"Ah... Cute little dudes playing football..."

While the season may be over, it’s never too late to play a game of pigskin football. With all the competition with the Game Day, Madden, and NFL 2K series battling it out, how do you separate yourself from the pack, but still draw interest? Play as kids! Backyard Football started its franchise on the PC, and has been a HUGE hit for youngsters who want to play on daddy’s PC. Is there a real draw for anyone under 13? Yeah, but only if you take the game for what it’s worth, good and clean fun.
Visually a game that is geared for kids is actually pretty nice. If you look at Disney’s football game, it’s ugly…butt ugly. Backyard Football on the other hand actually has some very nice visuals. The player models, while over exaggerated, are modeled like a Charles Schultz comic. Big heads, with animated emotional features are impressive. The players will trash talk and do hard counts, and you can see this in the faces. Animations are pretty fluid, if not a bit hokey. The models are also very different, giving each player a unique look, like girls, boys, ethnic differences, and even a kid in a wheel chair. Did I mention that some players are real NFL stars, just in kid form? You have Jerry Rice, Jeff Garcia, Donavan McNabb, Brett Farve, and more! The fields of play represent schoolyards and such with animated street ways, with passing traffic. The textures of the grass are pretty impressive, and the attention to detail overall is amazing considering whom the game is geared for. Throw in some real time reflections off the helmets and you have one colorful and shiny package.

Audio is also fairly impressive giving a player all the fundamentals one would expect from a football game. Sporadic crowd chants are abounding, as the games are played on a school field, with little attendance. This is represented well as you hear more ambience sounds like birds, cars, players chatting, etc. more than any crowds. The play by play is also done very well, with frequent updates from the sideline announcers. The announcers also give a run down of the game at hand at the beginning in stunning fashion. Players on the field talk trash, grunt, cheer, and even count in Mississippi’s when waiting to tackle the quarterback. Pretty cool, and wonderful job from the folks at Humongous.

Game play is very arcade like and simplistic. Only a few offense and defense plays are offered for each team, much like old school Tecmo Bowl. The controls are easy to pull off passes, jukes, and dives with ease. The player control is very responsive, and the A.I. keeps the games close. The game definitely feels like an old school video game, in terms of simplicity. Although the game is simple, that doesn’t make it easy. You will find a good challenge each time you enter the field, and with a range of difficulty levels, adults who want to challenge their child, may get frustrated easily. You will also see more turnovers than in real football. Overall the game feels like football, only not as complicated.

Backyard Football is loaded with options. You have create-a-player, coaching a team, season mode, practice, and even a pick up game where you choose your kid line up from scrubs to pros, the choice is yours. The game’s season is pretty deep for whom the game is intended. Plenty of stats, but nothing compared to a Madden or NFL 2K. There will be plenty to do and see for your youngster after his/her homework is complete.

Overall, the game is fun for a goof for adults, and a kid will eat this up. I actually found myself really enjoying this title, and reminiscing with my days when I grew up playing 8 bit and earlier. The game is pretty, fun, and simple. A wise choice of system to try this series on for it’s console debut, and hopefully more will come from this as it shows nothing but potential.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/29/04