Somehow the kids remind me of movies such as The Bad News Bears (an amazing 1976 movie with Walter Matthau), and "The sandlot", except that in the game, there are many more girls :)Īnyway, the kids in Backyard Baseball are so cute it's impossible not to fall in love with them. Vaguely inspired to the Peanuts, they are also a great example of diversity: 15 boys, 15 girls, all in different sizes, colors, and races. The baseball players, 30 kids, were designed with their own look&feel and personality. High-quality hand-drawn cartoon graphics, fluid animations, excellent gameplay, and, most importantly, a fantastic character design. The game created by the trio was brilliant and totally unique. The design team was made of Mirkovich, Richard Moe (a programmer), and Mark Peyser (a graphic designer). He presented the concept to the legendary Ron Gilbert (not only the creator of Maniac Mansion but also the founder of Humongous), and after a while, he approved. The idea of a videogame about kids playing baseball was developed by Nick Mirkovich, illustrator and animator.
It's the first of a long series of successful titles, the last one of which was released in 2015.
Nonetheless, it's a blast to play and each game becomes as unpredictable as the last.Backyard Baseball is a baseball game created by Humongous Entertainment and released for Windows and Macintosh in 1997.
But be warned, once you venture beyond the easiest difficulty setting, the game becomes quite challenging. The controls are straightforward and easy to learn. And despite the kiddy theme, the game provides a ton of options for setting the rules, changing your lineup, managing your defense, and viewing player cards and stats. In addition, during each game you can earn different power-ups that'll give you an advantage over your opponent. At the plate, you can select one of four different types of hits: grounders, line drives, power swings, and bunts.
When you're on the mound you'll have a full arsenal of pitch-types to choose from including fastballs, curves, screwballs and change-ups, as well as a pitch locator in which to aim your pitch. Of course, like all the other Backyard sports games, the players are kids and the action takes place in fictional outdoor arenas as opposed to real Major League stadiums (Hey, with a game title like this, what did you expect?). And while you won't find every major leaguer, some of your favorites, such as Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, and Pedro Martinez are included.
The game does include an MLB license for all 30 Major League teams, as well as 10 backyard teams made up of fictional players. Partake in a single game, homerun derby, or create a team and explore the rigors of season play. If you can get beyond its 'kiddy'? image, believe it or not the game actually provides a decent-playing rendition of our favorite pastime. Everything feels incredibly easy to figure out, and the overall gameplay is welcoming and cheery. If a ball is hit, you direct one of your team members to catch it and throw it at a chosen base. When pitching, you simply choose the type of pitch you want (including fastballs, intentional walks, etc) and click to throw. Pitching and playing outfield is similarly easy. You can also adjust your stance while at bat.
When you're at bat, you simply choose the kind of swing you want to take, wait for the pitch, and try to click at the right time. It's your job to carry your team to victory throughout the season, winning the award trophy. In the Team Dugout, you can arrange players on the field, see your schedule, and check match records. Once you've crafted your team, it's time to take on your opponents in the Backyard Baseball League. For those who don't care, you can also let the game choose for you.
Pitching, Batting, Running, and Fielding are all taken into account, so you'll want to pick a good spread of strengths for your team. Each kid has their own stats to check out, ranging in power in four categories. Kids from all walks of life are ready to play humble farmhands, Spanish-speaking sluggers, nervous nerds, and more. You'll have to choose nine, and there's a wide variety of characters to pick from. There are around 30 different neighborhood kids you can draft onto your team. After that, it's time to draft your team! Once you've signed in as coach, you'll get to create your own team and pick their colors. The League mode is the main focus of the game, and where you'll find the most customization and gameplay. From the main menu, you're able to hop into a pick-up game, check out your coach trophies, and join the Backyard Baseball League.