The Bigs 2 (Xbox 360, 2009)

I'll start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of The Bigs. It's such a fun game with a ton of replay value, but was also, at times, extremely frustrating and challenging (I always play in super hard mode). Same goes for The Bigs 2. But what’s a game without frustrations and challenges? It's pretty much a jazzed up version of The Bigs, with loads of additions & changes. This review is aimed more towards those who've played The Bigs, but it's helpful for everyone.

There's now a Wheelhouse in the strike zone of every batter which serves as a good risk/reward. If you pitch it into the WH and the batter makes good contact, it's an automatic base hit. If you throw a strike in the batter's WH without the batter hitting it foul, the WH shrinks and you also get extra turbo opposed to just throwing a regular strike.

They also added a Big Slam, similar to the Big Blast, only the Big Slam is a 4-pitch rapid fire power up. This means you have 4 pitches to load the bases and blast a grand slam. If you have 1 runner on base, then you have 2 pitches to hit basehits and 2 pitches to hit a homerun. It's a pretty sweet addition, especially if you're behind. They still have the Big Heat power up, only this time you get 25K Big Play points for every strike and 25K for a Big Heat strikeout, so if you throw 3 strikes with no foul balls and get a strikeout, you end up nearly getting all of your Big Play points back. There's also no more stealing Big Play points from your opponent when using a Big Heat power up, which isn't really a big deal at all IMO. You need 100K Big Play points to use a Big Play power up and if you use a Big Blast power up, it's a guaranteed homer with any contact.

Another addition is instead of being allowed a max. of 5 stars for power, contact, glove, and speed, you can get your player up to Legendary status in any or all categories. If you're in the field and possess a Legendary glove, you can perform Legendary catches by successfully pulling off a certain button mini-game, depending on where the catch is in the field. If you successfully perform a Legendary catch, you receive 20K Big Play points.

They changed the 'Rookie Challenge' mode to 'Become A Legend' mode. Instead of starting in the Major Leagues as a rookie and working your way up, you start in the Mexican League because you got injured and have to work your way back up. They also added a ‘Season’ mode, which you can play a full MLB season with any team. They also messed around with the set difficulty. Instead of choosing just one difficulty at the start before you create your player and becoming stuck with that one difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard, Super Hard), you get the option to change the difficulty at any time during the season. Trust me, Super Hard can get beyond frustrating, especially when you're on the mound (You'll know what I'm talkin' about, hope you have good timing).

They’ve also added some new locations for Homerun Pinball, way better than just Times Square which got kind of boring.

If you’ve never played The Bigs 1 or 2, I’d recommend skipping the first and going right to the second, but that's your choice. The Bigs 2 is a really fun game; arcade baseball at it’s best. The replay value is relatively high since not one game is ever the same and you could play either mode with every team. Pick this game up for a good price here at good ol’ eBay and I guarantee you it’ll be a good addition to your collection. I’d rate it a solid 9/10.

This game is great. Being an Xbox 360 owner, I have limited options in the baseball genre. As the 2K series leaves a lot to be desired, The Bigs 2 delivers on their promise of an arcade baseball game that's easy and fun to play. The Become a Legend mode has been improved, now spanning over several seasons instead of just one. The stolen players part of it has been changed so that you are only allowed to use 3 of your stolen players in each game, making it more of a challenge than in the first edition. I have yet to play the season mode, but it's seems to be exactly what it sounds like: play a season with a team of your choice. Overall, this is a great game, and I recommend it to everyone.

great game. i loved it. played the demo for like 4 hours and i was hooked. had to have it. it madden meets blitz but baseball style! Known for its over-the-top style of gameplay, The BIGS 2 focuses on the "big" fast-paced moments in Major League Baseball with new opportunities to go up against MLB legends, more mini-games like Home Run Pinball, and a variety of other thrilling new features.

Definitely, the best baseball game to date out in the market for the XBOX 360 console.
Great graphics, nice effects (usually baseball games don´t have many), and supports up to four players at once. Becoming a good game to play with the whole family.

This game is very action packed and has many different game types to play. From homerun pinball, to mini games, to regular season play and even building a player from the minors and making it to the BIGS.

Great game I really enjoyed it.