Ballz: The Director's Cut

"If You Enjoy Seeing Ballz Get Slapped......."

The 3DO offered a few entertaining games before it's death, and this is one of them.

Gameplay:Ballz is the type of fighting game you can just pick up and play. In this game, executing a move is a simple process. There are many simple attacks at your disposal, as well as a few multi-button combos. This game is simple enough that even a novice will never need to resort to confused button mashing. In a fighting game control determines gameplay, and I found Ballz to have a enjoyable control style.
Your goal in Ballz is to reach the final boss, The Jester. To reach this goal you must first beat all of the playable characters, which isn't too hard. After doing so, you get to the interesting part, facing the game's bosses. You do battle with a kangaroo, scorpion, bull, ostrich, viper, t-rex, and even a genie on your way to the prize. Each boss has their own special fighting style, and you must find their Achilles' heel before doing damage is possible. After beating the bosses, you get to fight the big man himself, The Jester. This fight is very challenging, and is a good end to your quest. Playing through the game's single player mode is very enjoyable, and offers more entertainment than most fighting games on the market.
As with all fighting games, there is a multi-player mode. Ballz is easy to play, and your friends won't have trouble getting the hang of it. Battles are often close, and it is especially fun to crush your friend at the of a heated match. All of the characters are very different, so this game gives you some variety. Anyone can find something to like in Ballz.
The only real problem with the gameplay is that it lasts only a few hours. In other words, this game is short.

Graphics:As the title suggests, the characters in this game are balls. That is not a bad thing. The animations are very smooth, and the characters look rather nice. Other than that, the arenas are well designed and look good also. That's it, there is more to the gameplay than the graphics in this game's case.

Conclusion:I would have given this game a 5 because it was so short, but I bumped it up to a 7 for three reasons.
1.It is dirt cheap(I got it for $2.00)
2.It is one of few fighting games in the 3DO library
3.It has a Z in the title
I suggest you buy this game if you have a 3DO, it should offer at the very least a solid afternoon of entertainment. I feel this game is above the mediocre quality of the system it is on.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/01, Updated 09/28/01