Balloon Fight

"Not your average Joust Clone."

Introduction
Balloon Fight was first introduced to me in the same way that Mach Rider was: SSB:M. I heard the music in the game, and I just had to pick it up! So I found it, and I am very happy that I did. It's not something I would want to miss out on.

Gameplay
Regular Mode:
You are a little man with two balloons tied to your back. You must go around and pop the balloons of your opponents by hitting their balloons. Then they gently float down on a parachute. You run into them on the ground to destroy them, or hit their parachute for extra points. If you defeat all enemies, then the level is cleared. Good job. After a few levels, you move on to a bonus stage, where you pop the balloons that come out of the pipes. If you manage to pop them all, you get the Super Bonus! If both of your balloons are popped, then you lose a life.

1 Player = 8/10

Two Players:
This is the same as one player mode, except two people can go at it at once. But here is the great part, should you destroy your teammate, or keep him alive to help you clear the levels? It can be thought about for hours. The beauty of the multiplayer in Balloon Fight is that it can be either cooperative or a death match! Brilliant!

2 Players = 10/10

Balloon Trip:
You must fly around, popping balloons and avoiding electricity. This mode is very addictive, but for one player only. Your only incentive to play this is to beat your own high scores over and over. But it is great fun to do this.

Balloon Trip = 8/10

Overall Gameplay = 9/10

Audio
I must first state that I love the music and sound effects in this game. The music is brilliant, very catchy and fun to listen to. And the sound effects are great. One day I just kept on dying on purpose to hear the sound effect that plays when you come back to life. The sounds are just plain awesome.

Sounds = 10/10

Graphics
The graphics in this game are nothing special, but I feel that they fit the mood of this game very nicely. I usually don't expect much from an NES game in this department. But I feel that the graphics were done well. Good enough for me.

Graphics = 9/10

Controls
I love the controls of this game too! You can either hold down B to hover, or tap A to do the same thing! I usually use a combination of both for precision turning. If you only have one balloon left, then it's harder to control! But this is one of the more realistic parts of the game. It's a very nice feature of the game.

Controls = 9/10

Conclusion
In closing, I must say that this IS my all time favorite NES game. There just isn't anything bad I can say about this game. Pick it up now, it just isn't the same on emulation. I just love to play this alone and with friends. My friends all come over and we have tournaments while my Gamecube sits downstairs motionless. Yes, this game is that good.

Overall Score = 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/02, Updated 08/16/02