Following the launch of MLB 2K9 in March, the team at 2K Sports again is supplying a game for baseball fans who just want pure fun without all the number crunching situational stats to factor in. The BigsThe BIGS reviews 2 comes with graphics and gameplay improvements from the first installment and is loaded with a high replay factor, as it has a ton of features available to the user. Some of the highlights include:

* BECOME A LEGEND MODE: Picks up where the “Rookie Challenge” left off. You take your created player and work your way up from a Mexican league to the Majors and with some work, into the Hall of Fame. At times during this mode, you will battle against MLB greats.
* SEASON MODE: A fan requested feature, this includes a full schedule, roster management, and stat tracking. If you can assemble a team of studs, you can eventually take the pennant.
* LEGENDARY CATCHES: While the 5 star rating was the highest you could go in The Bigs, the Legendary rating takes it to a whole new level. You are able to make spectacular catches in the field by hitting the right buttons in sequence.

Other game play touches user will notice include the addition of the wheelhouse zone. Some hitters will have bigger ones than others (David Ortiz vs Julio Lugo) and any pitch swung at in that zone has a high probability of being a hit. But, if you can’t time the pitch and miss, your wheelhouse will decrease in size and will stay that way for the rest of the game. Certain team members have powerups and they are permanent for these all-stars in the game. I learned this the hard way, as A-Rod swung for the fences with labeled “no-doubt homeruns” (6 for 6, all jacks).

There’s also a bunch of mini games to play in this year’s title. You can put up your hitting, fielding, throwing, and running skills against some the leagues best. The power mini game allows you to go one on one against cover boy, Prince Fielder and hit balls at the targets in the stands to get a streak going. Once you achieve a hitting streak, the goal is to destroy the scoreboard and build up your meter and finally, use a Big Blast to end the game. This must be done to start the chain to unlock the contact, glove, and speed mini games.

One of the fan favorites, Homerun pinball is still available in The Bigs 2. This time, offering more locations for you to do damage (Time Square, Tokyo, and Las Vegas w/ Retro Time Square as an unlockable). An added bonus to this is that now you can play homerun pinball in vs. or co-op mode with a buddy or an Xbox Live/ PlayStation Network opponent.

The Bigs 2 is a well put together game that gives us what we liked about The Bigs with a lot more. While this game isn’t for the baseball traditionalist, the title has clearly found its audience of fans who crave over the top baseball action.

Rating: A-

Good

* Beautiful visuals
* Gameplay mechanics

Bad

* Ball tracking- in certain scenarios it is very difficult to track regular pitches.

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