HardBall 5

HardBall 5
HardBall 5
	DOS cover art
Developers	MindSpan; Cygnus Multimedia Productions (Genesis)
Publishers	Accolade; PlayStation NA: Accolade; JP: SPS Co., Ltd.;
Producers	Michael Person; Pam Levins
Programmers	Jeff Sember; Mike Benna
Artists	Chris Eckardt; Dale Mauk; James Johnson
Writer	Jim Carr
Composer	Brian Shaw
Series	HardBall!
Platforms	DOS, PlayStation, Sega Genesis
Release	Genesis NA: June 1995; DOS NA: October 9, 1995; PlayStation NA: 5 September 1996; JP: 13 December 1996;
Genre	Sports
Modes	Single-player, multiplayer

HardBall 5 is a sports video game developed by American studio MindSpan and published by Sport Accolade for DOS, the Sega Genesis, and the PlayStation. Al Michaels provides color commentary.

Gameplay

HardBall 5 is a baseball game with completely adjustable statistics.^[4] All MLB teams are featured, although the team logos are absent and replaced with fictional ones.

A special league featuring historic teams of the past is also available.

Reception

Review scores
Publication	Score
AllGame	(GEN)^[5] (PS1)^[6]
Computer Gaming World	(DOS)^[7]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	(PS)^[8]
Game Players	66% (PS)^[9]
GameFan	76/100 (PS)^[10]
GamePro	(GEN)^[11] (PS)^[12]
GameSpot	8.4/10 (DOS)^[13]
Hyper	91% (PS)^[14]
IGN	4/10 (PS)^[15]
Next Generation	(DOS)^[4] (GEN)^[16] (PS)^[17]
PC Gamer (US)	86/100 (DOS)^[18]
PC Zone	71% (DOS)^[19]
Flux	D+ (GEN)^[21]
PC Entertainment	(DOS)^[22]
Ultimate Gamer	8/10 (DOS)^[23]
VideoGames	7/10 (GEN)^[24] 6/10 (PS)^[25]

Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game as HardBall '95, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "Sim fanatics will love the stats, but the poor gameplay quickly removes any ideas of playing out a whole season."^[16]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "The latest addition to the Hardball series is a good, solid one, but there's still a lot of room for improvement."^[4]

Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "Hardball 5 is best viewed as a strict statistical simulation. Anyone who's looking for a playable baseball game should look elsewhere."^[17]

As of February 1997^[update] the game sold over 250,000 copies.^[26]

References

^ "Preview: HardBall '95". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 77. June 1995. p. 58. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
^ "Accolade ships HardBall 5 for PC CD-ROM; the ultimate baseball simulation in a league by itself". Business Wire. October 9, 1995. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2021 – via The Free Dictionary.
^ "PlayStation Soft > 1996". GAME Data Room. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
^ ^a ^b ^c Next Generation staff (February 1996). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 14. Imagine Media. p. 171. ISSN 1078-9693.
^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Review: Hardball '95". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
^ House, Matthew. "Review: Hardball 5". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
^ Gindin, Jim (January 1996). "Review: Back To The Bullpen". Computer Gaming World. No. 138. Ziff Davis. pp. 274, 276. ISSN 0744-6667.
^ EGM staff (August 1997). "Dare 2 Compare Baseball: Hardball 5". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. Sports Video Games. Sendai Publishing. p. 32. ISSN 1058-918X.
^ Salmon, Mike (June 1996). "HardBall 5" (PDF). Game Players. No. 85. Imagine Media. p. 78. ISSN 1087-2779. Archived from the original on 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2025-04-06.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Cavalier, Cal (June 1996). "Review: Hardball 5". GameFan. Vol. 4, no. 6. DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 86, 97. ISSN 1092-7212.
^ Air Hendrix (September 1995). "Hardball Redeems In '95 Season". GamePro. No. 74. IDG. p. 74. ISSN 1042-8658.
^ Johnny Ballgame (June 1996). "Sports Pages: Hardball 5". GamePro. No. 83. IDG. p. 76. ISSN 1042-8658.
^ GameSpot staff (May 1, 2000). "Hardball 5 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
^ Toose, Dan (July 1996). "Review: Hardball 5". Hyper. No. 33. nextmedia. pp. 54–5. ISSN 1320-7458.
^ IGN staff (November 25, 1996). "Hardball 5: Somebody forgot to put in the fun". IGN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Next Generation staff (August 1995). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 8. Imagine Media. p. 75. ISSN 1078-9693.
^ ^a ^b Next Generation staff (July 1996). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 19. Imagine Media. p. 74. ISSN 1078-9693.
^ PC Gamer staff (January 1996). "Reviews: HardBall 5". PC Gamer. No. 20. Future plc. ISSN 1059-2180.
^ Brooker, MC (May 1996). "Pick 'N' Mix: HardBall". PC Zone. No. 38. Future plc. p. 91. ISSN 0967-8220.
^ Lucas, Victor (August 7, 1996). "Hardball 5". The Electric Playground. Archived from the original on August 4, 1997. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
^ Lynch, Anthony (October 1995). "HardBall '95". Flux. No. 6. Harris Publications. p. 86. ISSN 1074-5602.
^ Meyer, Bill (January 1996). "Hardball 5". PC Entertainment. Vol. 3, no. 1. IDG. p. 108. ISSN 1074-1356.
^ Ultimate Gamer staff (January 1996). "Micro Reviews: Hardball 5". Ultimate Gamer. No. 6. Future plc. p. 91. ISSN 1081-4582.
^ Higgins, Geoff (July 1995). "SportsWire Reviews: HardBall 95". VideoGames. No. 79. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 97. ISSN 1074-3774.
^ VideoGames staff (June 1996). "SportsWire Reviews: HardBall 5". VideoGames. No. 89. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 77. ISSN 1074-3774.
^ Accolade staff (February 3, 1997). "ACCOLADE'S ALL TIME BEST SELLING SERIES SWINGS INTO '97 WITH A HOME RUN! HardBall 6 Scores Major League Baseball (MLB) License And A New 3D World". Accolade, Inc. Archived from the original on February 1, 1998. Retrieved April 6, 2025.

