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The BIGs ... Fun MLB Baseball for the Wii

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 34 / 36
Date: June 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Finally, a decent sports game on the Wii. With Madden 07 and Tiger Woods golf, being below average ports of existing games, I had high hopes for the Bigs as being the first Professionaly Licensed sports game on the Wii, to make full use of all the Wii features.

The have all the MLB teams and players. There may be a few not in the game because of contract issues, but I have not noticed any big names missing thus far.

The stadiums are cool. The main architectural features are blown up to stand out more, but the overall feel of the stadium is a pretty realistic portrayal.

The Wii control aspect:

Pitching:

Word of advice... have patience. I almost throw my wii remote at the wall several times in disgust when I first started playing, because I couldn't get the pitcher to do anything. The manual does a very poor job of describing the required motion and button presses to get the desired pitch. Just be prepared to be frustrated in the beginning, but eventually it will start making sense. It is really cool becuase your wrist twist can create a curveball/screwball effect, just like the real thing.

Hitting:

This is where I am disappointed the most. The timing of when you physically swing the wii remote, to when the on screen batter swings is delayed. Unlike Wii Sports baseball, where it is practically perfectly synced, the Bigs has the half second delay that is very weak. You can sort of get used to it, but if you played Wii Sports baseball a lot, you will be disappointed.

Fielding:

Fielding is very good. You move the field with the nunchuk thing and flip the wii remote in different direction to throw to different bases. However, you can also push the control pad on the wii remote to make throws. I have found this to be more reliable than the flip gesture. The flip works though, you just have to be very precise, or you end up throwing to the wrong base.

Baserunning:

Not bad. You simply use the nunchuk and push it towards the base you want the runner to advance to. If, at the same time, you make a drumming motion with the wii remote, they run faster (sprint mode). I think the speed running is overkill. It makes it too easy to get doubles and triples. I found that not using it makes the game a little more realistic.

Powerups:

The game has this powerbar thing. You get points for every hit, great catch, striking someone out, etc. When you powerbar reaches the top you can activate "power mode" or whatever they call it. If you are hitting, it guarantees a home run if you make conatct. If you are pitching, it pretty much guarantees a strikeout. Its is a really fun feature, but should be more geared towards the players real life ability. For example, if some number #8 batter from the Royals with a .203 batting average and has never hit a home run is in power up mode, they should not be able to hit the ball out of the stadium. They should be able to hit the ball better than normal, but not breaking scoreboards with tape measure home runs.

Summary:

If you are a Wii owner and a sports game fan, the Bigs is worth your time. Its has the MLB and the player licensing and has a lot of great aspects utilizing the wii controls. A few flaws prevent it from being even better, but its a fun game.

Fun game. Liked the interface. Bit hard on the wrists

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 28 / 31
Date: July 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Wii fans who also like baseball have been waiting for this release - it's the first baseball game on the Wii (save for the thing that came with Wii Sports, but that doesn't really count). So I checked this out the day it was released. And it is a lot of fun!

Like most Wii games that require both the nunchuck and the Wiimote, you end up looking rather silly playing the game - so said my wife watching me play. :) But I got a kick out of it.

It also has a learning curve - Unless you want to just throw fastballs all the time, you have to spend some time figuring out how to throw all the other pitches. They all are with the Wiimote and involve holding the A or B button and twisting your wrist to throw the pitch. Plus the speed at which you flick your wrist during that affects the speed. So the bulk of this game is in your wrist of the Wiimote. And that's the crux of my problem with it. You can't play for too long before your wrist starts hurting, and you have to put it down.

But other than that, it's a lot of fun. I like being able to sort of act like the players I'm playing on screen instead of pushing Button A and Button B to swing. If you have a Wii, and are a big fan of baseball, check it out.

Now it's not a pure sim, like say 2K's MLB game, or EA's old MVP Baseball game. This is an "exaggerated" game, in that home runs are much more powerful, it's much more an arcade feel. It's not like the Slugfest game from a few years ago - it's not that silly, but it is definitely not a serious sim baseball game. But it does have one thing I like over pure sim games, and that there are objects. In rookie mode, you make a player, train him, then play games in various towns. But it's not just "9 more innings". You have situations like "down two runs in the 8th, win the game", or "Beat the Texas Rangers in 5 innings while getting 3RBI with your rookie". Stuff like that. Objectives work nicely and keeping it from becoming just "9 more innings of baseball". Which is fine in a sim game.

To be honest, I love the sim games, also I wasn't sure how well I'd like this, but I really have taken to the objectives in the Rookie mode of this game - it's a lot of fun.

And if you love playing games on the Wii, you'll love playing that way, too.

A delay in the swing on a baseball game?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: July 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For those who have not played the game, when you swing the Wii remote the batter does not swing his bat....there is a delay. How can they not make sure to get the swing right on a baseball game? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the Wii remote if the game will not mimic the movements of the controller? You mine as well be pushing a button on the 360 or the PS3.

Even with all of Wii Sports Baseball's flaws and limitations it still got the basics right.

A little learning curve but a big reward in fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've read the other reviews posted so far and most are pretty accurate. I haven't played a baseball game in something like 5 years because they used to be too difficult and not much fun. When I saw and read about The Bigs, I decided to give it a try. Now, I'm really glad I did.

The Controls:
I actually think they are pretty good. It has a nice Tutorial that you should definitely go through to get the basics. The problem is that there are so many different controls to use, that you can't remember them all. That's ok though. If you can get the basics of hitting, pitching, running, and throwing, which are all pretty intuitive, then you're ready to play. It will take some time to learn diving, jumping, & some others, but they are not really necessary to play the game.

Pitching is pretty good. Each pitcher has 4 pitches to choose from and you must hold different buttons and twist your wrist differently for each. You don't have to do this hard! Just a simple flick and twist is all it takes. There are still a lot of times where it didn't pick up the pitch I was trying to do though, so this could still use a little work. But overall, it works well.

Batting is easy enough. I can see why people feel there is a delay, but it is easy to get used to. I also think that they are so used to the instantaneous swing in Wii Sports, that they forget what it's actually like to swing a bat. In Wii Sports, you swing when the ball is already there and somehow the bat gets around fast enough to hit the ball. In The Bigs, you have to start your swing before the ball gets there like a real batter would.

Fielding is easy as you run with the nunchuck. The flicking left, right, up, or down thing throws to the wrong base a lot. Fortunately, you can use the pad to throw too and this works well.

Base running is easy and intuitive as well. Just make sure to remember to do it when playing multiplayer!

My main problem with the game is that it lacks options and modes. You can't play a full season or start a franchise. You have to do the Rookie Challenge to go through any kind of schedule and even then it's really not a schedule. I also want to be able to play mini-games over and over but haven't found a way to do this yet unless you fail them over and over. But once you complete one, you can't go back to do it again! Strange.... Still, the Rookie Challenge is quite a bit of fun and the Steal Player games are an interesting idea. This means that you can steal a player from another team when you beat them in a particular challenge.

Overall, the game is a LOT of fun. Do the Tutorial before playing a game! Then play a couple exhibition games to get familiar with the basics. In an hour you'll be able to pitch, hit, run, and field. Start your Rookie Challenge and have a great time improving your player, stealing players, and getting better with the more advanced controls playing the mini-games.

Frustrating controls hinder this game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: August 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Bigs isn't really a baseball sim--many elements are exaggerated (like how far you can hit a home run and how high your characters can sometimes jump) and it has more of an arcade style feel to it. Not that this detracts from the game--the concept and setup of the game are very well done and would be a lot of fun if it weren't for the frustrating controls. This is due, in part, to the awkward way the Wiimote is used, but it also seems to stem from a learning curve that is just way too steep for an average game.

Audience: The fact that this isn't a real baseball sim makes it more accessible to non-baseball aficionados. It's not as silly as MLB Slugfest from a few years ago but still contains enough non realistic elements to keep it fun.

Graphics and Sound: Graphics are on par with other Wii games--nothing spectacular though. Some of the special effects are cool, such as when you hit a long homer and it breaks out part of the scoreboard. The soundtrack includes many hits from the 90's, which oddly enough fit pretty well into the game.

Gameplay: Once you get the hang of the gameplay it's pretty good, ranging from being able to control your runners with the nunchuck to varying pitches with the Wiimote. Steep learning curve though. The game features a career mode, a homerun derby mode, and various scenarios (come from behind wins, things like that).

Control: This is where the game really, reall falls short for me. The learning curve for the controls seems ridiculously steep for a game like this. The tutorials help, but I still found myself losing to the computer because I was throwing to the wrong base or couldn't remember which way to flip my wrist while pitching or something. It's hard to describe, but it's just a pain--trying to remember when to hold down a button as you flip your wrist and at what point in the motion to release it in the middle of gameplay was enough to detract from the game for me. I'd rather see a simplified control system that would let me enjoy the game rather than have to consciously think about how not to mess up the Wiimote motion. After a while you can get used to it, but I don't know if the game's worth sticking with long enough to do so.

Challenge: The frustrating controls make this game much more difficult than it needed to be (or was probably intended to be).

Multiplayer: You can almost forget playing with your friends unless you want to have a simple home run derby or something. Otherwise you'll likely find, as I did, that the prospect of playing the game isn't enough to entice you to spend all the necessary time trying to get someone else used to the screwy control system too, and playing against them before they go through all the tutorials and spend time messing around in exhibition is like making them play with only one arm. It's just not worth the headache.

This seems to be a pretty well made game, but the annoying control cripples any sense of fun I have while I'm playing the game. I suppose it may be worth it if you REALLY want to get into the game, but I'm just not willing to do that, and in terms of pure entertainment value this one just falls short.

Unrealistic Game!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: November 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As a baseball fan I had to get this game. The graphics are good, and so is the music.
However the main problem with this game is it is extremely unrealistic! It is nearly impossible to beat the computer at any level no matter how good your team is or how lousy the computer's team is. Obvious home runs are stolen when the computer jumps, what looks to be almost thiry feet in the air, to rob you of a home run.
Also the game is set in large part on a point system, and the more points you have the more it allows you to do ridiculous thing like throw pitches at nearly 110MPH. It also allows you to go into a power mode where basically any pitch you hit will be an automatic home run.
Also if you are behind in runs instead of helping you get out of the inning it actually has a punishing effect. It starts to take away pitches that you have, like removing a fast ball, from your choices. This is ridiculous!
It is no wonder EA has cornered the market on sports when small players make such unrealstic games!

