Along with the multiplayer and Rookie Challenge, The BIGS also offers a number of other traditional baseball modes. You'll get the Home Run Challenge, where you try to score as many home runs and you possibly can in a short amount of time, and the general Exhibition Mode, which is nothing more than you playing a normal baseball game with two MLB teams. These modes are fine, but these are the kinds of modes you've come to expect from a traditional sports game.
Where The BIGS takes off is when you discover Home Run Pinball. I would not be exaggerating to say that Home Run Pinball is easily the most addictive part of The BIGS; it's a mini-game that begs you to come back time after time and better your score. It takes everything that is great about the single player experience (hitting the ball) and turns it into a fun score-based game. Home Run Pinball takes place in the middle of Time Square, complete with huge signs everywhere, enormous televisions, lights, people and taxi cabs. As a pitcher throws balls at you it's your job to take out those billboards, TVs, cabs, and neon lights. Everything you hit has a set point amount, and some of the harder targets (such as the New Years ball) are worth a lot more points than easy to reach targets. Best of all, as you take out certain objects you will get score multipliers and other power-ups that will ultimately aide you on your quest for a high score. It's a simple concept that is surprisingly addictive, there's just something about wanting to beat your high score that makes me come back for more. It doesn't hurt that this mini-game only takes a few minutes to play.
The first thing you'll notice when you load up a game of The BIGS is that everybody in the game is real, real large. The character models in this game are absolutely massive, giving off the impression that you're playing with a bunch of superheroes. These characters add a lot to the larger-than-life feel of The BIGS; they are large and ready to take line drive right to the face (without flinching, no less).
While most of the characters tend to look good, you can tell that real player accuracy wasn't a big priority for the developers of this game. Some of the characters look spot on, while others look nothing like their real life counterparts. This goes for their batting stances, which aren't always accurate. In fact, a lot of the characters have the exact same animation from situation to situation. You'll notice that when you strike out most of the players look exactly the same as they throw their bats down in disgust, the same is true when you get a home run and when you are hit with a ball. Still, those are the types of things I expect to see ironed out as this franchise moves into its second and third year. As a first effort this game looks great, there's enough detail in the characters and stadiums to keep most of the diehard baseball fans happy, and more than enough painful moments to keep even non-sports people interested in the on-field action.
With so much going for it The BIGS is an easy game to recommend. The game is different enough from the standard simulators to warrant a look from baseball fans, and even non-fans may enjoy how over-the-top the game is. This first installment does have a few minor problems that will hopefully be fixed up by the time The BIGS 2 comes out, even with those problems this is a hopelessly addictive game that deserves to find an audience.
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2K Sports B-
With its sense of humor and over the top plays, The BIGS proves to be a baseball game that is accessible to just about everybody. If you're sick of learning complex controls and memorizing player stats, then The BIGS has been made specifically for you.
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