External links

Official website (archived)
HardBall 5 at MobyGames

[1] "Preview: HardBall '95". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 77. June 1995. p. 58. Retrieved January 10, 2022.

[2] "Accolade ships HardBall 5 for PC CD-ROM; the ultimate baseball simulation in a league by itself". Business Wire. October 9, 1995. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2021 – via The Free Dictionary.

[3] "PlayStation Soft > 1996". GAME Data Room. Retrieved 2018-08-17.

[NG14-4] Next Generation staff (February 1996). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 14. Imagine Media. p. 171. ISSN 1078-9693.

[AGGen-5] Marriott, Scott Alan. "Review: Hardball '95". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2025.

[AGPS-6] House, Matthew. "Review: Hardball 5". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2022.

[CGW-7] Gindin, Jim (January 1996). "Review: Back To The Bullpen". Computer Gaming World. No. 138. Ziff Davis. pp. 274, 276. ISSN 0744-6667.

[EGM-8] EGM staff (August 1997). "Dare 2 Compare Baseball: Hardball 5". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. Sports Video Games. Sendai Publishing. p. 32. ISSN 1058-918X.

[GamePlayers-9] Salmon, Mike (June 1996). "HardBall 5" (PDF). Game Players. No. 85. Imagine Media. p. 78. ISSN 1087-2779. Archived from the original on 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2025-04-06.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[GameFan-10] Cavalier, Cal (June 1996). "Review: Hardball 5". GameFan. Vol. 4, no. 6. DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 86, 97. ISSN 1092-7212.

[GamePro76-11] Air Hendrix (September 1995). "Hardball Redeems In '95 Season". GamePro. No. 74. IDG. p. 74. ISSN 1042-8658.

[GamePro83-12] Johnny Ballgame (June 1996). "Sports Pages: Hardball 5". GamePro. No. 83. IDG. p. 76. ISSN 1042-8658.

[GameSpot-13] GameSpot staff (May 1, 2000). "Hardball 5 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.

[Hyper-14] Toose, Dan (July 1996). "Review: Hardball 5". Hyper. No. 33. nextmedia. pp. 54–5. ISSN 1320-7458.

[IGN-15] IGN staff (November 25, 1996). "Hardball 5: Somebody forgot to put in the fun". IGN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2025.

[NG8-16] Next Generation staff (August 1995). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 8. Imagine Media. p. 75. ISSN 1078-9693.

[NG19-17] Next Generation staff (July 1996). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 19. Imagine Media. p. 74. ISSN 1078-9693.

[PCGamer-18] PC Gamer staff (January 1996). "Reviews: HardBall 5". PC Gamer. No. 20. Future plc. ISSN 1059-2180.

[PCZone-19] Brooker, MC (May 1996). "Pick 'N' Mix: HardBall". PC Zone. No. 38. Future plc. p. 91. ISSN 0967-8220.

[EP-20] Lucas, Victor (August 7, 1996). "Hardball 5". The Electric Playground. Archived from the original on August 4, 1997. Retrieved April 6, 2025.

[Flux-21] Lynch, Anthony (October 1995). "HardBall '95". Flux. No. 6. Harris Publications. p. 86. ISSN 1074-5602.

[PCE-22] Meyer, Bill (January 1996). "Hardball 5". PC Entertainment. Vol. 3, no. 1. IDG. p. 108. ISSN 1074-1356.

[UltimateGamer-23] Ultimate Gamer staff (January 1996). "Micro Reviews: Hardball 5". Ultimate Gamer. No. 6. Future plc. p. 91. ISSN 1081-4582.

[VG79-24] Higgins, Geoff (July 1995). "SportsWire Reviews: HardBall 95". VideoGames. No. 79. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 97. ISSN 1074-3774.

[VG89-25] VideoGames staff (June 1996). "SportsWire Reviews: HardBall 5". VideoGames. No. 89. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 77. ISSN 1074-3774.

[26] Accolade staff (February 3, 1997). "ACCOLADE'S ALL TIME BEST SELLING SERIES SWINGS INTO '97 WITH A HOME RUN! HardBall 6 Scores Major League Baseball (MLB) License And A New 3D World". Accolade, Inc. Archived from the original on February 1, 1998. Retrieved April 6, 2025.

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HardBall 5
DOS cover art
Developers	MindSpan Cygnus Multimedia Productions (Genesis)
Publishers	Accolade PlayStation NA: Accolade JP: SPS Co., Ltd.
Producers	Michael Person Pam Levins
Programmers	Jeff Sember Mike Benna
Artists	Chris Eckardt Dale Mauk James Johnson
Writer	Jim Carr
Composer	Brian Shaw
Series	HardBall!
Platforms	DOS, PlayStation, Sega Genesis
Release	Genesis NA: June 1995^[1] DOS NA: October 9, 1995^[2] PlayStation NA: 5 September 1996 JP: 13 December 1996^[3]
Genre	Sports
Modes	Single-player, multiplayer