Game Info
GAME NAME: Sportsball
DEVELOPER(S): TOO DX
PUBLISHER(S): TOO DX
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo Wii U
GENRE(S): Sports
RELEASE DATE(S): November 6th, 2014
Nintendo has been teaming up with TOO DX to tout the indie studios latest game Sportsball at most of the shows it’s attended lately. Given the local multiplayer party nature of the title it is definitely a game right up the alley of a Nintendo fan. The game’s appeal is apparent once you have the opportunity to sit down with multiple friends to have a few matches and you will begin trash talking and just having a great time immediately. But the game’s multiplayer focus is just as much a crutch as a selling feature as the game lacks any single player mode minus training.
Right off the bat you will notice the amount of detail the team at TOO DX has put into their title. If you read through the virtual game manual, you will notice that every team and stadium has it’s own lore and back story that adds to the experience. One thing I would love to see in a sequel, besides a robust single-player experience, is a season mode, whether it be multiplayer or single. I remember playing SEGA’s Soccer Slam and this game has just as much personality and would benefit greatly from this added mode.
Enough of what I’d like to see in the future and more about all the modes that ARE included in Sportsball. There are various gameplay modes that you can choose from to play Sportsball with friends. I personally like the set number of goals to score until the matches end, this gives it a feel of say 21, on your neighborhood basketball court. If you like trying to see how many goals you can score in a certain time limit, then TOO DX has got you covered in that regard as well. You can even play crazy game modes where you can sport tackles or add bombs to the match for even more excitement.
The controls are simple yet challenging. It feels like Balloon Fight or Joust at first but depending on the character you pick, you will need to learn their strengths and weaknesses. The character select almost reminds me of Ice Hockey on the NES where you have different body types that have different attributes. The comes into play as you fight tooth and nail for every point. The game mixes the Joust feel with a soccer type game as you try to hit the ball into the nets. A ball is created on a tackle and depending on the game mode there can be anywhere from 3 to 20 balls in play at once. Most game modes are customizable too which means you can fine tune your experience to how you desire. Besides an addition of single player I would have also like to see an online mode as most of my friends have moved out of town and it makes it tough to get a group of gamers over for some party games anymore.
Sportsball has a super clean looking interface and the game shines with it’s HD polish. I love the intricacies of each character and how they look and feel different. The different stadiums adds to the challenge as well. The menu system is a bit confusing at first The soundtrack has some great songs and really gives the game and overall 1980’s feel which sells me on it big time being a child of that era.
The Recommendation
If you have frequent gaming parties then this game is an absolute blast and should not be missed. It doesn’t have the depth or replayability if you are looking for a single player experience or the occasional multiplayer gaming sessions. The amount of story and lore that they have added to the teams is a testiment in the team to create a deeper product and shows the love that TOO DX has for it’s work. With a deep season mode or online this game could have been a smash hit but in local couch play it still reigns supreme.
