With EA Sports dominating the
simulation football market, some companies have made a name for them self by
turning to niche areas. Atari is certainly one company which has had success
doing this since they have just released their seventh Backyard Football game.
And Backyard Football ’09 for the Wii doesn’t try to deviate from the formula
which has helped it to gain a foothold in the gridiron video-game world.
Once again, this Backyard Football
title is geared towards kids and is meant to be easy. So users won’t have to
wade through complicated playbooks and call receiver hot routes in an effort to
fool opponents. The games will be played in a 7-on-7 format and there will be
both boys and girls on each team; the only exception is when you’re in All-Pro
Mode since the players will be NFL youngsters.
Besides the All-Pro Mode, there is
also Season Mode, Tournament Mode, and Quick Play. The Season Mode is definitely
the most interesting of all these options because players will get to create
their own team and take them through the rigors of a Backyard Football season.
The rosters for created teams will include neighborhood kids who have different
attributes that will determine which position they’re best suited for. After
playing for a few seasons, users can upload their team to the game website and
see if their coach is worthy of being a hall of famer.
The gameplay for Backyard Football
‘09 is a little more complicated than the titles that have been rolled out for
Wii Sports. Picking a play isn’t so bad since you just have to choose a
formation and a few different choices will be shown. Once a play is selected the
A button hikes the ball and the analog stick will move your player. Passing is
where things can get annoying because you have to use the D pad to pick a
receiver and then swing the Wii Remote to throw the pigskin to the selected
receiver. After the receiver catches the ball, you have to go back to the
analog stick to control where the receiver runs.
The graphics are very reminiscent of
earlier Backyard Football games since they’re cartoonish and geared towards the
tastes of a kid. The players have oversized heads and little bodies while the
scenery surrounding the different playing fields is equally as silly. Don’t
expect a whole lot in the way of music and sound since there are no NFL pro
voiceovers or killer soundtracks in this game.
Gameplay: 6.0
The gameplay is overly complicated for a kid’s football game and Wii Sports
games have proven that things can be done much easier.
Graphics: 6.5
The cartoon graphics are about what you’d expect from a football game geared
towards the youth.
Sound: 5.8
Nothing here stands out since there are no pro player voiceovers and an
entertaining soundtrack is nonexistent.
Difficulty: Easy
Besides the gameplay, everything else dealing with Backyard Football is
pretty easy to get a handle on.
Concept: 7.8
Backyard Football ’09 does a good job with the Season Mode and all of the
modes are easy enough for the kids to understand.
Overall: 6.8
While Backyard doesn’t have anything to offer hardcore football fans, the
game should peak the interests of its target market in kids.
