First released in 1997, this updated baseball simulation is designed especially for young kids, playfully introducing them to America's beloved sport. As in more sophisticated sims, players pick teams and gameplay options, only in this case, players pick neighborhood kids to fill out the roster. Each kid has a unique personality and set of skills. New to this version are 31 "pint-sized" versions of professional Major League players like Cal Ripken Jr.., Mark McGwire and Barry Larkin. This adds an element of humor to the game, as you meet and play with these cute little future superstars.
What we like most about the program are its many options that give children control over the experience. Kids can design team uniforms, create custom players, play alone or with others over the Internet, and so on. They choose each pitch, when to swing the bat and how hard to hit. Just like the real thing, the game takes practice, but it's thoroughly engaging and downright addictive.
Flaws are few. There are some non-interruptible animation sequences that we would have skipped if we could and the save features are limited, only allowing season games to be saved. Also, the program requires some reading at first, until you've got the navigation system memorized. All in all, though, this is a great program for many reasons. It breaks stereotypes (girls and physically challenged players play) and racial barriers (a cornucopia of ethnicities are represented) and it's just plain fun to boot.
Teaches: sports, baseball
Age Range: 5-12 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue
Amazon.com Review
Never face another rained-out ball game with this stunning simulator just for kids.
Backyard Baseball 2001 lets you manage your own team through sunshine, hail, and hurricane. Whether you want to enjoy a single pickup match or maneuver through an entire season, this game will let you put the players you want on the field of your choice before pitting them against the toughest young players the Major Leagues have to offer.
Play in Backyard Baseball 2001 can be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. While it is definitely useful to know a few simple statistics about your team members, it is not required. During play, batters may choose between power hits, line drives, bunts, and grounders as they try to hit the fiendishly clever pitches of the opposition. Once a hit is made, players direct runners from base to base. Unlike the earliest baseball simulators, where many decisions were made by the computer, this one puts the user in control of everything, encouraging a good sense of baseball tactics and discouraging rash play. (Stealing bases with a player who is not a good runner, for example, is a quick road to an out!) When pitching, players select from a menu of pitches and then give the pitcher a target within the batter's box for their throw. A hit transfers play to a wider view of the field, so you can direct the ball to whichever base the runner is headed for.
Backyard Baseball 2001 is an upgrade of an earlier game, and players familiar with the original Backyard Baseball will find that it is very similar in design and structure. Your favorite players (and their color commentators) have been carried over wholesale from the first game, complete with the same signature animations as they come up to bat. At first glance, in fact, the program may seem like it hasn't been spruced up much at all. However, the newer game allows players to join Major League ball teams, such as the Toronto Blue Jays, or to create their own team names and uniforms. Players may recruit or play against youthful versions of current sports superstars, such as Mark McGwire and Tony Gwynn. They can even create customized team members to shore up weaknesses in their outfield or custom-tweak an even deadlier pitcher. Another very welcome upgrade is Internet play, which takes the players on the virtual road, pitting them against teams managed by other players online.
The game design in Backyard Baseball 2001 is absolutely stellar. The interface is easy to use and entertaining. The eight ball fields each come with advantages and disadvantages to be puzzled out and exploited. Players themselves come from a pleasingly multicultural palette with a good age, gender, and ability mix. This game also carries over and expands on the original Backyard Baseball's zany sense of humor: a drinking-box gauge shows how much "juice" the pitcher still has, the patter of the commentators is pleasing and surprisingly nonrepetitive, and successful play is rewarded with power-ups for both pitcher and batter. These power-ups are hilarious--a hot pitcher can throw Fireballs, for example, which literally burn as they zoom past the luckless batter. Batters who do manage to hit these special pitches earn the right to try Crazy Bunts, which carom randomly around the field, or the (literally) Screaming Line Drives.
Young baseball enthusiasts will love this program, which combines entertainment and sports education in seamless combination. So put your team together, suit up, and play ball! --Alyx Dellamonica
