Even with the simplistic controls, combat feels loose and floaty. Take the game’s title seriously, don’t try this at home.

Everyone has seen it advertised on television. And as much as a person may deny it, something about the people on screen fascinates them. No, we’re not talking about the latest Girls Gone Wild videos; we’re talking about backyard wrestling.

Backyard Wrestling: Don’t Try this at Home takes the old phrase “Let’s take it outside” to an entirely new level. These so-called “wrestlers” risk life and limb by performing death-defying stunts in makeshift rings usually assembled in a person’s backyard.

And true to their real-life counterparts, Eidos, the developers of mediocre games like Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style and the X-men fights series, tries to capture the fell of a real backyard wrestling match. Unfortunately, the game needs some fine tuning before it can compete for the championship belt.

Unlike most wrestling games, there is no ring to fight in, only places like a backyard, a meat factory and even a strip club. Combining the feel of Capcom’s old 3-D fighter Powerstone and the look of today’s modern wrestling games, Backyard Wrestling attempts to breathe new life to an already stale genre.

Backyard Wrestling's graphics fail to impress, especially when compared with other wrestling titles such as WWE Raw 2 or the Smackdown series. Clipping is also a reoccurring graphical glitch, as it isn’t too uncommon to see players walk through tables or for objects to pass through opponents.

Though I’m not trying to sound too negative about the game’s graphics, one plus is the sheer size of the fighting arenas. Players can climb on top of houses or high ledges and hurl themselves off the edge to an unsuspecting opponent. To keep things from being repetitive, each stage is loaded with intractable objects such as ladders, tires, brooms, tables and, of course, folding metal chairs.

While the graphics are less than spectacular, the game’s audio is easily the highlight. Bands such as Sum 41, Andrew W.K., Anthrax and others make up the game’s soundtrack. Also, Backyard Wrestling allows players to use their own custom mixes thanks to the Xbox’s hard drive. Aside from the game’s stellar musical lineup, the game’s sound effects are nothing more than your standard grunts and groans.

Although the game’s name may say otherwise, the game actually features very little wrestling. Most matches consist of beating opponents with random objects, and the novelty quickly wears off. And like wrestling games of the past, the gameplay is simplistic.

One button is used to grapple with an opponent and with the press of another button and a direction, different wrestling maneuvers are performed. But even with the simplistic controls, combat feels loose and floaty.

Thanks to the unforgiving analog sticks, players seem to sprint through the level at all times. Also, objects seem to have heat-seeking abilities as it’s nearly impossible to dodge flying objects.

Inconsistent A.I. also hurts the game’s fun factor. At times, the computer will make spectacular comebacks while on the brink of defeat, while at other times, the computer will stand there while you wail away at them with a chair.

With a name like Don’t Try This at Home, I should have taken the title as a piece of advice. Unfortunately, I did try this game at home, and next time, I’ll listen to the game's title.


Review by Matt Woo.