If baseball fans have been disappointed from the baseball outings from 2K Sports since their exclusive acquisition of the MLB, The Bigs will bring them back. This wildly fun, addictive and perfectly balanced arcade style title is fun all around. There hasn’t been a baseball title with a level of simplistic enjoyment since Baseball Stars 2 on the Neo Geo. It’s been a while.
Midway’s meager attempt at arcade baseball back in 2004 was MLB Slugfest, and there’s definitely some influence here. Collisions at the plate play a huge role, leaping to snag what should be a guaranteed home run is common, and smart use of a constantly building turbo meter is crucial. Unlike Slugfest, oddities like punching the basemen have been removed, and what’s left is a wide-open title that flawlessly integrates the arcade action with sim stylings.
Lead designer Jason Leigh brings his experience from EA’s MVP Baseball series and the lesser Triple Play, and comes out clean. This is a fast paced addition to the 2K Sports line, with standard games running only five innings. With literally no reset time between pitches, zipping through half an inning in less than a minute is entirely possible.
Batting is a two-button affair, one for a power swing, and the other with the goal of simply making contact. While fielding is touchy and difficult, all of the power hitters in the world won’t be able to get past the outfield, whose ability to leap the wall is unparalleled. At times, it’s tiring to see the A.I. grasp for a perfectly time blast to right field for the fifth time in one game. For simplicities sake, it adds both strategy and drama to the hitting portion, and tosses a layer onto the fielding beyond grabbing grounders.
Pitching is the closest The Bigs will get to a simulation title. Meter based, players hold down their pitch button until filled and release. Landing at the top puts some extra juice on the ball. You’ll also need to aim the throw before letting go, though The Bigs only has a strike zone and slightly outside of it in terms of game play however. Any pitch, even those low and inside can be crushed if the batter has the ability.
Article comments
1 - Ken Edwards
I didn't even know this was an arcade game. But it sounds to me like 'MLB Street' to me, but of course this is not from EA Big.
Does the 360 version have online play?
2 - Matt Paprocki
Yeah, simple online play. Was already running long so couldn't fit it in.