Sticky Balls

Last updated
Sticky Balls
Sticky Balls.jpg
Developer(s) Gizmondo Studios Manchester
Publisher(s) Gizmondo Studios
Designer(s) John Pickford and Ste Pickford [1]
Platform(s) Gizmondo
iOS
ReleaseGizmondo
  • EU: May 24, 2005
  • NA: October 22, 2005

iOS
May 23, 2014
Genre(s) Puzzler
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Sticky Balls is an action puzzle game published by Gizmondo Studios and developed in Manchester and designed by John and Ste Pickford in 2005 for Gizmondo, and later ported to iOS in 2014. [2]

Contents

Development

It was initially developed by Zed Two for Pocket PCs. [3] After Zed Two was bought out by Warthog, a version was in development for the PlayStation Portable, until Warthog was bought out by Tiger Telematics and development was switched to the Gizmondo, [4] eventually releasing on May 24, 2005. It was one of only 8 titles available for the handheld console in the United States, and among the 14 games released for the system in Europe. It became the most popular game on the Gizmondo platform.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe expressed interest in publishing a version for the PlayStation Portable, and although development on a PSP version began, the release failed to materialize before Zed Two's closure. [5]

On May 23, 2014, Fast Pixel Games Ltd released Sticky Balls on iOS devices under the name Sticky Balls Classic. It was popular enough to spawn a sequel, Sticky Balls Soccer, released on June 29, 2014. [6]

Four versions of Sticky Balls ultimately existed before the title was initially commercially released. Two distinct versions, one for Pocket PCs and one for personal computers, although both completed, never released, while a third for PlayStation Portable was cancelled. The fourth version for Gizmondo was the one ultimately released, although the Pickford Brothers were not involved in the Gizmondo version as Zed Two had been sold to Warthog prior to the decision to develop a Gizmondo version being made. [5] The decision to implement the 'golf-like gameplay' was made after the Pickford Brothers left development. [5]

Gameplay

Screenshot of gameplay on a Gizmondo. Sticky Balls screenshot.jpg
Screenshot of gameplay on a Gizmondo.

Sticky Balls uses a pool-like interface where the player utilizes a spring-loaded rod to shoot brightly colored balls at each other. Bouncing the balls against the table walls doubles the score of the shot but hitting a ball of a different color, or failing to hit anything causes the player to lose a turn. [7]

Rather than pocketing the balls in a pocket like in a traditional pool game, the balls must be stuck together in groups of seven to win the stage. As the game progresses, additional power-ups, bonuses and stage designs offer new challenges.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handheld game console</span> Portable self-contained video game console

A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Portable</span> Handheld game console by Sony

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, and is the first handheld installment in the PlayStation line of consoles. As a seventh generation console, the PSP competed with the Nintendo DS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warthog Games</span> Former British video game developer

Warthog Games Limited, or Warthog plc, was a British video game developer, located in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, with studios in Sweden and the United States.

<i>Wipeout Pure</i> 2005 video game

Wipeout Pure is a futuristic racing video game developed by Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in 2005 on 24 March for North America, on 7 April in Japan and on September 1 in Europe. In North America and Europe, it was a launch title for the platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gizmondo</span> Handheld game console (2005–2006)

The Gizmondo was a handheld gaming console developed by Tiger Telematics. It was released in the UK, Sweden and the U.S. starting in March 2005. Its first-party games were developed in studios in Helsingborg, Sweden, and Manchester, England. Gizmondo Europe, Ltd. was based in London, England, and was a subsidiary of Florida-based Tiger Telematics, whose chairman Carl Freer led Gizmondo's development.

Sony's LocationFree is the marketing name for a group of products and technologies for timeshifting and placeshifting streaming video. The LocationFree Player is an Internet-based multifunctional device used to stream live television broadcasts, DVDs and DVR content over a home network or the Internet. It is in essence a remote video streaming server product. It was first announced by Sony in Q1 2004 and launched early in Q4 2004 alongside a co-branded wireless tablet TV. The last LocationFree product was the LF-V30 released in 2007.

<i>Richard Burns Rally</i> 2004 video game

Richard Burns Rally is a sim racing game, published by SCi and developed by Warthog with advice of WRC champion Richard Burns (1971–2005).

<i>Future Tactics: The Uprising</i> 2004 video game

Future Tactics: The Uprising is a turn based tactical shooter video game by Zed Two. Once known as Pillage, this turn based shooter was stuck in development for a number of years before being picked up by Crave for a US release, followed shortly by JoWood for a European release. It plays a lot like the Worms 3D games and has a story penned by Paul Rose. The game features a geo-mod system in which almost anything can be destroyed, leaving battlefields scarred by craters. It was released on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Windows.

Carnivores is a series of hunting simulation video games featuring prehistoric species ranging from dinosaurs to extinct megafauna. The first three games – Carnivores (1998), Carnivores 2 (1999), and Carnivores: Ice Age (2001) – were developed for the PC by Action Forms and published by WizardWorks. The fourth game, Carnivores: Cityscape, was developed by Sunstorm Interactive and released by Infogrames in 2002.

<i>Pocket Pool</i> 2007 video game

Pocket Pool is a game released for the PlayStation Portable gaming system, developed in France by Hyper-Devbox Japan and published by both Conspiracy Entertainment and Eidos. The game was originally expected to have the Girls Gone Wild license but the publishers were unable to negotiate terms.

The PlayStation Portable system software is the official firmware for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). It uses the XrossMediaBar (XMB) as its user interface, similar to the PlayStation 3 console.

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of Sony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Energy Digital</span> British video game developer

Dark Energy Digital was a privately owned video game developer and publisher based in the United Kingdom. It was formed from members of Blade Interactive, which continues to operate as a separate company. On 28 September 2007, following the public announcement of Hydrophobia, it was announced that a deal had been made between Blade Interactive and Total Asset Limited and was to become a publisher in its own right and publish its own titles. On 19 March 2012, it was announced the company had closed due to low sales of Hydrophobia.

Exient Entertainment is a video game developer and publisher based in the United Kingdom and Malta. Developing for handheld, mobile, console, VR and PC platforms, Exient grew a name for designing and developing popular series' games to portable systems. It is known for its ports of various games in the Madden NFL, FIFA, Need for Speed, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour series for Electronic Arts and for developing numerous titles in the Angry Birds series. The company was incorporated in 2000 and began operations in January 2001.

<i>Toy Story 3</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Toy Story 3 is a 2010 platform game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios. The game is based on the 2010 film of the same name. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Microsoft Windows. The game was ported to OS X by TransGaming. A Nintendo DS version was developed by n-Space, while Disney Mobile Studios developed and published an iOS game based on the film. Another version was developed by Asobo Studio and released for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.

<i>Pocket Gamer</i> Website and magazine focused on mobile, portable, and handheld video games

Pocket Gamer is a video game website and former print magazine that focuses on mobile, portable and handheld games. It was launched in 2005 by Steel Media Limited.

<i>Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter</i> 2010 video game

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is a first-person shooter video game and the fifth installment in the Carnivores series. The game was initially developed by Tatem Games and released for iOS in 2010, as an enhanced port of the original 1998 Carnivores game. Later that year, Tatem Games' version was ported by Beatshapers to the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Portable (PSP), as a PlayStation Minis. Tatem Games then brought its iOS port to Android in 2012.

Steven Joseph Pickford and John Andrew Pickford, known collectively as Ste and John Pickford and the Pickford brothers, are English video game designers. They are the founders of the indie game company Zee-3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PPSSPP</span> PSP emulator

PPSSPP is a free and open-source PSP emulator for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo Switch, BlackBerry 10, MeeGo, Pandora, Xbox Series X/S and Symbian with an increased focus on speed and portability. It was first released to the public on November 1, 2012, licensed under the GNU GPLv2 or later. The PPSSPP project was created by Henrik Rydgård, one of the co-founders of the Dolphin emulator.

<i>Denki Blocks!</i> 2001 video game

Denki Blocks! is a puzzle video game developed by Denki and originally released in 2001 by Rage Games for Sky Gamestar and the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. In the game, players manoeuvre different coloured blocks around a grid to join those of the same colour together. The game features versus modes for multiple players. Denki Blocks! was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2011 by Tiger Games, and to Android the same year and iOS in 2010.

References

  1. ↑ "Stickyballs Gizmondo cover".
  2. ↑ "Sticky Balls".
  3. ↑ "Sticky Balls Pocket PC screenshot".
  4. ↑ "Sticky Balls PSP screenshots".
  5. 1 2 3 "Softography: Sticky Balls". Zee-3 Digital Publishing. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ "News Archives". 17 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Macho Mondo Man! I Want to Have... A Gizmondo, Man!".


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.