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. 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.
  2. GamePro
    70
    It feels sloppy and looks simple, but from time to time the brilliance of the game design shines through.
  3. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Weekly Famitsu
    68
    7 / 6 / 7 / 7 - 27 [Vol 801; 23 Apr 2004]
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  7. 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.
  8. 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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  9. 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.
  10. 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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  11. 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]
  12. 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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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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