Touchdown!
Here comes another entry in the Backyard Sports series of games for junior fans and like its brothers such as Backyard Baseball and Backyard Soccer, this is quite a fun little game. It lacks the complexity and depth of classics like John Madden, but given its target audience this is quite understandable and if you're just looking for an uncomplicated way to throw around the pigskin on a dodgy day, this makes for a good bet. This one offers up a nice little range of options for younger fans, and you start out by picking out your teams, just like in the playground, before selecting things like jerseys and which field to play on. The players here include the likes of real world NFL stars but in a slightly different way than you would expect, while the fields include different weather types like snow and rain to add to the challenge. The main game itself is very accessible, with all the usual options but which are presented in a fashion which is easy for young gamers to understand, and which emphasizes the entertainment factor over levels of detail and statistics. As far as simple sports sims go, this series has to be the best out there and this entry does a great job of continuing the high standards laid down by its predecessors. The visuals are bright and vibrant, while the sense of humor which permeates everything is infectious, and you can't help but smile as you play. The controls are easy to pick up, so you can concentrate on just having a good time and the game actually plays a great game of football, so if you've got younger sports lovers in the house, grab this.
