Backyard Baseball (1997 video game)

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Backyard Baseball
Backyard Baseball cover.png
Cover art as taken from the game's AutoRun menu. Depicted are four of the game's "Backyard Kids"; clockwise from center: Pablo Sanchez, Maria Luna, Pete Wheeler, and Stephanie Morgan.
Developer(s) Humongous Entertainment (original)
Mega Cat Studios (remaster)
Publisher(s) Humongous Entertainment (original)
Playground Productions (remaster)
Series Backyard Baseball
Backyard Sports
Engine SCUMM
Platform(s) Windows, Classic Mac OS
ReleaseOriginal (Windows, Classic Mac OS)
  • NA: October 10, 1997
[1]
'97 remaster (Windows)
  • WW: October 10, 2024
Genre(s) Sports video game
Mode(s) Single-player

Backyard Baseball is a baseball video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. It is the first video game released for the Backyard Sports franchise (originally known as the Junior Sports series) [2] and the long-running Backyard Baseball series. The game was released on a hybrid Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM on October 10, 1997.

Contents

The game was remastered in 2024 as Backyard Baseball '97. The remaster was released for Windows via Steam on October 10, 2024, exactly 27 years after the original's release. [3]

Gameplay

Backyard Baseball is a baseball sports video game designed and aimed for children. There are three main modes: Pick-Up Play, League Play and Batting Practice. A spectator mode exists which pits two randomly chosen computer-controlled teams together. The player can also view their trophies won, their records and view baseball cards of the characters. Before playing a pick-up game or starting a season, the user can change the set difficulty, toggle tee-ball (in Pick-Up Play only), switch from 6- or 9-inning games, and toggle errors. In both modes, a player can create their own team by customizing their team's name and color and drafting 9 players from a pool of thirty characters. During the game, there are many powerups that can be used either by a pitcher, which can be achieved by recording a strikeout, and by the batter, which can be achieved by either getting a hit on a power-up pitch when playing offense or by completing a double play or triple play when playing defense.

In the pick-up play mode, the player can choose a field from seven different fields of varying size and field material: for example, the field Tin Can Alley makes it unique, due to its hard surfacing and difficulty to score a usual home run. After creating their own team, the player takes turns drafting their players against a computer. In league play, the player is restricted to Parks Department Field No. 2.

In league play, the player signs a coach in the Backyard Baseball League. The player guides their chosen team through a 14-game season against 7 other league teams. At the end of the season, once the team wins enough games to place first or second in their league, their team plays against the other qualified team to win the league pennant in the best-of-3 All-City BBL Playoffs. Once the team wins the pennant, the team is invited to play in the postseason tournament, starting with the best-of-3 Super Entire Nation Tournament, and then the Ultra Grand Championship of the Universe (analogous to the real-life World Series). [1]

Characters

The game has been positively received for its widely diverse cast, shown here with most of the characters. Backyard Baseball 97 characters.png
The game has been positively received for its widely diverse cast, shown here with most of the characters.

The game features thirty fictional children evenly split between 15 boys and 15 girls, rated from 1 to 4 in batting, running, pitching and fielding. One notable character is Pablo Sanchez, a small, Spanish-speaking boy whose amazing skill in batting and running makes him an iconic character in the future overarching series. [4] The game has been notable for its wide range of diversity within its cast. [5] [6] [7]

Development

Backyard Baseball was conceived by Nick Mirkovich, who took inspiration from various baseball-themed movies focusing on children; the project was later put into action during the 1995 American League Division Series. [4] Backyard Baseball was first revealed at the 1997 E3 in June. [8]

Legacy

The success of Backyard Baseball led to the release of more Backyard Sports titles, [4] including updated versions of Backyard Baseball, starting with Backyard Baseball 2001 , which would be the first Backyard Baseball game to include Major League teams and professional sports players, [9] a tradition started in Backyard Football. [10]

