Megacat Studios and Playground Productions have ported Backyard Baseball ’97 to PS5 and Switch through reverse engineering as they didn’t have the original source code. While the passion to bring this 28-year-old game to modern platforms is impressive and pretty darn cool, I must beg the question – who asked for this?
The Backyard Sports series saw the release of numerous titles over an extended period, seeing games on many platforms. My limited experience with this series comes mostly from the GBA games which extended beyond baseball. Although it was something I never really got into, I can see how young players could enjoy this kiddie, wholesome approach to sports.
Visually, the retro cartoon visuals, complete with video compression, hits that nostalgia itch square in the face. There is something about this late 90s visual style that brings me home, like a cup of Mom’s hot soup on a cold day. On top of that, the Backyard series is outfitted with a roster of characters from all backgrounds so there is plenty of personality and charm. They also never shut up during gameplay, constantly complaining about how badly they want a batter and not a broken ladder. Thankfully, there is an option to make the kids close their mouths.
Unfortunately, playing Backyard Baseball ’97 is an aggravating chore, especially on console. The thing is, this original PC release is played entirely with mouse control which has now been mapped to the analog stick. While this form of control works for batting and pitching as you just need to click an area in the strike zone (there is no option to bean the kid in the wheelchair, for example), it makes fielding and baserunning unplayable. You simply cannot move the mouse pointer with the speed an accuracy that is required to make quality plays.
Making matters worse, the AI has the intelligence of a first-time little leaguer. Often, fielders will drop pop flies even when positioned under the ball’s shadow. They will throw the ball to the wrong base. They get confused if the ball lands right between in the infield and outfield. They might even miss the ball completely and walk slowly to its resting point. Running bases is just as impossible as you need to click the base to move forward or retreat during a pop-up. Batting is also frustrating since the ball is lobbed toward the batter but then speeds up at the end, resulting in plenty of strikes. I also was never able to hit the ball beyond the infield. It is a hilarious disaster of errors that would have been must more excusable in 1997 but has no place in 2025. The main menu hub screen also is an over-engineered confusing mess.
Porting Backyard Baseball ’97 to consoles in 2025 is highly admirable as a concept and personally I am glad that it exists. But like that little league participation trophy you got when you played left field in third grade, it is better left in the corner of your closet as a fond memory than being disappointed by revisiting something in modern day that you thought was kind of cool when you were a youngster.
Not As Good As: not playing this to keep a positive memory of playing the original in 1997
Better Than: trying to load the original game off a CD on your Compaq Presario
Wait For It: ports of Backyard Hockey and Backyard Football (or new, modern versions)
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR SCORE - 3
3
SCORE
While appreciated that a dedicated team took the time to reverse engineer a kid’s sports game from 1997 to publish it on modern platforms, the point-and-click interface and error-filled AI is much better left as a positive memory than revisiting it today.
Editor in Chief - been writing for mygamer,com for 20+ years. Gaming enthusiast. Hater of pants. Publisher of obscure gaming content on my YT channel.
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