''HardBall II'' is a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

video game developed by

Distinctive Software Distinctive Software Inc. (''DSI'') was a Canadian video game developer established in Burnaby, British Columbia, by Don Mattrick and Jeff Sember after their success with the game ''Evolution''. Mattrick (age 17) and Jeff Sember approached Sydney ...

and published by

Accolade The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...

for

IBM PC compatible IBM PC compatible computers are similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT, all from computer giant IBM, that are able to use the same software and expansion cards. Such computers were referred to as PC clones, IBM clones or IBM PC clones. ...

s (1989).

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...

and

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

version were released in 1990. It is the sequel to ''

HardBall! ''HardBall!'' is a baseball video game published by Accolade. Initially released for the Commodore 64 in 1985, it was ported to other computers over the next several years. A Sega Genesis cartridge was published in 1991. ''HardBall!'' was follow ...

'' which was released in 1985.

Gameplay

''HardBall II'' maintains the game play mechanics from ''

'' and adds the following features: #Updates and stores stats in "virtually every conceivable category." #Stats change from at-bat to at-bat, from game to game. #

Pickoff In baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher or catcher, throwing a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who is either leading off or about to begin stealing the next base. A pickoff attempt occurs when this thro ...

s #League play #Team editor #More frames of animation per player. #Shift the infield and outfield according to each hitter. #Addition of seven different stadiums and five different views. #TV Instant Replay feature. #Pull-down menus make managing the game easier.

Package contents

Hardball II includes the following items: * Two Floppy Disks * Hardball II Manual (60 pages) * Hardball II Batting Commands Sheet * Hardball II Fielding Command Chart * Hardball II Copy Protection Code Wheel The code wheel contains three wheels. The outer wheel contains the last name of baseball players. The middle ring contains the players' first names. The inner ring contains years. When the rings are properly aligned, cut outs in the third ring reveal the players' baseball stats. These stats must be entered into the program before Hardball II will load.

Reception

''HardBall II'' sold roughly 100,000 copies. In the June 1990 edition of ''

Games International ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 19 ...

'', Brian Walker admired the available customization options, saying that it added a "subtlety" to the game. He called the graphics "excellent", and thought that this would help popularize the game of baseball in the United Kingdom. He concluded by giving the game above-average ratings of 9 out of 10 for game play and 8 out of 10 for graphics, saying, "Quality products like ''Hardball II'' can only spread the word."

References

External links

''HardBall II''
at Amiga Hall of Light * {{moby game, id=/hardball-ii, name=''HardBall II'' 1989 video games Accolade (company) games Amiga games Baseball video games DOS games Classic Mac OS games HardBall! Video games developed in Canada Distinctive Software games Single-player video games