Retro Game Review: Bo Jackson's Hit and Run

Screenshots taken from Gamespot GameFAQs

To bring back a little nostalgia, I'll be spending some time reviewing some of my all-time favorite (and not-so-favorite) video games from before the fifth-generation consoles came out (the original Sony PlayStation/Nintendo 64). Those of you who grew up in the 80s and 90s should remember playing several of these. The first title in this series is "Bo Jackson's Hit and Run! Baseball and Football."

Year released: 1991

Developer: THQ

Platform: Nintendo Game Boy

Background: Starting in the late 1980s, Bo Jackson was the superstar athlete. And who could argue? Apparently, he knew everything (I still remember the commercial like it was yesterday). So in 1991, the two-sport athlete got a shot at his own release for the original Game Boy. That same year, Bo Jackson Baseball was released for the NES. However, "Hit and Run!" was a combination of both Bo sports, adding a football game to the mix.

Note: Since the baseball and football games are glaringly different, I'll be breaking down each one separately.

FOOTBALL

Graphics: 1/5

Even for an original Game Boy title, the graphics on the football side of "Hit and Run!" are pretty bad. There are only two teams (East and West), and they are simply black or white. When the players are running, their arms and legs barely flicker, and it always seems one leg is shorter than the other. The playing field looks simple, yet decent, but it's hard to tell which dark spot on the field is the football and which one is the shadow of the ball!

Sound: 1/5

The fact the game has this ear-piercing music that plays while a play is going on can kill the entire football experience. The other sounds are simplistic and bad at best.

Controls: 2/5

Controlling players is easy. Tackling players, well, not so much, which can probably be attributed to the bad graphics. Passing is easy except for the fact you have no idea who you're throwing to until the pass is thrown. Switching between players can also be a chore when the function works properly.

Gameplay: 3/5

This rating is enhanced more by the game's features than the game itself. Plays develop and move along slowly, but this game features several enhancements that are standard in football games today. Aside from the coin toss, the game features formation/coverage/blitz choices on both sides of the ball, time outs, penalties and a create-a-play option. You can also select the length of each quarter.

Overall: 1.75/5

Easy control while carrying the football and some ahead-of-its-time features saves this game from being a complete bust.

BASEBALL

Graphics: 3/5

While the field view when a ball is in play is about as good as the football game's in-play screen, the pitching/batting view is about as good as you're going to get on the original GB. The shading on this screen adds quite a bit to the game's look and feel. The scoreboard screen looks impressive, too.

Sound: 1/5

About as good as football without the annoying in-play music.

Controls: 3/5

Hitting, pitching and throwing are relatively easy to do. However, guessing which fielder the game is letting you chase the ball down with makes you want to throw the game out the door.

Gameplay: 3/5

The fielding problem affects this rating, too. However, just like football, this game was ahead of its time in many ways. You can choose what kind of pitch you want to throw (Ex: instead of having to make a pitch curve manually), move the pitcher side-to-side on the mound and the batter all around the batter's box. You can also bean the batter. A lack of team choices (but still more than two) also brings gameplay down a little.

Overall: 2.5/5

Other than bad sound and confusing player control in the field, this is actually a really good baseball game built for the GB.

OVERALL FOR BOTH: 2.125/5

A mediocre football game takes some of the luster from a reasonably good baseball game.