While the name of Accolade isn’t a household one these days, back in the 1990s it used to carry some weight in the videogame world. Their games were far from being top dogs in the field like (then) Tecmo and EA, but there is fondness for what they put out back in the day. Enough for QUByte Interactive to bother releasing a nifty compilation in Accolade Sports Collection.
It gathers five titles from that period, ranging from games that came out on the 16-bit consoles of the time and the personal computer, some even as early as the late 1980s. An impressive array of sports are on display here, and what’s most surprising is that some have remained extremely playable, while others, well, not so much. Regardless of gameplay quality, though, there’s no denying that the technical side of things is definitely the main highlight here.
That’s because some of these looked pretty darn good for the time, and even if the controls and responsiveness weren’t quite there yet, the realism in terms of visuals were frankly unmatched. Both Summer and Winter Challenge are particular examples of this, featuring a wide array of Olympic sports all looking striking, especially if you consider what had come out before them.
Yeah, nailing moves in high jump or trying to keep yourself on the snow tracks in slalom can be hard thanks to the ever-changing control scheme between these games, but the fun is there for those looking to hit the nostalgia button and have a good time the old school way, Track and Field style. Personally, I’ve spent many hours playing otherwise awful sports games over the years like Nagano Winter Olympics ‘98 just for the chance to see freaking curling in videogame form, so I was willing to stomach what these two had in store.
What I couldn’t bear playing too much of in Accolade Sports Collection were Hardball and its sequel. First, they’re baseball games, and those were ridiculously numerous at the time, and unlike the Olympic ones I mentioned before, other releases play far better than what’s on offer here. Both Hardball games are certainly catching when it comes to graphics, but the actual playing of them is nowhere near as good. I had a better time playing ol’ Baseball on the NES and that’s one hell of a primitive game. There’s bound to be someone out there who grew up suffering through them and might squeeze a good time outta them, but I call STRIKE on these two.
Closing off the list is Hoops Shut Up and Jam. If the name rings a bell but seems kind of weird is because it is. Originally, this one was called Barkley Shut Up and Jam, the first game in the series that trademarked NBA hot-headed stat and current sports pundit Charles Barkley’s name and likeness. It features decent 2-on-2 b-ball that can be played on a variety of courts all around the US. Basic gameplay is simple to pick up making it one the better controlling inclusions in Accolade Sports Collection.
There’s not much to write home about the options in the collection. In a similar way that was offered in Top Racer Collection last year, you can change the screen borders as well as the graphical filters in order to mimic, for instance, a CRT display, or play it the way god intended, with crispy aliased pixels. Yum. Other than these, you can rewind the games, which when it comes to sport titles, seems a little unfair, but then again, who cares for what the computer-controlled opponents feel, right?
Back to the point in the opening, Accolade was never a hotshot when it came to their sports releases, but it’s still a very good thing that QUByte has gone through the effort to bring back these 16-bit hidden gems. For one, historically, they do carry some weight as they’re showpieces for just how far the hardware could be and was pushed, and regardless of how bad some of them play, having access to old games on current systems is never bad. If you’re one with a knack to collect antique compilations, this one is worth a shot or three to the basket.
