Hardball + Hardball 2

ATARI PRESENTS is a series of titles geared toward the preservation of cult classics, forgotten favorites, and titles that would otherwise be lost to time. In the spirit of that, each ATARI PRESENTS title is presented unchanged from its original version other than providing the means to play them on modern hardware. Even the store description below is the very same language used to describe the title at the time of its release. Please enjoy! 

HardBall! 

Have you ever gone to a Major League ballpark before most of the fans show up, when the ball players are taking batting practice? If you walked down in front of the box seats, right alongside the warning track, you had to be dumbstruck by the immensity of the entire playing field: crisp, white lines of chalk cutting to foul poles that reach to the sky, a freshly cut outfield of brilliant green that seems to stretch forever and images of exciting things to come as great athletes prepare for their version of modern day coliseum warfare. 

Dirty Uniforms 

That’s exactly what you get from HardBall, baseball that’s so real and true-to-life, it’s like you can reach out and touch it. It’s like the Saturday afternoon “Game of the Week” on network television – NO, it’s better because you don’t just sit there, you play HardBall. In fact, HardBall is so real and lifelike, if you wear a uniform while you play it, you just might get it dirty. It’s quite simply the most spectacular sports simulation computer game of all time. See you in Cooperstown! 

The batter hits a sure single. But, with his team behind late in the game, should he try and stretch it into a double? You decide. At this stage, you’re either a hero or a goat. 

It’s the bottom of the 9th and the league’s most feared slugger prepares to tee off on the next offering from the home team’s ace fireballer. 

Will it be high or low, a curve or a screwball? The game has gone into extra innings, all tied up. Do you pinch-hit for the weak hitting pitcher or leave him in because he's the best you've got? 

HardBall II: 

It's a whole new ballgame. HardBall II retains the all-star qualities of the original. Effortless gameplay. Authentic graphics. Unparalleled realism. But now there's more. Much more. More features and options More choices, playability and true-to-ballplayer animation. Even more major league ballparks. Scout around and compare. You'll find that HardBall II isn't just the best computer baseball game on the market. It's in a league by itself. 

Statistics don't tell the whole story. Better than the morning box scores. HardBallII updates and stores stats in virtually every conceivable category. Stats change from at-bat to at-bat, from game to game. Plus there are other new features, like pick offs, league play, a team editor - even fielding errors. Whew. 

More frames of animation means more realism. Feel the heat of a 90 mpg fastball. With increased frames of animation, each pitch, each play, is major league smooth. More choices means the pitcher can come to the plate or attempt to pick the runner off at second. Caught learning? Try to stay alive in a rundown. 

Shift the infield and outfield according to each hitter. The centerfield view offers a scout's insight as to the hitter's tendencies. Will you play at normal depth, guard the lines or put on a custom shift? Remember, the batter has options as well. He may go to right, bunt or drill it over your head. 

Seven different stadiums. Five different views. Step on the turf of seven familiar big league ballparks. Catch the game from five network TV field perspectives: upper deck overview, behind the pitcher, behind the plate or left and right infield views. The "Game Of The Week" crew would be proud. 

TV Instant Replay feature. Want to start a bench clearing brawl? Then show your opponent that triple you just belted, one more time, with the Intant Replay feature. You can pause it, play it at normal speed, slow motion or - if you really want to rub it in - frame-by-frame. 

Pull-down menus make managing easy: A winning manager pushes all the right buttons. Pencil in a starting line-up based on who's going good. And if they start going bad? Pull the starters and pinch hit. Feel like trading all of these bums? Go ahead You can build your very own dream team with the team editor feature.