Jump to content

Draft:Backyard Football (1999 video game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: Two things: firstly, the gameplay section is not too well sourced - the one citation coming from a media release which isn't cited correctly; you may wish to fix that and complement that section's sources with secondary material. Secondly, notability for video game articles usually hinges on multiple reviews - here there is only one. Best practice is three multiple reliable reviews from WP:VG/S-type sources. Check Metacritic or Mobygames as a first step. VRXCES (talk) 09:03, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

Backyard Football
Developer(s)Humongous Entertainment (original)
Mega Cat Studios (remaster)
Publisher(s)Humongous Entertainment (original)
Playground Productions (remaster)
SeriesBackyard Football
Backyard Sports
EngineSCUMM
Platform(s)Windows, Classic Mac OS
ReleaseOriginal (Windows, Classic Mac OS)
  • NA: October 28, 1999
[1]
'99 remaster (Windows)
  • WW: TBA
Genre(s)Sports video game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Backyard Football is a football video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. It is the third installment of the Backyard Sports franchise, the first installment of the Backyard Football series, and the first Backyard Sports title to include Major League teams and real-life sports players, which would become a tradition for almost every other Backyard Sports game to follow. Backyard Football was released for Windows and Mac on October 28, 1999.[1] The game was followed up by various sequels as well as an upcoming remastered version on Steam.[2]

Gameplay

[edit]

Backyard Football contains three game modes: Single Game, Season Play, and Online Play. When playing a single game, the player can select one of five playable football fields, adjust the game's weather conditions, and play against either the AI or another player, with the first player controlling with the mouse and the second player controlling with the keyboard. Backyard Football includes several features new to the franchise, including eight real-life football players as playable characters, 31 NFL teams, and the ability to create a character to play in a game. While playing a football game, players can select any plays against the opposing team or create their own. Players can also play single games against other players around the world in Online Play.[1]

Season Play allows for the player to play a 14-game season. If the player's team wins enough games, they get the chance to compete in the 3-game Super Colossal Cereal Bowl event. In between games, players can practice playing Football with the Dummies, a robot team led by Mr. Clanky, the Backyard Sports league's referee.

Development

[edit]

At the 1999 E3 event, Humongous Entertainment announced license deals with the National Football League, as well as Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer and revealed that Backyard Football, the then-upcoming third installment in the Backyard Sports franchise, would be the first to include child versions of professional sports players as playable characters.[3] To promote the game, Humongous Entertainment launched a marketing program based on the game, which included a commercial starring NFL player Jerry Rice.[4]

Legacy

[edit]

Backyard Football's NFL license led to further Backyard Sports games to include sports licenses.[3][5] Backyard Football also spawned a series of sequels, starting with Backyard Football 2002.[6]

Remaster

[edit]

In 2024, it was announced that Backyard Football would be remastered on Steam by Mega Cat Studios and Playground Productions as part of a plan to reboot the Backyard Sports franchise.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Backyard Football has received positive reviews from critics. John Lee of MacHome rated the game 4 out of 5 stars, praising the gameplay and inclusion of NFL players, but he expressed disappointment at the fact that only eight professional football players were included in the game.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "For more information, please contact". Archived from the original on 19 June 2000. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  2. ^ Schomer, Matthew (2024-10-10). "Even More Backyard Sports Games Are Getting Remasters". Game Rant. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  3. ^ a b "HE Announces License Deals". Archived from the original on 10 June 2000. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  4. ^ "BYF TV Commercial". Archived from the original on 18 June 2000. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  5. ^ Kram, Zach (2017-10-10). "How 'Backyard Baseball' Became a Cult Classic". The Ringer. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  6. ^ "Backyard Football 2002™ (PC/MAC CD-ROM)". 2002-12-05. Archived from the original on 2002-12-05. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  7. ^ Moore, Logan (2024-10-10). "Backyard Football, Basketball, and Soccer Remasters "Coming Soon" to PC". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  8. ^ "MacHome Product Review- Backyard Football". 2000-10-12. Archived from the original on 2000-10-12. Retrieved 2024-10-27.