Roided And Loving It: The Bigs 2

Gosling

Betcha thought there'd never be a Brewer going solo on the cover of a baseball game. Anyway, this is The Bigs 2. I loved The Bigs 1, but there were a couple problems that kept it from reviewing well.

*The first gripe was that you couldn't play a full season- you'd play progressively stronger teams from your league in a couple of challenges and snipe players from vanquished teams. Well, now you're playing a full season.
*The second, larger gripe was that, while the pitcher vs. batter system was excellently done, the fielding left something to be desired. That... we've yet to see, but I would think they've worked some kinks out.

Also showing up:

*The Wii, unlike last time, gets Home Run Derby mode, where you stand in a major urban thoroughfare and hit baseballs into neon lights so as to go smashy-smashy. And in addition to the Times Square setting of Bigs 1, you will also get to play Whacking Day with Tokyo and Las Vegas, as well as what, from this shot seems to indicate, looks to be an old-school New York.
*The 'Rookie Challenge' mode has been teased out. Now instead of starting your created player at the start of his first regular season, you will start in the Mexican League, go to the Majors, and eventually the Hall of Fame. Plus you will apparently have 'boss battles' against baseball legends; announced legends showing up in the game include Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, Roberto Clemente and Reggie Jackson.
*There are three types of challenges: Contact, Glove and Speed. The Speed shot appears to show a Met and a Cub going across Wrigley Field rooftops. This shall be great fun, surely.
*Batters will now have 'wheelhouses'- the batter can hit anything thrown in there better, but take strikes in there and it will shrink.
*The dreaded quicktime events will show up for heads-up plays-- say there's a ball whizzing past your fielder, for example. Obviously, the fielder will have to act fast to catch it, so... Press X To Not Allow A Hit.
*Big Slam mode. This will be an exercise in slow dawning humiliation for the pitcher. When you activate Big Slam, it affects the next four batters. For the first three, if they get a hit, it will be a single. If any of them get an out, that'll be the end of it. But if all three reach base safely, the fourth guy will be swinging for a grand slam.

It hits July 7 for the 360, PS3, Wii, PS2 and PSP.

And with that, here's Prince Fielder lighting up Miller Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFn_ReS3asw

And just for flavor, here's the original announcement trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HInQHlmwuRQ

urahonky

I never bit the bullet on the original because I'm not a big fan of Baseball, but I'd thought about picking it up because I heard it was like NBA Jam but for Baseball and that sounded awesome.

Dr.Funkenstein

Damn Manny should have been on the cover

deowolf

Hm. Enjoyed the first, may have to grab the second if the real baseball season starts to feel too slow and not on fire.

Gosling

urahonky wrote: »

I never bit the bullet on the original because I'm not a big fan of Baseball, but I'd thought about picking it up because I heard it was like NBA Jam but for Baseball and that sounded awesome.

I would say that's an apt description. My favorite part is when the batter goes turbo. All he has to do is make contact in order to send the ball screaming towards either a foul pole or the nearest thing made of glass. Never, ever gets old.