Baseball fans who are looking for something a little bit out of the usual will be happy to know that 2K Sports has announced the release of The BIGS, a title which isn't afraid to sacrifice realism in order to spice up the gameplay to make the game as appealing as possible to a wider demographic.

The developers are not only giving players power-ups and stuff they can use to turn the momentum of the game in an instant, they also included a wide array of mini-games that will serve as a lot more than a means to pass time when you're bored. Players will actually use these mini-games to hone the skills of created ballplayers to get them ready for stardom.

When you start a season, you can play for a regular team with its default roster or create a rookie which you must guide throughout his career. If you stay focused and dedicated to your craft, stats and skills will be yours for the taking, allowing you to compete with the best of the league and contend for the World Series.

Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 owners can get their copies for US$59.99, Nintendo Wii users can have it for US$49.99 and Sony PSP fans can get theirs for just US$39.99.



Buy: [The BIGS (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [The BIGS (Wii)]

What you're about to see is the Albert Pujols trailer from The Bigs - the latest baseball offering from 2K Sports. This isn't your average run for the pennant in more ways than one, and we'll let you see for yourselves just why:

Unlike other baseball franchises such as MLB which focus on bringing gamers the most realistic baseball experience possible on a console, The Bigs delves more on style and flash. The developers are trumpeting eye-popping graphics coupled with arcade-style play. Power-ups and other fantasy elements are at hand, so expect the unexpected when you get outta the bullpen.

Players can either play solo or take their business online and compete with the best of them. The game is set for release on the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and the PlayStation Portable come the 25th of June, 2007.

 

2K Sports has recently announced that a master copy of The BIGS (for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, PS2 and Wii) is finally ready. And in a timely fashion, they will now begin the mass production of copies for the MLB title, sporting the Cardinals' Pujols, for their respective platforms.

The game, announced back in 2006, has come a long way since then, and now the title offering a unique approach to MLB gameplay should be ready soon for a release pegged at June 25, 2007. Players who've patiently waited for the title and followed its development closely should now be able to relive the heroic baseball experience the title will deliver.

And even if it's your first time to bat, you'll feel like a star baseball player with animations that recreate baseball plays that only happen rarely in real-life. Choose your player, train him up and work him all the way up to MVP of the World Series.

If you're wondering just what exactly will be in The BIGS, 2k Sports' new baseball title for the Wii, worry not. Here's some Wii-centric game details on the Major League Baseball game, particularly, the control setup.

Using specific motions on the Wiimote, you'll be able to either bat, pitch, field or run the base. Batting is based on the swinging motion of both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck. Pitching is dependent on the arm speed, wrist movement, and the button that the player presses at the time of the pitch.

Fielding and throwing are controlled using "directional motions" with the Wiimote and the Nunchuck - wall climbs, double plays, and jumping catches are possible in the game. As for stealing bases, making a fast "drumming" motion lets you run, and then pointing the controls down will let you hit the dirt and slide.

Given that the soundtrack for The BIGS seems decent enough, combining the music with all the potential wild swinging (batting pitching, etc...) makes The BIGS seem like an apt title for any Wii weight-loss program.

The BIGS is set to be released on June 25.

Suddenly I feel like having a corndog. Watching a ball game and pigging out, listening to STP... Yeah, who can blame me? The Stone Temple Pilots are plugging into the tunes for The BIGS (PS3, 360, Wii, PSP). The soundtrack for 2K Sports' baseball game has just been revealed, with STP stepping up to the plate.

Check out the full playlist below:

Stone Temple Pilots - Plush
Screaming Trees - Nearly Lost You
Jane's Addiction - Ocean Size
Killing Joke - Millennium
Rollins Band - Tearing
White Zombie - More Human than Human
Midnight Oil - Dreamworld
Fu Manchu - Hung out to Dry
Motorhead - Ace of Spades
The Stooges - Down On The Street
Primus - Jerry Was A Racecar Driver
Blue October - Somebody
Satellite Party - Insanity Rains
Highbench - Satisfied

Rock on, huh? The BIGS is scheduled for a release this summer across all platforms that it's coming out for. With that said, let the beer caps flow, the crowds cheer, and baaaatter up!

  

As if there weren't enough smashed TV sets because of Wii Sports baseball, who's to say that the Wii console isn't big enough for the likes of The BIGS? Hey, as long as it's a sports games, you're bound to hit a homerun somewhere. This title from 2K Sports and Blue Castle Games is actually getting a multi-platform release, but what we have today are a batch of screens specifically from the Wii version.

   

Keep your eyes peeled for the Albert Pujols box on retail shelves come next month when the game gets released on June 25.

