The Backyard Sports series is an iconic batch of sports games that blessed my childhood with a fun spin on sports that I grew up watching and learning.
Today, I’m here to talk about the power-ups! The extra element that reflects on just how fun and goofy the games were. I went back to all the games I could find to analyze and rank each power-up because, hey, why not?
DISCLAIMERS: I’m sorry that Backyard Hockey power-ups couldn’t make the list. I couldn’t find it. If there is a power-up I’m forgetting, or if I get my hands on Backyard Hockey, I will update the list accordingly.
I’m not adding Backyard Skateboarding, either. I refuse.
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35: Super Punt
Game: Backyard Football
Description: It’s like a punt ... but super. Yeah, this one is stupid.
Originality: 1
Cool Factor: 0
Effectiveness: 2
Total: 3
Why it's ranked where it is: This is easily the weakest and wackest of all of the power-ups. First of all, this is a power-up for a punt? WHO THE HELL PUNTS IN BACKYARD FOOTBALL?! It's not even an effective move if you already have a good kicker. Also, the quarters are only one minute, so what even is the point? I would have substituted super punt for something that involves super kicking so that it could have been used for field goals.
34: Spitball
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: A ball that makes a weird spitting noise before reaching the plate. Doesn't really affect the batter.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 4
Total: 12
Why it's ranked where it is: This power-up was probably cooler when it was used in real life by early baseball players, when early baseball gloves looked like the Hamburger Helper mascot and all of these unbreakable records were created because the game was trash. You can’t convince me 1920s baseball was exciting. It was the 1920s ... your grandparents are exaggerating.
33: Slo-mo
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: A ball that gets really really slow as it approaches the plate.
Originality: 6
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 4
Total: 14
Why it's ranked where it is: The power-up gives itself away by making a sound. This makes this a much easier power-up to deal with. Also, the ball goes even slower, which gives the hitter more time to time the swing and crush the ball.
32: Zig-Zag
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: It literally zig-zags back and forth.
Originality: 6
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 5
Total: 15
Why it's ranked where it is: This pitch is easy to time but hard to locate where the ball is going. The effectiveness of this pitch really depends on if you’re using the swing spot/pitch locator or not.
31: Fire Ball
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: An absolute heater that catches you off guard.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 16
Why it's ranked where it is: It’s extremely effective. The only thing that alerts you is the firecracker-style sounds and by then it may be too late. You have little time to react to the ball. With that being said, it’s not as crazy or as out there as some of the other power-ups we see on the list. This one also doesn’t seem to show up as much as other power-ups.
30: Flyswatter
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: This power-up allows you to swat the hell out of any shot or swat the ball from an opponent. It's like having the hall of fame pickpocket and rim protector badges on NBA 2K.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor:4.25
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 16.25
Why it's ranked where it is: You’re going to see a recurring theme with most of the Backyard Basketball power-ups. Try to guess what it is.
29: Frostbite
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: Makes it way harder for the opponent to make a shot.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 8.5
Total: 16.5
Why it's ranked where it is: Have you guessed the theme yet?
This power-up is effective, but you can still make shots, so that part is a little bit underwhelming.
28: Butter Fingers
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: The other team has trouble holding on to the ball.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 9
Total: 17
Why it's ranked where it is: How about now?
27: Slo Mo
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: You suck at this game if you can't score during this power-up.
Originality: 3
Cool Factor: 4.25
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 17.25
Why it's ranked where it is: You recognizing the theme now?
This power-up, while effective, can easily be countered. Especially if you have a long-range shooter like my boy Dmitri Petrovich.
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26: Crazy Bunt
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: A bunt that can’t be fielded until it hits a surface.
Originality: 7.5
Cool Factor: 4
Effectiveness: 6
Total: 17.5
Why it's ranked where it is: This bunt was damn near impossible to field. The ball skirts and darts around until it hits a wall or something. This power-up was best used in conjunction with someone with speed.
25: More Juice/110 percent juice
Game: Backyard Baseball/Basketball
Description: Replenishes the energy/stamina of either one member of the team or the entire team.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 3.75
Effectiveness: 10
Total 17.75
Why it's ranked where it is: The essential refreshment for Backyard Sports kids everywhere. This power-up was never flashy, but it was essential when a player or team was in need of a stamina boost. All of the pitching power-ups on this list use a heavy amount of juice/stamina, so this is a good counter to the energy trade-off.
TIE-23: Super Speed
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: Do I need to explain this one? Your team runs faster.
Originality: 3
Cool Factor: 7
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 18
Why it's ranked where it is: In closing, most of these Backyard Basketball power-ups are very effective, but not creative. I’m not saying that I could think of better ones, but this list is full of creativity and originality and most of the basketball ones fall short on that scale.
