Wiitime
the guy below- HES BACK!!
- Oct 15, 2006
- 1,409
- 23
- Wii Online Code
- 1405-1695-6567-5492
Okay, so its a fun game for sure. Im happy to read that the lag in the batting is in all versions so its not the wii controls. They also said Rookie Challenge is a blast. And the controls are tolerable. Some downpoints like you dont feel like you are into the game, fielding still has some problems. But for the most part they said they had fun. The gameplay seems fun. The moves you can make, the play at the plate where if you score the player injures the catcher or if you get out, the catcher destroyes the player. Seems like a great game. This review made me feel better about this game. The main thing is that its fun and thats what they said it is. If they said it was bad and controls were awful then idk if i would get it. The running they said it decent.. overall, i am happy with this..
http://wii.ign.com/articles/798/798430p1.html
Its also a good start for a baseball game on the wii.
**rep**
June 21, 2007 - When I first went hands-on with The Bigs at Nintendo's pre-E3 event, it was a very love/hate experience. On one hand, The Bigs is delivering some solid arcade baseball action, something that can't be found on Wii outside of Wii Sports which - let's be real - is more batting practice than a real take on America's favorite pastime. Being a huge MLB junkie I'm still hoping that we get a full-fledged sim baseball experience on Wii, but for the time being baseball loyalists will have to settle with an arcade hybrid. Still, for all its flaws - and there are a few annoying ones to be sure - The Bigs is still a positive experience on Wii, even if it is a bit basic and somewhat forced in some of its motion control.
For anyone late to the party, The Bigs is a new MLB game by 2K Sports that looks to bring out a sort of NFL Blitz feel to the world of baseball. You'll still control nine players on the field in various baseball-like scenarios and positions, but every aspect of play has been turned up a notch. Using Wii motion you can throw various pitches while on the mound, with the correct timing resulting in a burning "Perfect Pitch" that's sure to either stop an adversary dead in his tracks, or - and this is the worst-case scenario - result in a foul ball. When running bases or fielding, drumming of the Wii-mote and nunchuk adds some extra juice to your players, as they sprint at nearly 1.5 speed around the field as long as you can keep the motion going. For batting, nearly 1:1 motion is used for pre-swing bat tracking, so you can prep for an at bat with any wand wiggle you'd like, having it all show up ala Wii Sports. Once swinging, however, it becomes a timing-based challenge, as there's very little aside from a timed swing and analog stick "pull control" that decides the region of the field you're aiming for.
If you're looking for more on the basics of The Bigs, check out our initial impressions right here. For our latest update though, I wanted to dig into more of the modes and gameplay styles in The Bigs, and really give potential players a cross-section of what The Bigs offers, and what it doesn't. For starters, you've got the classic Play Now or Exhibition mode, which allows you to grab up to three friends and hit the field in motion-based baseball. In Play Now, you'll choose teams and then launch directly into a more arcade-like game of baseball that lasts five innings. In Exhibition Mode, you'll be able to pick teams, change the difficulty, tweak the time of day and amount of innings, as well as choose a location for the game including any MLB stadium. If you want to play Twins vs. Braves in Wrigley field - something that doesn't make a whole lot of sense - you're free to do that.
On top of that there's a 1-4 player Home Run Derby mode, that allows for non-stop zinger-cracking in a basic party atmosphere. It's extremely self-explanatory, as it's just a first to 10 home run competition. Certain bonus balls are good for two homers at a time if you can blast them over the fence, but for the most part it's a simple arcade time-waster where you can chose your team, pick your super-star, and knock a few lumps of stitching out the park.
Future MVP lacks skills to pay the bills.
Where the real depth to The Bigs can be found though, is in the Rookie Challenge. I've spent a good chunk of office time getting my kinks out in spring training as the new "exciting prospect" of the Minnesota Twins. In this mode, it's all about creating a rookie for the major league team of your choice, and upgrading him through a simulated mission-based franchise mode. You start by choosing the basics - face, hair style, batting stance, position, number, home town, batting and throwing arm - and then move on to a huge overworld map that details MLB hotspots around the USA. As you progress through games, you'll earn more points based on both the team's performance, as well as your rookie's direct contribution on the field. Knock a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, and you can expect a plethora of upgrade points to put towards batting contact, batting power, glove ability, throwing ability, and speed. Each has the ability for five upgrade stars, and these five attributes determine everything that happens on the field, so points need to be distributed with care.
