Let the record show that one of my favorite games of all time is NFL Street. It was a 7 on 7 football game that required real football knowledge to succeed at the more difficult challenges, it had players playing both sides of the ball, it had entertaining and unusual arenas, and it provided quality arcade fun through powerups and other sensational plays — making it fun to play over and over. Backyard Football reminds me a lot of that game, as it has all of the positive attributes that I just mentioned, wrapped in a wholesome, family-friendly package that's fit for sport-minded kids everywhere.
Backyard Football is a kids version of the NFL, where real football rules apply once the ball is snapped, and the only real differences are in team setup. It has diverse formations, plays from said formations, and offensive and defensive options for advancing or stopping the run, pass, or option plays. Playcalling is a significant part of the game, but balances nicely against the arcade skills of throwing, catching, running, and tackling. The actual football play in the game is uniformaly sound, and worthy of praise, so I'm going to move on to cover other aspects of the game, secure in the knowledge that you can get a good game on the kiddie gridiron.
There are 4 main modes of play in Backyard Football, and these are Play Now, Pickup Game, Tournament Mode, and Season Mode — where you coach your way to victory in the local Backyard Football League's supreme prize ... the Cereal Bowl. Play Now is obviously a quick game played between chosen preset rosters, while a Pickup game is played after teams are chosen up from a pool of players. Tournament mode is a battle against multiple teams, perfect for a kids party, and Season mode allows you to create a roster of Backyard stars to compete for league prizes. There is also a practice mode where created players can be used, and they gain skill points to put into their abilities — making them more formidable and rewarding the old axiom that practice makes perfect.
One of the biggest draws is the game's roster, which includes NFL players as kids, and who mix in amongst the "regular" Backyard Kids that range from Backyard game to game, and can be well known to fans of the series. Each kid has a backstory, and the backstory will tell you something about their skills on the field — but most are humorous and intended to make us laugh along with the kids in question. Also noteworthy is that the roster is co-ed, so the girls can mix it up every bit as much as the boys! Siblings are also present in the Backyard leagues, and sibling rivalry is certainly alive and well. Brothers and sisters will play extra hard to one-up their sibling, but tend not to work together so well on the same team, because they fuss at each other so readily. Players also have a good day / bad day mechanic, where the game lets you know how a kid is feeling before he has to go out and compete. After all, not everyone has a good day all the time! In-game accomplishment fills a momentum meter, and when you're doing especially well you can trigger extra bursts of speed and strength to help win out the game.
The environments in Backyard are light and funny. An example is a ranch where aliens are constantly buzzing about trying to abduct livestock, only to fail in various funny ways while the game goes on. Commentators are also supportive, with an eye towards casual humor and light banter, and while the game sees itself as mature enough to include some taunting — it is all very light kid-style taunts. No "your mom" jokes here.
The last thing to mention is the online component. You can upload seasons and games to compare scores and accomplishments with your friends. You can also export and import your teams and coaches from season to season, so in addition to just playing with friends, there's a bit of a persistent universe to work with. Personally, I find Backyard Football fun, deep, and family-friendly. I think that that's a great trio to build and purchase on, so I recommend this game to kids looking for a good sports title. Three cheers!
I'm a volleyball playing nomad who's been blowing up aliens, scoring touchdowns/goals, dogfighting, slaying dragons, mowing down hordes of enemy tanks, headshotting, and saving damsels in distress since my dad brought home the very first Atari system. My game-tastes are very diverse, as I enjoy street racers, sports games (especially "hyper" sports games like, say, NFL Street), shooters, RPGs, a good MMO here and there, and pretty much anything else that doesn't involve a Pokemon!
