Powerball
System: Genesis
Release Date: April 1991
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Genre: Sports
Mix football, soccer, and pro wrestling together in Powerball! Sports had become too violent for people at the end of the 20th century. Instead of watching their favorite human player on their favorite sports team, they had all been replaced by robots. Well, this didn’t sit well with some of the more elite athletes out there, and they created their own sport and an international league surrounding it! Pick your favorite country and go through a gauntlet of matches to win it all.
You can choose from an exhibition game or league mode. There are twelve teams in Powerball, of which you can choose from eight in the league. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, which you can see and shore up with bonus points before each game. Each team has 11 players on the field at once and they all have a specific position. You can increase their speed, kick strength, tackle power, stamina, and acceleration for charging kicks, passes, and attacks. You gain more bonus points after each winning game.
Each quarter begins with a scramble where five guys from each team beat each other down to get control of the ball. When you have the ball, you can kick it with the A Button. The longer you hold the button down, the stronger your kick. If you max your kick power, the ball turns from green to red and will hurt anyone it touches before it becomes green again. The B Button allows you to pass in the direction you’re facing. This is useful for kicking it over the opposing teams Sweeper and setting up a shot on goal. The C Button has you drop the ball and attack the nearest enemy.
Defense is all about tackling with the A Button. Again, the longer you charge your attack, the more devastating your attack. I saw spears, drop kicks, psycho crushers, spinning fists and more. The B Button changes to the player closest to the ball. The C Button does a flying bomb tackle, where you jump in the air and try to land on an enemy for big damage. You also control the goalie if the ball gets close enough. They can only tackle or pass the ball out of the goal area. Try not to accidentally throw the ball out of bounds as the goalie, because that gives the other team a free kick and they’ll likely score.
The objective is to score the most points. You can get one point by kicking the ball and hitting the goal board behind the goal keeper. This is easier said than done, as these goalies catch almost everything that comes their way, if the defense lets you get that far. You can also get three points if you manage to carry the ball into the end zone behind the goalie. I only managed to do this once in a thrilling last second effort to beat Korea. If you’re tied after four quarters, the game goes into sudden death and if you lose, it’s game over.
Graphics: 2.0
The animations on the attacks are nice, but the rest is merely okay.
Sound: 2.0
There’s nothing special, but nothing offensive about the music and sound effects.
Gameplay: 3.0
The game is fast and frantic with huge scrums leading to a breakaway attempt.
Difficulty: 3.0
You get a password after every league game, so even if you lose, you can try again. The computer doesn’t like to give you very many openings, so you have to be ready to take advantage of every one.
Fun Factor: 3.5
I had a really good time playing Powerball and wouldn’t mind going back for more.
Overall Rating: 2.7
Powerball earns a B-. I would like to see a modern version of this with seasons, changing rosters, stats, and more. Give it a try.