fbpx
Wikipedia

Ballz

January 01, 1970

For the mobile game, see Ballz (mobile game).

Ballz is a two-player 2.5D action fighting video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, the Super NES (SNES) and the 3DO. It was developed by PF.Magic and published by Accolade in 1994. The 3DO version was released as a director's cut in 1995. Ballz offered three difficulty levels over a total of 21 matches. Its distinguishing quality was that each of the characters were composed completely of spheres, granting a pseudo-3D look.[1]

Although the game was not a tremendous success, PF.Magic reused its graphics technology in a successful line of virtual pet titles, Petz, Dogz, Catz and Oddballz.

Development and publishing edit

The idea to use spheres to represent characters in the game was proposed by Keith Kirby, the team decided on implementing the idea as it would save processor power, as well as the fact that characters would look the same regardless of the angle the camera is situated at when they are constructed from spheres, which are also relatively quite easy to represent in the game's code.[2]

The Genesis/Mega Drive version was originally intended for use with the Edge 16, a modem system for multiplayer gaming which was eventually cancelled.[3]

The opening PF.Magic developed for the game stated "To be the champion, you gotta have Ballz!". Due to its racy double-entendre ("balls" may be used as a slang term for testicles), Nintendo demanded the wording be changed for the SNES version. The SNES version of the game states "...you gotta play Ballz", while the Sega version uses the original intro. The game was also notably bizarre for its lineup of fighters, which included a farting monkey, a jumping clown, a sumo wrestler, an ostrich, a caveman, a bodybuilder, a ballerina, a rhinoceros and a "superhero".

Fighters edit

These are the characters in the game's lineup of fighters:

  • Boomer: A clown from the circus. His air jumps and the tricks up his sleeves make him the most humorous fighter.
  • Bruiser: A bodybuilder who gets quite a workout. His buffed-up body and powerful blows make him a formidable fighter.
  • Crusher: An enraged rhinoceros who prefers to charge at his opponents directly.
  • Divine: A ballerina dancer who twirls around gracefully. She's the only female fighter and will sometimes give a spanking.
  • Kronk: A caveman from the dawn of civilization. He uses his club to cut his opponents down to size and hits them like a baseball.
  • Tsunami: A sumo wrestler who enjoys leaping on top of his opponents.
  • Turbo: A superhero who glides along the arena and blows as strongly as a hurricane.
  • Yoko: A monkey who often breaks wind. He enjoys ganging up on the opponent and slapping them silly.
  • Zombie: Only appears in the Director's Cut version of the game. He stalks and slashes at his enemies.

Bosses edit

These are the bosses who appear in One-Player mode. Each boss defeated earns a different colored belt, and these change the fighter's coloring scheme.

  • Guggler: The first boss in the game. Guggler is an ostrich who pecks at her opponents and tosses them around with her beak. Her "jump and kick" ability also makes her a boss to be reckoned with. Defeating her wins the Red Belt.
  • Bounder: The second boss of the game. Bounder is a kangaroo who wears boxing gloves and uses punches and kicks. He often jumps around and balances on his tail while using his legs to fling opponents across the arena. Defeating him wins the Green Belt.
  • T-Wrecks: The third boss in the game. T-Wrecks is a gigantic dinosaur who relies on an aggressive temperament as an attack. He will grab opponents in his jaws and creates devastating ground shock waves with a powerful tail. Defeating him wins the Blue Belt.
  • Lamprey: The fourth boss of the game. Lamprey is a mystical genie whose swift attacks and magical powers make him a formidable foe. He possesses the ability to turn himself into any creature, such as a bull, a scorpion, or a snake. Defeating him wins the Black Belt.
  • The Jester: The ultimate boss. The Jester is the one who challenged the fighters to duel in the tournament at the start. He dons a black-and-white outfit and can be seen juggling balls in the opening. As the final boss, he is the most difficult character to beat. He can disassemble himself and move about the floor, and has physical attacks that are very strong. The damage he does can take off much of the player's health. After being defeated for the first time, he reassembles and comes back for more. When the Jester finally falls, he grants the fighter's wish - to play as the bosses.

Reception edit

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Genesis version a 6.2 out of 10 average, commenting that "The fighters were interesting, with their various taunts and other poses, and the whole idea is innovative, but in the end it just never really came together for me."[23] GamePro gave the Genesis version a positive review. They praised the balanced gameplay, smooth scaling effects, and humorous sound effects, and concluded, "Ballz takes the increasingly routine genre of fighting games and gives it a new bounce, injecting a wicked sense of humor into the action."[24] They were less enthusiastic about the SNES version, saying that the graphics are better than in the Genesis version, but the irritating new soundtrack, overcomplicated control configuration, and especially the frequent slowdown combine to make the game much less enjoyable.[25] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly had mixed reactions to the SNES version. Two of them praised its original design and good graphics, and the other two praised the humorous sounds, but all but one felt the game was not as enjoyable as other fighting games, with the biggest problem being the fighters' limited set of moves. They gave it a 6.75 out of 10 average.[26]

GamePro gave the 3DO version a highly positive review, applauding the additions and improvements such as enhanced graphics, increased play speed, rendered backgrounds, new character, character-specific theme songs, and arena rotation, as well as the humor and "non-conformist attitude" of the game itself.[27]

Ballz was ranked seventh in a 2011 list of "Top Ten Fighting Games We'd Like to Forget", compiled by Game Informer. The author of the list, Dan Ryckert, criticized it for its sexual innuendo and its design representing more of a 2D look.[28]

Next Generation reviewed the 3DO version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "If you accept its looks, it plays fine, but this is as much yesterday's technology as any sprite-based fighter attempting to get away with digitized characters. It's almost too bad, but it's just a game out of time."[13]

Notes edit

  1. ^ In GameFan's review of the Genesis version, two critics scored it 80/100, another 82/100.[7]
  2. ^ Nintendo Power gave the SNES port two 3.3/5 scores for graphics/sound and theme/fun, 2.9/5 for play control, and 3/5 for sound.[14]

References edit

  1. ^ "How The Post reported on gender and video games in 1994". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Good Deal Games - Classic Videogame Games INTERVIEW - Rob Fulop". www.gooddealgames.com. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  3. ^ "Who Has the Edge?". GamePro. No. 62. IDG. September 1994. p. 57.
  4. ^ Osmond, Andrew (October 1995). "Ballz: The Director Cut". Computer and Video Games. No. 167. p. 56. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Patterson, Mark (October 1994). "Ballz". Computer and Video Games. No. 155. p. 91. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  6. ^ NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 3次元格闘 ボールズ. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.333. Pg.30. 5 May 1995.
  7. ^ Skid; K. Lee; The Enquirer (August 1994). "Viewpoint". GameFan. Vol. 2, no. 9. pp. 30–31. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Kirrane, Simon (September 1994). "Ballz". GamesMaster. No. 21. p. 46.
  9. ^ Tucker, Tim (September 1994). "Ballz". GamesMaster. No. 21. pp. 44–45.
  10. ^ Myu, Mue (October 1995). "Ball Z, The Director's Cut". Joystick (in French). p. 122. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  11. ^ Götz (November 1994). "Ballz". Mega Fun (in German). p. 110. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  12. ^ Steve; Gus (October 1994). "Ballz 3D". Mean Machines. No. 24. pp. 80–82. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Finals". Next Generation. No. 9. Imagine Media. September 1995. p. 90.
  14. ^ "Now Playing". Nintendo Power. Vol. 66. November 1994. pp. 102–107. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Josse (October 1994). "Ballz". Total!. No. 34. pp. 40–41. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Dirk (October 1994). "Ballz". Video Games (in German). p. 98. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "Ballz: The Director's Cut". 3DO Magazine. No. 6. October 1995. pp. 40–41. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  18. ^ Yates, Laurie (September 1994). "Ballz!". Electronic Games. p. 72. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "Mortal Kombat II; Way of the Warrior; Ballz". Entertainment Weekly. September 30, 1994. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  20. ^ Allbran, Damon (September 1994). "Ballz". Mega. No. 24. pp. 44–47. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  21. ^ Sariban, Mark (January 1995). "Ballz". Mega Zone. No. 47. p. 32. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Radion Automatic (October 1994). "Ballz 3D". Sega Magazine. No. 10. pp. 88–89. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  23. ^ "Review Crew: Ballz". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 63. Ziff Davis. October 1994. p. 38.
  24. ^ "ProReview: Ballz". GamePro. No. 72. IDG. September 1994. p. 56.
  25. ^ "ProReview: Ballz". GamePro. No. 75. IDG. December 1994. p. 134.
  26. ^ "Review Crew: Ballz". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 65. Ziff Davis. December 1994. p. 38.
  27. ^ "ProReview: Ballz: The Director's Cut". GamePro. No. 85. IDG. October 1995. p. 72.
  28. ^ Ryckert, Dan. Top Ten Fighting Games We'd Like to Forget. Game Informer (April 2011). Retrieved 2011-06-02.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
ballz, mobile, game, mobile, game, player, action, fighting, video, game, sega, mega, drive, genesis, super, snes, developed, magic, published, accolade, 1994, version, released, director, 1995, offered, three, difficulty, levels, over, total, matches, disting. For the mobile game see Ballz mobile game Ballz is a two player 2 5D action fighting video game for the Sega Mega Drive Genesis the Super NES SNES and the 3DO It was developed by PF Magic and published by Accolade in 1994 The 3DO version was released as a director s cut in 1995 Ballz offered three difficulty levels over a total of 21 matches Its distinguishing quality was that each of the characters were composed completely of spheres granting a pseudo 3D look 1 BallzEuropean Mega Drive boxDeveloper s PF MagicPublisher s AccoladePlatform s Sega Genesis Super NES 3DORelease1994Genre s FightingMode s Single player multiplayer Although the game was not a tremendous success PF Magic reused its graphics technology in a successful line of virtual pet titles Petz Dogz Catz and Oddballz Contents 1 Development and publishing 2 Fighters 3 Bosses 4 Reception 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksDevelopment and publishing editThe idea to use spheres to represent characters in the game was proposed by Keith Kirby the team decided on implementing the idea as it would save processor power as well as the fact that characters would look the same regardless of the angle the camera is situated at when they are constructed from spheres which are also relatively quite easy to represent in the game s code 2 The Genesis Mega Drive version was originally intended for use with the Edge 16 a modem system for multiplayer gaming which was eventually cancelled 3 The opening PF Magic developed for the game stated To be the champion you gotta have Ballz Due to its racy double entendre balls may be used as a slang term for testicles Nintendo demanded the wording be changed for the SNES version The SNES version of the game states you gotta play Ballz while the Sega version uses the original intro The game was also notably bizarre for its lineup of fighters which included a farting monkey a jumping clown a sumo wrestler an ostrich a caveman a bodybuilder a ballerina a rhinoceros and a superhero Fighters editThese are the characters in the game s lineup of fighters Boomer A clown from the circus His air jumps and the tricks up his sleeves make him the most humorous fighter Bruiser A bodybuilder who gets quite a workout His buffed up body and powerful blows make him a formidable fighter Crusher An enraged rhinoceros who prefers to charge at his opponents directly Divine A ballerina dancer who twirls around gracefully She s the only female fighter and will sometimes give a spanking Kronk A caveman from the dawn of civilization He uses his club to cut his opponents down to size and hits them like a baseball Tsunami A sumo wrestler who enjoys leaping on top of his opponents Turbo A superhero who glides along the arena and blows as strongly as a hurricane Yoko A monkey who often breaks wind He enjoys ganging up on the opponent and slapping them silly Zombie Only appears in the Director s Cut version of the game He stalks and slashes at his enemies Bosses editThese are the bosses who appear in One Player mode Each boss defeated earns a different colored belt and these change the fighter s coloring scheme Guggler The first boss in the game Guggler is an ostrich who pecks at her opponents and tosses them around with