Jul 09 2008
Backyard Baseball 2009 on the Wii
I have been a fan of the Backyard sports series since I first played Backyard Soccer on my computer about 8 years ago. Around the same time I started playing the Backyard Baseball version. I have not played the Backyard sports in a while because I have not been much into computer gaming since I got my Gamecube. When I noticed this came out as a Wii game I figured I might as well try it out.
Now I am not into team sports video games usually, but there is something about the simplicity of the Backyard ones that make me like them. The Backyard Baseball for the Wii is not as simple as playing a computer version, but it is not as complex as the MLB games on systems like the PS2 that just plain confuse me with all the buttons. I do not know if this is unique to the Wii version because the Wii does not have many buttons or is really a Backyard Baseball thing, but I like it this way.
I did enjoy playing the Backyard Baseball game on the Wii for a few other reasons such as the commentary, but in the end it was also a little bit of a disappointment. For one there is not that many Major League players and many of them start out locked and you have to unlock them somehow. Also, the Home Run Derby can be a fun multiplayer mode, but it stinks that if you are doing single player you have to end up controlling both contestants instead of there being a computer contestant (or did I miss something that allows this in the several page set up?). Lastly it does not really taken advantage of the Wii’s unique motion controls. You just flick to pitch and bat and while pitting can feel kind of realistic the batting does not feel realistic at all because you just flick.
Overall I found it worth trying and a good baseball game for kids, but probably not a game worth owning. Also, if you are into having decent graphics this game certainly falls below average for a Wii game.
