GRAPHICS SOUND CONTROL FRUSTRATION FUN FACTOR OVERALL

NES 2 Players Dodgeball / Sports There are sports video games, and then there are NES sports games. Due to the right balance of hardware power and limitation, developers were able to produce some of the best sports games ever created right on the NES, games that appeal even to those who don't normally play sports games. In the days before precisely-programmed simulations, accurate physics, and up-to-date rosters, programmers could make a sports game that was actually fun, sometimes even deviating from the real-world rules a bit and not taking flak for it. Super Dodgeball takes the real-life rules of the schoolyard game and beans them in the face. The premise is simple. You have a team of six players, three in the field and three on the sidelines. The goal is the whip the ball at the opposing team and wear down their health bars until they die (really). Once the opposing team is eliminated, it's on to the next match. That's it. Unlike conventional dodgeball, there is only one ball. Also, players at the sidelines are used for passing out-of-bounds balls back to their team's side or getting in the occasional hit on the opposing team when no one is looking. Players can be alternated between matches, which opens the play variety somewhat, since each player has a set of two special moves (one running and one jumping) that they can use to help destroy the competition. And if you get bored of dodgeball, the mildly entertain "beanball" is available, which plays like a free-for-all deathmatch. It's extremely simple, but that's not a bad thing. The graphics, however, are simple, and that is a bad thing. While the familiar characters, animations, and backgrounds generally look pretty good (what else would you expect from Technos?) there aren't a whole lot of them. The real issue games from the game's performance, which comes close to destroying the fun. The framerate chugs along without provocation, and the flicker is simply terrible. Sometimes the ball disappears, and when your life depends on catching or avoiding it, it's helpful to be able to actually see it. The audio is good, but not mind-blowing. The few sound effects do there job without being distracting, from the satisfying impact of the ball to the special move sound effect that lets you know when something is coming. The music is simplistic, but in fine Technos tradition, is also catchy. The controls are the game's weakest link. While the basic functions work well, the overall operation is stiff and sometimes ineffective. Passing is time-consuming and not always accurate and the special moves work about seventy-percent of the time, but that thirty-percent can be aggravating during a close match. It's a little too easy to accidentally hand the ball to the opposition, but practice makes perfect. Another problem with Super Dodgeball is its simplicity. There really isn't a whole lot of variety, and while the two-player option spices things up a little, once you beat the game, there isn't a whole lot to do. But it's still fun, and that's all that matters. I've been a follower of Technos games ever since the immortal River City Ransom changed what NES games were. When I saw that Super Dodgeball was a Technos game, there was nothing that could stop me from picking it up. Even though there isn't much substance, I still love it. ......BOTTOM LINE: Super Dodgeball is very much like its real-life counterpart: straightforward and fun. It's in a different league than the disappointing Crash n the Boys Street Challenge, and while the thrills may end too quickly, you could do worse than spending an hour or so throwing balls at people's heads. -The Collector