Super Dodge Ball
Encyclopedia
Super Dodge Ball, released in Japan as is a dodgeball
-based sports game
produced by Technos Japan Corp. originally released as an arcade game
in . In Japan, it was the second game starring Technos Japan's video game character Kunio-kun, following Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (the Japanese version of Renegade
), although the connection between the two games was removed in the western release. Various home versions and sequels of the game have been released for various platforms.
The player's team is composed of seven members; the team's captain (a large-sized character) and six smaller sized characters. The captain and three of the other members are constrained to one side of the main court, while the other three stand at the sidelines surrounding the competing team. The objective of the game is to eliminate the members of the opposing team on the other side of the court by throwing the ball against them. Players who are eliminated are turned into a caricature
of an angel
that flies away to the top of the screen. The team that remains with at least one surviving member wins. If time runs out during a match, then the team with most surviving members wins. The player's life bar represents the number of remaining members, as each character is usually eliminated after taking three or four shots.
The game has two button configuration that change functions depending on the current circumstance. If the player currently has possession of the ball, then the left button will be use for throwing the ball against an opponent, while the right button is used for passing the ball to a nearby teammate. Likewise, if an opponent has possession of the ball, then the left button is used to catch or intercept an opponent's throw, while the right button is to duck an attack. Pressing both buttons simultaneously will cause the player to jump. The player can also dash by pushing the joystick left or right twice, increasing the momentum
of an offensive throw. The team's captain has a specialized offensive throw, also known as a "Power Shot", that travels faster and does more damage than a regular offensive throw.
The game begins with a match between Dallas and Chicago to determine who will represent the United States in a worldwide dodge ball tournament. In the single player game, the player will control Dallas, while the computer controls Chicago
. If played against a second player, then the first player controls Dallas and the second controls Chicago. The winning team will then compete in the world cup and face against the following regions: England
, Iceland
, China, Africa
(Kenya
in later versions) and Japan
. The foreign teams have more than four team members playing offense, although only four show up on the main court. If an opposing team loses a member, they will call upon one of their backups to replace the fallen teammate. After defeating Japan, the player's team is awarded with the world cup by a ninja
and the game begins a new cycle starting with England.
, the Japanese version of Renegade. The Japanese version features an opening sequence which parodies the pre-stage introductions of Kunio-kun which depicts Kunio being struck by a dodge ball thrown by a passing thug and his teammates chasing after said thug. The American teams of Dallas and Chicago were originally the Japanese teams of Nekketsu High School and Hanazono High School, while the final match was actually against U.S. team themselves. The characters' skin tones and hair colors were changed accordingly in the Western version to reflect this. The character who awards the trophy to the player's team at the end of the game is a thinly-disguised parody
of the comic book superhero Superman
.
of Super Dodge Ball was released in , although it is not an exact port, as it featured several differences such as special moves and full stats for individual team members, two additional teams (India and U.S.S.R.), and a "Bean Ball" mode. The soundtrack featured stage music appropriate for each country depicted in the game. For example, the Japan stage theme was "Sakura Sakura" and the England stage featured a song apparently written by marrying two Beatles hits ("Get Back" and "Hard Day's Night").
The Japan
-only X68000 version, an exact port of the arcade release, was released on September 1988. It added stereo music and parallax scrolling, as well as a cheat code that increases the character variations.
Another home version was released exclusively in Japan for the PC Engine titled , released on March 30, . It was published by Naxat Soft
and developed by KID. Similar to the NES version, the PC Engine version added individual stats, life gauges, and power shots for each member of every team. However, the graphics, teams, and stages are still identical. In addition to the single-player tournament mode and a 2-player versus mode, it also features a single-player quest mode where the player can replace the default members of their team with the captains from the rival teams.
The PlayStation 2
version, released in Japan on January 26, , was published by Hamster as part of the Ore-tachi no Gēsen Zoku series. It is an emulation of the original arcade game.
sequel, titled , was released on August 8, . Another Japanese sequel, titled , was released for the Super Famicom on August 6, . A Neo Geo
sequel, simply titled Super Dodge Ball
, was released in . It was the final game produced by Technos before they went out of business and as a result, no home version was released and the arcade version was produced in limited quantities.