2024 remaster

A remaster of Backyard Baseball entitled Backyard Baseball '97 was released on October 10, 2024, via Steam, as part of a reboot of the Backyard Sports franchise. [3] The remaster was developed by Mega Cat Studios and published by Playground Productions. [11] A hacked CD-ROM copy of the game was used as basis for the remaster, as the source code of the original game has been lost; as a result, the remaster currently only supports Windows. The remaster supports several Steam features not found in the original release (as Steam didn't exist in 1997), including leaderboards, achievements, and cloud saves. On October 8, two days before the remaster's release, Playground Productions announced that the remaster was Steam Deck-verified and would also support the use of gamepads, which were not supported in the original release. [12]

Reception

Backyard Baseball was released to moderate reviews: the game was praised for its diversity and Computer Gaming World cited the easy to learn difficulty. However, reviewers criticized the slow gameplay with macHOME describing the pacing "as fluid as a drunk trying to walk a straight line".

2024 remaster

Reviews of the 2024 remaster noted that it was functionally identical to the original release [15] —now a cult classic. [4] [16] However, Mark Delaney of GameSpot viewed this as a missed opportunity to implement some quality-of-life features. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Backyard Sports</i> Childrens sports video game series

Backyard Sports is a video game series released for consoles, computers, and mobile devices created by Humongous Entertainment. The series is best known for starring a diverse cast of fictional children as well as child versions of famous professional sports athletes, such as Albert Pujols, Paul Pierce, Barry Bonds, Tim Duncan, Clint Mathis, Kevin Garnett, Tom Brady, David Ortiz, Joe Thornton, and Andy Macdonald. The Backyard Sports series was previously licensed by the five major professional American sports leagues: Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as their affiliated players associations. The series has changed ownership and developers several times since Humongous's 2005 closure; it is currently owned by a dedicated company called Backyard Sports LLC, which bought the series' rights in 2021. Playground Productions is the series' current publisher, having rebooted the series in 2024.

<i>Backyard Baseball</i> Video game series

Backyard Baseball is a series of baseball video games for children which was originally developed by Humongous Entertainment. It was first released in October 1997 for Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. Later games were featured on Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, and iOS. It is part of the Backyard Sports series, of which this series serves as its first sub-series.

<i>Backyard Basketball</i> Video game series

Backyard Basketball is a series of entries into the Backyard Sports franchise of video games. The first game was developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Infogrames for Microsoft Windows and Mac in 2001. Additional games have been released on a variety of consoles, each with different characters and slightly altered gameplay mechanics.

<i>Backyard Soccer MLS Edition</i> 2000 video game

Backyard Soccer MLS Edition is a children's soccer video game developed by Humongous Entertainment and released in 2000 as part of the Backyard Sports series. It is the second game in the Backyard Soccer subseries and the fifth Backyard Sports title overall. Unlike the first Backyard Soccer, this game features Major League Soccer (MLS) teams and players, as well as three women from the United States women's national soccer team that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, the first time that female professional athletes were represented in the Backyard Sports series. Aimed at children ages 5 to 10, the game includes international soccer players such as the Dallas Burn's Jason Kreis and female player Brandi Chastain, but with the added twist that all the MLS and USWNT players are drawn as child caricatures in the game. The game was released for the Macintosh and Windows platforms. A planned release for the Game Boy Color was cancelled. In 2003, a third Backyard Soccer title called Backyard Soccer 2004 was released.

<i>Putt-Putt</i> (series) Video game series

Putt-Putt is a series of children's adventure and puzzle computer games created by Humongous Entertainment. This franchise was Humongous Entertainment's first game series to be developed. They primarily involve clicking to get to a destination, although some sub-quests and mini-games involve the keyboard. The main character, Putt-Putt, an anthropomorphic purple convertible, and his dog, Pep, travel to various locations.

<i>Backyard Football</i> Video games series

Backyard Football is a series of video games for various systems. The series was developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Infogrames, Atari, and The Evergreen Group. It is one of several sub-series in the Backyard Sports franchise and is the first to feature professional players as kids, examples being Steve Young and Barry Sanders. The series currently has eleven titles.

