Crash


Cyberball
By Domark
Spectrum 128K

 
Published in Crash #77

Cyberball

Early In the 21st century the game of Gridiron Football took a violent turn for the batter/worse (whichever you prefer). Injured players had body parts replaced with bionics. With some players ending up with over 50% of their bodies replaced, the idea popped up to have all metal players! By 2022 huge robots over 20ft tall have replaced human players. It is into this futuristic battleground that you are thrown.

First pick a team. In practice mode choose between the Los Angeles Assassins or the New York Enforcers. Then move into pro mode with the San Francisco Hitmen, Chicago Killers, Miami Terminators and Dallas Destroyers.

If you watch Gridiron Football on Channel 4 on Sunday evenings you'll know what happens (this game is very similar). Each team takes it in turns to carry the ball up to their opponents' end zone to score touchdowns. The game starts with you being on the offensive. Choose from the menu of running plays, passing plays or option plays and one of tour formations.

Cyberball

Time to play! An incentive to fast play and gaining that extra yardage is provided by the ball: 350 pounds of steel full of high explosive! This ball starts cool, but as play progresses becomes warm, hot, and finally critical. The only way to stop it exploding is to carry it over the de-fuse line. If you make it to the end or loss the ball you go on the defensive, similar to offensive play with a list of options appearing.

So go out there and cause some aggro! But hang on , this game is great in the arcades, but what's happened to it?. The small stick like robots judder round the pitch more like geriatric dormice than big butch machines. The title tune may be creditable, but from there on in it's all downhill! Programming on this obviously never made the end-zone.

MARK ... 38%

Nick ... 45%

'Definitely not my cup of tea this. I couldn't stand playing it for more than ten minutes. It takes absolutely ages to load, alright if you're in for a real stunner, but not if you're greeted by naff futuristic American Football. Nothing against American Football, but I object when it's played at this speed: it's unbelievably slow. The robot players crawl about the screen in a generally annoying way and aren't even very well drawn. Graphics are mostly very poor, and in black and white too. Sound is equally bad with average tunes and the odd effect, including something I think was meant to be a crowd cheering.'

Mark CaswellNick Roberts

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