In my last game against Kansas City there was a long ball shot out to left field. Since I wanted to be a power hitter, I previously opted to take a less-used position in left, and have since been powering up my bat power and contact. My character made an uncanny wall jump in bullet time (again, this is an arcade game), but instead of snagging the ball he only deflected it, sending it to left-center for Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. Hunter gunned the ball to catcher Joe Mauer, but by the time it got there two runs had scored. Yes it was better than a home run (luckily I had some points on my rookie for glove), but far worse than the epic wall-jumping robbery that could have been.
Aside from the straight-up league games, Rookie Challenge also offers more actual mini-game experiences. Things like batting, fielding, and pitching drills will up your player's stats as well, along with scenarios that have you getting out of "bottom of the ninth" pinches or epic playoff contention situations. The only downside: These challenges aren't pass/fail, but actually more of a checklist of career highlights. If you screw up a comeback challenge, you'll simply fail the "mission" and begin again where you left off. If you put in the time, you'll eventually accomplish 100% of the tasks, as Rookie Challenge is more of a progressive highlight reel mode than an actual season or franchise experience. Still, I've personally put in a ton of time with my rookie, and it's been a blast to play through.
As for the Wii control in this build, it still isn't perfect, but it's doable. Batting still has the same swing lag that it did in Washington a few months back, and interestingly enough we've found that there's a similar lag in the other versions as well, so it's less of a Wii issue and more of a global swing response problem in all The Bigs games. It isn't a deal-breaking problem, as even Wii Sports has some lag between the player's swing and the actual game's response, but it does add a pretty decent little learning curve for the first few pitches, and you never really feel totally connected to the players because of it.
Or in other words, "Kiss this one goodbye!"
On the fielding side, it's still more of the same as well, as the motion-based throwing is still kind of tacked on. Holding A and motioning either left, right, up, or down throws to the corresponding base (with 2nd being up, and home being down), and the button quick-throw we used in Washington doesn't seem to be in this build. Perhaps it'll be added back in - or it may be hidden away on a different button combination now - but it's missed a bit, as throwing isn't always as quick as we'd like it to be. On the plus side, throwing accuracy is greatly improved, and we're able to toss it to the preferred base with ease using Wii motion. It just isn't ideal in double-play situations, where perfect speed and timing is needed.
As another side note, there are a few other interesting gameplay elements we've seen since getting the game in office. The main hook of The Bigs is the Big Play Meter, which fills up whenever you advance your team at all. Whether it's something as simple as a base single or as epic of a home run, points go to your team's meter in an attempt to fill it all the way. Once filled, the Big Play Meter can be used on either offense or defense to engage Power Blast (offense) or The Heater (defense). When using the Power Blast, any contact made with the ball is an automatic home run, so as long as you don't go down swinging like a day-one rookie you'll knock it out of the park. With the heater ball, it's all about engaging a lighting fast burning pitch that's unstoppable. Personally we go with the Power Blast, as it lets us save the pain until our rookie is up and then deliver a stat-padding home run that both wins games and upgrades our player.
Another area that really jumps out at us is the classic "runner vs. catcher" home plate battle. If there's a close play at home, it comes down to a Wii-drumming battle between the runner and catcher. Gameplay slows down, and an on-screen battle meter shows up with three areas. If the runner drums fast enough to win the bout, he'll knock the ever-living hell out of the catcher, dislodging the ball and scoring a run. If the catcher wins, he reciprocates, beating the trash out of the runner, adding insult to injury. Should it stay a tie, a random tag or slide will occur, and gameplay will continue on as normal. In the other Bigs versions it's all about button tapping, but with the Wii we're actually doing a lot of drumming with the controllers for running, fielding, and home plate battles.
Either way this is going to end bad.
Since this battle takes place any time you make a close call at home, we've actually purposely ran at a catcher who's waiting with the ball, blatantly rounding third on a collision course. At other times (if we just finished getting out of a double play by running our ass off with Wii drumming) we'll realistically have a bit of muscle strain, and think twice about trying to have a test-of-strength with the opposing team. At the beginning of the game players my go balls-out with drumming challenges, but by the end of a full nine-inning game your arms will be legitimately sore, as real-world stamina factors into play.