<i>Spy Fox</i> Video game series

Spy Fox is a software gaming series from Humongous Entertainment starring a fictional anthropomorphic fox of the same name, intended for children 8 and up. The series follows the eponymous character, an anthropomorphic fox and secret agent tasked with stopping global crises. Many of the game's names and plot elements are spoofs of the James Bond and Get Smart series.

<i>Pajama Sam</i> Video game series

The Pajama Sam series is a collection of point and click children's adventure and puzzle games originally created by Humongous Entertainment. Pamela Adlon voices the title character in all games, excluding the first spin-off game and the final entry.

<i>Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse</i> 1996 video game

Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse is a 1996 video game and the second of five adventure games in the Freddi Fish series of games developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. It was released on iOS under the title Freddi Fish Haunted Schoolhouse Mystery and on Android with a shortened title Freddi Fish: Haunted Schoolhouse in 2014. It was also released on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in May 2024.

<i>ESPN Baseball Tonight</i> 1994 video game

ESPN Baseball Tonight is a baseball video game for the MS-DOS, Sega CD, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humongous Entertainment</span> American video game developer (1992-2006)

Humongous Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Bothell, Washington. Founded in 1992, the company developed multiple edutainment franchises, most prominently Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam and Spy Fox, which, combined, sold over 15 million copies and earned more than 400 awards of excellence.

<i>Backyard Soccer</i> 1998 video game

Backyard Soccer, known in Europe as Backyard Football (PC) or Junior Sports Football (PlayStation) and in Australia as Junior Sports Soccer, is a children's association football video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment; Infogrames published the PlayStation version. It is the second game in the Backyard Sports series, following Backyard Baseball. It was first released on September 26, 1998, for Macintosh and Microsoft Windows, in 2001 for the PlayStation, and in 2008 for iOS. The PC and PlayStation versions of the game, alongside the PlayStation 2 version of Backyard Basketball, were the only Backyard Sports titles released in Europe.

<i>Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo</i> 1995 video game

Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo is a 1995 video game and the third of seven adventure games in the Putt-Putt series of games developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. The animation style also changed with this game to hand-drawn animation, in contrast to the pixel art graphics of the previous two games, following the studio's jump from DOS to Windows with Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds the previous year. The game was reissued on April 19, 1999. In November 2011, the game became the first Humongous Entertainment game to be rereleased for iOS and Google Play. Developed by Nimbus Games Inc., the iOS version of this game released by Atari was discontinued. A Nintendo Switch version was released in February 2022, followed by the PlayStation 4 version on the PlayStation Store in November the same year.

Front Page Sports Football, first released in 1992, was the first in a series of American football simulations released by Sierra Online. The Front Page Sports series was notable for being one of the first football simulations to include a career mode where players aged and retired, and for the number of statistics it offered. The first game did not have a license from the NFL or its players association, meaning that all teams and players offered were fictional, but subsequent versions starting with Front Page Sports Football Pro '95 in 1995 included real NFL players and teams. New versions of the game were introduced each year, with the final one coming out in 1999, however, the 1999 version was recalled. A 2000 version was also planned, however it was cancelled shortly after the 1999 version recall.

The Junior Field Trips series is a trilogy of point-and-click children's computer and video games released by Humongous Entertainment in conjunction with Random House. These games offered virtual tours of particular locations related to their theme, and included a game suite with virtual coloring pages, a scavenger hunt, and various other games depending upon the title. They were originally released for Windows and Macintosh computers, but were re-released via Steam in April 2015. These games were written using the SCUMM engine and can thus be played on additional platforms by using ScummVM.

<i>Putt-Putt and Peps Balloon-o-Rama</i> 1996 video game

Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama is a 1996 action video game, developed by Humongous Entertainment. The game is part of the Putt-Putt series of educational video games. It was part of a series of Junior Arcade games, targeted at kids aged three to eight.

