Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Skateboard with pro Andy MacDonald as a kid!
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
BACKYARD SKATEBOARDING from Humongous/Atari's Backyard Sports 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 is the kid-version of skateboarding professional Andy MacDonald. The goal is to go on tour, perform a variety of tricks to earn gear and endorsements, and ultimately win a new skate park to explore. Going on tour means the player must complete \"challenges\" in three different neighborhoods, such as helping another child shoo away seagulls on the railings of a ferryboat by jumping up on the railings to \"grind\" the skateboard.
Is It Any Good?
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.
The game 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, which requires players to apply logical thinking to come up with the right combination of kids to field a winning team. But it is a very fun way to skateboard and never get hurt.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about playing virtual sports versus doing them in real life. Are you more adventurous when the action is simulated? Are simulated stunts as satisfying to master as real ones?
Game Details
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