We've now put more than 10 hours into The Bigs collectively, and though there are some definite issues we'd like to see worked out, it's still an entertaining game of arcade baseball. The Wii specifics are somewhat give and take, as we really don't feel any more connected to the game when fielding or batting than we would with button presses. Pitching has its definite moments, as you can grip and rip for a variety of pitches, but overall The Bigs is a decent game with some passable Wii motion. Still, for MLB junkies or people just looking for a refreshing sports game this summer, The Bigs is a solid choice. It's fast, fun, and pretty deep for a blast from arcade's past.
( attached our the newest pictures)
http://wii.ign.com/articles/798/798430p1.html
Its also a good start for a baseball game on the wii.
**rep**
June 21, 2007 - When I first went hands-on with The Bigs at Nintendo's pre-E3 event, it was a very love/hate experience. On one hand, The Bigs is delivering some solid arcade baseball action, something that can't be found on Wii outside of Wii Sports which - let's be real - is more batting practice than a real take on America's favorite pastime. Being a huge MLB junkie I'm still hoping that we get a full-fledged sim baseball experience on Wii, but for the time being baseball loyalists will have to settle with an arcade hybrid. Still, for all its flaws - and there are a few annoying ones to be sure - The Bigs is still a positive experience on Wii, even if it is a bit basic and somewhat forced in some of its motion control.
For anyone late to the party, The Bigs is a new MLB game by 2K Sports that looks to bring out a sort of NFL Blitz feel to the world of baseball. You'll still control nine players on the field in various baseball-like scenarios and positions, but every aspect of play has been turned up a notch. Using Wii motion you can throw various pitches while on the mound, with the correct timing resulting in a burning "Perfect Pitch" that's sure to either stop an adversary dead in his tracks, or - and this is the worst-case scenario - result in a foul ball. When running bases or fielding, drumming of the Wii-mote and nunchuk adds some extra juice to your players, as they sprint at nearly 1.5 speed around the field as long as you can keep the motion going. For batting, nearly 1:1 motion is used for pre-swing bat tracking, so you can prep for an at bat with any wand wiggle you'd like, having it all show up ala Wii Sports. Once swinging, however, it becomes a timing-based challenge, as there's very little aside from a timed swing and analog stick "pull control" that decides the region of the field you're aiming for.
If you're looking for more on the basics of The Bigs, check out our initial impressions right here. For our latest update though, I wanted to dig into more of the modes and gameplay styles in The Bigs, and really give potential players a cross-section of what The Bigs offers, and what it doesn't. For starters, you've got the classic Play Now or Exhibition mode, which allows you to grab up to three friends and hit the field in motion-based baseball. In Play Now, you'll choose teams and then launch directly into a more arcade-like game of baseball that lasts five innings. In Exhibition Mode, you'll be able to pick teams, change the difficulty, tweak the time of day and amount of innings, as well as choose a location for the game including any MLB stadium. If you want to play Twins vs. Braves in Wrigley field - something that doesn't make a whole lot of sense - you're free to do that.
On top of that there's a 1-4 player Home Run Derby mode, that allows for non-stop zinger-cracking in a basic party atmosphere. It's extremely self-explanatory, as it's just a first to 10 home run competition. Certain bonus balls are good for two homers at a time if you can blast them over the fence, but for the most part it's a simple arcade time-waster where you can chose your team, pick your super-star, and knock a few lumps of stitching out the park.
Future MVP lacks skills to pay the bills.
Where the real depth to The Bigs can be found though, is in the Rookie Challenge. I've spent a good chunk of office time getting my kinks out in spring training as the new "exciting prospect" of the Minnesota Twins. In this mode, it's all about creating a rookie for the major league team of your choice, and upgrading him through a simulated mission-based franchise mode. You start by choosing the basics - face, hair style, batting stance, position, number, home town, batting and throwing arm - and then move on to a huge overworld map that details MLB hotspots around the USA. As you progress through games, you'll earn more points based on both the team's performance, as well as your rookie's direct contribution on the field. Knock a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, and you can expect a plethora of upgrade points to put towards batting contact, batting power, glove ability, throwing ability, and speed. Each has the ability for five upgrade stars, and these five attributes determine everything that happens on the field, so points need to be distributed with care.
In my last game against Kansas City there was a long ball shot out to left field. Since I wanted to be a power hitter, I previously opted to take a less-used position in left, and have since been powering up my bat power and contact. My character made an uncanny wall jump in bullet time (again, this is an arcade game), but instead of snagging the ball he only deflected it, sending it to left-center for Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. Hunter gunned the ball to catcher Joe Mauer, but by the time it got there two runs had scored. Yes it was better than a home run (luckily I had some points on my rookie for glove), but far worse than the epic wall-jumping robbery that could have been.
