Finally, a FUN sports game, and a good deal!!

[scooterb23]

Just wanted to put a good word in for Backyard Football for the Gamecube.

It's a kids game, simplified controls, cartoony graphics, and shorter games, but it is so much fun!


Basically, you choose from a bunch of neighborhood kids (including some NFL players from back in their childhoods!!!) if you see other Backyard Sports games...you'll notice the same kids.

The game itself has most usual football rules with some noticeable exceptions:

1. You have to go 20 yards for a first down
2. Only 7 players on a team, and only 5 on the field at a time
3. Blitzing can happen only after a 3-second count
4. 1 minute (!!!) quarters, with the clock stopping after every play.

Believe it or not, 1 minute quarters are actually a good amount for this game, as possesion changes often (these a 6-year olds...many fumbles ensue )

Other pluses:

1. A nice tutorial mode, which helps teach kids the basics of game play.
2. Decent play by play announcing...it isn't grating, and they don't repeat themselves that often in a game (I have only played one game, so I expect to hear the same lines over again in subsequent games)
3. Full season mode is 14 games long, with player drafts, and all NFL teams are represented with logos and colors (as well as a few made up teams as well)...40 teams. No uniforms though, T-shirts and jeans are the order of the day.
4. Great graphics, lots of personality, the kids walk with a wobble as the helmets are heavy
5. The whining noise a kid makes when tackled hard

Negatives:

1. If you like Madden style games, the limited play choices (only about 15 plays are available during a game, you can edit and change your playbook in between games though) will probably grate at you.
2. It's pretty easy to put together an unstoppable team, if you just focus on the child NFL stars: my team has Peyton Manning, Jerry Rice, Ricky Williams, Jevon Kearse, some kid named Ricky that is a great kicker, and twin girls who play like stars as long as they are on the same team...
3. The players repeat the same things every play, having a kid yell "Cootie 12 " as a play call is funny the first couple of times, but after 20-30 times...it's a tad annoying.

Overall, if ytou are looking for a quick pick-up and play sports game, or Madden games are too complex for your little ones...I highly recommend Backyard Football

I also would recommend all the other Backyard Sports titles, as they do good jobs of making easy to play, fun sports games.

Now on to the good deal part of this story: this game is only $9.99 at Target this week!!

In my opinion, you can't go too far wrong with this one

[SoulBlazer]

I'm a huge fan of football and Madden games (hacking through 2004 right now), so the review intrests me. Thanks for posting it.

Is this last year's edition, though, or did they do a new one for 2004?

[scooterb23]

It's last year's edition, the only edition on any console (it does have Michael Vick...he looks like a toddler in this game). So far, BF has only been ported to the Gamecube and GBA. I know that there is a BF 2004 for PC...don't know of plans to bring it to the consoles.

Just as another word of caution...it is a fairly easy game (at least on default "Medium" level...I am going to ramp up to the hard level in my next game)...so be aware, you are looking at a very arcade-y game...and even with just 1 minute quarters...I just rolled up a 42-7 score against the Bengals (yep, they sucked as 6 year olds too!!)

One other thing I forgot to mention, at certain times (I don't know exactly when, but they are triggered) you can earn "Special plays" such as having a spring to toss you over the line of scrimmage on defense, or teleportation on offense...pretty cool, they can be turned off if you want more realism.

Hope that helps...

[Chunky]

well hell, a fun game and a good price to boot. what a rare concept. I'm in.

[scooterb23]

I'm always wary to make glowing recommendations...because I worry that I'm goijng to get someone's hopes up, and then they hate the game and want to kill me Fortunately this one's just $10 at Target, so hopefully I'm safe

Update:

I ramped the difficulty up to hard, and wow...it got cheap...in three possessions, I threw 3 interceptions, and gave up 3 touchdowns

I hope you can change the handicap levels manually...because I think medium is a touch too easy, but hard is difficult in a cheap way Or you could just pick worse players...

I absolutely love one this kid on my team...he's a great runner, but he's as dumb as a box of rocks. You just hand the ball off and yell "Run, Forrest RUN!!!"

And then occasionally when I've tried to control him on defense, he'll turn around the wrong way and just stand there...before tackling his own teammate

I need to get the baseball game that's out for the Gamecube now...I'm hooked on the style of this game.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, if it's only $10, maybe I'll check it out.

Sounds like a really light hearted silly game of football....my favorite team is the Pats. I can just imagine Tom Brady and Troy Brown in the game:

"Hey Tommy, are you going to throw that pigskin or what????"
"Come back! You know I can't throw that far!"

[Videogamerdaryll]

Great..Thank you..I'm going to pick this up.

[MarioAllStar2600]

It's not the best game, but for 10 bucks you cant go wrong. Im definatly picking up a copy.

[Gamereviewgod]

You beat me to it Scooter. This game is damned cool. I slaughtered it on the hardest level, but if you adjust the handicap, you can make it challenging (or cheap depending on your point of view). Surprisingly, it even supports progessive scan and Pro Logic!!!!

[Sotenga]

I don't really favor sports games, especially football. The sole exception is Tecmo Super Bowl for the NES. Awww, yesss.

[Ikari Warrior]

The kids I teach play the Baseball version of the series on the PC, and I was very impressed with the game. The fields and the players are funny, but it would play much better on a console I think. If it was $!0 I'd pick that up for the GC.

[Funk Buddy]

Thanks to you for recommending this game! I picked it up on Saturday and played it last night. I was kicking some serious ass and lowered the hadicap level and still smashed the other team. Then I noticed it was on medium! I will play some tonight on the hard setting and see how I do. I was pretty pissed when that girl in the tu tu f'n bounced over everyone for a huge gain! I fixed that crap buy turning off the special plays.

[scooterb23]

The special plays are the best! I love the sonic boom one where you knock down eveyone on defense!!