<i>Blues Birthday Adventure</i> 1998 video game

Blue's Birthday Adventure is an educational video game for children from the ages of 3–6 years of age. The game is based on the pre-school television program Blue's Clues, specifically the episode "Blue's Birthday". It was developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. The game is about how Steve tries to find three clues to figure out what Blue wants to have for her birthday.

Backyard Hockey is an ice hockey video game series created by Humongous Entertainment and Mistic Software that was published by Infogrames/Atari. It was first released in 2002 for Microsoft Windows. Additional titles were released for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. A total of four Backyard Hockey games have been released, and these include the original Backyard Hockey, Backyard Hockey 2005, Backyard Hockey for Game Boy Advance, and Backyard Hockey for Nintendo DS. The original and updated computer releases of Backyard Hockey were developed solely by Humongous Entertainment, but the two Hockey games for Nintendo handhelds were co-developed with Mistic Software. The fourth installment on Nintendo DS is regarded to be the first hockey video game released in North America for such platform. A remastered version of the original Backyard Hockey entitled Backyard Hockey '02 is planned to release on Steam; Mega Cat Studios is the remaster's developer, with Playground Productions as the publisher.

Mega Cat Studios is an American video game development and publishing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2015 by James Deighan, Nick Mann, and Zack Manko.

<i>Backyard Baseball 2001</i> 2000 video game

Backyard Baseball 2001 is a baseball video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. It is the fourth installment of the Backyard Sports franchise, the second installment of the Backyard Baseball series, and the first Baseball installment to include Major League Baseball teams and a MLBPA license. A remastered version of this game, retitled as Backyard Baseball '01, is planned to release for Windows via Steam in the future, following Backyard Baseball '97. Cal Ripken Jr. appears on the game's cover, along with other fictional characters.

References

  1. 1 2 Uppendahl, John; Salvadore, Mike (September 9, 1997). "Humongous Entertainment Creates a League of its Own: The World's First CD-ROM Baseball Game Designed for and Starring Kids! Backyard Baseball Slides Into Stores at World Series Time, Making Baseball a Year-Round Sport" (Press release). Woodinville, WA: Humongous Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 25, 1998. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Junior Sports". Humongous Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 10, 1998. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Silberling, Amanda (September 25, 2024). "Backyard Baseball '97 is back, with a re-release coming soon on Steam". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kram, Zach (October 10, 2017). "How 'Backyard Baseball' Became a Cult Classic". The Ringer. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  5. ↑ Delayo, Mike (May 10, 2019). "The Inclusive Legacy of Backyard Baseball". The Hardball Times. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ Garrity, Tanner (November 22, 2022). "Remembering the Most Inclusive Video Game Ever, 25 Years Later". InsideHook. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Backyard Baseball" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 167. June 1998. p. 241. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  8. ↑ "The First-Ever CD-ROM Sports Games Designed for Kids, Debuts at E3" (Press release). Humongous Entertainment. June 10, 1997. Archived from the original on March 8, 2000. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Humongous Entertainment® Brings Major League Baseball Superstars Down to Size With Backyard Baseball 2001™" (Press release). Bothell, WA: Humongous Entertainment. June 6, 2000. Archived from the original on November 20, 2000. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  10. ↑ "HE Announces License Deals". web.archive.org. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  11. ↑ Romano, Sal (September 25, 2024). "Backyard Baseball '97 announced for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Backyard Baseball '97 Verified for Steam Deck". Steam Community . October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Delaney, Mark. "Backyard Baseball '97 Review - Hit Parade". GameSpot. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Backyard Baseball". macHOME. Archived from the original on June 8, 2000.
  15. ↑ Dierberger, Tom (October 9, 2024). "Backyard Baseball '97 Review: One Nostalgic Season With the Melonheads". SI. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  16. ↑ Mintz, Jake (August 22, 2024). "Why the return of Backyard Baseball means so much to ball fans of a certain age". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

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