TIE-23: Cannon
Game: Backyard Soccer
Description: The ball launches off the person's foot, making this a hard shot to stop for the goalie.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 8
Effectiveness: 6
Total: 18
Why it's ranked where it is: The Backyard Soccer power-ups are dope. With that being said, the effectiveness of this power-up depends on who shoots it. There is a huge difference between the inaccurate foot of Pete Wheeler and Lisa Crocket.
Cannon is excellent for free kicks and long distance shots; however, the goalkeeper still has a chance of saving the ball if you don’t aim well enough.
22: Cough Drop
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Game: Backyard Football
Description: This power-up causes an automatic fumble on the first hit.
Originality: 6
Cool Factor: 6
Effectiveness: 6.25
Total: 18.25
Why it's ranked where it is: The moment you hit an opponent who has the ball, they lose it. This is a double-edged sword because this doesn’t guarantee a turnover. Also if you don’t tackle them at all, you lose the power-up and give up a touchdown ... soooooooo.
21: Crazy Ball
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: It's a pitch that starts laughing and stuff as it heads over to the plate. It's not usually a threat. It just throws off your timing a little bit, you'll be fine.
Originality: 8
Cool Factor: 4.5
Effectiveness: 6
Total: 18.5
Why it's ranked where it is: This power-up depended on how loud the game was on your headphones. If you’re playing the game on mute, you might not even notice.
20: Elevator
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: This pitch stays low to the ground before it crosses the plate.
Originality: 6.5
Cool Factor: 6.5
Effectiveness: 5.75
Total: 18.75
Why it's ranked where it is: Easy to time, but hard to figure out where the ball will end up.
19: Undergrounder
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: Similar to the undergrounder in soccer, the ball goes below ground and pops up somewhere else on the field
Originality: 6
Cool Factor: 6
Effectiveness: 7
Total: 19
Why it's ranked where it is: It's a common power-up and when you had players with speed using this, (Pete Wheeler, Ichiro) this was an automatic home run. The Backyard Baseball fields had different dimensions, so an undergrounder would be far more effective on a place with sand or an open left field.
18: Magnet
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: You have an increased chance of intercepting your opponent's pass.
Originality: 5
Cool Factor: 6.25
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 19.25
Why it's ranked where it is: Effective and simple. Magnet isn’t going to turn heads.
17: Corkscrew
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: It's like a sideways tornado that makes its way to the plate. It attempts to make you dizzy in the process.
Originality: 8
Cool Factor: 5.5
Effectiveness: 6
Total: 19.5
Why it's ranked where it is: Much harder to track than zig-zag. Especially when the swing spot is big. It’s a tough pitch to hit, as you can see by me struggling to hit it in the GIF.
... IT LOOKED LIKE A STRIKE, OK?!
16: Screaming Line Drive
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: This is a line drive that screams, depending on who hits the ball. It's an automatic hit, but it can be a little bit underwhelming depending on how powerful the hitter is.
Originality: 4
Cool Factor: 6
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 20
Why it's ranked where it is: While it looks cool, compared to some of the other power-ups in the game, it’s pretty underwhelming. It’s a line drive that yells and goes a little bit faster.
15: SONIC BOOM
Game: Backyard Football
Description: The opposing team falls to the floor. Depending on how fast the running back is, you can either go for a big gain or go to the house!
Originality: 7
Cool Factor: 6.25
Effectiveness: 7
Total: 20.25
Why it's ranked where it is: While sonic boom was very efficient, this was not an automatic touchdown. There are some more effective power-ups on this list, but this one is pretty solid.
14: Chameleon
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Game: Backyard Football
Description: When on defense, this power-up allows you to assume the uniform colors for the other team.
Originality: 6.5
Cool Factor: 8
Effectiveness: 6
Total: 20.5
Why it's ranked where it is: This power-up is hard to work around if it's used against you and if you use a mouse. If you use the keyboard, it'll go over easier. This is a fun, chaotic power-up that will fool you if the computer gets its hands on it.
13: Hot hand
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: Similar to fire mode in NBA Jam, but it applies to the whole team instead of just one person. This makes you be able to hit from damn near anywhere on the court.
Originality:4
Cool Factor: 8
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 22
Why it's ranked where it is: It’s similar to on modes in other games. That is why there is a low originality score. Still cool tho.
12: Big Freeze
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: A pitch that freezes when it's just about to cross the plate.
Originality: 8
Cool Factor: 6
Effectiveness: 9
Total: 23
Why it's ranked where it is: The thing about this pitching power-up that distinguishes itself from the other ones is that there is no giveaway. At the last possible second, this power-up freezes and throws off your timing. This makes it extremely effective.
11: Jackpot shot
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: The number of points that you score depends on what the jackpot decides.
