The Backyard sports franchise has seen a lot of changes over the year. Back when Humongous was an independent company, the games did reasonably well, but when the ownership changed, the franchise went through some changes as well.

Atari has released the latest iteration of the baseball title, Backyard Baseball 2009 on the Wii and the game has some mixed results. Yes, the controls work decently, with the Wii-mote flicked to hit the ball, and the on-base advancement tied into the Wii nunchuk. The crazy assortment of pitches and types of hits are there, and yes, Pablo Sanchez is still a powerhouse amongst the neighborhood kids.

What does not work, though, is the color commentary by “Jack Fouler,” which comes off as an adult trying to spout witticisms in an almost-monotone manner. It is terrible. Sunny Day is generic enough, and the baseball itself plays decently.

There was a time when the game had a real sandlot look to it. Diamonds sometimes included backyards with washing hanging out to dry. The game was a little more two-dimensional with a cartoon look to it. The antics were cute and very kid friendly. The latter still holds true, but the game has transitioned to a 3D look, and the ballparks are bordering on stadiums, especially the field sporting a Japanese theme.

You use the directional pad, as a batter, to select the type of swing you will take, and then flick the Wiimote to take your cut. Timing is everything as a hitter. Hit the sweet spot with a power stroke and you can say goodbye to the baseball as you hit a monster home run. Miss the sweet spot and you could ground out, or maybe – if you are lucky, gap the outfielders for a double and triple.

Of course, all the ballplayers have stats that help determine what strengths they may have. Reese Worthington is still a speedy guy that can turn a single into a double, or a double into a triple, and he is always a threat to steal a base.

There are several ways to play the game: quick play, a pickup game, tournament (up to eight players in a bracket), season play (create a team, draft players or trade – with unlockable characters coming into play), a home run derby and an all-star game.

There are options within each of the game modes, and you can – as the coach in season play – move players around, reset lineups and batting orders or even upgrade your team with trades.

Batting involves the Wiimote with the nunchuk coming into play if you wish to call for a special hit (like the Teleporter). To activate a special hit or special pitch, you hit the Z button, which brings up more menu options. There are eight offensive specials and eight defensive pitch specials you can use if your team is performing well enough to enable them.

But this is baseball and as such is relatively simple. One team pitches the ball, fields and throws to a base. The other team hits, advances on the basepaths, and tries to score. The thumbstick on the nunchuk will allow players to advance baserunners. The directional pad will allow defenses to select the base to throw to.

The game also looks decent. It does not quite have the vibrancy that it once did, but the graphics are not too bad. The sound consists of a few baseball related sounds and the commentary of Sunny Day (Samantha Kelly) and Jack Fouler (Jim Curtis). The voice casting of Fouler is way off base and, at times, is terrible. What might have been lighthearted comments, come across as monotone and weak.

Part of the charm of the series is the inclusion of Major Leaguers as kids. These are fun to have in the game as well, but don’t expect them to be head and shoulders above some of the standard Backyard kids. There is a nice balance here.

Overall the game is entertaining, easy to pick up and play and should appeal to kids of all ages. But truth be told, those wishing for a deeper baseball experience should look elsewhere. The games don’t require a lot of thought or effort and there are times when you think you are in the right position to field the ball only to have it go through you in what amounts to an error.

Backyard Baseball 2009 is a nice returning step to what were the glory days of the franchise. Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.

Gameplay: 7.4
Easy to play, with a decent flow and somewhat intuitive controls. You can jump in and play without a lot of pre-setup.

Graphics: 7.0
The 3D works Ok, but this game seems to be losing touch with the look and feel of a true “backyard” league.  

Sound: 5.5
The color commentary needs to go away, or gets someone else to do it. Is that an “over-share?”

Difficulty: Easy

Concept: 6.0
Not much has changed in what the game brings into play. The use of the Wiimote and nunchuk are minimal and could have been used better.

Multiplayer: 7.4
Head to head on the same machine is fine, but you will need two sets of the controllers to pull it off.  

Overall: 6.8
This game has the feeling that it could have been done much better. Wii Sports allowed us to use the Wiimote to actually swing while this game merely uses a flick to swing, or a flick to pitch. It has entertainment value, is not an overly deep baseball experience and feels like it could have taken the series to the next level rather than leaving the franchise stranded on the bases. What is here is fine, but the series has not truly advanced much.