Videoball

Last updated

Videoball
Videoball logo.png
Developer(s) Action Button Entertainment
Publisher(s) Iron Galaxy
Director(s) Tim Rogers
Designer(s) Tim Rogers
Programmer(s)
  • Brent Porter
  • Michael Kerwin
  • Nicholas Wasilewski [1]
Artist(s) Brent Porter [1]
Composer(s) Ken Snyder [1]
Engine Unity [2]
Platform(s) PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
ReleaseJuly 12, 2016
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Videoball is a minimalist sports video game by Action Button Entertainment. Up to six human and computer-controlled players form two teams. Each uses an analog stick and a single button to control triangles that shoot charged projectiles at a ball and other players. The objective is to knock the ball into the opposing team's goal. Apart from exhibition matches, the game has a scenario challenge-based Arcade mode, and supports online team and ranked multiplayer matchmaking. Videoball has a simple visual style with bright colors, basic shapes, and many customization options.

Contents

The game originated in a dare to make a "one-button StarCraft ". Videoball designer and Action Button founder Tim Rogers prototyped the game and challenged himself to keep its game mechanics spartan and accessible, yet challenging for competitive players. Action Button and publisher Iron Galaxy released Videoball for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One platforms on July 12, 2016. Linux and OS X releases were planned, but have since been cancelled. [2] [3] Videoball received favorable reviews. Critics praised the precision and craft of its game design as well as its welcoming aesthetics but remarked that its visual simplicity belied the depth of its gameplay.

Gameplay

Videoball plays as a two-dimensional hybrid of air hockey and soccer on a single screen. [4] [5] Players form two teams of one to three players. [6] Each player uses an analog stick to control a triangle-shaped avatar and presses a single button to shoot triangle-shaped projectiles. [7] The object of the game is to knock one or more circular balls into the opposing team's goal. [5] Players hold the button to charge a shot, which fires upon release. The projectile can propel the ball, block other projectiles, and incapacitate opponents. [7] Since the shot is triangle-shaped, it can only drive the ball for some distance before the ball veers off-course. [8]

The longer the player charges their shot, the more powerful the projectile becomes. A tap of the button shoots a small, low-impact projectile that disintegrates upon impact. [9] A medium tap, about a second long, creates a larger, persistent triangle that dribbles the ball as long as the two continue to make contact. [8] The third charge level shoots a large triangle that fires the ball with explosive force. This "slam" can be reversed by an opponent by firing any projectile into the slammed ball. [5] If held for an additional second, the fourth level of a charged shot creates a defensive square barrier for the player to place on the playing field. [10] [6] These square barriers will disintegrate upon absorbing player projectiles. Player triangles that collide with balls or projectiles are knocked back and briefly incapacitated. [5] Many of the game's common actions are named. For instance, players hit by projectiles are "tackled" and projectiles that hit projectiles are "intercepted". [8]

The game supports up to six human or artificial intelligence players in local and online multiplayer, except on the PlayStation 4, which has a human player limit of four per console. [11] Videoball has team [9] and ranked matchmaking multiplayer modes. [6] There is no set practice game mode, but players can train against computer-controlled opponents in exhibition matches and the scenario-based Arcade mode, in which the player faces two computer-controlled opponents in specific level configurations. The Arcade mode artificial intelligence personalities each have fitting names, such as Homer (who stays near its endzone) and Punchy (who bullies players with projectiles). Some work in pairs to establish gameplay concepts, such as Tippy, who passes the ball to Toppy, who maintains the top of the field. [5]

Videoball's rules are fully customizable. Players choose from several color schemes, field layouts and patterns, and the number of balls in play. They can also choose the time limit and allow for special scoring, in which special shots count as more than one point. [5] The game is visualized in all solid, bright colors and basic shapes, [12] [6] and features voiceover announcers. [8] Games last an average of four minutes, though they can last several times more. [10]

Development

Videoball designer Tim Rogers describes the game as "an abstract minimalist electronic sport". [12] Its development began as a dare from QWOP developer Bennett Foddy, Rogers's friend, to make a "one-button StarCraft ". [12] Rogers, the founder of Action Button Entertainment, [7] made what he estimated as 40 or 50 inconsequential prototypes before adding an analog stick to the button. [12] Videoball evolved from a slow-paced strategy game to a fast-paced sports game as it graduated from early prototypes. [12]