Years after Technos went out of business, a new company called Million (composed of former staff members of Technos) developed Super Dodge Ball Advance
for the Game Boy Advance
in . While not an official Kunio-kun game in Japan, it features play mechanics similar to the console installments and some of the same background music as the Kunio-kun series. An official sequel was released by Arc System Works
and Aksys Games
for the Nintendo DS
titled Super Dodgeball Brawlers
in .
Although not an official part of the series, Miracle Kidz (a developing team composed of former Technos Japan staff members) released River City Dodgeball All-Stars!! as a doujin game for the PC in An Xbox 360
version was released in titled Downtown Smash Dodgeball. Miracle Kidz released the Wii
version titled , on July 12, 2011 as a WiiWare
title. Unlike their previous Dodgeball games, this installment is officially sanctioned by Million.
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
-based sports game
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
produced by Technos Japan Corp. originally released as an arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
in . In Japan, it was the second game starring Technos Japan's video game character Kunio-kun, following Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (the Japanese version of Renegade
Renegade (video game)
Renegade is a video game released in American and European arcades in 1986 by Taito. It is a westernized conversion of the Japanese arcade game , released earlier the same year by Technos...
), although the connection between the two games was removed in the western release. Various home versions and sequels of the game have been released for various platforms.
Gameplay
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
that flies away to the top of the screen. The team that remains with at least one surviving member wins. If time runs out during a match, then the team with most surviving members wins. The player's life bar represents the number of remaining members, as each character is usually eliminated after taking three or four shots.
The game has two button configuration that change functions depending on the current circumstance. If the player currently has possession of the ball, then the left button will be use for throwing the ball against an opponent, while the right button is used for passing the ball to a nearby teammate. Likewise, if an opponent has possession of the ball, then the left button is used to catch or intercept an opponent's throw, while the right button is to duck an attack. Pressing both buttons simultaneously will cause the player to jump. The player can also dash by pushing the joystick left or right twice, increasing the momentum
Momentum
In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...
of an offensive throw. The team's captain has a specialized offensive throw, also known as a "Power Shot", that travels faster and does more damage than a regular offensive throw.
The game begins with a match between Dallas and Chicago to determine who will represent the United States in a worldwide dodge ball tournament. In the single player game, the player will control Dallas, while the computer controls Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. If played against a second player, then the first player controls Dallas and the second controls Chicago. The winning team will then compete in the world cup and face against the following regions: England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, China, Africa
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
(Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in later versions) and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The foreign teams have more than four team members playing offense, although only four show up on the main court. If an opposing team loses a member, they will call upon one of their backups to replace the fallen teammate. After defeating Japan, the player's team is awarded with the world cup by a ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
and the game begins a new cycle starting with England.
Regional differences
The Japanese version was released as a spin-off of Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kunRenegade (video game)
Renegade is a video game released in American and European arcades in 1986 by Taito. It is a westernized conversion of the Japanese arcade game , released earlier the same year by Technos...
, the Japanese version of Renegade. The Japanese version features an opening sequence which parodies the pre-stage introductions of Kunio-kun which depicts Kunio being struck by a dodge ball thrown by a passing thug and his teammates chasing after said thug. The American teams of Dallas and Chicago were originally the Japanese teams of Nekketsu High School and Hanazono High School, while the final match was actually against U.S. team themselves. The characters' skin tones and hair colors were changed accordingly in the Western version to reflect this. The character who awards the trophy to the player's team at the end of the game is a thinly-disguised parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the comic book superhero Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
.
