Sportsball

 Wii U
  • Publisher: TOO DX
  • Release Date: Nov 6, 2014
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Nov 19, 2014
    85
    It's an incredible multiplayer game that takes a simple concept and transforms it into a deep, competitive experience.
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Dec 11, 2014
    80
    Sportsball is a fun and fast paced game…when played with friends. Sadly there’s very little single-player content to be worth the ten dollars if you rarely have other people to play with, and there's also no online play at all, but beyond that Sportsball can make for a fun afternoon of soccer with a bit of Joust thrown in.
  3. Nintendo Life
    Nov 22, 2014
    80
    Frantic, fast-paced fun, cool features like GamePad announcing and a good deal of variety will have groups of gamers playing for hours on end. And don't forget to read the manual!
  5. Digital Chumps
    Dec 17, 2014
    76
    If you go into Sportsball with friends ready to play a local multiplayer experience, and ready to screw each other over, then you’re going to find a very fun and inexpensive experience on the Wii U. If you’re looking for more of a solo game, then this probably isn’t the game for you.
  6. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Sep 30, 2015
    70
    When the stars align and Sportsball is the main event in a gathering of friends, it shines. [Issue #16 – July/August 2015, p.22]
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  7. Hardcore Gamer
    Nov 20, 2014
    70
    Sportsball is a local multiplayer-only title, and should be purchased with that firmly in mind.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
  1. Kalvar
    Dec 17, 2014
    9
    Sportsball is a wonderful fast paced team game in which teams of birds fight each other in a fashion similar to joust in order to create ballsSportsball is a wonderful fast paced team game in which teams of birds fight each other in a fashion similar to joust in order to create balls which they attempt to score for points. A wacky and fun concept which is easy to pick up due to its intuitive controls. There are many different birds you can choose with various stats and attributes to make them each unique.
    Sportsball has some of the most finely tuned controls and gameplay and no one would be having anything but a great time duking it out with their friends as their bird of choice. This is not only exceptionally fun to play, but it also makes for a great spectators game, so at parties or other gatherings even when not everyone can play at once, they will find themselves cheering and yelling over all the clutch moments sure to occur.
    All of the various stages and birds are very pretty and pleasant to look at. This is complimented by a very fitting well created soundtrack.
    There are only a few small flaws with this game that prevents a perfect score. This would be a lack of online play, and a lack of any real single player mode (there is something more along the lines of a training mode that is fun to mess around with, however).
    All in all, I cannot sing this games praises enough and I highly recommend giving it a try. At it's low price on the E shop you will find it to be well worth the money spent. Definitely give it a shot!    … Full Review »
  2. CasildaK
    Dec 17, 2014
    9
    I was reluctant to play Sportsball at first, because it's not my style of game. However, once I found the right bird, I picked the game upI was reluctant to play Sportsball at first, because it's not my style of game. However, once I found the right bird, I picked the game up very quickly and became instantly proficient. It was a lot of fun to feel good at a game so easily, and to play with friends who also felt equally encouraged by the great gameplay.

    It's way too easy to play match after match after match without realizing how much time has gone by. If you're looking for a fast-paced game at a party that will get your friends yelling in excitement, Sportsball is the perfect option. It's definitely worth the price!    … Full Review »
  3. Rcrumbs
    Nov 21, 2014
    9
    Picked up Sportsball after seeing some tweets from Nintendo on Twitter. Absolutely worth the money if you're looking for a good party game.Picked up Sportsball after seeing some tweets from Nintendo on Twitter. Absolutely worth the money if you're looking for a good party game. It's a good time to be a Wii U owner right now: Smash, Sportsball, Mario Kart for your multiplayer needs, Bayo2, Shovel Knight and Costume Quest 2 when your buddies aren't around!

    So, Sportsball. Nice, 2d painted art, killer soundtrack (Birds, will fly...!) and a bunch of different game modes. Controls feel pretty nice, although it's hard to score a bit and I seem to miss a lot. Playing with some friends it gets really chaotic on the screen, a lot of tackling and balls flying everywhere, and a lot of yelling and cheering with my buddies.

    Each person picks a team color and a bird on a team. Then you get into the game and the goal is to tackle other players, which spawns balls and score the balls. It's only got two buttons but it's actually pretty complicated. All the birds fly differently, so if you're the giant Gigantoraptor you're gonna be slow but huge and if you're the hummingbird you float (top pick!) - and there are a ton of birds, 4 to a team.

    On the Wiimote one button makes you flap up and one button makes you dive down. It's hard to remember to dive sometimes, you get so focused on the action. If you land on top of a bird on another team then they get tackled and spawn a ball. Touching the ball sends it flying. Depending on which of the 10 stages you're playing in, the goal or goals will be in different places. There are two stages with two goals in them, so if you're looking for super short games, play in those (one's in space!). Games don't usually take more than 4 or 5 minutes so that's cool.

    One really neat thing is that you can save a replay of a match and watch it later, if it was particularly cool. We had this one 1v1v1 match that we saved because it ended up 22-23-24 for points and looked awesome.

    There isn't really a singleplayer mode. You can play rallyball, which is like a time attack mode, but it is super hard and I haven't really done much with it. Break this game out for parties, for sure and then maybe give it a looksie when you're alone.

    Pros: Great multiplayer, great music, very lighthearted, lots of options for playing, lots of birds to choose from, replay is pretty cool

    Cons: Not much of a single player mode, can't pick colors for the birds(locked to teams), kinda steep learning curve    … Full Review »
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