Ballistix
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
I possess a tremendous amount of respect for video game
companies that design unique, innovative titles - titles
that defy categorization and display originality and
creativity on the parts of their designers. Ballistix is one
such game, but despite being quite intriguing, it serves as
a reminder of the risks involved with departing from
established, tested concepts. While Psygnosis certainly came
up with an interesting premise for the game, Ballistix fails
in nearly every aspect, particularly the most important one: game play.
'Ballistix' is apparently a popular intergalactic sport in
which you're a participant. The game combines elements of
pinball, hockey and Crossfire, and the ultimate aim is to
score more goals than your opponent. A game of Ballistix can
be played against a opponent or against a second
player. You can also partake in a sort of 'exhibition
match' in which you'll attempt to rack up goals while the
obstacles laid out on the playing field hinder your efforts.
Speaking of the playing field, it's basically an elongated
rectangle which you'll view from an overhead perspective.
Being that the playing field is longer vertically than
horizontally, the action will scroll up and down, with your
opponent's goal placed at the top of the field, and yours at
the bottom (should you be participating in a two-player
match, Player Two will defend the goal at the top). Each
side will be in control of a single on-screen player -
Ballistix isn't a team sport, it's a heated, one-on-one
competition.
The object of the game is to knock a small, black ball
referred to as a 'puck' into your opponent's goal. In
order to do so, you'll be supplied with a cannon full of
silver balls of your own. You'll only have a limited supply
of balls at any one time; however, should you use up your
entire arsenal, your supply of balls will be replenished
within a matter of seconds. The puck is dropped in the
middle of the arena, and then the action begins.
There are a plethora of options that you can tinker with
before you begin a game of Ballistix. Ball speed can be
adjusted, as can the effects of gravity and inclinations on
the play field (inclines are denoted by red arrows that
point either up or down). You can also choose the amount of
goals necessary to attain victory, and set the skill level
of your opponent in one-player mode. In two-player
mode, you can choose from some of the game's one-hundred
stages to wage war on.
There are a number of different types of obstacles that
appear on many of the play fields. Bumpers and 'ricochet
arms' can make the game resemble pinball at times, as they
cause the puck to shoot all over the screen. Should the puck
roll over an acid pool or a land mine, it will be destroyed,
and a face-off will occur in which a new puck is dropped.
There are typically two tunnels located at opposite ends of
the arena; a puck that falls in one tunnel will emerge from
the other.
Along with all of the obstacles, you may discover some
special icons laid out over the surface of the playing
field. These icons typically serve to increase (or decrease)
the amount of balls in your possession. They can also
disable your opponent's cannon for a certain amount of time,
as well as cause a shield to pop up in front of your goal
and provide some extra defensive help.
While all of this may sound interesting enough, Ballistix
completely falls apart as soon as a match begins. Game play
consists of bashing on the firing button, launching your
balls at the puck as quickly as you can. Within seconds,
dozens of balls are flying all over the place, making it
almost impossible to implement any strategy or plans of
attack. You'll just have to keep mashing on those buttons
until someone scores - which can get old really fast. The
controls are adequate; the game always make sure that your
cannon is aimed at the puck, so all you have to do is
maneuver your player and fire away. It just isn't that much
fun to mindlessly smash on buttons, hoping that a little
black ball rolls the way you want it to.
The graphics are way below average for a 16-bit title. While
the play fields occasionally vary in color, they're all
painfully boring to look at. I honestly can't even tell what
your 'player' is; he might be a man, he might be a
machine, he might be a combination of both for all I know.
The title screen, as well as the instruction manual, depicts
some sort of armored man with a sword by his side and a
missile in his hand. What this guy has to do with Ballistix
I will never know, but I do know that your player in the
game doesn't resemble him at all. There is a humongous beast
that announces the start of game play (kind of like when the
umpire says 'Play ball!' in baseball), but he seems like
the kind of monster that would be more at home in a game
like Contra than in a title like this.
The sound in Ballistix is even less impressive than the
visuals. There's only one track of music that plays through
the title screen and into the game. While it isn't a bad
tune, it's slow pace doesn't exactly match the game play,
and as you can probably imagine, it gets annoyingly
repetitive after a while. There are very few sound effects
in the game - there isn't even an effect for when one of
your balls hits the puck (which might very well be a good
thing, considering how many balls can be shooting around at
once). There is a cool voice sample provided for the monster
that drops the ball for face-offs (seriously, that guy
belongs in a completely different video game).
While playing Ballistix is definitely a unique experience,
it really isn't an enjoyable one. The points that it scores
for originality are negated by the many flaws in its game
play. You'd do well to give the game a try, as its unique
premise might appeal to you, and there is some fun to be had
in two-player mode. Just don't get your hopes up.
Overall: 5 out of 10
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