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307:) "two of the worst games ever made". Wong criticised the "boring" graphics, the small number of fielders deployable in the game, and the unrealistic gameplay, and summed the game up by saying "Gamers looking for a real baseball experience will have to look elsewhere". A review in the January/February 2003 issue of
34:
253:, the engineer who was first assigned to develop the game didn't know the rules of the sport of baseball. As a result, in an initial version of the game if the player failed to hit the ball they were awarded a ball rather than a strike.
220:
and the ball-catcher instantly disappears from view. The home team has to bat at the bottom of the 9th inning regardless of whether they are winning or not, and there is no extra innings if the game is tied.
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criticised the excessively basic game-play and graphics and compared it negatively to later baseball games developed for the Atari 2600 where the developers had better utilised the platform's resources.
164:-themed game released for an Atari platform. The game received mostly negative critical reception due to its unrealistic portrayal of the sport. It was one of the games used by console competitor
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called the game, "so pared down from the original sport that it only barely qualifies as a baseball simulation," stating that, "it might more accurately be called 'Video
Stickball'."
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magazine was heavily critical of the game, stating that it was "nothing like real baseball", and describing the graphics as "primitive". The 1984 Software
Encyclopedia published by
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was overwhelmingly negative, describing it as "a big stinker", "one of the worst games ever designed" with graphics that are "inexcusably bad". Bret Weiss writing in
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magazine was similarly critical of the game, saying that it lacks "the "feel" of real sports action", and giving it an overall rating of 4/10. Writing in
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In an aggressive marketing campaign by Mattel
Electronics, the game was compared to its graphically and gameplay-wise more advanced
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praised the variety of the options for pitching but found the graphics and gameplay lack-lustre. Kieren Hawken writing in
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260:. The game was one of the games used in advertisements by console competitor Mattel to show the quality improvement of
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are present in the game, and when either the pitcher or one of the infielders catches the ball everyone but the
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A television advertising campaign for the game (and the Atari VCS as a whole) was fronted by
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Teams have only one to three players, and the fielders must run with the ball to
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644:. New York: Dell Publishing, Reese Publishing. pp. 34, 124–129.
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205:, with the pitcher instead standing at second base. The game lacks
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magazine panned the game, describing it as (together with Atari's
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381:
Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete
Reference Guide
313:
Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete
Reference Guide
165:
240:, and David Rolfe. The cover art was designed by Cliff Spohn.
696:"Console Portraits: A 40-Year Pictorial History of Gaming"
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for the Atari Video
Computer System (later renamed to the
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The Player's
Strategy Guide to Atari VCS Home Video Games
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The Player's
Strategy Guide to Atari VCS Home Video Games
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Depending on the selected game mode, only zero to two
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384:. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 69.
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766:Video games developed in the United States
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412:
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297:A December 2000 review by Patrick Wong in
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771:Multiplayer and single-player video games
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580:. Rutgers University Press. p. 56.
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461:. No. 3. December 1982. p. 62
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373:
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272:A review in the December 1982 issue of
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423:. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 83.
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516:The A–Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 2
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317:The A–Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 2
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368:
729:Home Run: Game Program Instructions
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658:
549:"Bang! Boing! Ping! It's King Pong"
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168:to show the quality improvement of
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665:Boy, Bat (January–February 2003).
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782:
720:
577:How Television Invented New Media
547:Klemesrud, Judy (24 April 1978).
513:Hawken, Kieren (31 August 2018).
417:Lapetino, Tim (26 October 2016).
264:sports games over the Atari VCS.
172:sports games over the Atari VCS.
378:Weiss, Bret (20 December 2011).
352:
201:not being possible. There is no
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483:Wong, Patrick (December 2000).
232:was designed and programmed by
197:, with throwing of the ball to
732:. Atari. 1978 – via the
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1:
485:"Atari's misplays and bogeys"
345:
267:
7:
188:
152:developed and published by
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667:"Random Reviews: Home Run"
613:1984 Software Encyclopedia
209:and independent fielders.
676:. No. 50. p. 16
338:, sparking off the first
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225:Development and marketing
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83:
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52:
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491:. No. 5. p. 58
574:Murphy, Sheila (2011).
290:editors Arnie Katz and
236:, who went on to found
335:Major League Baseball
761:Baseball video games
243:According to a 1978
160:). It was the first
182:RealSports Baseball
615:. 1984. p. 93
553:The New York Times
360:Video games portal
199:force players out
150:sports video game
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756:Atari 2600 games
751:1978 video games
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636:Kunkel, Bill
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530:. Retrieved
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434:. Retrieved
420:Art Of Atari
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680:24 February
619:23 February
593:21 February
559:20 February
532:20 February
465:21 February
436:20 February
397:20 February
340:console war
292:Bill Kunkel
218:baserunners
154:Atari, Inc.
136:multiplayer
85:Platform(s)
76:David Rolfe
58:Atari, Inc.
47:Atari, Inc.
745:Categories
609:"Home Run"
455:"Home Run"
346:References
238:Activision
214:infielders
158:Atari 2600
148:is a 1978
90:Atari 2600
268:Reception
258:Pete Rose
207:fly balls
185:in 1982.
638:(1982).
230:Home Run
189:Gameplay
177:Home Run
162:baseball
145:Home Run
117:Genre(s)
27:Home Run
708:2 March
495:4 March
274:JoyStik
128:Mode(s)
96:Release
648:
584:
523:
427:
388:
324:Legacy
166:Mattel
122:Sports
701:Wired
670:(PDF)
179:with
710:2021
682:2021
646:ISBN
621:2021
595:2021
582:ISBN
561:2021
534:2021
521:ISBN
497:2021
467:2021
438:2021
425:ISBN
399:2021
386:ISBN
304:Golf
108:1978
747::
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611:.
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487:.
475:^
457:.
446:^
407:^
370:^
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104:US
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106::
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
