Tornado Baseball / Ball Park

Arcade Video game published 48 years ago:

Tornado Baseball (c) 1976 Midway.

The game is a very simple game of baseball, implemented with stick figures. The game is very simple in terms of rules, and anybody can pick up on how to play fairly quickly. This is a two player only title, with both people playing for a single quarter. The pitching player selects his pitch with one joystick, while moving his outfielders with a second one. The batting player only has a single button (that is a 'swing' button). Both players use the same set of controls, so they must switch spots in front of the machine midway through each inning. You get a four inning game for one quarter, although that number can be adjusted by the game operator.

- TECHNICAL -

Tornado Baseball came in a two tone brown upright cabinet, heavily decorated with sticker sideart of baseball players in action. The cabinet design dates itself by its straight up and down design, without a curve to be seen anywhere on the machine. The field is displayed using an open frame monitor, mirror, and a blacklight to make it seem as though the action is taking place on a picture of a baseball field that is housed inside the cabinet.

Game ID : 605

Main CPU : Intel 8080 (@ 1.9968 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Discrete

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 256 x 224 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz
Palette colors : 2

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick (pitching team), joystick 2-way (the outfielders)
Buttons : 1

- TRIVIA -

Released in July 1976. Tornado Baseball is one of the first arcade baseball titles to try and put a lot of players on the field at once.

The technique of using mirrored-in graphics in the game was the work of Dave Nutting. The game was designed for Midway by Dave Nutting Associates.

A Tornado Baseball cabinet can be seen in the 2004 film "Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy" starring Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, and Christina Applegate

- SERIES -

1. Tornado Baseball (1976)
2. Extra Inning (1978)
3. Extra Bases (1980)

- STAFF -

Hardware effects: Dave Nutting

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES: