Ballistic
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
In the puzzle game genre, a simple good idea can turn into a phenomenon - premise is everything. Infogrames' Ballistic borrows a little from previous games to bring a unique and addictive new puzzle title to the PlayStation.
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When The Ball Breaks, The Level Will Clear
Taking half a page from Bust A Move and a pinch of Columns, Ballistic places you in a turret at the center of the board with a train of colored balls spiraling toward you. Your objective is to shoot balls from your cannon to make sets of three or more of the same color, and then watch them explode. Make all the balls blow up and you're moving on to the next level. That's it - that's the premise. Nothing more. But the spiraling balls change their path on each of the boards and sometimes multiple streams work their way in your direction. New obstacles quickly arrive to make the game a bigger challenge, like miniature tornadoes that blow your shots off course, or tunnels that the balls hide in as they continue to press upon you. The game becomes an intense brain-busting strategy game right after you get the hang of it and clear a few boards.
The game also includes a two-player mode where opponents go head-to-head to clear balls and dump what they've cleared onto the opponent's board. Ballistic is all about the replay value. It may seem uncomplicated, but it will keep you coming back for more.
The Ball Of The Wild
While remembering that it's all about game play, Ballistic doesn't offer much more to a player than its addictive, level-clearing frenzied play. The graphics are okay, but rather plain. There's not a lot you can do with colored balls and a turret, but it's the backgrounds that should really stand out (see The New Tetris), but they don't. Even though the average gamer wouldn't really notice if it was the Last Supper behind the balls or just some lame graphic pattern, the extra effort would have been appreciated.
As for sound effects, it's rather boring and peculiar. It's just a bunch of pops and buzzes, bangs and booms, with nothing exceptional throughout. The music goes by almost unnoticed, until you hear the siren wail telling you the balls are getting close. Then the music starts raising your heartbeat, your fingers get tense, you misfire and there goes the board. BOOM!
Controls are simple and straightforward. Just turn and shoot. They couldn't mess it up if they tried. It's sufficiently responsive, giving you the required accuracy to meet the challenges presented.
Ball Busters Unite
The game appeals to a wide audience, and there's something to be said for any game that you can pop into the PlayStation and immediately play. If you are die-hard puzzle gamer or you just jump at the chance to meet a new challenge, then bust a groove down to the store and pick up Ballistic for PlayStation.
