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Parent’s Choice 2006 Video Game Award Winner
Backyard Baseball 2007
Fall 2006 Video Games
Ages: 5 - 12 yrs.
Publisher: Humongous Entertainment
Price: $29.99
Gaming System: GameCube, Playstation 2
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Review:
When baseball managers talk about playing “small ball,” it's all about bunting,
stealing a base or two, and sacrificing home a run. But this hugely popular,
best-selling baseball videogame is small ball meaning kid-size baseball—and it's
as fun and funky as ever.Back again is that trademark roster of spunky neighborhood
kids—though for the first time they're a bit older looking with slightly edgier
personalities—a design change that tries to span the product appeal from youngsters
to pre-teens more effectively. And, yes, the Major Leaguers cast as their childhood
selves populate the ballparks here again—this year with cover boy Albert Pujols
leading such ringers as Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro, Pedro Martinez,
Jim Thome and Vladamir Guerrero. And the old gang, such as Pablo, Kiesha and Lance,
are hits again. Commentary is more informative, but the catcalls of “sa-wing batter!”
and smacktalk pepper the ballgame sounds.
The ballparks this version appear to be a little more backyardy (though there is
an asphalt infield and some dicier looking yards). The gameplay has changed slightly—
quicker than before and more basebally, meaning truer to the real game without losing
the super simplistic, hit-catch-run charm this series has always brought. The graphics
are 3D enhanced yet again but still retain that simple charm of the series.
This diamond-in-the-rough can claim total MLB licensing—meaning all 30 of the big-
league teams and their logos are in it and so are 10 superstar MLB players. As before,
players can jump right in and play a computer's choice pick-up game, or create their
own teams and play a season. Either way, players control their pitch selections (the
power-upped “Freezer” is hysterical!), swing the bats for the fences, line drives,
grounders, etc., run the bags (directional arrows make advancing easy), and guide
fielders to throws and fetch hits. There's even a homerun derby mode.
One note: Unless handheld portability matters, playing the GBA version on the tiny
2.5-inch-by-1.75-inch screen is like sitting in the nosebleed section at the ballpark,
so go with the much more colorful and fully rendered PC, Playstation 2 or GameCube versions.
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