Rogers compared the game's design process to the austerity of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares , wherein Ramsay convinces failing restaurants to reduce their menu size and make those few dishes well. [7] Rogers commented that this emphasis on fewer elements makes each element's nuances more prominent. [7] Polygon 's Tracey Lien described the development team's process as "chasing a certain purity". [7] Rogers conceived Videoball as a sport without narrative or artifice and thus sought to avoid traditional video game metaphors, such as knowing the triangle avatars and projectiles as "ships" or "bullets". [7] He wanted the game to be accessible to newcomers but still fun and strategic for experts. [4] [12] The game designer applied his conception of Super Mario Bros. 3 's "sticky friction"—a sense through which the player feels the physics affecting their avatar—to the game's controls. [13] Rogers emphasized the importance of strategy in playing the game [7] and noted that players in prototype games played roles or zones like in competitive basketball (e.g, center or forward positions). [10]

Rogers has livestreamed prerelease sessions of Videoball via Twitch. [7] He broadcast gameplay from Twitch's booth at PAX East 2014 with indie publisher Midnight City. [14] In February 2014, PC Gamer 's Wes Fenlon reported that the game still had work left in its artwork, soundtrack, new arenas, and online multiplayer mode. [10] Videoball was selected for the July 2014 Evolution Championship Series fighting game tournament's Indie Showcase. [15] The developers had plans to include cross-platform multiplayer, [7] support for more than six simultaneous players, [10] and a campaign mode. [4] Rogers has said that ranked matchmaking was highly requested by fans. [7] Videoball was planned for release in 2014, [7] and ultimately launched on July 12, 2016, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, [11] and Microsoft Windows, [16] with Iron Galaxy as its publisher. [6] Linux and OS X releases were planned, but have since been cancelled. [2] [3]

Reception

Pre-release reviewers all cited Videoball's minimalism both in aesthetics and gameplay, and compared the game with the skill and strategy of football and basketball. [12] [7] Before its release, PC Gamer's Wes Fenlon found himself thinking about Videoball daily after last playing two weeks prior. He credited its "addictive sort of fun" and his own excitement for local multiplayer on PC alongside titles such as Hokra and TowerFall . [12] He felt that the game's tagline of being appropriate for both a child's birthday party and prison was correct albeit silly. [12] Fenlon praised the game's minimalist visuals, "peppy music, and chirpy sound effects". [12] He compared the player's controls to that of Asteroids and contrasted its simplicity with the 100-hour onboarding process for League of Legends , [12] having learned how to play Videoball in just "a couple minutes". [10] Jason Bohn (Hardcore Gamer) wrote that the simple controls made the game accessible for new teams to quickly strategize. [6] Polygon's Tracey Lien compared the game's feel to basketball, football, and hockey. Citing the strong role of strategy in playing the game, she compared the array of projectiles fired to military strategy or a football play. [7] Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard said his time with the game left him "wanting more". [4] Graham Smith ( Rock, Paper, Shotgun ) found Videoball difficult to spectate and had trouble distinguishing between the players' triangle avatars. [16] Jason Bohn (Hardcore Gamer) only became interested in the game after testing it, and credited the quality of its game design with changing his opinion. [6]

The game received generally favorable reviews at launch. [17] Reviewers noted the precision and craft of its game design. [5] [9] Reviewers compared Videoball to other games including the South Asian board game Carrom, [5] and a cross between Asteroids (1979) and Rocket League (2015). [8] GameSpot's reviewer wrote that Videoball was the 2016 equivalent of Rocket League, in that both had idiosyncratic concepts and little prior anticipation, but simple and fun gameplay. [18]

Samit Sakar (Polygon) felt that he was in control of all parts of his play, even as he lost to computer-controlled opponents. [5] Joshua Calixto ( Kill Screen ) found himself naming his preferred ball-handling techniques as he played. [8] While Nic Rowen ( Destructoid ) said that he would normally avoid game mechanics discussion in his reviews, "Videoball is all about its mechanics". [9] He praised the momentum and "pleasing grip" behind the avatars and the acceleration physics of changing direction or moving out of a full stop. [9] Polygon's Sakar noted the game's balance between competition and enjoyment. [5] Despite the game's simple controls, Destructoid found that sloppy play could easily backfire on the player. [9] Jason D'Aprile ( GameSpot ) said that the game depends on things knocking into each other for its entertainment, such as bank shots and hitting opponents. He disliked that the only control style was tank-style controls. [18] Polygon's initially wanted a tutorial mode but ultimately felt that the single-player Arcade mode, with set scenarios against two computer-controlled opponents, filled this need. [5] Destructoid called the Arcade mode increasingly unfair in its addition of field disadvantages to the player. [9] While Polygon and Destructoid praised the artificial intelligence of the computer-controlled avatars, [5] [9] GameSpot wrote that they were simple, and often ignored balls during single-player matches. [18]

Critics praised the game's welcoming aesthetics, [5] [18] [8] and some, its visual design. [5] [9] Kill Screen considered the game's affect delightful [8] and Destructoid said its bright color scheme and rubber-like surfaces were disarming and recalled the feel of an inflatable castle. [9] Polygon's reviewer described the title as having "old-school sensibilities" in its arcade-style visual design, with simple geometry and flat 2D art. He added that the game succeeds in particular because of its "goofy tone" and "delightful wrapper" of music, scrolling ticker, and fanciful announcers, which managed to charm him without appearing inauthentic. [5] GameSpot's reviewer wrote that Videoball's audiovisual replication of 1990s-era Sega aesthetics triggered instant "warm and fuzzy ... nostalgia". [18] Reviewers said that the game's visuals deceptively betrayed the depth of its gameplay. [18] [9] Calixto of Kill Screen concluded that Videoball "feels like it's trying to knock down barriers to entry" in its "bubbly and peaceful" visual design, with gradients and 90s Japanese arcade-style music. He thought, however, that the voiceovers were somewhat campy. [8]

Reviewers noted the game's accessibility. [18] [9] Calixto of Kill Screen said that Videoball countered a trend in games culture that relied on learning professional strategies online in order to play competitively. He cited the affordances for experimentation in the game's controls and saw Videoball as being primarily concerned with awakening "its own brand of DIY metagaming", hence the reviewer's interest in naming his own techniques. [8] Calixto further praised the game for resisting the standardization of one correct way to play with its variety of game fields. [8] While Rowen (Destructoid) doubted that Videoball would be the future of eSports, he concluded that the game made for good local multiplayer fun, and vastly preferred the experience of local to online multiplayer. He compared the title to Super Bomberman in how quickly the game escalates from a friendly match to cut-throat competition. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tetris Attack</i> 1995 video game

Tetris Attack, also known as Panel de Pon in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Game Boy version was released a year later. In the game, the player must arrange matching colored blocks in vertical or horizontal rows to clear them. The blocks steadily rise towards the top of the playfield, with new blocks being added at the bottom. Several gameplay modes are present, including a time attack and multiplayer mode.

<i>Every Extend</i> Video game series

Every Extend is series of puzzle shoot 'em up video games primarily developed by Q Entertainment. The series began with a 2004 freeware game of the same name for Windows, which was a personal project by Kanta Matsuhisa under the "Omega" pseudonym. Q Entertainment discovered the game online and approached Matshisa to develop a remix version. The remix version was developed for the PlayStation Portable and was released in 2006, titled Every Extend Extra. In 2007, Q Entertainment developed and released a sequel on the Xbox 360 titled Every Extend Extra Extreme.

<i>Doom</i> (2016 video game) First-person shooter

Doom is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is the first major installment in the Doom series since 2004's Doom 3. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2016. A port for Nintendo Switch was co-developed with Panic Button and released in November 2017, and a version for Google Stadia was released in August 2020.

<i>Snoopy Flying Ace</i> 2010 video game

Snoopy Flying Ace is a dogfighting video game based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts franchise and developed by Smart Bomb Interactive for the Xbox Live Arcade service on the Xbox 360. It was announced on November 10, 2008 and released on June 2, 2010. An unofficial sequel to the 2006 video game Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, it features a similar World War I setting. Snoopy is tasked with defeating several members of the Flying Circus, a special flight squadron in the Luftstreitkräfte, and its commander, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron.

<i>Mario Golf: World Tour</i> 2014 video game

Mario Golf: World Tour is a 2014 golf video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was first announced on February 14, 2013, in a Nintendo Direct presentation. It is the fifth game in the series, and is the first one in a decade, since 2004's Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the Game Boy Advance. The game was initially scheduled for the second half of 2013, but was eventually delayed to May 2014.

<i>TowerFall</i> 2013 action video game

TowerFall is an action indie video game created by Maddy Thorson through her company Maddy Makes Games. In the game, players control up to four archers in a multiplayer platform fighter. It was released on the Ouya microconsole in June 2013 and was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, OS X, and Windows as TowerFall Ascension and to the Nintendo Switch under its original title of TowerFall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Rogers (writer)</span> Anmerican video game journalist (born 1979)

William Timothy Rogers Jr. is an American video game journalist, developer, and video essayist. His work is associated with mid-2000s New Games Journalism, a style of video game journalism that emphasizes the author's subjective and personal experiences in relation to the game world. The Guardian cited his 2005 opinion piece "Dreaming in an Empty Room: A Defense of Metal Gear Solid 2" as a core example of the genre. Rogers is additionally known for his verbose writing style and his video game reviews website ActionButton.net. He has also written for Next Generation, GamesTM, Play, Game Developer, and Kotaku. He later edited videos for Kotaku before resigning from the site and becoming an independent YouTuber.

<i>Nidhogg</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Nidhogg is a side-scrolling two-player fighting video game developed and published by Messhof. Players duel with swords in a pixelated environment. The game was commissioned for the New York University Game Center's annual multiplayer show, and was revised and demoed at private events over the next four years before its final release. It won Indiecade 2013's Game Design award and the 2011 Independent Games Festival's Nuovo Award. It was released for Microsoft Windows on January 13, 2014, and later ported to OS X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. Critics praised the feel of the gameplay and its balance, but considered its single-player mode unsatisfying. Messhof released a sequel in 2017 with a higher resolution art style and additional weapons and arenas.

Eve: Valkyrie was a multiplayer dogfighting shooter game set in the Eve Online universe that was designed to use virtual reality headset technology. Originally launched for Microsoft Windows for use with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, CCP Games had announced they plan to enable cross-platform play between the three major VR systems: the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and the PlayStation VR. Released in March 2016, the game had two game mode options: Chronicles could be played in single player, while Combat allowed eight by eight combat PvP missions. Reviews generally criticized the limited plot and limitations of single player mode, although the described "arcade experience" was praised for having intuitive controls and "exhilarating" dogfighting features, with PC Powerplay dubbing it "arguably the best VR experience currently available for the [Oculus Rift] platform."

<i>Kero Blaster</i> 2014 video game

Kero Blaster (ケロブラスター) is a platform video game created by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya. It was released in 2014 for PC and iOS and is the first major project of Pixel since Cave Story in 2004. The game places a heavy emphasis on shooting and received positive reviews on both platforms. A short, free demo titled Pink Hour was made available a month before the full game's release. A short free companion game and sequel to Pink Hour titled Pink Heaven was released in November 2015, coinciding with the new Kero Blaster update.

<i>Ziggurat</i> (video game) 2012 video game

Ziggurat, stylized as ZiGGURAT, is a retro-style arcade shooter video game developed by Action Button Entertainment for iOS platforms. As the world's last human fighting off incoming alien freaks from atop a ziggurat, the player uses touch controls to charge and shoot the enemies away, and dies if hit by an enemy. The game has 16-bit graphics style and an 8-bit chiptune soundtrack. Action Button designer Tim Rogers developed the game idea based on his experience with Angry Birds, which later led to his forming Action Button as a company with Ziggurat as its first release on February 17, 2012.

Action Button Entertainment is a video game development studio consisting of Tim Rogers, Brent Porter, Michael Kerwin, and Nicholas Wasilewski that has produced five games: Ziggurat (2012), TNNS (2013), Ten by Eight (2013), Tuffy the Corgi (2014), and Videoball (2016). The group convened in 2010 as Rogers worked on Ziggurat based on an idea he had while playing Angry Birds that he could not complete on his own. Porter joined Action Button after responding to a call for artists Rogers made via Twitter, and Kerwin joined based on a connection he had with Rogers from producing a mockup of a game concept Rogers outlined in his Kotaku column.