Ports
A Nintendo Entertainment System versionSuper Dodge Ball (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Super Dodge Ball, originally released in Japan as , is a dodgeball-based sports game produced by Technos Japan Corp. that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in . It is loosely based on the arcade game of the same name, which was also developed by Technos...
of Super Dodge Ball was released in , although it is not an exact port, as it featured several differences such as special moves and full stats for individual team members, two additional teams (India and U.S.S.R.), and a "Bean Ball" mode. The soundtrack featured stage music appropriate for each country depicted in the game. For example, the Japan stage theme was "Sakura Sakura" and the England stage featured a song apparently written by marrying two Beatles hits ("Get Back" and "Hard Day's Night").
The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
-only X68000 version, an exact port of the arcade release, was released on September 1988. It added stereo music and parallax scrolling, as well as a cheat code that increases the character variations.
Another home version was released exclusively in Japan for the PC Engine titled , released on March 30, . It was published by Naxat Soft
Naxat Soft
Kaga Create Co.,Ltd. is a Japan-based video game developing and publishing division of Kaga Electronics.The company initially released games for the PC Engine...
and developed by KID. Similar to the NES version, the PC Engine version added individual stats, life gauges, and power shots for each member of every team. However, the graphics, teams, and stages are still identical. In addition to the single-player tournament mode and a 2-player versus mode, it also features a single-player quest mode where the player can replace the default members of their team with the captains from the rival teams.
The PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version, released in Japan on January 26, , was published by Hamster as part of the Ore-tachi no Gēsen Zoku series. It is an emulation of the original arcade game.
Sequels
Sequels to Super Dodge Ball have been released for various platforms. A Japan-exclusive Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
sequel, titled , was released on August 8, . Another Japanese sequel, titled , was released for the Super Famicom on August 6, . A Neo Geo
Neo Geo
was a family of video game hardware developed by SNK from 1990 to 1999, and fully discontinued in 2004.-Neo Geo MVS :The Neo Geo Multi Video System , is an arcade system board, being the first product in the Neo Geo family, and released in 1990...
sequel, simply titled Super Dodge Ball
Super Dodge Ball (Neo Geo)
is a dodgeball-based sports game produced by Technos Japan Corp. that was released for the Neo Geo platform in . It is a sequel to the original Super Dodge Ball and features characters from Technos Japan's Kunio-kun series. It was also the final game developed by Technos before the company went out...
, was released in . It was the final game produced by Technos before they went out of business and as a result, no home version was released and the arcade version was produced in limited quantities.
Years after Technos went out of business, a new company called Million (composed of former staff members of Technos) developed Super Dodge Ball Advance
Super Dodge Ball Advance
Super Dodge Ball Advance, released in Japan as , dodge ball game based on the Super Dodge Ball. While based on the original Super Dodge Ball series, the game does not feature the Kunio-kun characters from the original game due to copyrights issues, as developer Million did not obtain the rights to...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in . While not an official Kunio-kun game in Japan, it features play mechanics similar to the console installments and some of the same background music as the Kunio-kun series. An official sequel was released by Arc System Works
Arc System Works
is a video game developer and publisher based in Yokohama, Japan. It was founded by Minoru Kidooka in 1988. Arc System Works is best known for its arcade 2D fighting game, Guilty Gear and its sequels.-BlazBlue series:...
and Aksys Games
Aksys Games
Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a video game publisher that specializes in translating and localizing Japanese video games for English-speaking markets. It was founded by Akibo Shieh in 2006. Some of its clients include Namco Bandai Games, Xseed Games, and Atlus USA. Aksys Games is best known for...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
titled Super Dodgeball Brawlers
Super Dodgeball Brawlers
Super Dodgeball Brawlers, originally released in Japan as is a dodgeball-based sports game released for the Nintendo DS.This game marked the return of Kunio-kun characters in a dodge ball based on the characters owned by Million. It is also the first Kunio-kun game published in a mobile platform...
in .
Although not an official part of the series, Miracle Kidz (a developing team composed of former Technos Japan staff members) released River City Dodgeball All-Stars!! as a doujin game for the PC in An Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version was released in titled Downtown Smash Dodgeball. Miracle Kidz released the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version titled , on July 12, 2011 as a WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
title. Unlike their previous Dodgeball games, this installment is officially sanctioned by Million.
External links
- director HP
- Hamster page