Backyard Baseball is a series of children's games for the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, iPhone OS, and the PC. It is the original game in the Backyard Sports series. Currently all the games in the series have been developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari. Backyard Baseball 2001 is a great selection for young sports fans. Being the first title to feature child versions of real life players, it relates to kids and appeals to their interest in the sport. The game has plenty of fun and kid-friendly features and is definitely one of the better sports titles for children.
Today Jordan finally released his Backyard Baseball player rankings and .gifs which were both fantastic. But another important thing happened today: I figured out how to get Backyard Baseball on your phone and on the Mac. Instructions are as follows.
For The iPhone:
Step 1: Set the date on your time to anytime before February 15th. (You can switch it back later. You only need to change it to download the game, not to play it.)
Step 2: On your phone, go to the following website. http://gba4iosapp.com/download/
Step 3: Download the GBA4iOS 2.0.1
Backyard Baseball Apk Download
Step 4: Once that is done downloading go to http://m.coolrom.com.au/roms/gba/14408/Backyard_baseball.php on your phone.
Step 5: Download the game. And follow the instructions.
Step 6: Mobile nirvana.
Lightweight Version For The Computer (Mac/PC):
Step 1: Go to OpenEmu.org and download their emulator.
Step 2: Go to http://coolrom.com/roms/gba/14408/Backyard_Baseball.php and download the rom.
Step 3: Open the rom on the emulator.
Step 4: Somewhat disappointing nirvana. This is obviously the game boy version of the game. It’s like seeing a really good cover band of a group you grew up with. It’s fantastic, but it lacks some of the features of the PC/Windows version, which leads us to…
The Whole 9 Yards On The Computer (Mac/PC):
Step 1: Go to http://scummvm.org/downloads/ and download their emulator.
Step 2 (PC): Either torrent a version of the game online (if you are a cheapskate) or buy a disk (because the people that designed this game deserve all the money in the world).
Step 2 (Mac): You’re going to have to buy a disk.
Step 3: Drag the game files onto your desktop.
Step 4: Open the files up on scummvm and pray that it works.
Note: I haven’t tried this method yet. I downloaded scummvm and that works fine, but I didn’t have a disk so I ordered one online. There’s a video here that can show you exactly how to do it. There are people who have gotten it to work that I’ve seen on message boards. Obviously I can’t confirm this method, but it looked legit enough to me to make the 20 dollar investment of buying a new copy of 2003.
Let me know how it went for you and if you have any questions. We are working to get a developer of the original on the podcast at some point so keep your fingers crossed for that.
#MVPablo forever and may your childhood memories be reborn.
<3 The CFBBQ Boys
Humongous Entertainment steps up to the plate with another release in its sports series and hits a home run. With original animation, a delicate mix of Major and Little League rules, and kid versions of Major League Baseball heroes, Backyard Baseball 2001 is an excellent sports title for kids. A lighthearted feeling of a pick-up game combined with simple controls and fun power-ups will draw kids in for the long haul as they bat their way to a world series championship under a real life team name like the Reds or a name all their own.
For kids (and grownups) who know anything about baseball, they can delight in choosing a roster of a baseball greats such as Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, and Ken Griffey Jr. just to name a few. Their sweetly animated kid-versions can be combined with the Backyard Sports series regulars, or users can comprise a team of all superstars. Whatever players are left behind after assembling a team will be placed on the opposing team, which is nice since generic computer opposition is avoided. Mixing up the characters provides the most fun, and creates the best teams since only a few pro pitchers are available. Once a team is chosen, players can designate the batting lineup and their outfield positions. Single games and series games are both options, and many other features can be customized such as choosing if the game should be six or nine innings. Younger players can customize the controls and strike zone as well as play with a tee, while more experienced PC armchair athletes can turn off the pitch locator and select the hard setting for a more challenging game. Hardcore PC sports fans however, may not like this game because of its simplicity.
Regardless of chosen settings, the games play out much like any baseball game minus any poor sportsmanship. Batters can bunt, steal bases, but cannot hit the batter with a pitch. Depending on the sound control settings, players will hear a lot of chatter and off the wall commentary. A few choice phrases such as 'we want a batter, not a broken ladder,' are mostly humorous, but the repetitive chanting could potentially grate the nerves of some adults. In fairness, all the silly incantations are perfectly inline with an adolescent baseball game, and can actually be very funny.
Both the batting and pitching power-ups add to the overall good time most players will already be having. Pitching power-ups are earned with every strike out, and it's not an impossible feat. The fireball is the best pitch to throw, but since it costs the pitcher's entire juice box stamina it should be used wisely. Strategically, the power-ups alter the game only slightly. In other words, you can still win without them; yet certainly add to the fun. In addition to these added 'bonuses,' the game boasts possibly the easiest controls of any Backyard Sport to date. Though it supports a gamepad, a good working mouse will suffice. The large arrow icons pointing the way to navigating the game are also simple for kids to use.
Backyard Baseball 2001 is a great selection for young sports fans. Being the first title to feature child versions of real life players, it relates to kids and appeals to their interest in the sport. The game has plenty of fun and kid-friendly features and is definitely one of the better sports titles for children. It wouldn't be a seventh inning stretch to say most kids will want to play over and over.
People who downloaded Backyard Baseball 2001 have also downloaded:
Backyard Baseball, Backyard Soccer, MVP Baseball 2005, Oregon Trail Deluxe, RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe, Game of Life, Zoo Tycoon 2, Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings