16th April 2003, 9:13 PM
Name=Weltall
System=Game Boy Color
Game= FaceBall 2000
Released: 1991
This quirky game came out amid the early days of First Person Shooters. FaceBall 2000 is a nice, long, difficult pseudo-FPS game that wonderfully utilized the pokey innards of the old bulky GameBoy to create a shooter with huge levels and tons of secrets. The game features 70 main levels, 5 secret levels, and a 2 player deathmatch mode with a slew of maps and settings. This game was far ahead of it's time based on these options alone. One-player mode is like any other FPS game, get to the exit, shoot whatever gets in your way. 2 Player mode, of course, has you against your opponent, plus up to 8 (!) computer-controlled drones, to make things interesting. You can of course try your hand at the deathmatch alone, against the drones, but squaring off against a friend is so much sweeter in the end.
GRAPHICS
For it's time the graphics of this game were very good. The game utilizes a pseudo-3D engine like most 3D games of the period did, which means that the framerate is somewhat slow. For the most part this will not matter, only in heavy deathmatches will this be a problem. The only real problems lie in the lack of variety: Each of the 75 levels has the exact same plain look. While you do have to keep in mind that the old GameBoy could not handle detail in a game like this, it still gets to you after you play through 30 or 40 levels. Your hippie-smiley enemies have different styles, which helps you determine which enemy it is and how threatening it is. Of course, the screen tells you this, but you'll be too busy wiping the smile off those faces to see.
Each level also has it's own map, which is revealed more and more as you explore. This is an invaluable asset, as it not only tells you where you are in these huge levels, it also reveals enemy positions. Note that the action does not halt while you check your map, so make sure you're in a safe area when you do so.
SOUND AND MUSIC
There's only one song, and you better get used to it, because you'll be hearing it a lot! Sound effects are bare, just your basic GameBoy blips and bloops. Nothing special.
GAMEPLAY
The game has aged remarkably well. Early levels have you facing harmless, inanimate enemies (shootme!). As you progress, enemies gain the ability to move (ShootMe2), then to shoot (IShootU), then shoot and move (IShootU2), in the first 15 levels. You can almost certainly make it through the first 15 levels without ever taking a hit, because even the shooting enemies seem to try to miss you. After level 15, enemies with brains begin to appear, starting with the timid Turkeys, who wander aimlessly until they spot you, to the wall-hugging Wallys, to the immobile-but-fast-shooting Scanners to the fast Bouncers and all the way up to the deadly Ninjas. Though each enemy is merely visually recycled from the four basic shapes, each enemy has their own little quirks. The aptly named Vampire does not shoot, but rather comes right on you and bites repeatedly. Sharks, if you are healthy, will ignore you. Get injured however, and they will swarm you (and they usually hunt in packs). Crosseyes are blind. If you stand still, they will ignore you. But if they hear you move, you are attacked fiercely. The variety in enemies is one of the game's strongest points.
When you begin the game, you are slow, you are physically weak, and your rate of fire is slow. As you progress through the levels, you will find powerups, such as Speed Boosts, AutoMag (quickens your fire rate), and Armor, which gives you an extra hit. All of these are permanent. There are other non-permanent items such as Freeze, which freezes your opponents, and Camo, which makes enemies ignore you. You also have your standard Extra Lives and Health bonuses.
The mazes themselves get progressively larger, and most are loaded with secrets (especially level 1). There are certain methods to breaking secret walls. Sometimes you ram them, sometimes you shoot them. Later levels also feature invisible walls, multicolored keys, buttons, and warps to complicate matters. All this adds up to a wonderful old-school FPS game that's well worth a trip through.
Multiplayer Arena mode features roughly 16 levels from the game. You can change certain settings, and you can determine what opponents you want to face, up to 8. You can choose any combination from Turkeys, Rovers, Gremlins, and the mighty Bouncers. Some levels are intricate mazes, where ambushes are key, and some are wide open free-for-alls where speed and dodging are key.
PURCHASE PRICE
Unknown.
Synopsis=While not very pretty, this game will make you awe at what BulletProof Software was able to do with some very limited hardware.
