The Bigs 2 Interview

The best baseball game made by 2k sports is back and better than the original version.

The highly successful The Bigs series is ready to release their second installment, The Bigs 2, July 7th and the creative minds behind the hit series are ready to make another splash.

Producer Rob Nelson says they have a lot to live up to and have placed high expectations on themselves and, â€œweâ€™re really excited about the amount of stuff we put into the game, because we had that extra time. The Bigs 1 was very successful for us and we are super excited to come out with the Bigs 2. We have a ton of new features.â€

The producers took a two-year break to make sure all mistakes were fixed and everything that needed to be changed was changed for the better.

â€œEverything has been tweaked, everything has been changed, and even the things that havenâ€™t been massively changed, you play the game differently based on the new features,â€ says Nelson.

If you have not played the arcade style game Nelson describes Bigs 2 as a, â€œhigh paced, energy arcade style baseball game. We accentuate the big moments in baseball. Weâ€™re about the fun and exciting, over the top plays like home plate collisions and robbing home runs and amazing diving catches and all those fun moments in baseball.â€

The first installment was a blast to play with you and your friends.

Last installment did get somewhat boring by yourself but the second version should be a blast due to the new features. The new features include season mode, a legendary catch system, create a hitter, and a wheelhouse feature.

According to Nelson, â€œthese add layers, depth, and strategy to what we had in the original.â€

He continues, â€œGameplay is the most improved feature. We did not want to change the controls but that doesnâ€™t mean gamers will come in like they are playing the same one (Bigs 1). You have to make more choices when you use your turbo, when you go into somebodyâ€™s wheelhouse and when you avoid their wheelhouse.â€

Season mode was one of the most sought after improvements by the community of Bigs gamers and the creators listened.

Nelson says, â€œSeason mode is the one directly influenced from the community. There was a lot of discussion for the season mode in the Bigs 1 and in the Bigs 2. Our community asked for it and we read their thoughts and we decided in the end that weâ€™re going to Bigsify this season mode. We are not going to get to complicated into contracts and budgets and all those little things. This is The Bigs, its fun, fast, and exciting. You take a team to 162 games, break some season milestones, make some trades, and just jump in and play.â€

The creators wanted to sensationalize baseball in a way where average gamers that do not find baseball particularly exciting (hell, I played baseball at a high level and I think itâ€™s the most boring sport outside of soccer) can find it amusing.Â The producers had tons of ideas and did not want to lose the important baseball element. They did not want to have complex controls and modes like many baseball video games are and that will make The Bigs 2 more compelling for non-baseball fans.

Other fun elements The Bigs 2 has to make the game BIGGER and BETTER than the last installment are power ups.

Nelson says, â€œCertain players are given certain power ups. Jeter has a stat increase when his team is behind. David Ortiz has no doubter home runs that cannot be robbed. We wanted to use these power ups to help mold the team to play like they would in real life.â€

Nelson continues, â€œWe found a nice balance between being over the top and exciting without getting away from what the core of baseball is.â€

The creators tend to focus on the style and flair of the baseball instead of the boring realistic side of baseball. This game is perhaps, baseball on steroids. Which is why I am somewhat surprised MLB let 2k license the players and everything else MLB in the game.

I played The Bigs for Wii and it was a blast to play with me and my friends and I look forward to playing The Bigs 2 (review coming!).