XBLA Review: Double D Dodgeball

Jonathan Zungre — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 06:21:17 +0000

Double D Dodgeball is a game that attempts to capture the fun of dodgeball with the style of neo-retro arcade gaming. But is getting hit in the face by aliens really more fun than getting hit in the face by jocks?

The moment at 0:18 of the above video captures everything great about the pseudo-sport of dodgeball: violence that makes you laugh. If you have positive memories of the sport, they probably revolve around either pelting some poor goth kid right in his dumb face or at least cracking up when someone else administered the ownage. Double D’s bewildering choice to completely throw out all of these associations and transport the sport to outer space feels like it’s working against what makes their sport significant and fun.

But if the game was solid enough, it wouldn’t matter if they decided to swim upstream. This is where Double D commits the unforgivable sin of Arcade gaming: It’s not easy to pick up and play. Arcade games are defined by their easy-to-understand, quarter-popping, quick-play nature (think about the simplicity and longevity that a game like Breakout has), and Double D’s learning curve is just too long and frustrating.

For the first 10 games, I found myself very confused and annoyed (in a real 80′s/early 90′s arcade that would be the equivalent of $2.50, almost the cost of an Extra Value Meal at McDonald’s!). All of the retro characters look so alike that it’s easy to lose which one you are, something which the very competent Artificial Intelligence never seems to forget.

Much of the game is based on your ability to turn around and catch balls that are thrown at you from different angles. The fact that I even had the ability to turn didn’t come to me till a few games in, and the catching mechanic takes a lot of timing, something that intrinsically takes practice. So for the first bunch of games 1) you will get owned by the computer, and 2) you won’t know what’s going on, which is by nature, frustrating.

Another thing that could have grabbed gamers right off the bat are the graphics (Geometry Wars) or music (Braid), but where Geometry Wars feels like a neon fireworks show, Double D’s seem to just add to the muddled, busy, confusing nature of the early game experience. Plus, the music is a looping cacophony of sporty-sounding techno beats that didn’t, in my opinion, seem to augment the game experience.

If you do persist through much of the early game difficulties, Double D Dodgeball does have some fun moments. Timing your shot to hit an opponent just as he looks the other way is a tremendously gratifying experience, and developing the timing needed to catch the ball and trigger your super throw makes you feel the equivalent of a videogame slam dunk.

Double D Dodgeball has a variety of creative units to choose from and special balls you can use. The shock lines that incapacitate your character for a moment add some especially good variety to the game. As for multiplayer, playing locally is the best option because of the overzealous smack talking opportunities and the ability the game has to produce screams of “one more game!”

I didn’t play over Xbox LIVE because, after numerous tries at different times, I still couldn’t find a game. I even hosted one and waited for a good five before throwing in the towel.

At the end of the day, I would have to say that Double D Dodgeball gets more “rip’s” and less “ten’s.” After everything, an enjoyable game is buried under a confusing and muddled early game experience and, honestly, I still believe that I should never play a dodgeball game without getting to throw a ball and see it smack someone right in their dumb head.

Preview: Double D Dodgeball

Jonathan Zungre — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:31:59 +0000

Double D Dodgeball feels like you’re playing dodgeball with a bunch of mutinous aliens from Space Invaders; who, tired of seeing wave after wave of their brothers marching to their deaths, go M.I.A. and play dodgeball, a game that the entire Alpha Centauri cluster can play in peace. Oscar run for sure!

If you’re not familiar with the rules of dodgeball, well, I’m a little sad for you. Two teams. Rectangular playing field split down the middle. Grab the balls. Use them to rape and pillage the other team. One hit and you’re out.

However, Double D has a much faster pace than a normal Dodgeball game. This exists in part because of the small playing area and one important rule change: no longer will catching an opponent’s ball cause him to be out, but it does give you the ability to return fire with a super throw. Plus, if you’re playing with East Coast rules, there is a second perimeter surrounding the playing area where eliminated players can still throw the ball when passed to, creating a crossfire dynamic that whips the game into a frenzy.

Double D’s visual style is a throw back to golden age of arcade games when you could actually meet attractive girls by playing video games (now you need a Wii for that). Its thumping electronic beat and neon lighting effects lovingly wave at Bizarre Creations brainchild, Geometry Wars.

You can use a few different units, including the Shooter, Catcher, Runner and the Glass Unit. The Shooter, Catcher and Runner units’ strengths are pretty self-explanatory. The Glass unit, well, he’s tricky and I haven’t quite figured him out yet, kind of like the weird pasty long-haired guy in Phys Ed class that didn’t look tough, but you knew he’d probably cut you if he got the chance.

There are also a variety of surfaces that you can play on, and not just unmanly stuff like the clay and grass of tennis. I’m talking plasma, ice, space, that can even have electrocuting edges that will send your alien straight to the pearly gates when touched. That’s assuming aliens believe in God…which is a 2 a.m theological discussion for another day.

Biblical Era Smacktalk DLC? Just kidding.

I’ll be eager to see how Double D Dodgeball plays when I can smack my friends in the face in 12-person matches via Xbox Live. Even though it’s retro alien themed, there were times when I really felt like I was in high school again. Unfortunately those memories involved me hugging the wall and the rest of my team eliminated, while the seniors had all the balls on their side.

Double D Dodgeball drops exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade in July for 800 Microsoft points.