Play Ball!

It's October, and that means the best-of-the-best in baseball action. The playoffs are heating up and the World Series is around the corner. If that doesn't rev you up for baseball gaming, then nothing will.

First up is the XBLA's MLB Stickball, this one got up to the plate, scratched, then promptly struck out after looking pretty at the plate. Rest assured PS3 owner's, you're not missing a thing. And 360 owners, don't even bother with the trial version. This one looks good, and has promise, but it's boring as all get out and very repetitive. You're better off with The Bigs.

If you're looking to score a cheap baseball game that you can toss aside after the World Series. Your best bet is The Bigs. The focus of the game is on you, not player rosters, so playing a game that's a few years old doesn't matter much.

The Bigs is what baseball would be like if all players were juiced up and the baseballs were loaded with pyrotechnics. Career mode starts you off with a Rookie player. You build up attributes, including tattoos, customized bats, shades, your own theme song, etc. You play through spring training, perform training games, and then play through the season, which ultimately places you in the World Series.

The game is fast-paced as compared to the relatively slow-paced nature of baseball. It has special effects, like flames coming off the ball when you connect for a homer. And there are mini-games that slow the action down for catching balls heading over the fence or when you're bearing down on home plate for a collision with the catcher. These features make the game fun to play. 

The training scenarios are fun as well. Batting practice is the best, it allows you to tee off on the pitching coach. The fielding scenarios let you dive for grounders that look out of reach, but because you're such a phenom, it's no problem reaching the ball. The only training scenario that needs help is the running game. The running scenario has you run an obstacle course that's more frustrating than enjoyable. An excellent improvement is to replace the obstacle course with stealing bases. You can steal bases in the game, so why not practice for it?

The difficulty levels in The Bigs need fine tuning. The easy level is far too easy and allows you to run up the score; on the other hand, the harder levels have the opposing team running the score up on you. Fortunately, you can change the difficulty level midway through a game. So, if you're crushing, or getting crushed, you can change the tide of the game by changing the difficulty level.

For the PSP crowd, here's a review of MLB 2008: The Show from Thoughts of a Random Gamer.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed; Buy or Trade?

LucasArts is releasing the newest game for the Star Wars franchise on September 16. The question for Goozex members is not if they are going to play the game, but if they should buy it in the store, or wait to trade for it on Goozex.

As a die-hard Star Wars fan, and one who did not rip on the last three movies in the saga (although I do prefer the first three like everyone else), I've been patiently waiting for a SW game on the Xbox 360 ever since I bought the console. My patience is about to be rewarded with The Force Unleashed.

I downloaded the demo last week and have played through it twice. I liked it better the second time through, because I was more familiar with how the game played and had an easier time controlling the force. I was a little surprised to see some game aspects that have been used in other games. For example, when a bad-dude dies, green orbs come out of them and race to you to revive your health. Having just finished playing Viking: Battle for Asgard, I was very familiar with this concept. I am also familiar with how frustrating it can be to lose out on these green orbs if they are out of reach. The second game aspect, also used in Viking as well as The Bigs, is the concept of hitting a button combination to combat the boss at the end of the level. The Bigs used this idea to make a big play, like catching a ball hit over the fence. While TFU did not come up with some original ideas, they are not bad ideas, and certainly won't stop me from buying the game.

That's right, I said "buying the game." Before you protest that TFU has no multiplayer and no coop, let me explain. The game will be huge if only for the Star Wars name. And judging by the demo, this will be a beautiful game with lots of destruction. Doing some simple math (Star Wars + Beautiful + Destruction = Success) this game will be worth 1000 points on Goozex for a long time.

This is why I'm employing my Grand Theft Auto IV theory. I ran out to buy it, finished the campaign and several side missions, and was done with it. The multiplayer made me long for CoD4. So, what did I do? I traded it on Goozex and got my 1000 points. I basically played GTA IV for $10. A good deal by any means.

This is my plan for TFU, I'm going to buy the game, and then trade it for 1000 points. I'll, for the most part, get my $$ back and be set up for several more games. A win-win situation for sure.