GamePro Sports

2K Sports has announced Baseball Blast! an offbeat minigame-centered baseball experience coming this fall exclusively for the Wii. This title seems like it could fall into the trap of being another Wii shovelware party game however, Baseball Blast! promises a little more authenticity than most minigame collections on the Wii with its full MLB license. All the MLB teams will be represented and there will be commentary by Rob Dibble and Bob Uecker to appease MLB enthusiasts.

There will be over 20 different mini-games based around baseball. Some revealed names of minigames are Fly Ball Fury, Carni-ball, Power Pitcher, Bumper Base, Pennant Race, and Galaxy Ball. All of these games seem pretty silly judging by the titles alone. My guess is they will likely be centered on the basic baseball mechanics we’ve seen in Wii Sports with cartooney environments or twists thrown in to change things up.

Half of this year's Major League Baseball season is in the books. Tonight kicks off the MLB All-Star break in typical fashion, with the Home Run Derby. Last year Justin Morneau took home the title, this year it's looking like Albert Pujols will win it all -- at least according to MLB 2K9.

With the derby set to start in just a few hours (8 p.m. EDT), we took a run through the lineup in MLB 2K9 to see who the game thought would become the next champion. Most of the critics, including GamePro Sports, think Pujols has the best shot. For one, he's a beast. I don't care what he says in that ESPN commercial, the man is a bonafide hitting machine. Even better then that, he has the home town crowd on his side, as this year's All-Star Game is held in St. Louis. But could that be a bad thing as well? Could the pressure from the home crowd cause him to choke? Somehow I doubt that because machines don't feel pressure and since they don't have throats, they can't choke.

Hit the jump to find out how MLB 2K9 scores the results.

The Bigs 2 brings the boys of summer back to life in an entertaining and captivating way that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. My preview of The Bigs 2 described the game as “flat out fun at worst and out right addicting at best.” After playing the full version I can say that, with the signature fast-paced gameplay returning and the addition of new modes like Become a Legend and Season, Bigs 2 stands alone as the sultan of arcade-style swat.

Read on for the pros and cons as well as the full length review.

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• The BIGS 2
• Score: 4.00/5.0
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• GamePro's Score: 4.00/5.0
• 

Ridiculously fast pitches, insanely powerful hits and ludicrous circus-like catches, The Bigs 2 is shaping up to be big time fun and with that comes a big-time preview.

I recently got my hands on the demo of The Bigs 2 (which is available on XBL now) and was promptly sucked into five-hours worth of three-inning baseball games and when I put down the controller I was left with a very satisfying feeling. Baseball dominated the majority of my life until college where I left my team to pursue other things. Now, years later and in what some call “the real world,” I admittedly live vicariously through my baseball video games.

Big-time turbo

The Bigs 2 is not a simulation of the sport, in fact it's far from it, and as prepared as I was for the different take on America's pastime, when I picked up the controller my initial reaction was still one of displeasure. However, within minutes of remembering the controls and learning some of the new ones I was reminded of just how fun and addicting this game is.

At least Papi can still hit bombs in The Bigs 2.

I recently had a chance to chat with the associate producer of The Bigs 2, Damon Perdue and he had a ton of awesome things to share with me about the sequel.

For starters, The Bigs 2 is going to hit shelves with 2 new modes -- an all new Season Mode as well as an improved Rookie Challenge mode known as Become a Legend. In addition to the new modes, 2K Sports has added new mini-games, power-ups and features that should assure you you're getting a fresh game and not the same thing you played last year.

However, for all of the new things Perdue shared with me about the game, he stressed how it was important to the developers to not alienate fans by making the game feel entirely different. So, fans of The Bigs can expect to be able to pick this title up, jump in and feel right at home.

WARNING: The Q&A that follows is rather lengthy and may not be for those with extreme cases of ADD. But don't worry, I've labeled each question as a topic and added some pretty pictures that should hold your attention. Hit the jump for all of that as well as some cool trailers that helps illustrate what Perdue is talking about.

"Jose get your ass up there and jump that building again, and for the last time don't forget about the zip line! W'ere not missing the World Series this year and if we're gonna go the distance we need to throw conventional training out the window!"

What? You can't imagine David Wright saying that to his shortstop? Alright, so maybe it's a little far fetched, but 2K Sports doesn't seem to think so.

One of 2K Sports' newest additions to The Bigs franchise is mini games. The Big Leagues did indeed just get bigger. This over-the-top arcade style game will have you sprinting across roof tops, teetering on balance beams and flying down zip lines all in an attempt to complete challenges so your player can shine under the bright lights – provided the lights don't come crashing down on him first.

"We wanted to give the User some experiences away from what they get in a typical baseball game,” said Bigs 2 producer Rob Nelson. “We have several mini games, (one for) power, contact, glove, and speed.”

I've seen a few gameplay videos of The Bigs 2 and it's looking like it will be even more fun than last year's game. For now, gaze at these pretty screenshots.

More to come on this game soon.

In an earlier post I revealed that Prince Fielder was chosen as the cover athlete for 2K Sports' second take at The Bigs. Now the cover art has been released along with all new screenshots.

Check out the gallery below for new Bigs 2 screens. The Bigs 2 hits shelves July, 7. Look for more news on this title in the coming weeks.

What is this crazy sh**!?

Check out these new screenshots from 2K Sports' upcoming arcade baseball title, The Bigs 2. These screens look like they were all taken from the pre-rendered intro movie to the game, but I don't know that for sure. Here's to hoping they're not.