Aside from the straight-up league games, Rookie Challenge also offers more actual mini-game experiences. Things like batting, fielding, and pitching drills will up your player's stats as well, along with scenarios that have you getting out of "bottom of the ninth" pinches or epic playoff contention situations. The only downside: These challenges aren't pass/fail, but actually more of a checklist of career highlights. If you screw up a comeback challenge, you'll simply fail the "mission" and begin again where you left off. If you put in the time, you'll eventually accomplish 100% of the tasks, as Rookie Challenge is more of a progressive highlight reel mode than an actual season or franchise experience. Still, I've personally put in a ton of time with my rookie, and it's been a blast to play through.
As for the Wii control in this build, it still isn't perfect, but it's doable. Batting still has the same swing lag that it did in Washington a few months back, and interestingly enough we've found that there's a similar lag in the other versions as well, so it's less of a Wii issue and more of a global swing response problem in all The Bigs games. It isn't a deal-breaking problem, as even Wii Sports has some lag between the player's swing and the actual game's response, but it does add a pretty decent little learning curve for the first few pitches, and you never really feel totally connected to the players because of it.
Or in other words, "Kiss this one goodbye!"
On the fielding side, it's still more of the same as well, as the motion-based throwing is still kind of tacked on. Holding A and motioning either left, right, up, or down throws to the corresponding base (with 2nd being up, and home being down), and the button quick-throw we used in Washington doesn't seem to be in this build. Perhaps it'll be added back in - or it may be hidden away on a different button combination now - but it's missed a bit, as throwing isn't always as quick as we'd like it to be. On the plus side, throwing accuracy is greatly improved, and we're able to toss it to the preferred base with ease using Wii motion. It just isn't ideal in double-play situations, where perfect speed and timing is needed.
As another side note, there are a few other interesting gameplay elements we've seen since getting the game in office. The main hook of The Bigs is the Big Play Meter, which fills up whenever you advance your team at all. Whether it's something as simple as a base single or as epic of a home run, points go to your team's meter in an attempt to fill it all the way. Once filled, the Big Play Meter can be used on either offense or defense to engage Power Blast (offense) or The Heater (defense). When using the Power Blast, any contact made with the ball is an automatic home run, so as long as you don't go down swinging like a day-one rookie you'll knock it out of the park. With the heater ball, it's all about engaging a lighting fast burning pitch that's unstoppable. Personally we go with the Power Blast, as it lets us save the pain until our rookie is up and then deliver a stat-padding home run that both wins games and upgrades our player.
Another area that really jumps out at us is the classic "runner vs. catcher" home plate battle. If there's a close play at home, it comes down to a Wii-drumming battle between the runner and catcher. Gameplay slows down, and an on-screen battle meter shows up with three areas. If the runner drums fast enough to win the bout, he'll knock the ever-living hell out of the catcher, dislodging the ball and scoring a run. If the catcher wins, he reciprocates, beating the trash out of the runner, adding insult to injury. Should it stay a tie, a random tag or slide will occur, and gameplay will continue on as normal. In the other Bigs versions it's all about button tapping, but with the Wii we're actually doing a lot of drumming with the controllers for running, fielding, and home plate battles.
Either way this is going to end bad.
Since this battle takes place any time you make a close call at home, we've actually purposely ran at a catcher who's waiting with the ball, blatantly rounding third on a collision course. At other times (if we just finished getting out of a double play by running our ass off with Wii drumming) we'll realistically have a bit of muscle strain, and think twice about trying to have a test-of-strength with the opposing team. At the beginning of the game players my go balls-out with drumming challenges, but by the end of a full nine-inning game your arms will be legitimately sore, as real-world stamina factors into play.
We've now put more than 10 hours into The Bigs collectively, and though there are some definite issues we'd like to see worked out, it's still an entertaining game of arcade baseball. The Wii specifics are somewhat give and take, as we really don't feel any more connected to the game when fielding or batting than we would with button presses. Pitching has its definite moments, as you can grip and rip for a variety of pitches, but overall The Bigs is a decent game with some passable Wii motion. Still, for MLB junkies or people just looking for a refreshing sports game this summer, The Bigs is a solid choice. It's fast, fun, and pretty deep for a blast from arcade's past.
( attached our the newest pictures)
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