BALLBLAZER (1985)
Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari
8-bit, Atari 5200, Atari 7800,
Commodore 64, Famicom, MSX, ZX
Spectrum
Lucasfilm Games
Lucasfilm Games bolted out of the gate in flying colors with two fine, fun, forward-thinking titles: Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus. A futuristic sports game that is sort of a one-on-one version of soccer, Ballblazer, which takes place in 3097, has each player piloting a hovercraft (called a Rotofoil) on a split-screen playfield, trying to get the ball into the goal at the opposite end. Your hovercraft has a forcefield surrounding it that lets you grab and shoot the ball. You can even steal the ball from your opponent. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the goal posts shrink and move back and forth. Crisp graphics, intuitive controls, simple gameplay, and dazzling sounds make the game a winner.
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A full-time freelance writer, Brett Weiss is the author of the Classic Home Video Games series, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, Encyclopedia of KISS, and various other books, including the forthcoming The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 1 (A–M). He’s had articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Game Informer, Classic Gamer Magazine, Video Game Trader, Video Game Collector, Filmfax, Fangoria, and AntiqueWeek, among others. Check him out at www.brettweisswords.com