Originality: 7.5
Cool Factor: 8
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 23.5
Why it's ranked where it is: This is a game breaker of sorts. You can score a nine-point layup?! That can change the dynamic of the game no matter what the score is. This is a low-risk, high reward power-up that can’t really be stopped.
10: Spring Loaded
Game: Backyard Football
Description: This power-up instantly launches one of your defenders high in the air and into the backfield. Not always an automatic tackle/sack, but it is effective.
Originality: 8
Cool Factor: 10
Effectiveness: 6.5
Total: 24.5
Why it's ranked where it is: This power-up launches you into the backfield. But depending on the other team’s play call, this could come back to bite you. If there is a run play or a quick pass play, you could easily find yourself out of position. This is a perfect play to use to try to block a punt or field goal. When using this power-up, timing is key.
9: Cherry Picker
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: When you acquire this power-up, one of your teammates will teleport to under the opponent's basket, making it easy to pass the ball to them.
Originality: 7
Cool Factor: 10
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 25
Why it's ranked where it is: This is one of my personal favorites because I’m obsessed with teleportation. Don’t @ me.
8: Under Grounder
Game: Backyard Soccer
Description: A ground ball that disappears into the field and pops up at a random spot in the field.
Originality: 7
Cool Factor: 9
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 26
Why it's ranked where it is: Similar to the Backyard Baseball undergrounder, the thing that separates it from the other one is the fact that this one is an automatic goal and the baseball one can just range from a single to a home run depending on who is using it. This is why it’s ranked high in effectiveness.
7: Bowling Ball
Game: Backyard Soccer
Description: The ball starts to knock over opposing team members like bowling pins.
Originality: 8
Cool Factor: 8.25
Effectiveness: 10
Total 26.25
Why it's ranked where it is: This sounds incredibly effective ... and painful.
6: Hocus-Pocus
Game: Backyard Football
Description: This play is awesome because your receiver vanishes past the defense for what could be an easy touchdown depending on the defense.
Originality: 9
Cool Factor: 9.5
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 26.5
Why it's ranked where it is: This was a difficult power-up to stop. Even if you were in a position to stop it ...
You still might be powerless to defend against it.
5: Tracer
Game: Backyard Soccer
Description: With your mouse, you can control exactly where the ball will go. Like a friendly heat-seeking missile.
Originality: 8.75
Cool Factor: 10
Effectiveness: 8
Total: 26.75
Why it's ranked where it is: “Friendly heat-seeking missile.” NEED I SAY MORE?
4: Leap Frog
Game: Backyard Football
Description: The running back jumps over the defense. This play is an automatic first down, and depending on the defensive scheme, a touchdown.
Originality: 9
Cool Factor: 8
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 27
Why it's ranked where it is: Sure you can stop it, but it’s damn near impossible to without giving up a significant chunk of yards.
Imagine your favorite NFL player needs to gain one yard and you have a power-up that allows your running back to long jump 10 yards in the air for that specific time. It’s OP when you need it most.
3: Ice cream truck
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: One of the funnier power-ups on the list. The other team just stops what they're doing and thinks about ice cream until you steal the ball from them. The other team never gets their ice cream. Tragic.
Originality: 9
Cool Factor: 8.25
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 27.25
Why it's ranked where it is: This is funny and original and I love everything about it. It’s like being stuck in an illusion you can’t get out of. You’re powerless to stop it. It’s effective, random and low-key funny when you think about it.
2: Dunk
Game: Backyard Basketball
Description: You can dunk from anywhere on the court, which doesn't sound that cool until you remember that dunking in this game is incredibly rare. You can only dunk in this game when no one is in the paint.
Originality: 7.5
Cool Factor: 10
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 27.5
Why it's ranked where it is: You can dunk from anywhere on the court. ANYWHERE.
1: Aluminum Power
Game: Backyard Baseball
Description: An OP bat that sends the ball at least 500 feet. An automatic home run. To top it off you have a dope sound effect that is accompanied by Sunny Day's Captain Obvious style play-by-play.
Originality: 8
Cool Factor: 10
Effectiveness: 10
Total: 28
Why it's ranked where it is: You could have the worst batter in the game use this power-up (Vicki Kawaguchi) and still hit a Barry Bonds-style home run. It was between this and dunk for the top spot; the thing that made the difference for me is the fact that these full-court dunks were still only three points while an aluminum power bat could result in up to four runs.
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The earlier parts of the series are all classics that stood the test of time so well that you could yell, “Who remembers Pablo Sanchez?” in a crowd full of people and make 4-8 new friends depending on your personality type.
FUN FACT: Pablo Sanchez speaks English
SURPRISE!
These games were filled with simple but addictive gameplay and characters you grew attached to. From Pete Wheeler to Sally Dobbs, these characters were each unique and special to our hearts.
I miss them.