<i>Battleborn</i> (video game) 2016 multiplayer first-person shooter video game

Battleborn was a free-to-play first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game was released worldwide on May 3, 2016.

<i>Groove Coaster</i> Video game series

The Groove Coaster series is an iOS / Android and arcade rhythm game franchise developed by Matrix Software and published by Taito. The first Groove Coaster was released for iOS on July 28, 2011. This rhythm game follows a roller coaster type track on screen, where players must make the appropriate controller inputs. Like many rhythm games, a life bar is attached to the game play. Players gain or lose points on the bar depending on the input timings.

<i>Duck Game</i> 2014 video game

Duck Game is a 2D action game developed by Landon Podbielski and published by Adult Swim Games. The game was released for the Ouya in 2014, and for Microsoft Windows in 2015. A PlayStation 4 version was released in August 2017, and a Nintendo Switch version was released in May 2019. A major update was released in November 2020 on PC, with an upcoming release on the Switch.

<i>Pyre</i> (video game) 2017 action role playing video game

Pyre is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Supergiant Games. It was released in July 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Linux and PlayStation 4, and in August 2017 for macOS. Elements from sports games were incorporated into the title's gameplay. It was the third game developed by Supergiant following Transistor (2014) and it received generally positive reviews upon release.

<i>Monaco: Whats Yours Is Mine</i> 2013 stealth video game

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a 2013 stealth video game developed by Pocketwatch Games in which players, alone or cooperatively, perform heists and robberies. Players choose from eight characters, each of whom has a unique and beneficial skill, such as the ability to change appearance or tunnel through walls. Monaco's single-player story is told in four acts from perspectives of different characters. The cooperative mode lets up to four players play together in different locations.

<i>Master X Master</i> 2017 video game

Master X Master (MXM) was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by NCsoft.

<i>Windjammers 2</i> 2022 video game

Windjammers 2 is a 2022 sports video game developed and published by Dotemu. It is the sequel to the 1994 Neo Geo game Windjammers, co-produced by Data East and SNK. Windjammers 2 was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, and Xbox One on January 20, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the visuals, new content and gameplay mechanics.

<i>Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl</i> 2021 video game

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a 2021 crossover fighting game developed by Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is the first console game in the Nickelodeon Super Brawl series of browser games and mobile games. Featuring characters from various Nickelodeon animated television series, the game was released on October 5, 2021, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A sequel, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, is set for release in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Videoball press kit". Action Button Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Mac and Linux release? :: VIDEOBALL General Discussions". Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Tim Rogers [@108] (November 28, 2018). "the mac and linux versions were Permanently Canceled" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hilliard, Kyle (February 19, 2014). "If It's One Word, It's A Real Sport' - Videoball - PC". Game Informer . Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Sarkar, Samit (July 12, 2016). "Videoball review". Polygon . Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bohn, Jason (February 2, 2016). "PAX South: Want to Ruin a Friendship? Play VIDEOBALL". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Lien, Tracey (February 19, 2014). "It's a sport, it's four to five flavors on a plate, it's Videoball". Polygon . Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Calixto, Joshua (July 20, 2016). "Videoball brings fair play back to the couch". Kill Screen . Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rowen, Nic (July 12, 2016). "Review: Videoball". Destructoid . Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fenlon, Wes (February 25, 2014). "Hands-on with Videoball: a local multiplayer electronic sport for the living room". PC Gamer . p. 2. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Furniss, Zack (June 7, 2016). "One-button sports game Videoball is releasing July 12". Destructoid . Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Fenlon, Wes (February 25, 2014). "Hands-on with Videoball: a local multiplayer electronic sport for the living room". PC Gamer . p. 1. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ Sheridan, Connor (April 5, 2014). "Off Radar: The Best Stories You Missed This Week – Read ... Embed With Tim Rogers". GamesRadar . p. 5. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ Tach, Dave (April 8, 2014). "Here's what indie publisher Midnight City is bringing to PAX East 2014". Polygon . Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  15. ↑ Tach, Dave (June 19, 2014). "Evo 2014 Indie Showcase to host Nidhogg, TowerFall and more". Polygon . Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Smith, Graham (June 9, 2016). "Videoball's Final Trailer Heralds July 12th Release". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Videoball Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 D'Aprile, Jason (July 13, 2016). "Videoball Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Videoball at Wikimedia Commons

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.