Backyard Hockey '02

Definitively the BEST Hockey game available on steam at this moment. And its FREE Pros: -Free -Offsides off by default -Icing off by default -The absolute cheat code that is the greatest Backyard athlete of all time: Pablo Sanchez -Roughing only called when you attempt to end an opposing player career -Ability to get away with war crimes by winning a game of rock paper scissors

the game is fun but can get repetitive some times

Backyard Hockey '02 is a really easy game for me to pick up because it keeps hockey simple and focuses more on having fun than trying to be a serious simulation. I am putting together a team of Backyard kids and kid versions of real hockey stars, then taking them onto the ice for quick matches or a full season. The whole thing has that old school sports game feeling where I can understand what I am doing almost immediately. It is colourful, silly and much more interested in making hockey approachable than trying to recreate every part of the real sport. The actual hockey is simple but I think that is where the game works best. I can skate, pass, shoot, switch players and use a speed boost, while power plays, penalties and power ups add some extra chaos to matches. The power ups are especially fun because they can suddenly change what is happening on the ice instead of making every game play out exactly the same way. I also like having three on three matches because there is enough space for me to actually move the puck around without the game becoming too complicated. There is a decent amount of content for such a straightforward sports game. I can play a quick pickup match, set …

the game is completely bugged the ice is left to right but the [;ays up and down.

Love Backyard Hockey! It’s too bad that the NHL teams aren’t in here. At least we got some of the NHL pros back.

Worth every dollar.