Common Sense Note
This Backyard Sports game doesn't have as much educational value as the other team-based Backyard games because there is no managerial aspect during which players apply logical thinking to come up with just the right combination of kids to field a winning team. But it's a very fun way to skateboard and never get hurt.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Backyard Skateboarding, the newest release in the popular Backyard Sports series from Humongous/Atari, expands that series' traditional coverage of team sports into individual sports.
Players choose one backyard kid to represent them as they explore four neighborhoods on a skateboard. One of the "backyard kids" is even the kid-version of skateboarding professional Andy MacDonald.
The goal of the game is to go on tour, perform a variety of tricks to earn gear and endorsements, and ultimately win a new skatepark to explore.
Going on tour means the player must complete "challenges" in three different neighborhoods. For example, in one challenge, the player helps another child shoo away seagulls on the railings of a ferryboat by jumping up on the railings to "grind" his skateboard. Within each neighborhood, the challenges are progressive and serve as a set of tutorials that teach the player how to do tricks on a skateboard. Finish six challenges, and the next neighborhood becomes available.
In Backyard Skateboarding, the neighborhoods are filled with inviting slopes, great rails to grind, and ramps begging to send skateboards soaring. Kid-testers loved finding crazy power-ups, unlocking extra moves, and listening to the funny commentary.
Backyard Skateboarding is all about hand-eye coordination -- kids hit a sequence of keys at appropriate times to make a skateboarder do tricks. This Backyard Sports game doesn't have as much educational value as the other team-based Backyard games because there is no managerial aspect during which players apply logical thinking to come up with just the right combination of kids to field a winning team. But it is a very fun way to skateboard and never get hurt.
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