Sometimes the littlest player can
surprise you and not only have the fastest legs, but the biggest foot – in terms
of goal scoring ability. Take Vicki Kawaguichi, for example. She’s small, but
she can really motor, and her goal-scoring ability is almost uncanny.
Humongous Entertainment, and
Infogrames, has released another successful Backyard game in the PlayStation
format, and the result is Backyard Soccer. Chalk this one up as indoor fun.
The game sets up like all of the
Backyard titles. You begin in the clubhouse, where you choose your team and game
options. You can play a single game, or in a mini league (four players can play
in a tournament featuring four teams), you can practice your penalty kicks or
compete in the beach tournament.
Selecting your team is quick and easy.
The entire Backyard gang is there, with each player’s skills broken down so you
know whom you are getting, and what they are capable of doing. Of course you can
pick your team name, uniform, home field and basic formations. Then it is out to
the field, to meet Sunny Day and Earl Grey – the play-by-play commentators for
the games.
The game features the usual array of
power-ups (which include the cannonball, bowling ball, twister and undergrounder),
difficulty levels and game options – such as turning off, or on, the offside
feature. (Backyard Soccer League rules are a mixture of U10 and FIFA rules.)
Once you have everything in place, let the season play commence.
Be prepared for pauses in the action
due to load times. A penalty in the box, which results in a penalty kick, will
result in loading that aspect of the game. If the ball hits off the post,
instead of scoring, there is another load time to get players back to the
action, in which the ball is live.
Game controls are very simple, and
easy to master. Humongous is adept at making sure that games such as this are
kept within the abilities of the youngest players it targets – in this case, the
game is for 7-year olds and up.
The sound is excellent, full of
witticisms from the commentators, various sounds of the ball getting booted, and
the occasional boing! of players colliding. Graphically the game is cute, with
lush colors, and solid animation.
This is an excellent game for fans of
soccer, and a nice way for kids and parents to enjoy the sport in an atmosphere
that exudes fun. The Backyard gang is comprised of familiar friends (to any who
have played the games before, and if you haven’t, you will no doubt recognize
kids you know or have known in these little characters) whose sole goal is to
score in the entertainment category. And that is exactly what this game does.
Install: N/A
Gameplay: 7.5
The constant load times are not that much
fun, while actual match has a few stagnant moments due to throw-ins and free
kick alignments.
Graphics: 8
The animation is solid, and the overall
look of the game is lush.
Sound: 8
There are some repetitious comments, but
that is to be expected. This game is solid in the audio department.
Difficulty: 7
With three difficulty levels, players
will be able to choose their own ability level. The controls of the game are
kept quite simple.
Concept: 7
The game doesn’t really feature that much
that is new or fresh to the Backyard titles, but it does live up to the
reputation of the series, and translates the game well to the console format.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Head-to-head action is featured in the
game in the tournament matches, and this is a lot of fun.
Overall: 7.5
This is a solid title. There are a few
setbacks – such as the load times – but the game is otherwise a scoring
opportunity not wasted. This is fun gaming.
