Video game developer Humongous Entertainment has created a slew of easy-to-play computer games, but it struck gold with its Backyard Sports series. Backyard Baseball was originally released in 1997, but it wasn't until the early 2000s that the series would catch fire. The year 2000 represented the beginning of a new era of technology, as it saw more families purchasing computers for their homes.
The Backyard Sports series was one of the games that bridged the divide between hardcore computer gamers and casual fans. Reminiscent of the 1993 movie The Sandlot, the Backyard games were based in a fictional neighborhood, with a charismatic cast of characters.
Each kid had its own personality and character traits, with strengths and weaknesses that dictated how good they played in a specific sport. Like the Webber Twins (Ashley & Sidney), who were subpar separate but stellar when placed on the same team. Or Dmitri Petrovich, the overweight nerd who uses his intellect to play the game. His size and intellect make him a force in the Backyard Football games, but a liability on the bases in the Backyard Baseball games. Even the announcers are memorable, from the smooth-talking Barry Dejay in Backyard Basketball, to the enigmatic Vinnie The Gooch of Backyard Baseball. Kids sit on a bench, each with descriptions of their talents and flaws, and the player must pick through the bunch to form a perfect team.
And then there was Pablo Sanchez, one of the greatest cheat codes in the history of sports video games. The perennial athlete, Sanchez excelled in all sports, from the gridiron to the basketball court. The joy in the game is finding the perfect combination of good and average kids to create a balanced lineup.
If the neighborhood kids weren't enough, Humongous teamed up with the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS and NHL to license professional athletes to appear in the games as kids. This gave you the option to throw Hail Mary's with Brett Favre or crash the boards with Kevin Garnett. Each star plays similar to their real-life counterpart, equipped with catch phrases and traits that exhibit their personality.
As the years passed, developer Infrogames purchased Humongous, and in turn attempted to revamp the Backyard series. This meant attempting to mature the kids, from pre-teens to teens, in which they failed miserably. Many of the players likenesses were tweaked, making some unrecognizable and other's losing their swagger. Gameplay suffered as well, as the traditional cartoon look was swapped for a flawed 3-D graphics system that made players look like replicas of each other. Several adaptations of the games made the jump from PC to consoles, all to underwhelming sales.
No matter the sport, the original Backyard games were easy enough for the smallest of children, but possessed enough depth to keep adults entertained. If you can find a copy or download one, pick up a Backyard Game for your PC or MAC and put your skills to the test.
