Tour with the backyard gang wherever you go.

Backyard basketball continues its legacy with the newest release of Backyard basketball for the DS. First available on the PS2 and PC and PC download if you want to include it was first released on March of 07. The release of the DS version marks the second Backyard basketball game to be released on a handheld console; the first one was released for the GBA. As with the other games backyard basketball continues its legacy with being the only game to feature real pro’s as kids for kids.

Just like other basketball games for adults the game follows all the specific rules of basketball except for power ups which is only available on the Backyard series. The game also features different stadiums which are located in backyards or city streets; Similar to that of NBA Street excluding the mindless violence. The game also has a handful of basketball players which you can use to form your team; you can also create up to 7 players from your imagination. I’m sure if there is a website where it will tell you how to create a certain player like Kobe Bryant or other NBA Stars.

You can play the game with either the controls or just using your stylus to touch the screen. If you like to use your stylus then the game would be a lot easier for you because you won’t have to deal with selecting the wrong player or real sluggish control response. The only thing that can really help you if you use the regular controls are the Power ups but on the other hand they can be really annoying because once you get a certain power up it is an automatic basket. Instead of helping you score the points it does it automatically for you. Unless you like that form of cheating then it is OK to use it but if you don’t like power ups you can always turn it off. Fatigue can really ruin the fun for everyone because the players get tired really fast which can affect their performance. This offers some challenge to the game because your characters won’t always keep making 3 pointer shots which depending on the player can make a really huge difference.

The game is really sluggish when talking about performance. This could either be because of the fatigue or maybe because 6 kids take up about half the court. Yes even though they are kids they can sometimes block your view and keep you from seeing what your chosen character is doing. Also the characters don’t handle turns that well so that also presents a problem when trying to move from one place to the other. One bug that I guess you could use as a benefit is cornering someone because they will not pass the ball and the time will run out which at the end your team will end up with the ball.

Like stated before, the game follows all the rules of the NBA including in season mode. You must play and win certain games in order to move on to the finals. Each and every element plays against you even fouls. You can perform up to 5 fouls each quarter before the opposing team gets 2 free shots. Your Fouls will not clear up until the next quarter which means every foul after 5 will cost you 2 penalty shots. This is not the same case with fatigue, your fatigue meter will not refill until half time.

While there is still no music in the background the sound quality is amazing on the DS. It is really clear, clean and sharp from beginning to whenever you stop playing the game. Unlike other DS games that I’ve played so far the sound either looses clarity when turned all the way up or is really hard to hear when all the volume is all the way up.

While the environment is clearly dead because there’s no activity going on in the background the graphics are really good. There are a total of 8 levels with 2 extra levels to unlock all from the PS2 version of Backyard Basketball for the PS2. While the environment and levels are really well rendered the characters are a bit blurry. When selecting a character their faces will look like if they are attached to their body and what I mean by that is that it seems like if they have no chin or neck. And if you are still asking yes Shaq still looks like if he was cocked eye. If he was like that in real life you wouldn’t know if he was talking to you or to the guy next to you. No disrespect to Shaq he is a great player too bad that he left the Lakers.

The game features a few extra courts and players to unlock if you play the game completely from beginning to end, however the game itself is nothing really huge to go back to and play. If you have a friend that loves backyard basket ball you can both get it for the DS. Or if you have kids that love the game you can get each one a copy because the game features a multiplayer mode where 2 players can go head to head in game mode. Other than that unless you really love the game there is no reason to go back and play it all over again.

Closing Comments:

Backyard Sports is a real fun game for kids and if you’re an adult that loves these types of games, then you can use your kids as an excuse and buy the game. However it does get frustrating after a short while with tight controls and lack of tricks. The Slam Dunks look really lame and they keep repeating over and over again. No Wi-Fi is also another factor that they should really look into now that most games are getting Wi-Fi. If you have a kid that loves basketball this game is not bad, if you’re an adult that loves basketball then keep on looking or just get your PSP out of the sock drawer and clean the dust off because this game will not fill the void that you want.

Game Play: Nothing changed from the PS2 version, Fun for kids not for adults. 7/10

 Controls: Great Stylus controls, not great for the people who don’t like to use the stylus. 6/10

Graphics: Sharp and clean graphics except for the players that look like if they have no chin. 7/10

Sound: Still no background music but the sound quality is amazing. 8/10

Life Span: Multiplayer and Season will only entertain you for so long. 4/10

Total Score: 64% = D