Sprt: Sportball Challenge [by Hipsoft]

Game: Sportball Challenge
Release: 26 November 2003
Genre: Sport
Developer: HipSoft
System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2K/XP, 64 MB Ram, Celeron 500mhz
Price: $19.95


Competition has always been something that drives me forward.  Back in high school I remember spending more than my fair share of time finding 7-elevens and other gas stations that had Street Fighter II: Championship Edition in them just so I could find new challengers to play.  Though it wasn't a sport, it fueled the same competitive drive that was stoked on the basketball court or the baseball field.  Sportball Challenge does a good job of capturing that feeling of competition and putting it into an easy to play and very likeable game.

One of the main ways they made the game great was through the use of themed levels. There are actually 10 themes in all, including Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, and Tennis. When you begin the game, only 3 levels are available to you. Each round you complete one of the challenges on each level and then a new sport is unlocked. So you play 3 sports the first round, 4 the next, 5 the third and so on. Every 10 levels up to level 40, so 10, 20, 30, 40, the game creates a new starting point so that you can come back and play the new levels that you have unlocked without starting the game over from scratch. 

Each of the levels are well drawn, with the respective playing fields of each sport perfectly recreated, which adds to the sport competition feel of the game.  My initial favorite of the levels was the baseball level because I'm a baseball fanatic.  As I got further in, I actually started to turn towards a couple of the earlier levels as favorites.  The hockey level is a very nice little level with great sound effects.  Also the bowling level provides a different look and a bit harder challenge than most.

Much of the games challenge comes from trying to survive from level to level with balls that are both different sizes and different speeds.  Each turn you are given one of three events, either accuracy, timing, or reaction.  You then choose which sport you will complete the event in.  Each of the events requires you to hit targets with the balls of your level, while at the same time catching all of the themed balls that are dropping in from the side of the screen.  It sounds complicated, and it certainly takes a bit of playing to get down to the point where you are able to do both things at once.  Basically the way it works is that you have a timer that starts counting down from the moment the match starts.  You have a computer opponent who receives points whenever you miss a target or miss one of the balls thrown towards you.  The point of the game is of course to out-score the computer opponent.  As you move further into the game, the computer opponent scores more points when you miss a target or fail to catch a ball.  The opponent also gains other ways to score.  Some targets become "computer" targets that score points for the computer if you hit them.  Some of the balls being thrown in are computer balls which likewise score points for the computer if you accidentally catch them.  As you can probably suspect, the targets also start moving faster in addition to the dropping balls dropping faster, making it much more difficult to get a leg up on the competition.

In addition trying to unlock the additionally themed levels in the game, you also try to score trophies on each of the sports.  You receive a trophy by completing each of the three events in a sport.  There are three trophies available, gold, silver and bronze.  You of course get a better trophy by scoring higher in your matches with the computer.  All of this leads us to the online high score list.  Honestly, if that wasn't there, the game would be fun, but the real competition factor would be missing.  Thankfully it is not, and the game provides a great high score list that is updated all the time by players around the world.  The list is broken into 2 parts, with 3 sections for each part.  The three sections are a computer based high-score list, the daily high-score list, and the all-time high score list.  The lists let you continue to try and compete to become the best of the best.

In addition to the main mode, there is also a breakout/arkanoid mode.  This mode feels a little more like a throw-on extra, then a really well thought out game, like the other mode of the game, but it does offer some change for those who are looking for something different.  The breakout game also progresses through the different themed levels, just like the competitive mode does.  In fact, as you get farther into the breakout game it becomes even more fun as you are consistently changing from one set of themes to another, including, of course, the balls with their different shapes and speeds.  Perhaps the most fun part of the breakout mode is the fact that the balls will bounce off of each other.  There haven't been many breakout games that do that, only 3 come to mind, and it has always been one of my favorite features, so it was much appreciated to see that in this game.


Graphics: 9
The graphics are one of the main attractions to this game.  The fields, courts, alleys, and all the other competition turfs are well-designed.  The balls also look like real balls without any trace of bad pixels, which likely because the balls are actually 3D.  The variations and different looks that you get in the game will keep you wanting to play further, until you've unlocked all the different themed levels.

Sound: 8
From the moment that you turn the game one, you're greeted with a rousing song that fits the game very well.  There is music in the background of the game, but it doesn't do much more than move the beat along.  The sound effects are all very nice, and help to further convey the feeling of each themed level.  My personal favorite was the sound for the hockey puck when it is released.  It really sounds like you are taking a nice slap shot towards the goal.

Game Play: 8
The game falls a little in game play due to the addition of the arkanoid mode, which does not control very fluidly; the control that most players are used to having in that type of game feels obviously missing.  However, the main game does control very well.  The game gets harder and harder to master as you move on, requiring that you make pin-point accurate shots in order to hit the targets that are always moving, opening and closing.  Honestly I think the control in the main game is just about perfect. 

Options: 10
I don't believe another option could possibly have been included.  Though isn't perfect, the addition of the arkanoid mode means that you have something else to try out when you need a break from the main mode.  Between the two modes, it is almost like you have gotten two games in one.  However, the biggest nice option is the online high score list.  Sport games are all about competition, and being able to compete with others online for the best score will keep you coming back to this game again and again.  The online list also tracks daily and all-time records, which keeps things continually fresh.

Concept: 9
The main idea of the game is target practice.  The game doesn't ever really stray far from that, but it does a good job of keeping the idea new and representing it to players over and over again while they are playing.  The different themed levels provide plenty to look at and play with, and help to mask the fact that you are really doing about the same thing each level.  Building off of the competition inside you, Sportball Challenge keeps players engaged by presenting many goals that are in sight but require work to achieve.

Fun: 8
Sportball Challenge is a lot of fun to pick up and play.  The colorful graphics and challenge of the game make you want to keep progressing to see more.  Unfortunately, it can be a little repetitive, and once the targets start moving, and the stakes get higher, players may find themselves frustrated as any one mistake can become very costly.  Knowing players the way I do, I know that one mistake usually leads to a few more, which can create an unrecoverable position in this game.

Overall: 8
Sport games in independent gaming are few are far between.  There are many possible reasons for that, starting with the fact that independent developers cannot license professional team names or players, and going right on into the fact that sport games require fantastic physics engines and high-quality 3D art.  Sportball Challenge, however, offers something that you won't find in the mainstream.  This is a wonderful sport game that ignores all of the things it can't do, and focuses on doing what it can.  What it can do is provide a great competitive challenge that will keep players playing again and again to try and become the best cyber-athlete that they can be.  This is a very well-done title that sport fans should definitely check out.

Added: December 30th 2003
Reviewer: Russell Carroll
Score:
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