Backyard Basketball 2007

Back before NBA 2K ruled the court (and a few years before NBA Live made a splash), the family-friendly arcade gameplay of NBA Jam made it the number-one basketball game. Jam-packed with cool dunks and superhuman thrills, NBA Jam was a sports game that hooked players of all ages – not just the kiddie crowd.

In recent years the essence of Midway’s beloved series has been carried on through NBA Ballers. At the same time EA’s NBA Street series led the way for a new era of arcade-infused sports games. While mostly suitable for all ages, neither of these games are targeted at children. In fact, the majority of their fans are the people who grew up with NBA Jam.

That leaves a nice gap for any aspiring developer who’d like to make the next NBA Jam for kids – or something close to it. Backyard Basketball, Atari’s alternative sports franchise, has been vying for that title. Could this be the year the game scores nothing but net?

Like the simulation basketball games, Backyard Basketball 2007 features real players. The list includes cover athlete Paul Pierce, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, and Elton Brand. Of course, this being the “backyard” series, you don’t control these players in their current NBA all-star form. You control them, along with the rest of the players – fictitious or otherwise – as kids.

Those who are not intrigued by the concept should leave now. The idea of playing as pros-gone-pint-sized is not for everyone. But if you’re a kid, enjoy simple sports games, and/or would like a little fire and ice with your game of b-ball, then stay with me as I take you through this fantasy world.

Fantasy courts aplenty.

Up Your Powers

Power-ups are a crucial part of Backyard Basketball 2007. Power-up juice is earned with every successful basket. Once the juice meter is full, one of four potential power-ups will be unlocked. To execute, hold L1 and press any of the buttons shown on screen (X, square, triangle, or circle).

Unleash the power of ice to freeze your opponents every time they reach for the ball. Their legs are surrounded by a block of ice that prevents them from moving, causing them to drop the ball. Ignite the fuming element of fire and score baskets with greater accuracy. Tap into the power of aliens* and use their green energy to jump high into air. You’ll be lifted above the net, and have the ability to stop a weary ball from giving your opponents another point.

(*Alien sighting unconfirmed. The green energy is an unknown power source. But this is a game where Shaq and LeBron are kids. I figure if that can happen, it’s very possible that aliens have come to give us a jumping boost. Unfortunately, while this does prove that little green men have game, it does not dispel the persistent rumor that white men can’t jump.)

In addition to being exciting – and particularly unique for a basketball game – the power-ups are also an integral part of every great strategic play. Where else can you cause your opponents to foul their throws just by turning the ball into a block of cement? The ball magically goes back to normal as soon as it’s returned to your team. If an opponent should grab it within the coming seconds, the power-up will still be active, and his or her throw will be messed up a second time.

Which brings me to another interesting point: Backyard Basketball 2007 includes both male and female players. The female players aren’t licensed from the WNBA. But it’s still cool to see little girls and little boys go up against each other, and even cooler to see them face off against the “little” pros.

Could I interest you in another fantasy court?

Lord of the Shot Ring

Backyard Basketball 2007’s gameplay is very straightforward. Shots and dunks are executed with the same button (triangle). Move performance is based on the location of the shooting player – any shot close to the net is a dunk; all others constitute a common throw.

While shot mechanisms are generally reserved for simulation sports games, Backyard Basketball 2007 has a function called the Shot Ring. When turned on, the Shot Ring is used (theoretically) to help the player land a basket. When turned off, shots are aimed automatically.

Though it sounds like a good idea, there isn’t much of a difference between playing the game with or without the Shot Ring. The Shot Ring is supposed to work like this: when you press and hold the triangle button, a yellow ring appears over the net. The ring rises and falls. Higher rings are good for far away shots; lower rings are good for close shots. Time and release carefully and you’ll score every time.

But it does not matter how accurately the ring lines up with the net. With the Ring turned on I scored 9 out of every 10 shots; with it turned off, about 7 or 8 out of every 10. Yes, the former does sound like the better way to go. But the Ring is a nuisance and a distraction. I can only assume that my point totals went up with the Ring because (A) I became more experienced or (B) I paid more attention to what I was doing. Either way, scoring isn’t that much of a challenge.

 
Might one more intrigue you?

That right there is where this game loses its grip on the ball. It’s fun but shallow. You’ll be entertained but not for more than 20 minutes at a time.

The target market is dead on – Backyard Basketball 2007 is definitely for kids. But there is also something here for adults to enjoy. If the series gains some depth (beyond the power-ups) and challenge in the coming iterations, it might finally come close to matching NBA Jam’s status. But for now, if you’re not a kid, don’t come to this game for anything but brief thrills.

Gameplay: 6.0
Cool dunks, even cooler power-ups, real and fictitious players, and a handful of fantasy courses give Backyard Basketball 2007 a well-rounded collection of goodies. Unlockable bonuses (like big headed players) were no doubt inspired by the basketball leader of the past, NBA Jam.

The only thing that keeps this game from crushing the competition is its immeasurably simple gameplay. Grab the ball – shoot – steal – repeat. It’s not hard to score 10 points above your opponents in single-player game; on many occasions my total was 20 to 30 points higher! There aren’t many dunk options, and shots are limited to a press and release action that’s almost impossible to screw up.

Graphics: 4.0
Conceptually the fantasy courts are cool. But the reality isn’t very pretty, and hasn’t changed much in the past few years. The characters are under-detailed, and the backgrounds and camera work are well below the level of other sports games of this quality.

Sound: 4.0
Repetitive commentary (three or four lines – that’s it), generic music, and annoying sound effects.

Difficulty: Easy
Like taking candy from a…bunch of ants in your backyard.

Concept: 7.0
Cool power-ups and real NBA players give Backyard Basketball 2007 some street cred.

Multiplayer: 6.5
Backyard Basketball 2007’s two-player gameplay offers additional thrills beyond the single-player season mode.

Overall: 6.3
As straightforward as basketball games can get. Backyard Basketball 2007 isn’t the perfect, NBA Jam-crushing masterpiece you may have been hoping for. But kids who want a quick and easy game that’s fun to play, has a nice variety of power-ups, and offers something different from the norm will be amused by what BB07 has to offer.