Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home

 PlayStation 2
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 24
  3. Negative: 12 out of 24
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  1. Playboy
    75
    We finally fulfilled our dream of beating guest stars Insane Clown Posse with a baseball bat. [Oct 2003, p.37]
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  2. Next Level Gaming
    70
    Crappy computer AI, and a very "vanilla" Create-A-Wrestler mode just doesn't put this in the same category as Smackdown, Raw, or Wrestlemania.
  3. GamePro
    70
    It feels sloppy and looks simple, but from time to time the brilliance of the game design shines through.
  5. Game Chronicles
    70
    If you were a fan of Backyard Wrestling before the game then this title was made just for you. If you enjoy ultra-violent games like "Tenchu" or "Thrill Kill" then you will definitely want to play this game.
  6. GameZone
    70
    As a wrestling game it is average at best, but as a fighting game it walks the line between average and good. "Real" wrestling fans will probably be disappointed because of the controls.
  7. Weekly Famitsu
    68
    7 / 6 / 7 / 7 - 27 [Vol 801; 23 Apr 2004]
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  8. IGN
    65
    Overly shallow in the mechanical department and not quite sure if it wants to be a fighting game or a wrestler, Don't Try This At Home isn't as fulfilling as it should be.
  9. Cheat Code Central
    60
    They made the areas interactive and while it is cool to be able to use and destroy the areas you're fighting in, somewhere along the way they seemed to pass the reality factor of the whole theme the game was based on.
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  10. GamingTrend
    59
    Backyard wrestling is violent, bloody and mimics everything that makes the 'sport' popular, including the culture, music and even the violence... Unfortunately the game isn’t a whole lot of fun.
  11. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    57
    Don't count on using this stuff the way it was intended, though. Unlike the routines real wrestlers choreograph, these matches are absolute button-mashing chaos. [Dec 2003, p.194]
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  12. Game Informer
    55
    I can't put my personal feelings on crarpy games aside enough to recommend Don't Try This At Home to anyone but people who think that getting thumbtacks stuck in your ass and scalp are a fun way to spend a Saturday. [Dec 2003, p.148]
  13. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    50
    If you strip away the seedy premise, the game shows promise of being a knockoff of Capcom's "Power Stone," yet it ultimately falls short of replicating the fun and intensity of the Dreamcast classic. [Dec 2003, p.168]
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  14. netjak
    48
    This game had serious potential amongst fans of the genre, but Eidos and Paradox have totally sacrificed depth and mechanics and put out true garbage.
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  15. GameSpot
    47
    While Backyard Wrestling certainly has qualities that could make for an interesting wrestling game, Don't Try This at Home is so unpolished that it's far more of a chore than a pleasure to play.
  16. G4 TV
    40
    There's some shocking stuff, but nothing exciting happens. It's just like watching Jerry Springer. If you've seen it once, you've seen it all.
  17. PSX Nation
    40
    The cartoony violence, blood spills and redneck appeal of Backyard Wrestling’s rural locales and colorful cast of characters wears thin quicker than the time it took its equally-shoddy sequel to come out.
  18. PSM Magazine
    40
    About as fun as being hit in the face with a chair. [Holiday 2003, p.44]
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  19. Deeko
    35
    The hardest part about reviewing this game is that it is so fundamentally awful it is hard not to want to give it the lowest score possible.
  20. Play Magazine
    33
    There are many reasons to be appalled by this game, but it all starts with a poorly designed game engine that's spazzy to the point of near unplayability. [Dec 2003, p.100]
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  21. Gamer's Pulse
    30
    This game stinks like raw, untreated, sewage. The gameplay is short lived, repetitive, and poorly balanced.
  22. GMR Magazine
    30
    Seriously, don't be tempted to suffer through this painful experience. [Jan 2004, p.56]
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  23. GameSpy
    30
    Compared to most wrestling games, the movesets here have been whittled down to almost nothing.
  24. Gamestyle
    20
    Try hitting your head against a brick wall for about half an hour instead.
  25. Maxim Online
    20
    Sadly, the sloppy controls and graphics make the game about as fun as a blow to the brainpan with a spiked bat.

Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2003
51
#51 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 7 out of 33
  1. The_D4RknesS
    Aug 19, 2023
    0
    The second game is still fun, now this one sucks, has bad graphics, fast gameplay feels like characters are always running, high difficulty,The second game is still fun, now this one sucks, has bad graphics, fast gameplay feels like characters are always running, high difficulty, menu music that teases headache as bad as it is. just a trash game! Go f#ck youself! This game su#ks… Full Review »
  2. KokichiMiyazawa
    Feb 12, 2021
    9
    I really liked this game, for its controls, soundtrack, the playable characters like M-Dogg20, Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, Sabu, El Drunko, andI really liked this game, for its controls, soundtrack, the playable characters like M-Dogg20, Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, Sabu, El Drunko, and other characters, the weapons that I can use in the fights and the Backyard Wrestling videos and JCW that I unlock in story mode, and boy are those videos really fun to watch, so that's why I gave it a really high rating because I had fun and it's still fun to play.… Full Review »
  3. WillD.
    Aug 2, 2007
    2
    This game is abysmal. After the (admitted awesomeness) that is hitting people with household objects wears off, you are left with nothing This game is abysmal. After the (admitted awesomeness) that is hitting people with household objects wears off, you are left with nothing more than an advertisement for the Insane Clown Posse. It has to be said that any game that can somehow make beating down on the horrorcore group with a 2x4 a tedious experience should be avoided like the plague.… Full Review »
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