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Ballistic

Score: 100%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: Infogrames
Developer: Mitchell Corporation
Media: Cart/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Puzzle


Graphics & Sound:

The graphics in Ballistic do their job well. It's a puzzle game, so flashy graphics aren't really needed, but these very closely mirror the PlayStation version of Ballistic. Colorful balls each have a unique design for easier matching. The background music is appropriate, with the requisite 'high stress' (remember Tetris) music kicking in as you near your doom.

Gameplay:

Ballistic is all about gameplay. I have been addicted to this game for weeks and I see no end in sight. Basically, you control a chute with a ball positioned to launch. The goal is to eliminate the balls already in place, as well as the continually advancing balls, by a well-placed shot. Match 3 of the same kind and they disappear. Then the remaining balls come together, sometimes creating chain reactions of balls being eliminated. And then some stay where they were, breaking the chain. Play it once and you will see. Simple, yet incredibly addictive. Of course, the ball in your chute is not always the one you want to shoot. You can either shoot it at an open space and ditch it or shoot it in the existing chain and hope that more of the same kind appear quickly. As in Tetris, you can see which ball is coming up next, so you do have some advanced notice. The balls will continue to advance and compress to form a spiral, and when the spiral approaches the cutoff line, the music intensifies, to further stress you out. Hit that line and you lose. Basically, Ballistic requires very fast thinking and planning. And it helps if you can aim decently too. : ) Fun, fun, fun.

Difficulty:

The difficulty level is perfect. And it's adjustable, of course. The game starts off pretty easy and you have complete control, but as the level wears on, there are many different designs on the balls and things can get pretty crazy. It is never frustrating, though and only makes you want to play again and again and again.

Game Mechanics:

Pretty basic puzzle fare here. The ball lines up in the chute, you line it up, press the button and launch it. If you did it right, it lands where you wanted it to, either eliminating a group of matching balls or sitting there until more come along. One nice feature which I use and abuse on a regular basis is the fact that you can start swinging that chute around and launching the minute it pops up on the screen, even though the game is still introducing the level.

There are 3 Modes of play in Ballistic. These are Panic, Time Trial and Check Mate. Panic is by far my favorite. Its just a 'play as long as you last' type of thing. Time Trial is, well, timed. You are given a certain amount of time and you see if you can outlast it. Check Mate was the least fun to me. You are given a certain number of shots and you have to eliminate the group of balls waiting there. They don't advance, they just sit there. The first few levels are rather easy and I personally just found it less of a challenge, and quite frankly, boring. But The other 2 modes more than make up for this. Ballistic is, by far, the best GBC game I have ever played. If you are a puzzle fan, grab this one up.


-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ashley Perkins

GameBoy Color/Pocket Asteroids Sony PSOne Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated