Super Dodge Ball, made in 1989 by CSG Imagesoft/Technos Japan, has become one of the most sought after rare NES titles available. It stands as the only dodge ball game ever made for the NES, and rightfully so. It is a game, not so much of skill, as much as it is learning the three best throws and how to time your catches properly....that is if you can see through all the flickering of your players and the opposition at the same time.
There are three modes of play in Super Dodge Ball. The first is the standard 1-player game, World Cup Play. You play through six Elimination Rounds against various teams, and if you make it through, you advance to the Semi-Finals and conclude with Finals play. Games are set up with three players from each team on each side of the court. First Player (Human) will be on the left side, inside the out of bounds lines, while the three players from the opposition are positioned on each of the lines of the out of bounds (top, left, and bottom of the lines). The right side of the court is the exact opposite, with the computer on the inside of the court, and your players on the out of bounds lines. Your outside players can do only minimum damage, as they cannot get a running start at the opposition. Your main three players on the in-bounds left side of the court, however, can pack a powerful punch with a good running start or hop. The essential problem with World Cup Play mode is that you cannot be any team but the same US team, and you play the same teams in the same order, each and every time you play the game. It's a fun time three, maybe four times through, increasing the difficulty as you go. However, after that, it's charm does wear off.
The second mode is Versus Play. It is set up just like single player mode. This is the multiplayer version of the game. It is leaps and bounds better than the single player game, as you can choose to be any team in the game. Since this is a game that only takes one or two run-throughs for even the worst gamer to master, it is an extremely fun battle of timed button mashing when you get enthralled in a good match against a human opponent. This mode is really what carries the entire game as without it, it would be a game hardly worth $5.00, let alone the moderately high price tag it carries on the secondary market.
Finally, there is Bean Ball mode. It can be played by either one or two players, and essentially is nothing but chaos regardless of how many human controlled players there are. The object of the game is to hit every one of the opposing 5 players and knock them out of energy. There are no boundaries, no teams, and it is very fast paced action. I found it very unappealing as the 8-bit technology of the NES could not, at any point throughout any of the modes, handle all the players being on screen and moving without every player flickering -- disappearing and then reappearing nonstop second to second. This problem is at it's worst in Bean Ball mode. Some may find it enjoyable, but not this reviewer.
All in all, with three skill levels, two single player modes and a multiplayer mode, this isn't a bad game to own. It certainly is unique, and very fun for a few playthroughs, but beyond that, it is nothing more than a very overpriced game -- simply due to a lack of supply. There isn't enough to do to warrant spending $20+, but if you can pick up a copy at a local pawn shop or video game store for under $10, it would be money well spent on a game that valiantly tried to make dodge ball seem like a fun sport outside of the junior high/high school gym.
