TheJudge !! vs Backyard Baseball '97
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TheJudge !!
A straightforward game where players act as a baseball umpire, judging pitches as strikes or balls. Compete globally to become the top referee.
- Judge pitches as strike or ball
- Become a chief umpire
- Global GameCenter ranking
- Simple gameplay
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This game is simple. A pitcher throws the ball. Let's judge whether the ball is a strike or a ball !! Become the world's most referee in GameCenter ranking
Backyard Baseball '97
Relive the classic baseball game with iconic characters, fun power-ups, and intuitive controls. Play quick games, practice batting, or manage a full season with unique game modes and simplified rules.
- Iconic character roster
- Power-ups and special pitches
- Pick-up and single game modes
- Full season management
- Batting practice mode
- Simplified T-ball mode
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Rediscover the joy of the original Backyard Baseball 1997! Build your roster from the iconic cast of 30 characters stacked with charming personalities and witty banter, and get the edge on the competition with power-ups, fireball pitches, super strength, and Pablo Sanchez! Play pick-up games, practice batting, and compete in single games or a whole season with simple, intuitive controls that anyone can master! Game Modes: Random Pick-up: A quick way to jump right in! The computer chooses a random team for you and itself, and the game starts immediately. Single Game: You take turns with the computer to choose players from a random pool of characters. Season: You create a team and manage it through a 14 game series. The opposing teams are computer generated. At the end of the season the best two teams advance to the BBL playoffs (best of 3). The winner advances to the championship series which consists of the Super Entire Nation Tournament (best of 3) and then the Ultra Grand Championship of the Universe Series (best of 5)! Batting Practice: Choose a batter and face Mr. Clanky for some batting practice. This is where you’ll learn just when to click to make your chosen batter hit that ball! T-ball - Select T-ball mode for more accessible game play. Simply click to hit, run, and field! BACKYARD BASEBALL RULES The rules for Backyard Baseball are a hybrid of Pro and Little League rules: No leading off No Injuries Bunting is allowed Tagging up is allowed Stealing is allowed At our core, we are fans first–not just of video games but of the Backyard Sports franchise. Fans have asked for accessible and legal ways to play their original Backyard titles for years, and we are excited to deliver. Without having access to the source code, there are hard limitations on the experience we can create. Backyard Baseball '97 runs buttery smooth for iOS devices, looks better than ever, and creates a new installation for digital preservation within the Backyard Sports catalog that allows the next generation of fans to fall in love with the title that started it all.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TheJudge !! at Free against Backyard Baseball '97's $4.99. TheJudge !! also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.6). Backyard Baseball '97's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 2.2) and review sentiment (65% vs 27%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
TheJudge !! is free to download; Backyard Baseball '97 costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Backyard Baseball '97 holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backyard Baseball '97 has 1.6K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of TheJudge !!'s written reviews are positive against 65% of Backyard Baseball '97's.
TheJudge !! ships an update every 3 weeks, Backyard Baseball '97 every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TheJudge !! | Backyard Baseball '97 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 2.2 (21 ratings) | 4.0 (1.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | 65.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 21 | 1.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #7 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 99 MB | 326 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TAKAAKI OOKI | Playground Productions LLC |
Customer experience
TheJudge !!
Backyard Baseball '97
Bugs and requests
TheJudge !!
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Backyard Baseball '97
Reported bugs
4 issues- Gameplay freezes and crashes
- Inconsistent fielding and throwing mechanics
- Hitting mechanics feel unresponsive
- Inability to save progress after crashes
Requested features
5 requests- Full-screen mode
- Improved controls and input responsiveness
- New game modes (e.g., home run derby, playoffs)
- Ability to select home field
- Option to mute all sounds
In-app purchases
TheJudge !!
No in-app purchases
Backyard Baseball '97
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TheJudge !! free?
Is Backyard Baseball '97 free?
Which has better reviews, TheJudge !! or Backyard Baseball '97?
Do TheJudge !! or Backyard Baseball '97 have ads?
Which is updated more often, TheJudge !! or Backyard Baseball '97?
Other comparisons
