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The Olympics come but once every four years, but you can compete whenever you want with Accolade’s Summer Challenge. It’s not be the best game to represent the timeless competition, but it’s not a bad one, either. There’s a decent selection of events and some impressive 3D visuals, if you can get past the controls and framerate.
In 1991, Accolade threw its helmet into the Genesis football arena. It was a welcome addition at the time, since there were few options and fans were eager for games. But with the Genesis library filled with Joe Montana and Madden entries, is it still worth playing? Probably not.
Accolade’s answer to the NBA Jam series was to give basketball star “Sir” Charles Barley his own series. The game was successful enough to spawn a sequel, but unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to push the “street b-ball” sub-genre forward. Perhaps its most remarkable feature is how it squeezes every ounce out of its undoubtedly expensive endorsement.
Among the slew of baseball games on the Genesis, Accolade’s Hardball! strikes out. Poor gameplay overpowers all other considerations, making this one title to forget about. Later installments fixed many of the problems, but by then there were much better alternatives. The best thing about Hardball!? The Boris Vallejo box art.
Before you check out the fanmade Barkley: Shut Up & Jam Gaiden and its prequel, spend some time with the game where it all began. Accolade’s take on the NBA Jam formula generated a title that may not have been as good as its inspiration but still provided some solid street-style basketball gameplay. And it has Sir Charles himself!