Score=7.5
System=Game Boy Color
Game= FaceBall 2000
Released: 1991
This quirky game came out amid the early days of First Person Shooters. FaceBall 2000 is a nice, long, difficult pseudo-FPS game that wonderfully utilized the pokey innards of the old bulky GameBoy to create a shooter with huge levels and tons of secrets. The game features 70 main levels, 5 secret levels, and a 2 player deathmatch mode with a slew of maps and settings. This game was far ahead of it's time based on these options alone. One-player mode is like any other FPS game, get to the exit, shoot whatever gets in your way. 2 Player mode, of course, has you against your opponent, plus up to 8 (!) computer-controlled drones, to make things interesting. You can of course try your hand at the deathmatch alone, against the drones, but squaring off against a friend is so much sweeter in the end.
GRAPHICS
For it's time the graphics of this game were very good. The game utilizes a pseudo-3D engine like most 3D games of the period did, which means that the framerate is somewhat slow. For the most part this will not matter, only in heavy deathmatches will this be a problem. The only real problems lie in the lack of variety: Each of the 75 levels has the exact same plain look. While you do have to keep in mind that the old GameBoy could not handle detail in a game like this, it still gets to you after you play through 30 or 40 levels. Your hippie-smiley enemies have different styles, which helps you determine which enemy it is and how threatening it is. Of course, the screen tells you this, but you'll be too busy wiping the smile off those faces to see.
Each level also has it's own map, which is revealed more and more as you explore. This is an invaluable asset, as it not only tells you where you are in these huge levels, it also reveals enemy positions. Note that the action does not halt while you check your map, so make sure you're in a safe area when you do so.
SOUND AND MUSIC
There's only one song, and you better get used to it, because you'll be hearing it a lot! Sound effects are bare, just your basic GameBoy blips and bloops. Nothing special.
GAMEPLAY
The game has aged remarkably well. Early levels have you facing harmless, inanimate enemies (shootme!). As you progress, enemies gain the ability to move (ShootMe2), then to shoot (IShootU), then shoot and move (IShootU2), in the first 15 levels. You can almost certainly make it through the first 15 levels without ever taking a hit, because even the shooting enemies seem to try to miss you. After level 15, enemies with brains begin to appear, starting with the timid Turkeys, who wander aimlessly until they spot you, to the wall-hugging Wallys, to the immobile-but-fast-shooting Scanners to the fast Bouncers and all the way up to the deadly Ninjas. Though each enemy is merely visually recycled from the four basic shapes, each enemy has their own little quirks. The aptly named Vampire does not shoot, but rather comes right on you and bites repeatedly. Sharks, if you are healthy, will ignore you. Get injured however, and they will swarm you (and they usually hunt in packs). Crosseyes are blind. If you stand still, they will ignore you. But if they hear you move, you are attacked fiercely. The variety in enemies is one of the game's strongest points.
When you begin the game, you are slow, you are physically weak, and your rate of fire is slow. As you progress through the levels, you will find powerups, such as Speed Boosts, AutoMag (quickens your fire rate), and Armor, which gives you an extra hit. All of these are permanent. There are other non-permanent items such as Freeze, which freezes your opponents, and Camo, which makes enemies ignore you. You also have your standard Extra Lives and Health bonuses.
The mazes themselves get progressively larger, and most are loaded with secrets (especially level 1). There are certain methods to breaking secret walls. Sometimes you ram them, sometimes you shoot them. Later levels also feature invisible walls, multicolored keys, buttons, and warps to complicate matters. All this adds up to a wonderful old-school FPS game that's well worth a trip through.
Multiplayer Arena mode features roughly 16 levels from the game. You can change certain settings, and you can determine what opponents you want to face, up to 8. You can choose any combination from Turkeys, Rovers, Gremlins, and the mighty Bouncers. Some levels are intricate mazes, where ambushes are key, and some are wide open free-for-alls where speed and dodging are key.
PURCHASE PRICE
Unknown.
Synopsis=While not very pretty, this game will make you awe at what BulletProof Software was able to do with some very limited hardware.
Score=7.5