While news is still skinny for 2K Sport's upcoming The BIGS game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, that doesn't mean we can't learn to appreciate the game's lovely visuals. That's going to be the topic of this latest post, as 2K release five more screenshots of the game.

Set for a June 25 release this year (according to IGN), The BIGS will offer Wii players full use of the Wiimote/Nunchuk motion sensor controls, with its Xbox 360 port offering players soon-to-be-disclosed achievement points. We're not too sure what features the devs have planned for the PS3 (most probably SIXAXIS support), although we'll keep posted in case 2K releases more info. For the moment, enjoy the screenshots!

   

It was back in October 2006 when 2K Sports first took the lid off their baseball game title, The BIGS (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PSP). Fast forward to today, the game now has a cover athlete and some of its features have also been divulged, now may be the best time to report an interview.

Over at Gamespot, they had a short chit-chat with Blue Castle Games' Jason Leigh. He talked about the game's development (which is going really well or so he says) and how they are creating an over-the-top arcade baseball game while still being true to a sport that is rich with tradition thanks to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth among many others. To that, Jason said that:

Baseball is already an exciting game, so our focus was how to make the coolest stuff happen all the time. The BIGS is very much a solid representation of baseball, but taken to an entirely new level. The first thing that you'll notice with The BIGS is that it has a really cool arcade pace. There is minimal downtime, and everything feels faster and snappier. We put a lot of effort into our animation system to make sure that there is a lot of style and athleticism with the catches and throws. The players really do feel more heroic, even when pulling off routine plays. When they start to pull off the big moves--diving catches, double plays, wall catches, etc.--we really made sure to pay that off with bigger animations, audio, and presentation.

He also discussed the game's league challenge mode (which has now been renamed as "rookie challenge"). Basically, this mode will let you in on the usual "zero-to-hero journey" - you're in charge of harnessing a rookie player's talents, from spring training to being the World Series MVP. Spring training would include building your player's skills by using minigames as their training ground.

Once you've proven your mettle, you'll earn your playoff spot and all of a sudden your rookie would be carrying his team on and to the World Series. It's a long way to the top, so it's nice to note that there are some unlockable rewards - sunglasses, batter ditties, bat graphics, tattoos, and you can choose your rookie's nickname or moniker.

The BIGS on the Wii would use both the Wiimote and Nunchuk - and of course, you get to swing it like a bat and throw it like you would a baseball. Leigh also said that they are already in the final stages of refining the control scheme. Xbox Live Achievements like "get X strikeouts, get X home runs in a game...and pitch a perfect game" would also be put in place. Unfortunately, The BIGS won't be in the PS3 Home online service...well, "not this year" says Jason.

You can check out the full interview by clicking on our read link below.

2K Sports has named St. Louis Cardinals All-Star first baseman and power hitter Albert Pujols as the cover player for their upcoming MLB-licensed video game, The BIGS. Read on for a few quotable quotes from the press release.

"Throughout his career, Albert Pujols has delivered unforgettable plays at the most amazing times," said Erik Whiteford, Vice President of Marketing at 2K Sports. "His larger-than-life abilities and flair for the dramatic embody the spirit we are striving to capture in this game, making Pujols the perfect cover athlete."

"I’m honored to represent this revolutionary new baseball title from 2K Sports," said Albert Pujols. "I've been blessed to have played in some monumental baseball games in my career and it's amazing to see how The BIGS captures the most dramatic plays and brings them to life in a baseball video game."

The BIGS is slated for a June release on the PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360.

Not set to be another MLB game, The BIGS from 2K Sports and Blue Castle Games (PS3, Xbox360, Wii, and PSP) is bent to set itself apart from all the other baseball titles. With outrageous power-ups, and special effects for fielding, pitching and batting, the upcoming title is shaping up to blaze up the charts.

2K Sports' president of visual concepts, Greg Thomas had this to say about the title:

With The BIGS, we want to take the baseball genre to new heights and redefine what a baseball video game can be. The BIGS has the fast learning curve of an arcade game coupled with deep play mechanics, amazing visuals, and hero-like presentation of real MLB players that will keep gamers coming back for more. The BIGS will showcase dramatic highlight reel moments at every at-bat, creating a truly epic baseball title.

We'll see how the visuals go in this baseball multi-platform videogame, hopefully when 2K decides to give us more than screenshots (*cough* videos *cough*). The BIGS screens today feature the different MLB stadiums - fans should recognize some landmarks on them - and the players. Anyway, there hasn't been any news of the exact release date but we'll keep you posted. For the meantime, check out the screenshots.

The rest of the screens right after the jump!