Super Dodge Ball

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Both an update to, and quite a departure from, the original arcade/NES classic.

Story - Controls - Review - Characters - Downloads

Storyline 7 teams have entered a dodgeball tournament held by the mysterious ex-dodgeball champ, M. Daou. Having killed his wife in a dodgeball-related accident years ago, his plan is to wipe the sport from the face of the earth by beating all the champions, thus discouraging them from playing. I'm not making this up.

Controls Fortunately, each and every Neo Geo game comes with a "How to Play" segment. According to this one... When you have the ball, press the A button to throw it. When you don't, press A to catch. The B button will pass the ball, or dodge. Pressing C will jump. I have problems with this, since I'm always trying to press A+B to jump. Oh well.. I'll get used to it. While holding the ball, the D button makes you "faint" (more appropriate would be "fake." perhaps they intended "feint"). Without it, you taunt. Pressing A+B without the ball causes you to charge up energy veeeery slowly. Tap the joystick forward twice to run, tap backward twice to hop back. The main characters have two special moves each (possibly more), and it appears the generic characters only have one each. They are performed using the traditional fighting game "fireball" (roll from down to forward, throw) and "dragon punch" (forward, down, down-forward diagonal, throw) commands. Each character can do a "super pass" as well (dragon punch + pass). A Counter attack (dragon punch+throw w/o ball) will deflect an attack, usually too quickly to be defended against. Devastating team-up moves are possible when your power meter is maxed out (two half circles forward, then press throw).

In-Depth Review
I can't help but feel Technos was poking fun at some aspects of SNK with this game. The intro is a little bit too exciting, and too flame- and zoom-effects intensive. After a win, your team of three 'ballers comes onscreen and the leader utters a bizzare win quote. You have life meters and special moves. All very King of Fighters-esque. I'm not saying that's a bad thing...
It still feels like dodgeball. A little moreso than the original SDB, in some aspects. At the onset, you pick from 7 teams, each made up of a main character and two generic characters. Riki and Kunio are present, of course, and many of the more memorable characters from the series have entered the tournament.
Gameplay goes something like this. Each team starts with all 3 members on their side. A green haired schoolgirl tosses up the ball, and the two teams toss it back and forth a lot, trying to kill each other. If the ball stays on the ground too long, the schoolgirl/ref will pick it up and toss it back into play. Also, if someone holds the ball too long, it'll explode in their hands. In the event that someone gets knocked out, they go out of bounds behind the opponents, where they can continue to do damage.
After beating one of the seven main teams (you are first faced with an all-generic team) you get the option of taking the leader into your team, replacing someone. This happens in two-player mode too. When playing with another person, it becomes quite a test of reflexes, since most (all?) moves can be countered by a well-timed "catch."
At this point, the feint may actually come in handy, so you can get a hit in between catch attempts. The best ways to break a stalemate are a tricky toss to one of your allies out of bounds followed by a special move (it takes a while to turn completely around), or a counter attack. Excellent timing is required to pull off a successful counter.
If two people try to grab the ball over the centerline, a Samurai Shodown style button-mashing contest ensues. The winner gets to drill the opponent in the head. When your power meter is maxed, you can pull off one move using your entire team. These are powerful enough to knock out an opponent with full health, but they CAN be caught. Usually the best way to prevent someone from hitting you with one of these, though, is to stall until their meter goes back down.
The graphics, sound, and music are all very good. Each character has his or her own voice, and every team has a fitting personalized dodgeball court. Oddly, none of the music seems to be of the jazzy, swing type found in the other Nekketsu games, but there are some good tunes. To summarize my feelings, I really like this game. As with most games, it's infinitely more fun with another player (but no one will play with me!).

Characters (note: i made up most of the move names)

Kunio Moves: Rolling Crash - the dodgeball is engulfed in flame as Kunio somersaults forward. Spike Out - Kunio leaps into the air and spikes the ball down at a 45 degree angle, causing multiple hits. The better of the two, in my opinion. Win Quotes: "Hey! You're not up to dodge ball!" "You're not very exciting. Come back again when you're stronger!" "You'll never win. But, I had some fun."

Riki Moves: Mach Dive - dives forward still holding the ball, drilling down into the opponents. Mach Shoot - twirls forward performing an uppercut with the ball spinning around his waist. Win Quotes: "That was fun! A little more toughness and you'd be the perfect match." "What do you think? The sharpness of my Mach Shoot!" "You're too much of an optimist."

Sabu Moves: Crack Shoot - attaches the ball to his gun and fires it. He continues shooting the ball to change it's direction. Good damage. Dynamite Clothesline - spins around, engulfed in flame, balancing on the dodgeball. After performing this move, the ball is left on the other side. Win Quotes: "I'm dodge ball Yakuza. Do you have anything against that?" "Don't make me look foolish! Empty heads!" "Gaahaahaa! I feel so good!"

Miyuki Moves: Love-Love Puff - Gently blows the ball across the court. It explodes on impact, but it's got to be one of the easiest to counter in the game. Love-Love Twirl - The ball sparkles and loops around. Kind of confusing, but I think Miyuki's moves are basically crap... Win Quotes: "I did it! Shape yourself up and you'll be more of a challenge." "Hmmm, my part-time work costume is soooo hot. Do you want to try it on?" "Amazing! I can't believe there is a person who can lose to me!"

Kenji Moves: Burst Loop - The ball loops forward. Confusing, and has potential to hit everyone on the enemy team multiple times. Power Shoot - A high-speed fireball shot. Win Quotes: "Great! You fought well, thanks!" "My father taught me this power-shoot. Catch it if you can!" "Ooooh! I'm on fire."

Shinji Moves: Bari Bari Riding - gets into sort of a motorcycle position and rides the ball across the screen, taunting afterwards. Leaves him way too open to be worth anything, I think. Spark Plug - rolls into a ball and bounces into the air. Press A again to have him throw a high speed electrified ball, otherwise he won't do anything. Win Quotes: "Hey you! Don't joke!" "Wow! Did you see that?! That's my special shoot 'Bari-Bari Riding'." "Gaahaahaahaa! That was great baby!"

Misuzu Moves: Hyakkan Love - holds the ball and jumps across the court, smashing into an opponent. Love Driver - tosses the ball up and head-butts it into the enemy. Win Quotes: "Girls should have more weight, not looks. My weight is all love." "Guufuufuu! Did you taste my 'Hyakkan-Love'?! "Sleep between my bosom."

Generic Characters...


Downloads
Super Dodgeball NeoGeo ROM - requires Neorage emulator. (early warning: ROM is 7 megs!)
(check Links section to find the emulators you'll need to play these)