HardBall III

HardBall III is a multiplatform baseball video game developed by MindSpan and published by Accolade between 1992 and 1994 for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and DOS platforms. The game is licensed by the Major League Baseball Players Association and is the sequel to HardBall II.

Super NES cover art
Developer(s)MindSpan
Publisher(s)Accolade
Producer(s)Pam Levins
Pam Davis
Designer(s)Mike Benna
Jeff Sember
Programmer(s)Mike Benna
Jeff Sember
Artist(s)John Boechler
Composer(s)Alistair Hirst
SeriesHardBall
Platform(s)DOS, Genesis, Super NES
ReleaseDOS
Genesis
Super NES
  • NA: June 1994
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The console versions are simplified versions of the HardBall series found on the personal computers of the time. Season stats are logged through a lengthy password in these versions due to the lack of a hard disk drive that was already common in the more expensive personal computers at that time.

Release

In November 1993, Accolade signed an agreement with Atari Corporation to be a third-party developer for the recently released Atari Jaguar and licensed five titles from their catalog to Atari Corp. in order to be ported and released for the system, with HardBall III (then titled Al Michaels Announces HardBall III) being among the five licensed games and it was first announced in early 1994.[1][2][3][4][5][6] It was originally planned for a Q3 1995 release date and was being developed by NuFX.[7][8][9] However, the port went unreleased for unknown reasons.

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1992 said that "HardBall III looks like another winner", complementing its emphasis on action while also providing simulation functions. The magazine praised its "glorious" support for VGA graphics and sound cards, and concluded that the game "packs more features in a single box than any of its competitors".[10] Reviewing the Super NES version, GamePro praised the huge number of options and player stats, but felt the rough graphics and "choppy" player movements reduce the game to merely above average.[11]

References
  1. "Other Stuff". GameFan. Vol. 2, no. 1. Shinno Media. December 1993. p. 212.
  2. "ProNews: Atari Announces Jaguar Licenses". GamePro. No. 55. IDG. February 1994. p. 186.
  3. "News - Update - Sports Accolade". ST Format. No. 55. Future plc. February 1994. p. 86. Archived from the original on 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  4. Reutter, Hans. "Unreleased Or Unfinished Jaguar Games - Al Michaels Announced Hardball III". cyberroach.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  5. doctorclu (May 23, 2016). Interview with Faran Thomason about Bubsy on the Atari Jaguar. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  6. Wallett, Adrian (September 3, 2017). "Faran Thomason (Atari/Nintendo) – Interview". arcadeattack.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  7. "Sports titles coming from Atari". TheFreeLibrary.com. Business Wire. January 6, 1995. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  8. "Feature - XT Generation Report - Atari Jaguar". MAN!AC (in German). No. 20. Cybermedia. June 1995. p. 40.
  9. CRV (August 7, 2017). "NuFX". gdri.smspower.org. Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  10. Rogers, Win (August 1992). "Accolade's Al Michaels Announces Hardball III". No. 97. pp. 78–79. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  11. "Number III is Best Hardball Yet". GamePro. No. 58. IDG. May 1994. p. 108.
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