Backyard Baseball is one of the most popular of the Backyard Sports games and the one that started it all. 1 Backyard Baseball 2 Backyard Baseball 2001 3 Backyard Baseball 2003 4 Backyard Baseball 2005 5 Backyard Baseball 2007 5.1 List of professional Baseball players 5.1.1 PC 5.1.2 GameCube 6. Here's the original Backyard Baseball, with no pros or MLB teams. Backyard Baseball is a sports game for computer systems, released in 1997. It is the first installment edition in the Backyard Baseball series, and the first game published as a part of the Backyard Sports (then called 'Junior Sports') series overall. 1 Gameplay 1.1 Pick-Up Window 1.2 League Play 2 Fields 2.1 Pick-Up Window 2.2 League play 3 Custom Teams and Names 4 Trivia There are two. The obvious number 1 and GOAT of Backyard Baseball is Pablo Sanchez — The Secret Weapon, he has nearly maxed out stats, and is the best character in the game. You pick him number 1, every time. Way too OP for a children’s sports game.
Available Platform: Windows
Backyard Baseball is a baseball game created by Humongous Entertainment and released for Windows and Macintosh in 1997.
| Year | 1997 |
| Genre | Sports |
| Rating | 91/100 based on 4 Editorial reviews. Add your vote |
| Publisher | Humongous Entertainment |
| Developer | Humongous Entertainment |
| OS supported | Windows XP, 2000 & Windows 7, MacOS 10.6-10.14 |
| Updated | 2 November 2019 |
Game Review
Backyard Baseball is a baseball game created by Humongous Entertainment and released for Windows and Macintosh in 1997.
It's the first of a long series of successful titles, the last one of which was released in 2015.
The idea of a videogame about kids playing baseball was developed by Nick Mirkovich, illustrator and animator. 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 design team was made of Mirkovich, Richard Moe (a programmer), and Mark Peyser (a graphic designer).
The game created by the trio was brilliant and totally unique. High-quality hand-drawn cartoon graphics, fluid animations, excellent gameplay, and, most importantly, a fantastic character design. The baseball players, 30 kids, were designed with their own look&feel and personality. Vaguely inspired to the Peanuts, they are also a great example of diversity: 15 boys, 15 girls, all in different sizes, colors, and races.
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 :)
Anyway, the kids in Backyard Baseball are so cute it's impossible not to fall in love with them. For each one of them, composer Rhett Mathis created a specific theme song. This was probably one of the most memorable elements of this game.
As you could expect from a sports sim, there are also top players. In this case, the real star is a short kid called Pablo Sanchez. Even if he looks like the worst player, he is the greatest one, and everybody loved him. Believe it or not, Pablo Sanchez is one of the most beloved videogames characters ever created.
Backyard Baseball
Curiously, Backyard Baseball was developed using the SCUMM game engine, the same used in many graphics adventure. It's a great example of the flexibility of the engine invented by Ron Gilbert. Apparently, creating a sports sim was totally possible. The basic mechanic is indeed quite simple. Still, the game supports different fields, tournaments, different stats for the players, and even a sort of Mario Kart-style power-ups.
Backyard Baseball is simply one of the most popular videogames ever created. So what are you waiting for? Download and play it!
Backyard Baseball 2005
Review by: Manu
Published: 3 November 2019 9:13 pm
Backyard Baseball 2001 is part of the long running Backyard Baseball series, but this one could be one of the very best. This is one of the most charming arcade-style baseball games you will ever play. Even though it is what could be referred to as “retro” this is still a fun time if you like old school arcade baseball games.
That Classic Style
The first thing I have to mention is the presentation. I am a big fan of the way the whole Backyard series of games looks and this one is no different. They do all share a similar art style, but I feel that Backyard Baseball 2001 has more chunky and well defined kids and characters and it gives the game a lot more personality.Also while this is a game about kids playing baseball, it does actually have the MLB license so that is really cool and makes the game even more fun. They have the likenesses of many players, but it in kid form so that is awesome.
Plenty To Do
The game modes are exactly what you would expect from a game in the Backyard Sports series. Backyard Baseball allows you to play a single game. This mode lets you change the difficulty level from tee-ball all the way to hard. You can change innings, errors pick your stadium and so on. It is a great way to learn the basics of the game.You also have Season Play which is Backyard Baseball 2001’s main game mode. Here you will take your ragtag group of kids on a quest to win different championships. This is way more fun than it should be. If you do well here your players can be in the Hall of Fame. Speaking of players there is a trading card book where you can learn more about the different players.Backyard Baseball 2001 also had an online mode and I am sure there is someone out there who has a server that allows you to play this online. In multiplayer I would bet that this game is an absolute blast! The core gameplay no matter if it is pitching, fielding or batting is very simple and it plays like a 90s arcade-style baseball game. It is just all about having fun and fun is the best way to describe it.
Like A Cartoon
The art style of Backyard Baseball 2001 is great. It really does look like something that would have been on Nickelodeon in the 90s, probably in between Rugrats and Rocko’s Modern Life! It has a very charming and wholesome look to it and the way the different “stadiums” look is very well done too.
Backyard Baseball 2001 is a game I had a lot of fun with. Is this the definitive Backyard Baseball game? I actually think that I would say that this is where the series peaked. Even though games would be released for the next decade on different systems. It is Backyard Baseball 2001 that people seem to most fondly remember. If you are bored of games like MLB The Show and want a fun baseball game, you do not get much more fun than this.
8/10
Pros:
- Has a charming Nickelodeon like art style
- Makes great use of the MLB license
- Gameplay is fast and fun
- It is easy to learn the basics
- Classic arcade style baseball
Cons:
Backyard Baseball 2007 Download
- Season mode is not as in-depth as a modern game
- Online mode can be hard to get working these days