Well, its been a while since I last posted anything, and now that I'm not so busy and tired, I've decided to post again. So I'm going back to basics with a review of Super Dodgeball Brawlers for DS.
Story: Let's get this straight. This is a game about dodgeball players knocking the crap out of each other. There is no story. The closest thing there is to one is the tournament mode, but even that's a stretch. In this case though, having no story doesn't hurt the games score, so I'm not even going to bother scoring this category. Let's just hypothetically say 10/10.
Gameplay: Now, a video game based on dodgeball might not sound like a lot of fun to some people. Throw a ball, dodge a ball. Exciting, right? Actually, it is, but don't expect the initial appeal to last too long. While there are no new features that make this game stand out from other dodgeballers (I know what you're thinking, there are other dodgeball games?), the one's included work fine, like the ability to punch or kick an opponent. First, there is the previously mentioned Tournament Mode, in which you pick a team, all of which are based on countries, and dodgeball your way to the top of the ranks. Kind of like that movie, Dodgeball (trust me, that word is going to come up a lot in this review). That's pretty much it. You can also create your own team, which can be used in all other modes in this game. Next, there is a simple Versus Mode in which you can verse your friends via wireless play or a cpu team. Last, and probably my favourite mode is the Brawl Mode. This is where eight brawlers, either friends or cpu, have a free-for-all dodgeball match and the last one standing wins. It's quite a fun diversion from the other modes, but overall, a single player might get 1 or 2 hours of fresh gameplay time, while the rest is really focused on multiplayer. There is also a locker room mode, which is where you can create your own team as I said before. Gameplay gets a 7/10, thanks to it's well executed multiplayer.
Graphics: Have you ever played River City Ransom? Then you'll know what this game looks like. A bunch of little sprite men moving at what seems like a snails pace, and throwing a grapically uninspiring dodgeball. I couldn't expect more really, I guess, considering this is directly based off of the original 8-bit Super Dodgeball. Well, wait, yes I could expect more. So why is it not here? This is 2008 and it's the frickin' DS. Come on. Ok, actually the sprites don't look bad but there is nothing really amazing graphically. 5/10.
Controls: Throwing the ball and moving around works fine, but then there are these little "super moves" that require a combination of button mashing skills to pull off. Problem is, they are quite hard to do, and take very precise timing to correctly use. Seems to me that the DS's capabilities were underestimated. How about some touch screen power-up's? Oh well, I guess if you want things done right, you gotta do it yourself. 7/10.
Sound: Ugh. That's all I have to say. Ugh. The music is terrible, the hits are terrible, the voices... there are none, no grunts, nothing. How miserable. 3/10.
Value: Unless you like dodgeball games or are looking for a fun little pop-in-and-play title, this game might be right for you. Otherwise, you will find little value in it at all. The $35 dollar price tag isn't much of a help either. 7/10
Overall: I really like this game, but more as an acquaintance, and not as a best friend. It's a fun diversion, but not worth the rest of my days. Hopefully a better dodgeball game will soon hit the shelves and not feel like a hit to the face. 7/10.
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