116 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
116 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
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HARDBALL II
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"There's the wind-up. The three-and-two pitch is hit. It's way back...w-a-a-a-y
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back...it's gone! Home Run!!! Holy cow!! Rich wins! Rich wins!" Baseball in
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January in Chicago? With HARDBALL II (HBII), this scene can be yours. (This
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review is based on the IBM-PC version; Amiga version notes follow.)
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HBII is a player-action game versus a text-strategy game. It opens by
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presenting you, the Manager, with the various choices you must make. First, you
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select Home or Visitor Teams. Imaginary teams are included, but you also have
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the option of compiling your own. Next, you pick one of seven ball parks. Being
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a Chicago native, I found the friendly confines of Wrigley Field enjoyable and
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realistically drawn (although I didn't notice any beer vendors). Then, you make
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a decision regarding the Designated Hitter issue, after which you choose the
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type of play: Manager vs. Manager, Manager vs. Computer, Computer vs. Computer;
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league play is available.
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And finally, it's time to...play ball! Once the game begins, HBII involves
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pitching, hitting, catching, throwing, and running the bases.
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Pitchers select the type and the location of the pitch. Batters select the type
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and the location of the swing. Batters will automatically run to first when the
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ball is hit. Runners on base must be directed to other bases. Lead-offs and
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steals are possible. Pitchers can pick runners off the bases or throw
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intentional walks. Relief pitchers must be warmed up before entering the game.
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Fielders must be directed to catch the ball and throw it to the proper base.
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Fielders can also be repositioned with hot buttons. Customized positions are
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possible.
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Three views of the field are available: pitcher's view, batter's view, and full
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field view. An Instant Replay option is included so you can rub Hall of Fame
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plays in the face of your opponent. (I find this to be an important element of
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the game.) The 16 different levels of play for both teams offer numerous
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possible combinations.
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As the teams take the field, you can specify that either "The Star-Spangled
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Banner" or "Oh, Canada" be performed, with the appropriate flag waving in the
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background -- a nice touch that (fortunately) can be toggled off.
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HBII plays very well. As in most sports games, the players' abilities depend on
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their attributes. These are represented by numerical values between one and ten
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for running speed, fatigue, pitching speed, and ball control. The players'
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batting average and slugging percentage, as well as other statistics, directly
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affect performance. Team Editor options let you manipulate these factors to
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allow for the formation of "Super Teams." And that, of course, is when the fun
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begins.
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When fielding, as soon as the ball is hit, the computer simultaneously
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activates the player closest to the ball. Translation: Patience is a virtue; if
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you move too soon, you'll see your pitcher in the outfield shagging balls.
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The game's graphics portray realistic-looking players. The change of batters is
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similar to the "beaming up" effect on "Star Trek," and fun to watch. EGA
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graphics are best, but the game plays very well on CGA. Joysticks are optional,
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but they make play more responsive. Concealing your play choices is certainly
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easier using joysticks than when you and your opponent are sharing a keyboard.
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The program is distributed on three 5-1/4" floppies, with 3-1/2" disks
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available for $5.00. The software supports IBM PC/XT/AT and compatibles, PS/2
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models, and Tandy 1000 Series, 3000, and 4000. Disks are unprotected, but a
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codewheel is necessary to run the game. You can replace a lost wheel for $15.
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On a 4.77 MHz XT, HBII loads and plays s-l-o-w-l-y; changing innings is almost
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painful. It helps to select the CGA mode, and to prevent players from taking the
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field by hitting the enter key as they appear. (I'd like to see this as a
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permanent option.) Obviously, the game runs best on AT-class and faster machines
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with EGA graphics.
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As an aficionado of player action games, I consider HBII one of the best
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baseball games on the market. I do think HBII should have major league team
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disks available; it's always more fun playing the real teams. It would also be
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great to have all the corresponding ballparks on disk. And, finally, I'd like
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pitchout capability. These minor omissions notwithstanding, HARDBALL II is at
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the forefront of sports simulation games, and a valuable addition to my sports
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software collection. I give it three out of four bats.
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AMIGA VERSION NOTES
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When software manufacturers release a game for the Amiga that originally was
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designed for the IBM PC, they face a major question: Should extra time and money
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be spent on the Amiga conversion in order to take full advantage of the
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machine's outstanding sound and graphics capabilities?
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Unfortunately, when Distinctive Software reworked HARDBALL II for the Amiga,
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they decided to take the simplest route. HARDBALL II for the Amiga is almost a
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carbon copy of the IBM version. The game looks, feels, and plays almost the
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same. The screen shots on the back of the box, taken from the IBM EGA version,
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are representative of what you'll see on the Amiga.
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There are a few nice touches. You can hear the umpire bellowing out the
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strikes, and when a batter strikes out, the ump will mumble, "You're outta
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there." The crack of the bat and the sweet thump of the ball settling into a
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glove can be plainly heard, as well. And you can almost feel the dust fly when
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your runner dives into third head-first.
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Those sound bites, all well done, may offer consolation to gamers who had hoped
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the Amiga version of HARDBALL II would offer graphics superior to the IBM
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version's. That isn't the case, but HARDBALL II is still a gas to play on the
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Amiga. Sometimes, Amiga owners can be too demanding. Sure, HARDBALL II could
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benefit from even more sound and more color, but the game is a decent conversion
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from the IBM, and worthy of consideration.
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You can make backup copies of HARDBALL II, but you'll need the HARDBALL II
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codewheel -- it's included, of course -- to find the answer to a question and
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begin the game.
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HARDBALL II runs on A500s, A1000s, and A2000s with at least 512K RAM. One
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megabyte is required for hard disk installation, but the program comes on one
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diskette, and plays fine from the disk drive.
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HARDBALL II is published and distributed by Accolade.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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