The Accolade Sports Collection bundles together five sports games from the early ’90s, and boy, do they show their age. I’m on the fence about how “classic” these three-decade-old games truly are or if they can really be classified as an “epic” collection. Still, given that I already have three of these as cartridges, they do hold a semi-classic status in my heart. So, is this collection worth picking up for your Nintendo Switch?
To start off, let’s talk about the two games I hadn’t owned before: Hardball and its sequel. Now, the first Hardball game deserves some respect for what it brought to the table back in its day. It kickstarted a franchise and even made a cameo in the intro of The Princess Bride. But considering it first dropped in 1985, by the time 1991 rolled around, it was already starting to feel outdated, much less by today’s standards. Speaking of ’91, I was itching to play as the NL champion Atlanta Braves, but unfortunately, the game only lets you choose city names—not teams. Kind of expected, but still a letdown. On the flip side, the visuals hold up decently, though the music might get on your nerves after a while—thankfully, you can turn it off.
The sequel shakes things up with a new perspective, no in-game music, more stadium options, and even a demo mode—features typical of sports games from that era. There’s a surprising amount of depth here, as evidenced by the in-game manual, which is packed with over a dozen pages. But with all this depth, there’s also a noticeable lack of immediacy. The animations, while impressive for their time, make the gameplay feel a bit sluggish. It’s not exactly a pick-up-and-play kind of game, though save features do come in handy. Unless you’re feeling nostalgic for these Hardball titles—probably from playing on a PC back in the day—I can’t say they translate well to a console experience.
Next on the docket are Summer and Winter Challenge. Between the two, you’ve got 16 events, so we won’t dive into every single one. You might think they’re more about quantity than quality, and I can’t argue much with that. Still, I find most of the events entertaining, especially with my nostalgia goggles on.
Would it surprise me if fellow retro gamers enjoy them too? Not at all. They certainly have some charm. The presentations are ambitious, with polygon visuals that are pretty impressive for the Genesis. The animations reveal that these games weren’t just slapped together. The “Behind the Athlete” viewpoint lends a cool, TV-style feel in 16-bit form. Sure, this makes some events trickier (just try not to get a foot fault in the pole vault), but gather some retro-loving friends, and you’ll have a blast mashing those buttons.
Finally, we have Hoops Shut Up and Jam, or as it’s nostalgically known to many, Barkley Shut Up and Jam. Like the ’90s NBA stars, Sir Charles had his own game. At least this was a true basketball game, unlike Michael Jordan’s platformer or Shaquille O’Neal’s fighter game. They’ve tweaked his character model to sidestep licensing issues, but the game retains its NBA Jam-style fun.
More importantly, it’s by far the easiest game in the collection to dive into. While I’m a seasoned player, the Accolade Sports Collection is also tailored to newbies in retro gaming. If you’re not up for diving into digital manuals or enduring slow learning curves, Hoops Shut Up and Jam shines as the standout, despite losing its titular star.
Accolade Sports Collection (QUByte Classics) is exactly what you’d expect—nothing more, nothing less. But by 2025 standards, $19.99 is a steep price for a collection like this, even for someone who feels the tug of nostalgia. If you’re interested, maybe toss it on your wishlist and watch for a future discount.
