It was only a question of time before Backyard Baseball, the first entry in Backyard Sports' wildly popular series, made its way to Steam. The re-release titled Backyard Baseball '97 will launch on Steam on October 10, making it available for digital purchases for the first time.
Backyard Sports was a cultural institution of the late millennial era. It is not as popular today as Spongebob or Pokemon, but it was a huge deal at the time and still fondly remembered. It offered arcadey, accessible videogames that reflected various team sports. Backyard Baseball is what Mario Kart is for Gran Turismo.
The games also benefited from having a memorable cast across the series. The kids had strengths and weaknesses that were consistent with their character across the games. Secret Base recently released a video that explored Pablo Sanchez's dominance across the series. Far from being Mario-style jack-of-all-trades, the tiny powerhouse was a master in all sports.
Backyard Sports is a series that is primarily PC-centric. Backyard Sports' core is the early PC games by Humongous Entertainment. There are a number of lesser sequels that were published and owned by different companies in the 2010s. Backyard Baseball for PC was a real kid's game in 1997. Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush on the Xbox 360 was a game that was played by out-of touch uncles at Christmas.
Backyard Baseball '97 has some quirks that make me a little concerned. Mega Cat Studios has stated that they don't have access to the source code of the original game, which means that they can't add features like Steam Deck or macOS support. Even if the port is barebones and convenient, it's still worth it. But it will have to be priced accordingly. Backyard Baseball '97 will be released on Steam on October 10. You can add it to your wishlist now.
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