Arcade sports titles have a knack for finding a special home in the hearts of sports fans worldwide. Whether it is NBA Jam’s nostalgic, and not to mention over-the-top, announcer or NFL Blitz’s hostility on the football field, gamers have flocked to the genre for escapism. Can The BIGS 2 provide that special flavor that will have gamers begging for more? Or will it be a candle that leaves the gamer in the dark without a glimmer of excitement? If you were a betting man, you better go with the latter. Releasing a little over two years since the original, The BIGS 2 doesn’t have an epic feature set that screams out that it’s a sequel. Many gamers who have played the original won’t notice many upgrades that are worthy of a purchase. On the other hand, newcomers to the franchise will find that there’s enough offered to keep their attention for more than a night’s worth.
The gameplay addition that does stand out is the batter’s wheelhouse. It’s a way for players to add an enhancement to their pitch or hit. If they hit the ball within the wheelhouse, the batter will have the momentum literally and figuratively swing in their favor; if the pitcher earns a strike, they’ll shrink down the wheelhouse in size. When the momentum is in the batter’s favor, turbo can be used to active “Big Slams” which allows for four batters to step in and swing at the same pitch. It’s an entertaining addition, that’s for sure. In terms of game modes, Season mode has been added as players are now allowed to play through the 162 game seasons and handle all the general manager moves. There’s also Become a Legend mode that has players starting out in the Mexican league with their own custom player.
Gamers will play through short and full-length games to eventually be drafted and become a legendary player in the MLB. The last game mode that is worth mentioning is the return of Home Run Pinball – a mini-game of sorts that allows players to hit baseballs as if it was in a pinball machine. With exotic locations, such as the glorious Las Vegas, Home Run Pinball is the cream of the crop for game modes. There are other mini-games, such as base-running and catching, but they aren’t anything to write home about. In the technical department, The BIGS 2 isn’t anything special. Sure there are graphical improvements, but they are hardly noticeable to the common eye. The art style of the game is created in a cartoon-y fashion, so gamers shouldn’t expect any real life representations of their favorite baseball players.
Speaking of the MLB players, many of their faces aren’t exactly lifelike. Along with that, the animations are recycled and the commentary for the title is laughable – it should be excluded the next time around unless they want to put a higher importance in the area of the audio. Heck, the soundtrack is primarily rock and it’s highly repetitive, so gamers will want to use their custom soundtracks from their 360 hard drives to save their ears from torture. The BIGS 2 isn’t exactly the sequel that fans have been craving. It has a few nice improvements, such as the season and Become a Legend mode, to keep fans interested for a week or so. In general though, The BIGS 2 won’t have the longevity to last the rest of the summer. The lack of fresh gameplay improvements and additions keeps The BIGS 2 as a rental.
