Nekketsu Dodgeball GB

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I hate to report this, but... Story - Controls - Review - Images - Downloads

Storyline The intro has something to do with a quest to the "DODGE DOME" and what looks like an ominous threat from some mentally unstable character to Kunio. Then people throw balls at each other, a lot.

Controls
Control in this game is pretty hit-and-miss, so it's hard to tell what buttons do what, but I'll try.
Double tap left or right: run.
B (with ball): Offensive Throw. A throw while running, done just right, becomes a super shot. I can never pull these off but the computer seems to be able to perform them after running all of half an inch.
A (with ball): Pass. A+B: Jump. If you run and jump right before the centerline, you have a better chance of pulling off a super shot.
B without the ball: Attempt to catch.
A without the ball: Duck.


In-Depth Review
Oi. This game is disappointing on so many levels. I had to wade through countless dodgy Gameboy ROM sites and so many other bad Gameboy dodgeball games (it just can't be done right on the system, apparently) because I knew this game existed. When I found it, well, it looked OK, but the gameplay just isn't there.
It's a lot like the NES version of Super Dodgeball, with a less "international" theme and better character design. All the teams actually look different in this version. You'll first go up against a gang of mohawked punks, then you'll lose interest and quit. I think the second team are some bodybuilders or something, though.
The main problem with this game is that while your characters move at an incredibly sluggish pace, the timing required to catch an incoming ball is very precise. I don't believe it's possible to switch control to another character on your team, the computer just chooses for you--very arbitrarily. For instance, the enemy will be preparing a super shot and you're in control of Kunio at the back of the court while Garfunkel is standing right at the centerline with his back to the opponents.
The second problem is that the scrolling is rather bad. When the view is centered on the enemy side of the court, you can't see your side at all, making it basically impossible to prepare. You'll only learn which character you're in control of at the moment half a second before the ball hits him in the face. The character you do control blinks. He doesn't get an icon over his head, apparently because the Gameboy couldn't handle another 5x5 pixel sprite, he just sort of flickers (they even flicker when you pause--I think this is some sort of "controlled bug" rather than a feature).
There's also a "bean ball" mode, where you go up against 3 other guys. The game seems much more responsive to your commands here, probably because you're only controlling one guy. And no one flickers.
The music is sort of wretched. It has some of the same tunes as the other games and some original tunes, but it just comes off as annoying on the Gameboy synth (and there are Nekketsu games with pretty decent music on the Gameboy).
Oh well. It's better than Renegade. Maybe.


Images
Kunio duffing in bean ball mode.
GANBARE! Let's rush to dodge dome!!! (or something)
You'll be seeing this a lot in story mode...
Be assured that Kunio's team is still there, just using their ninja blink technique.

Downloads
Nekketsu Dodgeball GB ROM - requires a Gameboy emulator, I suggest Hello! Gameboy or smyGB.
(check Links section to find the emulators you'll need to play these)