Backyard Baseball 09

SCORE: 91

Backyard Baseball 09 is some good clean fun on the Nintendo DS. This fun little sports video game shows some signs of life within Atari. Atari may be making a Family Friendly Gaming comeback. That certainly is my hope because there have been plenty of classics from the past for the family from Atari. There are kid versions of Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and plenty more. This is a light hearted sports game that does not ever feel like a game from the arcade.

I absolutely love the kid friendly graphics in Backyard Baseball 09. The child versions of different pro players look similar enough, and play like them. The bright colors work well, and fit the theme of this Nintendo DS video game. The most violent Backyard Baseball 09 gets is hitting the baseball. The details are okay, and I would have liked to see some real intensive graphics in this area. Maybe in a sequel.

I had a good time listening to the music in Backyard Baseball 09. The Nintendo DS can certainly crank out some nice sounds, like the crack of the bat. The rest of the special effect sounds are okay, although I would have liked to have some additional ones.

Atari packed Backyard Baseball 09 with an amazing amount of characters, teams, fields, and game play options to make this one of the best Nintendo DS baseball games I have played. This is also the kind of a video game that I want to replay over and over again. If you want a fun baseball game that will not confuse you with thousands of stats, then Backyard Baseball 09 is worth your hard earned income.

Backyard Baseball 09 has the best baseball batting interaction I have ever played. The player uses the stylus on the bottom screen to essentially stroke the swing. The player swings, and the main thing the player needs to do is get the timing just right. Fielding has such an intelligent design that I rarely had to worry about the batter hitting the ball. If you want the fielder to throw to a specific base, just touch that base. The intelligence of the defense is not always good as I got away with going back to a base and not getting thrown out.

Backyard Baseball 09 is just what the video game industry needs. A light hearted baseball game is some neat little fun, especially during the summer months. Hardcore gamers should not dismiss this one based on the cutesy look, because there is some nice depth in it. Concentration, being a good sport, and team work are the main lessons in Backyard Baseball 09 for the Nintendo DS.
- Sam

Graphics: 84%
Sound: 88%
Replay/Extras: 95%
Gameplay: 94%
Family Friendly Factor: 93%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Atari
Rating: 'E' for Everyone

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