Amstrad Action


Cyberball

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Adam Peters
Publisher: The Hit Squad
Machine: Amstrad CPC464/664/6128

 
Published in Amstrad Action #84

Cyberball

This was called Speedball on most other machines. So why's it called Cyberball here? Dunno, but suffice to say that if the word 'speed' were included in the title of this game, we'd be calling the Trading Standards Office. Maybe it should be called, as Rod suggested in a fit of acerbity (look it up), "Slug-like-blobs-sliding-very-slowly-into-each-other... ball."

We don't really hate the game, though. It offers American Football fans a full range of plays. These are loaded three at a time - once you get bored of the current choices you can choose to load up the next batch. Ifs a far better arcade representation of the sport than anyone else has ever managed. And it's a lot more besides...

See, this isn't American football in the year 1992; it's American Football in the year 2022. The thirty years we don't know about yet have seen a few refinements to the sport, including the introduction of a ball that explodes, killing anyone unfortunate enough to be in possession at the time. Luckily (for humans) the players are all robots. Except the ones who hang on to the ball for too long; they're just bits of robots.

Cyberball

There's a great deal of tactical depth to this game and Grid Iron fans will love it, but the sluggish pace prevents it from being the sort of stunner it should have been. Think of those poor blown-up robots. Think "is it worth it?"

Original release: May 1990
Original publisher: Domark
Original score: 82% (AA58)

Today's View

It's American Football with an exploding ball. Slow but fun.

Adam Peters

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