status".

A demo for the game has been released in the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace, but the only playable teams are the NL and AL All Star Teams. The games only last 3 innings. Also, an intro to the mini game "Home run pinball" is included.

The Bigs 2 was released in the UK on 17 July 2009. It was the first baseball game to be released in the UK on Xbox 360. It was released as a budget game with many retailers listing the pre-order for less than £20.00.

The Bigs 2 was released for the Nintendo DS on September 8, 2009.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 79% Review scores Publication Score GameSpot 8.0/10 GamesRadar 9/10 IGN 8.0/10 TeamXbox 9.0/10

The Bigs 2 received mostly favorable reviews. Many reviews cited the fast-paced arcade style gameplay as one of the most addictive part of the game. However, the game was also criticized for the lack of "fundamental aspects of baseball."

External links

• Official Website