The Accolade Sports Collection brings together five sports games from the early 1990s, each a relic of its time. While I wouldn’t rush to label them as “classics,” there’s a sense of nostalgia attached to them, especially since three of these games are ones I’ve owned as cartridges. But does this collection hold enough value to justify purchasing it on the Nintendo Switch?
Let’s kick things off with the two baseball games I hadn’t previously owned: the original Hardball and its sequel. I appreciate what the first Hardball achieved back in its heyday—it launched a series and even made a cameo in The Princess Bride’s intro. However, being a 1985 release, it was starting to feel a bit outdated even by 1991 standards, not to mention now. I was eager to relive the time and play as the Atlanta Braves, the National League champions of that era, but the game only lets you choose city names, which was quite the letdown. Visually, it holds up okay, though the repetitive soundtrack can get grating unless you turn it off.
The sequel tries to freshen things up with a new perspective, a wider array of stadiums, and a neat demo mode, much like the sports games of that time. There’s no shortage of detail—just check out the expansive in-game manual—but this also means a lack of immediacy. The gameplay is slower due to the animations, which, while impressive for that era, make everything a bit sluggish. It’s not a game you can just dive right into, though having save features does help. If you have a soft spot for these Hardball entries, probably from their PC days, you might enjoy them on the console, but otherwise, it’s hard to say they’ve aged gracefully.
Moving on, we have Summer and Winter Challenge, which split 16 events between them. I won’t go into the specifics of each event here, but it can feel like they favored quantity over quality. Yet, with my nostalgia goggles firmly in place, I find most of these events enjoyable.
I wouldn’t be surprised if retro enthusiasts found these enjoyable as well. The games boast ambitious polygon graphics and animations, showing that they weren’t just thrown together. The “Behind the Athlete” view adds a cool, TV-like presentation in 16-bit form. This viewing angle does ramp up the difficulty in some events (good luck avoiding a foot fault in pole vault), but with a few like-minded friends, you’ll enjoy some solid button-mashing sessions.
Finally, there’s Hoops Shut Up and Jam, which longtime fans will remember as Barkley Shut Up and Jam. Featuring the iconic Charles Barkley, it remains a proper basketball game, unlike some other star-based games of the time. The game cleverly navigates the licensing landscape today by tweaking his character model, but it still delivers that NBA Jam-style thrill.
Of all the games in the collection, this one is the easiest to dive into. While I’m a seasoned gamer, the collection’s appeal lies in its simplicity, catering to “new to retro gaming” fans. If you want to avoid flipping through digital manuals or enduring long learning curves, Hoops Shut Up and Jam stands out as the highlight, even if it has lost its titular star.
Overall, the Accolade Sports Collection (QUByte Classics) meets expectations without exceeding them. At $19.99, it feels a bit pricey for 2025, even for someone who holds dear memories of these games. It might be worth adding to your wishlist and waiting for a sale to sweeten the deal.
