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- SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 18, 1992 - Accolade today announced plans to release
- Al Michaels announces HARDBALL III for IBM PC and compatible computers in
- time for the opening of baseball season. As the third game in the well
- known HardBall! series, Al Michaels Announces HARDBALL III takes baseball
- enthusiasts as far as they want to go in action, strategy and pure fun.
- Its predecessor, HardBall II, was the winner of the Software Publishers
- Association's Excellence in Software Award for Best Sports Program of
- 1989. HardBall! and HardBall II are two of the most successful baseball
- simulations of all time, having sold well over three quarters of a million
- copies.
-
- HardBall III has many new features and improvements over its popular
- predecessor. The most exciting new feature is the play-by-by commentary by
- sportscaster Al Michaels. "We looked at what other baseball games offered
- as well as what our customers wanted in a baseball game and created
- HardBall III," states Pam Levins, the producer of the game. "We've added
- new features such as play-by-play commentary by Al Michaels, one of
- today's most well known sportscasters, as well as "team effort" play where
- your teammates will actually back you up during a play. The detailed
- graphics have been improved greatly with the use of 256 color VGA
- technology. If your friends own HardBall 11, Earl Weaver Baseball II or
- Tony La Russa's Ultimate Baseball, you can import their favorite team into
- HardBall III."
-
- HardBall III is a one or two player game in which players assume the role
- of team manager supervising the players and controlling their performance.
- Play exhibition games, a complete 162 game season including an all-star
- game, play-offs and championship games. Keep track of upcoming games via
- the month-by-month on-screen calendar. Team and player statistics can be
- saved and printed right from the HardBall III program. Over 25 different
- statistical categories are available, appearing on-screen in "baseball
- card format." Action game fans will be thrilled with the detailed graphics
- and realistic player movements. As in HardBall 11, you can watch key plays
- again and again with the "instant replay" feature. Or create your own
- "highlight reel" by saving your favorite plays to disk for later viewing.
-
- Teams can be selected from the pre-programmed library, or using the Team
- Editor, new players and their stats can be created, or stats for real
- professional players can be entered. Be creative with your teams' and
- players' physical characteristics -- create team logos, change the color
- of uniforms and caps, or choose individual faces.
-
- Eight actual major league ballparks are featured in the game such as San
- Francisco, Detroit and Boston. Each ballpark has been accurately rendered
- to include such authentic characteristics as the correct distances to
- walls, and foul territories.
-
- An add-on disk that includes the remaining 18 major league stadiums will be
- available at a later date.
-
- --------------------------------------------------------
-
- SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 23, 1992 - Accolade, a leading publisher of
- entertainment software, today announced that renowned sportscaster, Al
- Michaels, has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement to provide
- play-by-play commentary in a variety of Accolade's sports simulation
- computer and video game products.
-
- The first product to utilize Mr. Michaels' talents is Al Michaels Announces
- HardBall III, the sequel to HardBall II, voted Best Sports Program of 1989
- by members of the Software Publishers Association. HardBall III is an IBM
- PC and compatible computer baseball simulation scheduled for release in
- early April. A Sega Genesis version of the game will be available later
- this year. HardBall III challenges both the avid baseball enthusiast and
- action game fan with its wide array of statistical options and endless
- hours of pitching, hitting and fielding.
-
- Al Michaels has enjoyed a lively career as a sportscaster since he began
- broadcasting games for the Hawaii Islanders in 1968. He is widely
- acclaimed for his knowledge and insightful reporting as the play-by-play
- broadcaster on ABC's coverage of Major League Baseball. He was named
- national "Sportscaster cf the Year" in 1980,1983 and 1986 and also
- captured his second Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality - Host
- in 1985'.
-
- "We are very pleased to begin our long term association with Al Michaels
- with the debut of Al Michaels Announces HardBall III," said Alan Miller,
- CEO and president of Accolade. "Mr. Michaels is one of the best known and
- most respected sportscasters in the sports broadcasting field. We feel his
- expertise will add the extra realism and excitement sports fans expect in
- a top-of-the-line computer or video game -- the realism and excitement
- that have helped to build Accolade's reputation as the best in its field."
- Al Michaels himself added, "It's exciting to see the technical
- advancements being made that are bringing computer sports games closer to
- the real thing, and I'm looking forward to being a part of that with
- Accolade's prestigious line of sports simulations."
-
- Accolade has long been known as the premiere publisher of sports simulation
- products covering a multitude of different sports genres. Some of
- Accolade's most well known and best selling products include Hardball! and
- Hardball II baseball simulations, the Test Drive series of driving
- simulations, the Jack Nicklaus series of golf simulations, and Mike Ditka
- Ultimate Football.
-
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