Ballz 3D

n/a

Ballz 3D
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Accolade
Developer: PF Magic
Supporting companies: Futurescape Productions (some programming)
Distributor: SF Interactive Media (SE rental), Sega-Ozisoft (AU), Tec Toy (BR)
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-10 $59.9659.96 T-119126 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub EU 1994-09 T-119126-50 EU ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub PT 1994 MD119126 UK 1994-09-23 £39.9939.99 T-119126-50 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x $109.95109.95 FBAL04SMC BR 1994 046650 SA ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub
Non-Sega versions Super NES

Ballz 3D: Fighting at its Ballziest, known in Europe as Ballz 3D: The Battle of the Balls, is a Sega Mega Drive fighting game developed by PF Magic and published by Accolade. Released in 1994 to positive reviews, the game is most notable for constructing its characters entirely with spheres to simulate three-dimensional animation, similar to Vectorman.

Gameplay

The game is a fighting game where each character is composed completely of colored spheres. Since spheres look the same at any angle, this technique gives the game the appearance of depth and rotation in a three-dimensional space without requiring any specialized hardware. Combat takes place in three-dimensional arenas, with each fighter able to move in any direction on a two-dimensional plane. Each fighter has a health bar, indicated by a string of balls in the top corners of the screen. Rounds last for 99 seconds; when time runs out, both fighters start rapidly losing health, allowing one fighter to finish the other off or potentially ending in a draw. Scoreboard screens in the background of the arenas show pictures and commentary based on the fight.

Fighters move with or and strafe around the arena with or . They jump , with the height of the jump controlled by holding the button longer. They can punch with and kick with . Kicks are generally slower than punches but do more damage. They can do a low attack by holding while simultaneously pressing the or , a lunging attack by holding the D-Pad toward the opponent and pressing or , or a short attack by holding the D-Pad away the opponent and pressing or . Fighters also have several special moves exclusive to them. They can block attacks by holding the D-Pad away from the opponent. They can block high or low using the diagonals. Some special moves, such as explosions or cyclones, still cause damage when blocked. If knocked down, they can roll away by pressing or while simultaneously pressing the punch button.

When both fighters are close to each other, one fighter can grab the other by pressing . Pressing rapidly can break the grapple, with whichever player presses it faster winning the struggle and delivering a counterattack. Alternatively, a fighter can perform a grab attack by pressing when near the opponent.

Fighters become dizzy when they are hit three times in a row without blocking. This leaves them vulnerable as they are unable to move or attack, but it can be escaped by pressing rapidly. When low on life, fighters become tired and change to a fatigued stance. They can beg for additional life by pressing quickly. When the opponent is fatigued, a fighter can perform a finishing move by pressing to instantly finish the opponent. Fighters break apart into their constituent balls when defeated.

Fighters can perform a taunt by pressing ++, which leaves them vulnerable for attack but increases the damage of the next attack. Multiple taunts can be performed to further increase the damage of the next move.

Modes

In the single-player mode, the player faces a series of matches to the best of three rounds. There are 13 opponents, with a fight against a sub-boss every three matches to earn a colored belt (as in martial arts). There are four belts (red, green, blue, and black), with each one increasing the damage that the fighter inflicts. Part of the fighter's model changes color to indicate a promotion. After defeating the fourth sub-boss in the twelfth match and attaining a black belt, the player progresses to a final fight against the Jester. There is a difficulty setting, which changes the number of times the game can be continued if the player loses a match (6 for Easy, 3 for Medium, or 1 for Hard).

There is also a two-player versus mode where players choose any character and fight a match to the best of three rounds. There are options to change the number of rounds needed to win a match (1-out-of-1, 3-out-of-5, 6-out-of-11, or 11-out-of-21) and the handicap for each player (none, red, green, blue, or black, with each color doing progressively more damage). The game shows an instant replay after the last round of the match.

Characters

Note: Move lists assume that the character is facing right. When facing left, and should be reversed.

P	Punch
K	Kick

Jump

Playable

All eight playable fighters are faced in the single-player game, and they are all playable in either mode.

	Kronk
	A caveman who carries a club. Move list Name Command Description Overhead Club +P Lobber Loogie P Tee Off K (close) Duck, Dive, and Roll
	Boomer
	A circus clown. Move list Name Command Description Left Handstand Kick K Head Hurl P Jack-in-the-Box +P Self-Destruct P
	Bruiser
	A bodybuilding jock. Move list Name Command Description Cartwheel Left K Cartwheel Right K Slide Tackle K Torqueno P
	Turbo
	A superhero. Move list Name Command Description Charge Flip Kick Flying/Hover K+ Super Blow P
	Tsunami
	A sumo wrestler. Move list Name Command Description Belly Charge Flying Somersault Kick
	Yoko
	A monkey. Move list Name Command Description Backflip +K Grab Pole and Swing Stun Fart
	Divine
	A ballerina dancer. Move list Name Command Description Flip and Throw P+K (close) Spanking P (close) Reverse Cartwheel Head Scissors
	Crusher
	An enraged rhinoceros. Move list Name Command Description Charge Pummel P (close) Underhand Horn Heave P

Bosses

Four sub-bosses are fought in the single-player game, then the Jester is fought as the final boss. The bosses are not playable in either mode.

