Backyard Basketball 2004 is an update of Backyard Basketball, which was released in 2001. New professional players have been added and deleted, and the graphics have been changed to a more 3D look.

Backyard Sports is all about presenting a sports simulation for young children that is easy and fun to play. This game continues that tradition, with easy gameplay at different difficulty levels. There are silly powerups which make everything a little more interesting, too.

Kids can choose to either play a Pick-Up game with one or two players, Play Now, a randomized single game mode, Season Play, which takes players through a season of games and the playoffs, and two Mini-Games, which are Practice and Around the World.

Season Play is the simulation mode of the game, and lists statistics for the players. Reaching certain goals unlocks goodies such as new courts and players. Pick-Up is the multi-player option, and Play Now is a quick game with that offers random teams. The two mini-games aren't all that much, with Practice simply a practice shots area and Around the World a shooting contest between one to five players in Multi-player mode.

The gameplay is easy, even on the hard settings. There are adjustable options for gameplay for each difficulty setting, or they can be set at default, but it's still all pretty easy. The teams have three players each, which makes for an uncluttered court. Players can shoot, dribble or pass the ball, with icons lighting up the chosen players and actions.

The graphics have been changed to more of a 3D look, which works well, but in my opinion, is not as charming as the more cartoon appearance from before. The pro players are different and more numerous and all the NBA team names are offered, which is good; what is not so good is that for some reason, WNBA players are not featured this time around, which I find odd considering the effort Humongous makes in offering a diverse mix of imaginary players.