Ballz 3D

Overview

Ballz 3D: Fighting at its Ballziest (also known as Ballz, known in Europe as Ballz 3D: The Battle of the Ballz, and known in Japan as Ballz 3D: 3-Dimensional Fighting Balls) is a 3D fighting game developed by PF Magic and published by Accolade (Media Rings for the Japanese version) for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System sometime in 1994.

This game is known for giving the illusion of 3D polygonal graphics and gameplay by having all characters composed of pre-rendered spheres (or "ballz") in different colors and sizes and by having all stages as simple endless wide-open arenas (which utilizes Mode 7 for ground textures in the SNES version). It's also known for the ability to morph into any other character at-will and its forced edgy humor (including numerous amounts of sexual innuendo).

The game was ported to the 3DO in September 13, 1995 as Ballz: The Director's Cut. This version, published by Panasonic, improves the UI, graphics, and gameplay while adding an additional fighter (Zombie).

The Sega Genesis version was originally planned to be fully compatible with the unreleased AT&T Edge 16 modem peripheral, adding online multiplayer and special "Edge Cards" to unlock new characters.

Characters

The game includes eight playable fighters from the start (nine for the 3DO version) and five unlockable bosses. The main single-player campaign pits the player against the basic roster (with mid-boss fights every third/fourth match), then a fight against the game's bosses: Lamprey (who can transform into other characters, including three hidden characters) and Jester (who regenerates their lifebar once per round after being defeated).

In the original versions of the game, defeating a boss changes the colors of some "balls" on the player's fighter to represent their progress (similar to martial arts belts, from white to black). This was removed for the 3DO version.

• Boomer (circus clown)
• Bruiser (body-builder, Dunk in the Japanese versions)
• Crusher (rhinoceros)
• Divine (ballerina, Meu Myu in the Japanese versions)
• Kronk (caveman, Bokaboka in the Japanese versions)
• Tsunami (sumo wrestler, Gohriki in the Japanese versions)
• Turbo (superhero)
• Yoko (monkey, Goro in the Japanese versions)
• Zombie (zombie, 3DO version only)

• Guggler (ostrich, mid-boss, Flapper in the Japanese versions)
• Bounder (boxing kangaroo, mid-boss)
• T-Wrecks (dinosaur, mid-boss)
• Lamprey (genie, boss)
• Jester (jester, final boss)
• El Ballz (bull, hidden transformation of Lamprey)
• Spike (scorpion, hidden transformation of Lamprey)
• Byte Viper (snake, hidden transformation of Lamprey)