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Best of the Rest: Griffin's Picks of 2007
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii)For a port of a two-year-old game, RE4: Wii Edition didn't have a whole lot going for it. It had the same extra features as the PS2 port of the game, not-so-updated graphics, and slightly lower reviews than its original iteration -- and yet, somehow, just by changing how the game is controlled, Capcom created an entirely new adventure. When the peculiar controls for the Wii were first announced, this is the type of interactivity that I imagined from the future games for the system -- responsive, accurate, and realistic. The only way they could have made the gunplay feel any more natural would have been to package the game with an actual gun, which you shot at the on-screen zombies. Once.
Xbox Live demo orgy continues with The Bigs
If you, like one sad East Coast blogger, have been stinging from your dear friends at Joystiq leaving you behind as they party like Andrew W.K. at E3, then the flow of delicious demos on Xbox Live has been your balm. A salve, if you will. The healing continues today with The Bigs, 2K's arcade baseball entry, available in Canada and the U.S.We here at team East Coast have come to treasure these times we have together, Joystiq readers. You tell us about the new demo that you played, we listen and chuckle. Then, inevitably the talk turns to the rest of the Joystiq team and you ask if they're ever coming home, and we stare out the nearest West-facing window as we say "That's our prayer, child. That's our prayer." .... So, umm, The Bigs! What did you think?
How do Baseball players relax after the Home Run Derby? With another Home Run Derby!
Following an elimination from the first round of the Home Run Derby on Monday, Twin's player Justin Morneau went on to win another Home Run Derby at San Francisco's Ruby Skye club. Competing against other players in 2K Sports' The Bigs, Justin took down other league notables such as Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. Of course, the gesture-based control system just about floored the players who took part in the gaming session. "You feel like it's a real game, because you have to swing like it's in the game, you know?" Reyes said. "It's great, man. I want one of those in my house."%Gallery-3430%
Watch Ace Combat 6 and The Bigs on XBLM
A couple of new trailers landed on Xbox Live Marketplace this morning. First we have a trailer for Ace Combat 6, it's the same cheesy trailer we saw released before, with lots of American pride and important-sounding music (think Armageddon). Our favorite moment is when a woman's voice breaks through the chaos: "I don't know a whole lot about war, but there's something I need to tell you." Yes, the cheese-factor is strong with this one. The Bigs trailer, on the other hand, is straight up balls-to-bat action (still no demo, by the way). You've got big, beefy players, flaming baseballs, and home runs so powerful that they could bring down small aircraft. For those of you without access to your 360, we've embedded it at the top of the post. Enjoy.
Shipping this week: eat your heart out edition
Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, squirrels and hamsters, it's a big week for our beloved Xbox 360. Not only do we finally get to sample the heart-eating goodness of The Darkness (a game we're giving away, by the way), but we also have a plethora of other games arriving as well. In fact, there are so many games coming out this week, we're going to whip out (that's right) a bulleted list. Behold: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix The Bigs Hour of Victory The Darkness Overlord Transformers: The Game Ratatouille That's a lot of games. We're particularly excited about Overlord, which has been sitting patiently in our rental queue for some time. Are you planning on picking up any of these titles?
Worldwide PlayStation 3 releases for the week of June 25th
Another Sunday, another release list. Let's see what's out in the next seven days.US Games The Darkness Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix The Bigs Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent Transformers the Game EU Games Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Asian Games Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Quite a well populated list. There's no real way anyone can complain about this week's releases. Unless you're a European The Darkness fan. Don't forget, though. If there's a game that's only available in another region, then feel free to import it. Your PlayStation 3 won't care. Release dates are subject to constant change, so give your local game shop a ring before walking down there.Which of this week's releases will you be picking up? We've already got our copies of The Darkness ordered.
Rumor: Experience The BIGS next week
The Xbox Domain is reporting that after a 2K Sports conference call they learned that a demo for The BIGS will making its way onto the XBLM sometime next week. No exact date was given, but the game's developers did confirm that the demo would include three innings of gameplay. In the conference call 2K Sports also made it very clear that The BIGS is not a next generation version of Midway's Slugfest almost as if Slugfest was an airborne virus that 2K Sports wants to avoid. Actually, Slugfest may be an airborne virus that we should recommend everyone stay away from. Stay tuned.[Via Game Stooge]
Soundtrack and other info on The BIGS
Take 2 has let loose a flurry of new details on their upcoming Wii slugfest The BIGS, revealing a number of songs that are to be featured in the game, as well as revealing some of the unique characteristics that come from having your game on the Wii. Utilizing the Wiimote's unique control scheme, players will be able to exhibit their own unique swings, as well as pre--at-bat waggles. On the mound, players will be able to control pitch speed and variation, depending on wrist and arm movement. Not only that, but fielding and base running will also be affected by use of the Wiimote and nunchuk, allowing the player to perform a variety of Baseball's most common moves in an uncommon way.%Gallery-3430%Read - Features for The BIGSRead - Soundtrack info
NMS: Up close and personal with The BIGS
Colin Torretta headed out to the Nintendo Media Summit for the Joystiq Network to get a little hands-on time with a lot of games, including the upcoming baseball blowout from Take-Two's 2k Sports, The BIGS. The BIGS is a baseball game, sure, but it's not your average game. It's baseball made bigger, better, faster, and completely awesome ... unless, of course, you want a fully realistic experience. But come on, you can get that anywhere. Sometimes it's nice to wallow in a string of heart-wrenching moments of baseball badassery -- and that's what The BIGS promises. And according to Colin's impressions, The BIGS delivers exactly as promised in most ways ... but not in one highly-anticipated extra. The controls sound fluid (like a beefier Wii Sports Baseball), and judging from the screenshots, we don't have much issue with the look of the game. But it seems that the promised online mode is missing from the Wii game. It's a shame, but we're starting to get used to inviting people over to enjoy the Wii at this point. %Gallery-3430%
Nintendo Media Summit: The BIGS hands-on (Wii)
This week's Nintendo Media Summit was a largely first-party affair, but there were a handful of third-party games also being shown off for the Nintendo Wii. The first game I played was Take-Two's baseball title, The BIGS. I was particularly interested in the motion controls and how The BIGS differentiated itself from the other major baseball offerings like MLB '07 or MLB: The Show. It turns out that The BIGS is almost an arcade game. Though the gameplay itself feels fairly realistic, concessions are made to make baseball more ... fun. The developer showing off the game mentioned that baseball is kind of a boring game, but it has moments of extreme excitement. Home runs, triple plays, and stolen bases all grab your attention and make the game worthwhile. To this end, Blue Castle Games decided to increase the action in the game. You're gonna get more home runs, you're make more spectacular plays, and there are gonna be more 'wow' moments per game than you may see at your local ballpark. Also, as you pull off great plays, you earn special points for moves that allow you to power up for a super powerful hit or save, à la NBA Street. Overall, it seemed like a great combination of realism and arcade fun, a rarity in sports games -- especially baseball games.%Gallery-3425%
Today's swing-for-the-fences video : The Bigs
As baseball players keep bulking up in unnatural ways, we wonder if this extreme version of the sport is what fans want to see; upcoming 2K Sports baseball game, The Bigs, seems to take that pro-girth approach. ("Big" is right there in the title.) Two trailers for this NFL Blitz- and NBA Jam-style baseball title show some of the flashy effects.And maybe we shouldn't connect The Bigs with the current state of baseball; if we want straight simulation, we can play another title. See the trailers and decide for yourself after the break.
Wanna play for The Bigs, kid?
It is the dream of many a youth to play in the Big Leagues -- baseball is a passion many astute children follow and admire. There are also many people who aren't very astute at all that follow it, but we're not talking about them. There is an unrequited desire in the hearts of many to get out there and try out for the team. This game, The Bigs, has absolutely nothing to do with that American dream.The Bigs is essentially to baseball titles what NFL Blitz was to football titles -- crazy. There are power-ups, special effects, essentially a baseball game with action elements stitched onto it. It may actually breathe new life into a suffering, aging franchise, as most baseball games (like most sports titles, period) are starting to show their age with the same controller scheme year after year after year. A few new screenshots of this game were posted, featuring those lovable Cardinals. We wonder if they will take the Anabolic Syringe item so they can add a fire element to their swing -- can you say toasty?
