Super Dodge Ball (NES) Playthrough
204A playthrough of CSG Imagesoft's 1989 action game for the NES, Super Dodge Ball.
In this video I play through both of game modes, both on the normal difficulty level. World Cup Play begins at 0:19, and Bean Ball at 18:46.
Super Dodge Ball is the NES port of Technos' 1987 arcade game, and as the direct follow-up to Renegade (https://youtu.be/5NWByyxT9ak), it was the second game in the Kunio-kun series. It's also notable for being the first game published by Sony Imagesoft (under the name CBS/Sony Group Imagesoft), the company that later came to be known as 989 Studios.
Instead of throwing down in the streets, this sequel tosses the hot-blooded crew of street toughs into an international competitive dodge ball league. Led by their captain Sam (originally Kunio), Team USA has to climb the ladder by defeating seven other teams in order to face the ultimate challenge, a throwdown against a team of shadow doppelgangers in the USSR.
The team has six players who can be assigned positions individually before the start of each match. Each has his own stats and moves, so there's a fair bit of strategy involved in setting them up to play to their strengths. Some have better throwing arms, some are better at catching and dodging, and everyone has a unique selection of special throws that can make short work of an opponent's life gauge when used in the right situation. There's a fair bit of nuance to it all, and the gameplay is much deeper than it first appears.
A double tap of the d-pad makes you run, the A button dodges, the B button catches and throws, and A+B is for jumping. The setup is simple to learn - timing is the key to everything - and the controls work well in spite of the game's choppy performance. It all makes for some excellent, fast-paced fun, especially against a friend.
The Kunio series' signature sprite work lends the game a huge helping of charm, too. The exaggerated facial expressions, like when someone gets nailed in the back of the head or is left standing slackjawed after a beating, are hilarious. Severe sprite flicker is a constant annoyance, however, but though it can be distracting, it doesn’t have much of an impact on the game's overall playability.
In the end, it's not hard to see why Super Dodge Ball is such a fan favorite. It's full of personality, it's stupidly fun to play, and it has enough substance to keep anyone coming back time and time again.
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