Sportsball

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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. 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 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    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 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!    … Expand
  2. Kuniv
    Nov 10, 2014
    10
    I've been waiting eagerly for this game to come out for a few months now, and I was finally able to get my hands on this handsomely crafted gem last night at the Emp Indie Revolution in Seattle. Too DX was there in shirts and ties showing off Sportsball, a game most people would describe as a combination of soccer, jousting, and flying birds! There were many games being shown, but noneI've been waiting eagerly for this game to come out for a few months now, and I was finally able to get my hands on this handsomely crafted gem last night at the Emp Indie Revolution in Seattle. Too DX was there in shirts and ties showing off Sportsball, a game most people would describe as a combination of soccer, jousting, and flying birds! There were many games being shown, but none stood out like this one. Let me just say that this game was built to make an event fun, and that was proven by the loud chants and screams of joy coming from across the entire building.
    The first thing you get to experience is the beautifully crafted art put into Sportsball. The menus and quick loading screens are a feast for your eyes, as they have a futuristic sleek style to them that flows seamlessly together. The announcer like voice that shouts out each players choice of bird amplifies the mood and rewards you for your choice in a way that you have to experience to understand. The upbeat and dramatic soundtrack gets stuck in your head fast and sets the tone for the match ahead.
    The game throws you in with up to three other people, and gives you 16 unique birds to choose from, spread across 4 unique teams. There are quite a few modes to play in, but the main one being Sportsball Pro. Your goal is to take out the enemy teams birds, which drops a ball that you can now score with the skillful(and sometimes frantic) use of your bird. This is much easier said than done. My personal favorite was The Secretary bird, who flys for the Gang of Green. This particular bird felt really balanced, and gave me a good mix of easy to learn, but hard to master game play. The whole game could be described that way, as it is very simple on the surface, but has so much to offer once you start playing.
    What Sportsball does best is that it never takes itself too seriously. The feathered jousting chaos ensued as I was astounded at how difficult and rewarding the game play is. I loved the hilarious squawks of the birds being tackled, as they exploded in a ball of fiery bird feathered carnage. I played many times and tried several different birds, and they all had different strengths and weaknesses. The Gigantoraptor is a huge prehistoric bird that excels at running on the ground, but is slow to accelerate and has a much bigger frame to be tackled with. The Humming bird has the unique ability to hover in the air, and really control the tide of the battle. There are so many fun birds to master, and it really adds to the longevity of the game.

    Sportsball finds a way to make you passionate about a videogame in a way that you haven't felt in a long time. You grow to love your best bird, and cheer for your favorite team. I can't count how many times I heard fans raving about the Sapphire Skyhearts being the best. This is a party game at its core, and it should be played that way. I know my friends will be coming over to battle it out, and taunt each other in the never ending battle for sky supremacy. You really have nothing to lose with this game, and it's priced at only 10 bucks. This is a steal, and I would have expected a game of this quality to be set at a much higher price. The game is brand new, get out there and play it. Remember, Live by the Bird, Die by the Bird.    … Expand
  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. 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    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    … Expand
  4. 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 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    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 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!    … Expand
  5. KillerCubivore
    Dec 17, 2014
    8
    A great 2D multiplayer platforming game that's definitely worth the small price point. It will easily allow you to burn hours with friends playing multiple matches and trying to beat high scores. Downsides, it's a little weak for single player and requires a bit of self-motivation for continued play, but that doesn't hold the game back from being a blast to play.

    Sportsball is    A great 2D multiplayer platforming game that's definitely worth the small price point. It will easily allow you to burn hours with friends playing multiple matches and trying to beat high scores. Downsides, it's a little weak for single player and requires a bit of self-motivation for continued play, but that doesn't hold the game back from being a blast to play.

    Sportsball is reminiscent of the old game arcade game Joust, in which you ride ostriches and attempt to defeat other ostrich riders by hitting them in the head. Sportsball is similar but adds many layers of depth. You fly on an assortment of different birds from 4 different teams: the Sapphire Skyhearts, the Pink Pros, the Gang of Green and the Red Hots. Players from the same team attempt to pounce on the heads of other teams flyers, producing balls out of the defeated opponent, which you then try to hit into the goals for points.

    The game has really crisp and simple controls, but they require some acclimation in order to be more deliberate with your playing. I would personally recommend choosing a specific bird or two and devote yourself to learning its movement patterns and scoring patterns. Once you've unlocked the full potential of some birds you can become quite difficult to stop. (Great Hornbill I'm looking at you!)

    As far as single player goes, there's only Rally Ball, a specific game type where only one team attempts to score in as many waves as possible on a course in a time limit, no tackling involved. Me and my friends have found to most enjoyment from doing this mode as a team and trying to get as high a score as possible, and it can be quite difficult with certain teams and courses. When done alone it's not nearly as fun.

    The game completely lacks any form of story, challenge mode or achievements of any type, so as a player you have to really create motivation for yourself, which I think would be the major downside of the game. The game is great for doing competitive tournaments and contests though, since the contests and tournaments themselves provide the game purpose.

    The game also boats, while repetitive, quite the infectious soundtrack. You'll be hard pressed to not be humming the game's tunes randomly about your day, and I'll be darned if you don't end up singing the game's main theme aloud with friends. "Birds will fly!"

    Overall, if you're one of the people who own a WiiU, I would highly recommend picking up this title. It's cheap and a great multiplayer game to sink hours into.    … Expand
  6. Beastmode86
    Dec 30, 2014
    10
    All around amazing game. Fun for the whole family. Sapphire Skyhearts babeyyyyy!!! Can't stop singing that theme! Birds willl flyyyyy... something something. Great game, thank you so much for this $10 steal.
  7. HummingbirdOP
    May 2, 2021
    10
    Best game ever!! Nothing will ever beat the addictive game play, variety of characters and maps, and absolute banger of a soundtrack

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. 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]
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »