Wow, look at the Wii! Imagine the first person shooters! Imagine the sword fights! Imagine sports. Gamers have salivated over these prospects since the system's first unveiling but unfortunately they've been left hanging for the most part. Now here we are with underdog sports developer 2K Games stepping up to the plate and delivering The Bigs. While I never managed to find swords or firearms within the game, we finally have a worthy sports title to stand up to the hyper-realistic baseball simulator of WiiSports.
Presentation 7/10
Judging from the colloquial title and promotional material, our contender takes the "arcade" approach; This looks like the baseball version of NHL Jam, PGA Blitz or whatever--games here "He's on fire" actually suggests flammability. However, this is still the same baseball we all know, and suitably features the MLB license. The idea here is to highlight the standout features of the game, and does so by making beefcakes out of players, adding the occasional dramatic moves and slow-mo instead of giving your batter brass knuckles. There are multiple game modes including a quick game option, exhibition , home run derby, and a career mode, the heart of the game, where you help your rookie rise through THE BIGS, including special challenges and minigames.
It's a nice re-thinking and right off the bat (hawhaw) I felt like the feel of The Bigs was crafted with a lot of love. Unfortunately, the Wii wasn't given much special love. A complete lack of online content and lack of the "home run pinball" mode present on other versions with no make-up bonus gave me the impression that I was playing a slightly diet version of the game.
