While Renegade wasn’t the most noteworthy or successful beat-’em-up of the 80s, and it has aged in comparison to plenty of other beat-’em-ups that would be released afterwards, the game was successful enough to spawn plenty of sequels and a whole franchise out of it. So, with that being said, with one modestly successful beat-’em-up out of the way, where would you think the franchise would go immediately afterwards? Why, to a dodge-ball game, of course! What, you thought that it would naturally lead to yet another beat-’em-up that would improve on the graphics, gameplay, and difficulty? Nah, that’s too predictable, IDIOT. We got some balls to dodge! At least, that’s what I am assuming was Techno’s mindset when they decided to make this game. And thus, just one year later, we would get Super Dodge-Ball both in arcades and later for the NES
Like I mentioned in my Punch-Out review, I usually don’t give full reviews for sports games, because I just simply can’t muster up any kind of caring for what I am given in them. Usually, they just give you the sport, and that’s almost about it, especially for this era of sports games. However, just like with Punch-Out, Super Dodge-Ball is a unique exception, because not only is the game itself pretty fun, but it also has a lot of personality put into it, making it a pretty great time. Sure, not too much is done to take dodge-ball further than the basics, but it has just the right amount of speed and charm to where I wasn’t complaining.
The graphics are very well done, incorporating the unique look that River City is known for to make it stand out from other sports games, the music is a great listen, especially when you pummel a dodge-ball right into someone’s face, the control is mostly solid, although whenever the game automatically switches which team member you control, it can lead to awkward movement issues (which is unavoidable with this type of game, but still), and the gameplay is what you would expect, but with enough spice to make it fun, and enough variety to keep you playing for a while.
The game is… well, it’s dodge-ball. You control a group of three players facing off another team, throwing and catching the dodge-ball, trying to take down your opponents before they are able to take you down. It is what you would expect, but alongside the usual dodge-ball gameplay, there are additions that make things more energetic and enjoyable, such as being able to run and throw different kinds of special moves. Sure, it is not that much more complex from the regular game, but again, the energy and charm from all this, paired with the River City style, make it much more appealing then other NES sports games. In addition, compared to the original arcade version, they added different names and health bars for the characters, giving the game more personality overall.
The game features three separate modes to play, with the World Cup basically being the story mode of the game. You take control of Team USA (because of course you do), and you take on many other dodge-ball teams from all around the world. Sure, that isn’t much for a story mode, but it works for what we have here. Alongside this, there is Versus Play, which is the two player mode of the game, which I couldn’t try out because I have no friends, and the Bean Ball mode, which functions almost identically to the other modes, except now you can run around freely on the court rather than being restricted to one side. While not expanding the gameplay too much, these modes are greatly appreciated for keeping the gameplay going, and it can make pretty fun co-op matches… at least, I would assume so.
Now, in terms of gameplay, presentation, and content, there aren’t really too many problems that can be seen throughout, as the game really is a solid package. I mean, there is the fact that the final match in the World Cup mode is against a shadow version of your team, which is kind of lame, but that’s really just my opinion. However, there do exist issues when it comes to the technical side of things. Usually I don’t like to bring up any glitches or other technical issues with a game, unless it either halts progress somehow, or it has an impact on how much I enjoy the game, and in terms of this game, it doesn’t have too much of an impact on my enjoyment, but it is very noticeable. What I mean by this is that there is sprite-flickering EVERYWHERE in this game. Sure, I can understand why it is there, because of how much is happening at once, but for fuck sake, it can be extremely distracting, and it does kind of take away from the experience. Aside from that though, nothing else really got in my way of enjoying this game.
Overall, while it does have a huge sprite flickering issue, this is a pretty solid dodge-ball game, as well as a pretty good spin-off for the Kunio-kun franchise, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the series, or just likes old-school sports games. And hey, sorry about that idiot comment earlier, I didn’t mean it. Thankfully, after this, things will get back to the beat-’em-up roots of the series, so let’s hope they can take what they did in Renegade and make it much more enjoyable.
Game #235
Like I mentioned in my Punch-Out review, I usually don’t give full reviews for sports games, because I just simply can’t muster up any kind of caring for what I am given in them. Usually, they just give you the sport, and that’s almost about it, especially for this era of sports games. However, just like with Punch-Out, Super Dodge-Ball is a unique exception, because not only is the game itself pretty fun, but it also has a lot of personality put into it, making it a pretty great time. Sure, not too much is done to take dodge-ball further than the basics, but it has just the right amount of speed and charm to where I wasn’t complaining.
The graphics are very well done, incorporating the unique look that River City is known for to make it stand out from other sports games, the music is a great listen, especially when you pummel a dodge-ball right into someone’s face, the control is mostly solid, although whenever the game automatically switches which team member you control, it can lead to awkward movement issues (which is unavoidable with this type of game, but still), and the gameplay is what you would expect, but with enough spice to make it fun, and enough variety to keep you playing for a while.
The game is… well, it’s dodge-ball. You control a group of three players facing off another team, throwing and catching the dodge-ball, trying to take down your opponents before they are able to take you down. It is what you would expect, but alongside the usual dodge-ball gameplay, there are additions that make things more energetic and enjoyable, such as being able to run and throw different kinds of special moves. Sure, it is not that much more complex from the regular game, but again, the energy and charm from all this, paired with the River City style, make it much more appealing then other NES sports games. In addition, compared to the original arcade version, they added different names and health bars for the characters, giving the game more personality overall.
The game features three separate modes to play, with the World Cup basically being the story mode of the game. You take control of Team USA (because of course you do), and you take on many other dodge-ball teams from all around the world. Sure, that isn’t much for a story mode, but it works for what we have here. Alongside this, there is Versus Play, which is the two player mode of the game, which I couldn’t try out because I have no friends, and the Bean Ball mode, which functions almost identically to the other modes, except now you can run around freely on the court rather than being restricted to one side. While not expanding the gameplay too much, these modes are greatly appreciated for keeping the gameplay going, and it can make pretty fun co-op matches… at least, I would assume so.
Now, in terms of gameplay, presentation, and content, there aren’t really too many problems that can be seen throughout, as the game really is a solid package. I mean, there is the fact that the final match in the World Cup mode is against a shadow version of your team, which is kind of lame, but that’s really just my opinion. However, there do exist issues when it comes to the technical side of things. Usually I don’t like to bring up any glitches or other technical issues with a game, unless it either halts progress somehow, or it has an impact on how much I enjoy the game, and in terms of this game, it doesn’t have too much of an impact on my enjoyment, but it is very noticeable. What I mean by this is that there is sprite-flickering EVERYWHERE in this game. Sure, I can understand why it is there, because of how much is happening at once, but for fuck sake, it can be extremely distracting, and it does kind of take away from the experience. Aside from that though, nothing else really got in my way of enjoying this game.
Overall, while it does have a huge sprite flickering issue, this is a pretty solid dodge-ball game, as well as a pretty good spin-off for the Kunio-kun franchise, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the series, or just likes old-school sports games. And hey, sorry about that idiot comment earlier, I didn’t mean it. Thankfully, after this, things will get back to the beat-’em-up roots of the series, so let’s hope they can take what they did in Renegade and make it much more enjoyable.
Game #235