her beak Her jump and kick ability also makes her a boss to be reckoned with Defeating her wins the Red Belt Bounder The second boss of the game Bounder is a kangaroo who wears boxing gloves and uses punches and kicks He often jumps around and balances on his tail while using his legs to fling opponents across the arena Defeating him wins the Green Belt T Wrecks The third boss in the game T Wrecks is a gigantic dinosaur who relies on an aggressive temperament as an attack He will grab opponents in his jaws and creates devastating ground shock waves with a powerful tail Defeating him wins the Blue Belt Lamprey The fourth boss of the game Lamprey is a mystical genie whose swift attacks and magical powers make him a formidable foe He possesses the ability to turn himself into any creature such as a bull a scorpion or a snake Defeating him wins the Black Belt The Jester The ultimate boss The Jester is the one who challenged the fighters to duel in the tournament at the start He dons a black and white outfit and can be seen juggling balls in the opening As the final boss he is the most difficult character to beat He can disassemble himself and move about the floor and has physical attacks that are very strong The damage he does can take off much of the player s health After being defeated for the first time he reassembles and comes back for more When the Jester finally falls he grants the fighter s wish to play as the bosses Reception editReceptionReview scoresPublicationScoreComputer and Video Games3DO 71 100 4 SMD 87 100 5 FamitsuSNES 28 40 6 GameFanSMD 81 100 a GamesMasterSMD 79 8 SNES 58 9 Joystick3DO 68 100 10 Mean Machines SegaSMD 91 100 12 Mega FunSMD 63 11 Next Generation3DO nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 13 Nintendo PowerSNES 3 125 5 b Total SNES 69 15 Video Games DE SMD 81 16 3DO Magazine3DO nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 17 Electronic GamesSMD C 18 Entertainment WeeklySMD A 19 MegaSMD 80 20 Mega ZoneSMD 65 21 Sega MagazineSMD 71 100 22 Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Genesis version a 6 2 out of 10 average commenting that The fighters were interesting with their various taunts and other poses and the whole idea is innovative but in the end it just never really came together for me 23 GamePro gave the Genesis version a positive review They praised the balanced gameplay smooth scaling effects and humorous sound effects and concluded Ballz takes the increasingly routine genre of fighting games and gives it a new bounce injecting a wicked sense of humor into the action 24 They were less enthusiastic about the SNES version saying that the graphics are better than in the Genesis version but the irritating new soundtrack overcomplicated control configuration and especially the frequent slowdown combine to make the game much less enjoyable 25 The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly had mixed reactions to the SNES version Two of them praised its original design and good graphics and the other two praised the humorous sounds but all but one felt the game was not as enjoyable as other fighting games with the biggest problem being the fighters limited set of moves They gave it a 6 75 out of 10 average 26 GamePro gave the 3DO version a highly positive review applauding the additions and improvements such as enhanced graphics increased play speed rendered backgrounds new character character specific theme songs and arena rotation as well as the humor and non conformist attitude of the game itself 27 Ballz was ranked seventh in a 2011 list of Top Ten Fighting Games We d Like to Forget compiled by Game Informer The author of the list Dan Ryckert criticized it for its sexual innuendo and its design representing more of a 2D look 28 Next Generation reviewed the 3DO version of the game rating it two stars out of five and stated that If you accept its looks it plays fine but this is as much yesterday s technology as any sprite based fighter attempting to get away with digitized characters It s almost too bad but it s just a game out of time 13 Notes edit In GameFan s review of the Genesis version two critics scored it 80 100 another 82 100 7 Nintendo Power gave the SNES port two 3 3 5 scores for graphics sound and theme fun 2 9 5 for play control and 3 5 for sound 14 References edit How The Post reported on gender and video games in 1994 Washington Post Retrieved 13 August 2018 Good Deal Games Classic Videogame Games INTERVIEW Rob Fulop www gooddealgames com Retrieved 2020 12 10 Who Has the Edge GamePro No 62 IDG September 1994 p 57 Osmond Andrew October 1995 Ballz The Director Cut Computer and Video Games No 167 p 56 Retrieved February 27 2021 Patterson Mark October 1994 Ballz Computer and Video Games No 155 p 91 Retrieved February 27 2021 NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW 3次元格闘 ボールズ Weekly Famicom Tsushin No 333 Pg 30 5 May 1995 Skid K Lee The Enquirer August 1994 Viewpoint GameFan Vol 2 no 9 pp 30 31 Retrieved February 27 2021 Kirrane Simon September 1994 Ballz GamesMaster No 21 p 46 Tucker Tim September 1994 Ballz GamesMaster No 21 pp 44 45 Myu Mue October 1995 Ball Z The Director s Cut Joystick in French p 122 Retrieved February 27 2021 Gotz November 1994 Ballz Mega Fun in German p 110 Retrieved February 27 2021 Steve Gus October 1994 Ballz 3D Mean Machines No 24 pp 80 82 Retrieved February 27 2021 a b Finals Next Generation No 9 Imagine Media September 1995 p 90 Now Playing Nintendo Power Vol 66 November 1994 pp 102 107 Retrieved February 27 2021 Josse October 1994 Ballz Total No 34 pp 40 41 Retrieved February 27 2021 Dirk October 1994 Ballz Video Games in German p 98 Retrieved February 27 2021 Ballz The Director s Cut 3DO Magazine No 6 October 1995 pp 40 41 Retrieved February 27 2021 Yates Laurie September 1994 Ballz Electronic Games p 72 Retrieved February 27 2021 Mortal Kombat II Way of the Warrior Ballz Entertainment Weekly September 30 1994 Retrieved February 27 2021 Allbran Damon September 1994 Ballz Mega No 24 pp 44 47 Retrieved February 27 2021 Sariban Mark January 1995 Ballz Mega Zone No 47 p 32 Retrieved March 13 2021 Radion Automatic October 1994 Ballz 3D Sega Magazine No 10 pp 88 89 Retrieved February 27 2021 Review Crew Ballz Electronic Gaming Monthly No 63 Ziff Davis October 1994 p 38 ProReview Ballz GamePro No 72 IDG September 1994 p 56 ProReview Ballz GamePro No 75 IDG December 1994 p 134 Review Crew Ballz Electronic Gaming Monthly No 65 Ziff Davis December 1994 p 38 ProReview Ballz The Director s Cut GamePro No 85 IDG October 1995 p 72 Ryckert Dan Top Ten Fighting Games We d Like to Forget Game Informer April 2011 Retrieved 2011 06 02 External links editBallz at MobyGames Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ballz amp oldid 1213544083, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.