Rating: 
Summary: A little disapointing, but still good
Review: I was really excited about this game. The last 2 installments of the Backyard Sports series where good. This one is also. It has new players like Seattle's Iciro and Colorado's Todd Helton. My beloved Twins finally have a good representative in Brad Radke. There's alos Backyard "veterans" (as I call them) like Sammy Sosa of the Cubs, Nomar Garciapara of Boston, and Chipper Jones of Atlanta. Chipper FINALLY goes Lefty when he bats against a right-handed pitcher, unlike 2001. A-Rod and Giambi represnt they're new teams. In the other reviews, people say they are disapointed in the lack of Cal Ripken, Mark McGuire, and Tony Gywen. Maybe it's because their RETIRED. I, on the other hand, miss Kurt Schilling and Pudge. I was very surprised they were left out. Well, at least Schilling should have been in this game. And why is Carlos Beltran the only Royal instead of Mike Sweeney. I still don't get that.
There are big changes between the 2 games. The format is unchanged, but there are new voices for all the players, I think. Some sound a lot like the older versions, but some are really different. Like Sunny Day. I can't tell her voice apart from Vinnie the Gooch. They took out the online play, too. I think Humongus or Infogrames trashed that feature. It's also a little slow on my PC. It still good though. For being a good game at a [good] price, I give it 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Another awesome upgrade to the already great series!
Review: I have seen and played many demos and have read tons of reviews on this product. I have been a fan of this Junior Sports series since the very first original Backyard Baseball came out. I own 2 of the 3 baseball editions, both of the football versions, my brothers have both of the soccer editions, and we also have Backyard Basketball. From what I've seen and read this is another great additon to any of your collections of these games. The gameplay is smooth, the graphics are stunning, there are EVEN MORE gamplay options than in BYB 2001, the MLB kids faces are very believable, the players ability to play is slightly exaggerated but hey, that's what makes it so fun. Being a big fan and player of baseball I follow the majors like nothing else. For that reason I noticed the ratings (Running, Pitching, Fielding, and Hitting) on the players to be slightly off. But if that's the only problem, that's an extremely small sacrifice to make when buying this game. This game is worth every penny you spend on it. I recommend this game for fans and non-fans of all ages. The levels of difficulty are set very well for people that play it. I do wish though that they would add an extra "Major League" level of play for us older guys that are looking for some challenging opponents. I haven't tried online play yet but I'm sure you would find some more challenging people to play against. This series is getting better with every game and should soon become one of the top sports games on the market. I hope that soon they will expand their games and come out with Backyard Baseball Pennent Race Edition Expansion Pack that will include the new hot rookies in the majors. Who knows? Maybe it's not that far off from now. In closing I want you to know that this game does not have the new backyard kid design. The new Backyard Hockey has new kids to chose from and absolutely stunning visual effects. I recommend that game also for the Backyard Series fans. Oh yeah, one more thing, HAVE FUN!!! Sincerely,
Ian Badeer
A True Backyard Series Fan
Rating:
Summary: Great game, great series
Review: This game is great and carries on the same aspects as the other Backyard games. Choose to be an NHL team or a made-up team. "Draft" your players and play single game or a season in any of the various arenas. The Backyard series continues with another fun exciting game with the great aspect of a pickup game in various places from a "street" arena to a sophisticated indoor arena. This game is highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute, but far from expectations
Review: Yes, it is a children's game. I'm speaking as a person who played the regular Backyard Basketball game.
All the characters are a little more mature, but they've lost their cutesy charm and youthful individuality. The characters are more roundish and 3-D.
The gameplay is very easy. A mouse, and only two buttons to really do everything.
The games are quite easy for kids 7 and above, shooting is pretty easy. But stealing and rebounding can be hard.
The best thing is that you can create your own characters (5) and name them and give them stats. And you can give them a nifty nickname like Chunky or Captain.
NBA Players are in here too, like Shaq, Yao Ming, Vince Carter, and Tim Duncan. It's really cute to see them down to mini-size.
Problems-for most people, shooting is too easy. Even three's are
easily shot with people who have low outside shot stats.
There's a quick pick up game, some mini-games like Around the World and Practice, and Season. You can get goodies like secret courts, too.
The game gets repetitive, but it's fun watching your team go undefeated for once (if you can do well). And having 5 stars on your team (that's the max, game play is 3-0n-3) is cool.
Rating:
Summary: BEST! Baseball PC Game THIS YEAR!!!
Review: I gave Backyard Baseball 2003 a 5\5 stars grade because it's easy to play,you can pick your team and best of all there are made up backyard kids of different skill levels and to add to that there are kid versions of Major League Baseball players based on their actual skills. Each player has skills based on a scale from 1 to ten on batting,running ,pitching,and fielding.It's sad that there's no more Tony Gwynn,Mark McGwire,or Cal Ripken Jr but I understand because they're all retired. I think this game is better than High Heat 2003. I would rate HH2003 3/5 stars because it's hard to play and the Minor League players aren't even real. I highly recommend this game over HH2003. I also recommend this game for any sports fan!
Rating:
Summary: way too easy.
Review: Don't get me wrong though, I like this game. But even the hard level is child's play. However, this game is designed for kids 5-10. I like it, but it is too easy. My best game so far was 132-12. I think that even a 5 year old wouldn't have a problem kicking everyone's butt in this game. Its fun, and anyone who likes the other Backyard games (hockey, soccer, football, baseball) will like this one. Pros:
- Very simple controls
- Not hard for little kids
- No offensive content (it is, however, targeted to younger persons) Cons:
- Way too easy for older gamers (e.g. 9-12)
- Gets stale and repetative after awhile Altogether this is a good game, but if you are over age 9, this one will be way too easy and you shouldn't get it. Otherwise, you will like this one. It's fun, just too easy, which is why the younger audience will like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Backyard Basketball is Tops
Review: This game is not too hard. I haven't gotten too far, but I can tell it's really great. I would recommend this game if you're not familiar with backyard sports, beacuse I brushed my way through most of it. Try checking this game out.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed But Excellent
Review: Like many games in the "Backyard" series this is very enjoyable but flawed. The main problem is the stats. The list of top ten players doesn't track blocks. Rebounding is so difficult that your team and players will never appear in the top ten. The end-of-season awards for top player on team and in the league don't work at all. And please see the reviewer below, of all the Backyard games, this appears to require the most computer power. If your computer is not very powerful, the game will play in slow motion--very frustrating. Finally, there are only two pro players; hopefully, future versions will include more. There are many positive points that we've come to expect from manufacturer "Humongous Entertainment," including trick plays, offensive and defensive strategies (Offense: Crash, Normal, or Fastbreak; Defense: Tight, Normal, or Loose), decisions about which players to pick and at what positions, when to sub, etc. Except for the lack of rebounding and outside shooting (especially in the most difficult level), game play is fairly realistic. My player recommendations include the always-speedy Pete Wheeler, defensive specialist and inside shooter Keisha Phillips, all-around threat Lisa Leslie, Reese Worthington (great ball-handling and speed)and outside shooters Kenny Kawaguchi and Pablo Sanchez. Our current team features Pete, Lisa, Reese, and two players whose skill distribution and build are determined by the player. The skill points of these latter players increase after one season; they become among your very best players. The game requires quick responses; I recommend it for older grade school kids (maybe around 3rd through sixth grades) and adults who enjoy this series of sports games. Others may enjoy the somewhat easier-to-play Backyard Baseball or Football.
Rating:
Summary: Backyard Football On Your PC...But No Calories Burned...
Review: (...) Background
Backyard Football is one of a series of sports games for your personal computer. Other titles include Soccer and Baseball. These games are targeted for younger players, and are therefore, fairly simple to operate. This particular game is advertised for children between the ages of 5 and 10. However, I enjoy playing this game myself, and I am a little bit older than 10. Directions
The game loads automatically when inserted into the CD-ROM drive. The version I purchased did not come with instructions, but I found that I didn't need them. The game is set up in an easy to understand format, that is extremely user friendly. The options allow the user to change the settings on the game, and includes an option to switch from mouse to gamepad. However, I kept the setting on mouse, and found that it was extremely easy to use in that mode. The game begins in the "Clubhouse" and allows a "menu" of options that are depicted with corresponding pictures. To draft a team, you click on the picture of a clipboard. To check out the playing fields, you click on a pair of binoculars. To begin, you click "play football." You can choose between single games, playoff games, and full season. Gameplay
The gameplay is extremely easy. The point and click ease of your mouse makes the controls very simple. After picking a team, you can begin playing a season against division rivals. Each game rotates between a variety of fields and weather conditions (which can be turned off in the settings). The games consists of four quarters, which last one minute each. You take turns running the offense and defense. The objective, like real football, is to score points, while preventing your opponent from scoring more. For more advanced players, you can custom design your own plays, and add them to your playbook. When you are on offense, you are able to pick a play from the playbook that you think will outwit your opponents defense. The quarterback gets the ball by clicking the mouse. Then the cursor is moved to the place you want to throw the ball, and an additional click makes the quarterback throw. It is a good idea to throw to an open receiver, because there are plenty of interceptions in this game. Graphics
I was surprised at how good the graphics on this game are. They are not advanced like the graphics you see on the adult sports games, but they have a great deal of detail. The players on the bench fidget and play during team selection, and the gameplay moves smoothly. The cartoon feel of the game makes it feel like you are creating your own cartoon version of a football game. The characters are interesting and have a wide range of characteristics. You even have an option of creating your own player, where you choose the hair style, head style, color, and physical abilities. When you are actually playing the game, the graphics aren't phenomenal, but they are way better than the magnetic football game that I had when I was a kid. Bottom Line
My son is too young to play this game, and my daughter isn't very interested in sports. So, I have had this game all to myself. I like it. My son enjoys watching the game being played, but he isn't old enough yet to understand how to operate it (he is only two). My son loves sports, and I think he will probably log a few hours on this game as soon as he is old enough to play it (if I haven't worn it out first). The gameplay is interesting and held MY attention for several hours of play. After a while, I grew a little tired, because the game was too easy. Easy is good, though, for this age range. I would recommend this game for children in the age range listed. I think older children would enjoy the game, as well. However, they will probably grow bored of the game after a while, because it is fairly easy to beat the computer.
Rating:
Summary: Easy for Kids
Review: My 6 year old son enjoys the game. What he enjoys may not be what you expect. The game allows kids to choose pro teams and pro football players (as kids.) My son enjoys picking the teams as much as he enjoys playing the game. A neat feature is an ability to mold a player, picking build, sex, hair style/color and playing ability. This is especially fun for kids. Playing the game is rather cumbersome, however. The computer does a lot of the work. You really only play one player. Plays are available but do not make much sense to a young kid. A good game. We've tried some of the others, backyard baseball and soccer (not basketball yet.) Baseball seems to require the most input but it is slow. My son likes soccer the best. Have fun.
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