The Bigs is both HARD and FUN

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: July 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Here's the deal:

The Bigs can be very frustrating at first. Most of this frustration is caused by the manual being horrible at descirbing the required motions with the wiimote.

However, once you figure out the controls, the game becomes quite fun. If anything, all you need is good coordination and a good memory to have fun (there are ALOT of different wiimote actions).

After you get over the controls (it took me a day or two), you can concentrate on enjoying the game. Slow-motion leaps and dives, 30 foot superman-esque jumps off the wall to steal homers, etc. I've read complaints about the swing being delayed a bit compared to wii sports baseball. My answer? Deal with it! Anyone half good at video games will get used to it almost immediately. Some people just like to complain :).

I've only had this game for a few days, and look forward to building up my rookie. So far I'm quite satisfied with my purchase.

The Bigs Big on Gameplay

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: June 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Bigs delivered big on game play and overall fun. Not since Home Run Derby on Wii Sports have I enjoyed a game this much. The graphics are top notch (for the Wii) and motion and movement is spot on.

First off, this is not baseball that came with Wii Sports - it's a lot more fun and challenging (which is saying quite a bit). One difference I found was that I needed to swing a lot sooner to actually hit the ball consistently. Also, you have to use the Nunchuk and being an old school gamer, I found having two controllers and seven or eight buttons and motion-sensing capabilities to be a little overwhelming at times. I practiced quite a bit to figure out how to throw to the different bases but still struggled to get the throws down. I picked up pitching and batting quickly, but during the first exhibition it was like watching the Royals play.

I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed Wii Sports. You have Home Run Derby, Interleague Exhibitions, rosters that you can manage and you can create your own player. 2K did a great job getting today's players in there and while they might not look exactly like the person, they are close enough that you get the idea. I really enjoyed this game and plan to have a few friends over to play four players.

Unplayable, Infuriating, Waste of a Rental!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: August 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is quite simply the worst baseball game I have ever played. Thank goodness I rented it before buying. It is the only baseball game I have been able to find for the Wii (other than Wii Sports) so I was excited to give this game a shot. HORRIBLE! I can't believe this thing has any positive reviews. Anyway, here's the breakdown.

Pitching- God awful. A friend and I spent 30 minutes trying to get through the tutorial. You have to successfully make all nine possible pitches to advance. The remote does not respond to what you do. Sometimes an exaggerated motion makes the pitcher throw the ball. Sometimes the slightest flick makes the pitcher throw the ball. Most times you swing the remote again and again while this wretched game registers nothing.
You also have to turn your wrist to throw certain pitches. It doesn't happen! I only got through the tutorial by pure chance. I would throw over and over until I got tired and handed it off to my friend. Between the two of us we finally got through it. I could go on and on. The pitching is the biggest problem with this game.
I will say that it is easy to pick off base runners. This was the only part of pitching that was acceptable.

Batting- Unbelievably Bad! Other reviews have pointed this out. There is a delay whenever you swing. A delay! When you swing! In a baseball game! Perhaps if I played this game for hours I might pick up on the horrible swing timing. I think you had to pretty much swing your remote as soon as the pitcher stepped on the mound to have a chance at your bat moving before the catcher had thrown the last pitch back. Also, no practice swings! The player is locked into one animation whenever you swing until the pitch is thrown. HORRIBLE!
In addition, the nunchuck is required for running bases. So you get to bat with one hand! Not only is the delay there to mess you up every time but you also get the completely unnatural feel of batting with one hand!

All this means: You can't PITCH! and You can't HIT!

As long as these things are not of importance to you I can highly recommend The Biggs.

In fairness I will say other parts were very well done. I really liked picking off base runners as I mentioned above. Running the bases was done very well. You use the nunchuck's joystick to run and control your direction. If the remote is pumped up and down, like your arms while running, you get an extra speed boost. The nunchuck is also used for fielding. It works pretty good and was what I really felt was missing most from wii baseball.
The graphics were fine, by Wii standards, and the sound was great. However, these good parts can't make up for the fatal flaws with hitting and pitching.

FUN TO PLAY but needs DYNASTY MODE

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

To be honest, i hate baseball sims. They are too slow and boring. When i play a baseball game i love things to be fast and powerful. This game is just that. It is the best baseball game i have played since the Ken Griffey game on SNES. This game, however, is missing a true season or dynasty mode. It has a rookie mode that is mildly interesting. However, if it had a season mode in the game i probably wouldn't be able to stay away. The WII pitching, fielding, hitting, and base running is great! I have never been so investing in getting a 2 out single before. If that grounder is hit to the 3rd baseman, you better start pumping those controllers, especially if your base runner is slow. This game is good overall, but it needs a season mode...maybe the next offering will supply that.

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