#SCUMMVM BACKYARD SOCCER SERIES#

My only gripe other than the controls is the lack of real players. He and his companion Sunny Day provide some nice play-by-play and color work, which includes instant replays of the goals and fouls on the scoreboard and comments before and after the matches. One of the commentators who calls the action is a boy named Earl Grey, and his British accent is very funny parents will probably get more of a kick out of him than kids will.

The fields are all set in vacant lots or old warehouses and the scoreboard looks like it was put together by some kids in fact, I could see some kids playing this game and then becoming inspired to set up their own soccer league. While the movement between some of the screens isn't always intuitive, the graohics design is really nice and the sounds are wonderful. The look and sound of the game is top-notch as well.

What parent wouldn't want their kids to learn that lesson? There's even a boy in a wheelchair who plays really well the message here is one in favor of diversity and the idea that anyone can play sports no matter what their background is. All of them are rated in different areas, and there's a great mix of ethnic backgrounds and boys and girls. The premise is that you get to set up your own soccer team which you can stock with kids chosen from a group of 30. This is a shame because I would have rated this game very highly otherwise. Some kids will be dissapointed to learn that they can't play against their friends or siblings there isn't even an option for internet play, which has become a standard for sports games. In fact, not using the mouse at all as a controls option would have allowed more than one player to compete at a time. Even the keyboard would be a better choice than the mouse, which is ill-suited for action and sports games. Given the simplicity of gameplay, which consists mostly of passing the ball, shooting it, and trying to steal it from other players, support for a two-button joystick should be present. While using a mouse makes perfect sense in graphic adventure games such as the Putt-Putt ones, it makes no sense to use one in Backyard Soccer. When it comes to their Backyard Sports series, though, I think they missed the boat in one really crucial area: game controls.

#SCUMMVM BACKYARD SOCCER SERIES#

Parents who don't want their youngsters playing Doom or Duke Nukem can instead purchase the Freddi Fish or Pajama Sam series these are games which are adventures that teach kids all about problem-solving, a skill that's more important for them than blowing up zombies. When it comes to great games for kids, I really think Humongous Entertainment has carved themselves a nice niche.

Scummvm backyard soccer