	Guggler
	The first sub-boss. An ostrich. Defeating her wins the red belt.
	Bounder
	The second sub-boss. A kangaroo who wears boxing gloves. Defeating him wins the green belt.
	T-Wrecks
	The third sub-boss. A gigantic dinosaur. Defeating him wins the blue belt.
	Lamprey
	The fourth sub-boss. A mystical genie who can transform into different forms. Defeating him wins the black belt.
	El Ballz
	One of the transformations of Lamprey. A bull.
	Byte Viper
	One of the transformations of Lamprey. A viper.
	Spike
	One of the transformations of Lamprey. A scorpion.
	The Jester
	The final boss. A jester and the one who challenged all of the fighters to a tournament.

Morphing

Every fighter has the ability to morph into another fighter in the middle of a match. The button combinations are the same regardless of which fighter is being played. The morph lasts until the end of the match or until the player morphs into a different fighter.

Move list

Name	Command	Description
Boomer	P+
Bruiser	P+
Crusher	P+
Divine	P+
Kronk	P+
Tsunami	P+
Turbo	P+
Yoko	P+

Stages

Every character has their own stage when faced in the single-player mode, except the bosses, who all share the same stage. In the two-player mode, the game uses the stage for the player with the most wins (or the first player, if both players are tied).

Kronk

Boomer

Bruiser

Turbo

Tsunami

Yoko

Divine

Crusher

Boss

History

Development

The Mega Drive version was originally intended for use with the Edge 16, a modem system for multiplayer gaming that was eventually cancelled.

Versions

Ballz 3D was released simultaneously on the Mega Drive and Super NES, and while the two share similar gameplay, the visuals differ significantly.

In addition to making use of the wider colour palette, the Super NES version of Ballz 3D utilises the DSP-1B maths co-processor, allowing for more advanced "mode 7" scaling and rotation than many other SNES titles. This subsequently means the floor in the SNES version of Ballz 3D is textured, while backgrounds are able to make use of alpha transparency, neither of which are supported by standard Mega Drive hardware. The Mega Drive version instead uses an untextured surface for its floor, comprised of a single gradient of colour (though interestingly, the later 3DO Directors Cut version also opts for a similar style).

The Mega Drive version runs with a higher screen resolution and at a higher frame rate than its Super NES counterpart.

Production credits

PF. Magic Credits

• Game Design and Concept: Keith Kirby
• Producer: Ted Barnett
• Lead Programmer: Keith Kirby
• Lead Animator: Frank M. Saxon Jr.
• Main Character Animations: Adam Frank, Will Friedewald, Kyle Kirby, Dan Lopez, Lon Richter
• Character Design: Adam Frank, Will Friedewald, Kyle Kirby, Bill Maher
• Creative Producer: Curtis Norris
• Shell Programmers: Larry Garner, Matthew Hubbard, Rich Young
• Shell Art: Connie Braat, Chris Donovan, Charles Hacskaylo, Richard Hermanson
• Instant Replay Programmer: Matthew Hubbard
• Arena and Background Art: Chris Donovan
• Intro and Belt Ceremony Art: Connie Braat, Richard Hermanson
• Music and Sound Effects: Neuromantic Productions, Mark Miller, Jason Scher
• Voice Casting and Coaching: SmarTalk, Beth J. Kaufman
• Voices: Colin Hussey, Heather McClure, Shawn Owens
• Edge 16 Support Programming: Lee Powell
• Manual Text - Jester's Worlds: Flint Dille, Buzz Dixon
• Lead Tester: Mike Palser
• On-Site Testers: Travis Boatman, Stefan M. Nelson
• Scoreboard Text: Flint Dille, Reed Kirk Rahlmann
• Ballz slang written and created by: Reed Kirk Rahlmann
• TV Art: Connie Braat, Chris Donovan, Richard Hermanson, Dan Lopez, Rick Lucy
• Executive Producers: Rob Fulop, John Scull
• Technical Director: David Feldman
• Chief Financial Officer: Jim Guerard
• Marketing Coordinator: Brooke Boynton
• Special Thanks to: Fox Hughes, Paul Wilkerson, Brenda Ross, Barbara Hryniewicz, Thena MacArthur, Gay Littlepage, Futurescape Productions, Studio Brazil

Accolade Credits

• Producer: Todd Thorson
• Product Marketing Manager: Karen Safran
• Testers: Alex V. Cabal, Randall Hauser, Ty Johnson, Chris Nash
• Marketing: Larry Wiesler, Melinda Mongelluzzo, Shirley Sellers

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Ballz 3D/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #62: "September 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #21: "October/November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• GamePro (US) #64: "November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in EGM² (US) #5: "November 1994" (1994-1x-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #22: "December/January 1994/1995" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• GamePro (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #37: "Octubre 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Consoles + (FR) 87 Computer & Video Games (UK) 87 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U 58 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 62 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 73 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 90 Gamer (GR) 83 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 79 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 80 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 77 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 75 LeveL (CZ) 60 Mega (UK) PAL 80 Mega Force (FR) PAL 84 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 63 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 91 Player One (FR) 74 Play Time (DE) 75 Power Up! (UK) 76 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 71 Sega Power (UK) PAL 80 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 90 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 86 Todo Sega (ES) 83 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 90 Video Games (DE) PAL 81 VideoGames (US) 80

	78
Based on 28 reviews

Ballz 3D

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU (UPC sticker)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, FR
Cover

Mega Drive, PT

Mega Drive, SE (rental; SF)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, AU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
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Technical information

Main article: Ballz 3D/Technical information.