Tag Archives: Dodgeball

It’s Kunio’s Dodgeball, Assemble Everyone! Review

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I thought about leaving the title untranslated considering that Nintendo didn’t even bother to translate this one at all but let me put in the extra effort here. Unfortunately this game isn’t particularly good. The dodgeball mechanics really don’t hold up very well at all and the game is just too simple. Sometimes being simple is good for a sports game but there has to be something really fun about it. This one feels very low effort even considering that it is such an old game. Ultimately this holds it back in a very big way. Without more variety, there really isn’t anything to keep you going here.

The game doesn’t really have a story so you’re just jumping into a big Dodgeball match. There are probably more customizations and modes out there but of course with all of the text in Japanese you’ve basically just gotta guess through everything anyway. So in the game your goal is of course to hit all of the players on the opposing team. You have to do this a few times and once a player has taken enough damage, he turns into a ghost and leaves the arena. If you can do this to everyone on the opposing team then you will have won. Of course they will try doing the same to you. So when they throw the ball at you, you can try to dodge, catch the ball, or duck. Either one of these options can work although the safest option is naturally to catch the ball. Additionally if you do that, then the one who threw the ball takes some damage.

To confuse the opponent, the best thing to do is pass the ball around. Often times the computer won’ be able to keep up and then you slam them with a shot. If you shoot the ball normally, odd are that it will be blocked or caught. So you don’t want to just be running in there and taking shots without a care in the world. If you don’t have some level of strategy then you’re going to lose. The A.I. is not even that bad if you play it cleanly. If you abuse the passing mechanics then you will win without any real effort but if you don’t do that, it can come down to the wire.

So the game has reasonable difficulty but that’s not enough to stave off the repetition. Additionally I don’t think they thought things out very well. There is no timer here so if you’re holding the ball then you don’t have to do anything. You can just keep on holding it or walking around and the other team can’t do anything about it. There needs to be a timer because otherwise the game will never go anywhere. Additionally it just makes more sense. Of course with gentleman rules you can assume people won’t hold onto the ball but the fact that it’s possible isn’t a good look to the game in general.

We do have some super attacks like throwing the ball so hard it turns into an energy blast. It looks cool but the opponents still catch it every time so don’t bother with it too much. You’re better off with the trick of passing it until you get a good shot. In terms of graphics, the game’s not awful but it does feel like most of the sprites are effectively the same one just tweaked a bit. It doesn’t feel very high budget and the one song isn’t very inspiring. I would consider this to be one of the original cash grabs to be honest. Imagine spending money on this game? I’d be so sad I’d probably be in tears by the end. This is the kind of game you have fun with for a super brief time that wouldn’t even justify a Blockbuster rental. I’m glad I played it of course, but really only to warn you all about it. I’ve played better NES games and this is a generation after that.

It’s also a shame because as it is there aren’t very many Dodgeball games. It’s weird because the game feels perfect for one to be turned into a game. You have to be running, jumping, evading, etc. These are all really cool things to do in game and they directly translate into controls. There is no real RNG in Dodgeball either so it would be a satisfying win/loss. Hopefully Nintendo makes a full on Mario Dodgeball at some point to how the world how it’s done because we desperately need that.

Overall, This game just won’t hold your attention for very long. There is really not a whole lot to the game as it is. One mode and one stage can only take you so far. I had fun messing around in the game by passing the ball back and forth over and over again but even that can only stay amusing for so long. Unless you are a mega fan of Dodgeball then there really isn’t anything for you here. I would say this one’s worth a skip. Just go on to the next game because you will be done with this one within 15 minutes or so.

Overall 3/10

Knockout City Review

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Knockout City is one of those free to play games that looks like a lot of fun but I wouldn’t say that it was marketed too heavily. It was certainly possible to just end up missing out on it. Well, I got to play it and it’s quite a bit of fun. Its main weakness is that it does rely on a team format meaning you can only do as well as your teammates. That is sure to get a little dicey for a while unless you can find a squad to join up with but it’s a solid all around title.

The games really follow the ole Dodgeball rules. It’s not instant elimination when you’re hit though and instead you respawn somewhere on the map. A typical match is a 3 vs 3 battle and the first team to 10 points wins. Getting hit by a car or falling off of the map will award the other team a point as well so you really have to stay vigilant at all times. Otherwise you could wind up giving the other team some instant points.

The controls are fairly easy to get the hang of. You can shoot the ball, pass, jump, double jump, and glide. The most important mechanic of course is catching a ball when someone throws it at you. You don’t actually knock them out by doing that but you prevent them from taking any points and can then fire your ball back at them right away. A good defense is a good offense right? This is the best chance to put that into practice and really dish out the damage. It take a little practice but before long you should be able to pull this off without too many issues.

There are different balls which all have different abilities so you’ll want to keep an eye out for them. The level has a little info section about the ball so you always have a heads up though. There’s only one kind of gimmick ball per level so you won’t be seeing a ton of them just show up. That said, it’s hard to beat the classic ball since it just feels really good when you’re able to secure the win there.

There are other modes too like a super hero one where everyone has powers and a 2 v 2 v 2 mode. Unfortunately there is no free for all or survival kind of mode. It would be nice to have at least one mode where you were on your own and I think the game should look into getting that mode available right away. There’s a whole lot of potential there right out of the gate and not using it just feels like a pretty big mistake.

So the game is fun but here are my brief issues with it. I already went into the lack of a solo mode. The other one is that the wait between matches can feel a little long. The announcer is trying to be very engaging with how he yells between the rounds but it’s more on the grating side. I would say you don’t need an announcer here and the game could just use that time in silence or putting you in a practice field like what Fortnite does. It would make the matches a little more seamless.

I also think the game could show where the dodgeballs are a little better. Sometimes it feels like you’re running around for a while trying to find them and I suspect this was not intentional. It just doesn’t seem to me like the game would want to make it hard for you to find the Dodgeballs so I suspect this wasn’t intentional. Perhaps there is a way to locate them easier and the game’s tutorial just didn’t cover it. That’s certainly possible so I don’t want to rule it out.

The graphics are solid here. They may not be cutting edge or anything as this is still a free to play game but it does well enough for itself. You should have a good time here. Then there is the soundtrack which is more on the forgettable side. You’re here for the gameplay either way though and that’s where the title excels. It does well with the Dodgeball mechanics and now we really know that the sport is possible to make into a video game. I’m surprised more titles don’t adapt this sport. I feel like there is a lot of potential here.

There’s naturally a ton of replay value as this game should go on for many years. You’ll have different modes popping in and out, new items, outfits, etc. As you progress through the levels you’ll unlock more things as well and one of the main advantages of a game like this is that the content never has to end. So if you like Dodgeball then this is a solid one to check out.

Overall, Knockout City does well in what it’s trying to accomplish. I had fun playing some rounds here and there. Ultimately it’s not quite as good as the big free to play title on the market in Fortnite though so it will be hard for this one to break out. It may end up getting a strong core fanbase but ultimately you need a lot of people if you want to become the next big thing and I’m not convinced that this one will make it in the long run. Guess we’ll see how it plays out.

Overall 7/10