Nintendo Okie

Howdy:

• Awesome Announcers
• Playing Fields and Power Ups
• Story Mode

See Ya’:

• Can I get a double? Maybe a double play?
• Testy Controls
• Position change means Lineup change

Atari’s backyard sports newest baseball installment on the Wii, Sandlot Sluggers, is an interesting and challenging baseball game to say the least. Aimed at younger gamers, Sandlot Sluggers takes you into the world of little league once again to test your diamond skills against the best kid players from around the city.

Unlike many of the other Backyard Sports games you may find, Sandlot Sluggers does not use any well known professional athletes as its main characters. In fact, during the story mode of this game you play as the “New Kid,” recently moved to the neighborhood, and looking to take back baseball from the local bullies. You and your team of friends try and take down the bully’s reign by teaming up with other great kid players from around the city. As you visit and defeat these other captain’s teams, you acquire the new captain’s and their abilities as part of your own team until you finally defeat the bullies.

The game features a variety of game modes including the story mode mentioned above. There is also a season mode, exhibition mode, mini-game mode, and a tournament playoff mode where you play as one of eight teams in a single elimination playoff tournament. Before you start there is also an instructional mode that teaches you the basic skills to hone your game before you try to jump in, like I did. This is probably a good feature to check out, because it did take me a while to get used to the controller and its capabilities. The game is four-player compatible and can be played with just the Wii remote or the Wii remote and nunchuck. The game also utilizes Wii motion plus, but the extent that it was used didn’t seem to make a big difference without it.

As far as pure baseball goes, the game is relatively straight forward. There are nine players on a team, and the positions that they play determine their batting order as well, similar to Wii Sports baseball. The game is a mix of real baseball and little league, whereas the field is small, but you are able to lead off and steal before the pitch is thrown. A normal game will last 5 innings, and there is a mercy rule that will stop the game if one team is ahead by ten or more at the end of an inning. Statistics for each player are kept throughout the season or the story, even the games where the players are not on the user’s team. As far as a family friendly baseball game goes, this game could be a really fun experience for many.

There are a few things that hardcore baseball fans wouldn’t enjoy. One is the limited ability to hit anything but a single or a home run. The size of each field on the game is about the same, and although it is relatively easy to hit the ball (because 99% of every pitch thrown is a strike), the batter will rarely reach second base even on a hit to the outfield wall. The ability to use power ups allows for more extra base hits, and these creative power ups will make the game more fun and competitive among younger players and families (the ice ball and flaming bat are my favorites). Another is the limited ability of defensive plays or strategy. Turning a double play in the middle is impossible, and throwing to anywhere but second is out of the question if the ball goes to centerfield, so you aren’t going to throw out a runner trying to go home on a base hit to the outfield. My biggest concern with the game play is trying to control base runners. There are quite a few games I’ve played that haven’t gotten this right either, and the problem is the inability to return your runners to the previous base after they are in motion. The runners can return, but the combination of D-pad, B, and flicking the Wii remote just isn’t that easy in a live scenario with multiple runners. Using the 2 button will return them all at the same time, but I’ve never wanted to return them all at once.

Even with these flaws, the game is pretty fun, and a little addicting, like many sports games are. Earning new and better players is always fun, as this allows you to build a stronger faster lineup before you take on more teams. As you progress and better both your fielding and hitting skills, you will also notice how much more fun the game can be. With the mercy rule in effect, you can even finish games in one inning if your skills are at their best.

Conclusion

Don’t turn this game away quickly, as I thought I should at first. Backyard Sports has proven to be a very sustainable sports franchise even while giants like EA and others seem to control the market. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, family friendly, little league action baseball game, this game is right up your alley. But be sure to pay attention to the loading screens, as Atari gives some sound advice to youngsters to get outside and play America’s pastime as it’s meant to be played…outside.

Final Score: 3/5 Average