Opinions on poorly documented imports

[celerystalker]

D3 Publisher's Simple Series on the Playstation 2 was loaded with a remarkable array of oddities, some of which spun into whole franchises. Others, though, were less original, and rather aped existing franchises in an attempt to cash in on a perceived gap in the market. The latter is where World Champion Dodgeballer checks in.

World Champion Dodgeballer is a truly shameless clone of Super Dodgeball, especially the arcade versions. Kunio's Downtown Nekketsu franchise had been mostly dormant for several years at this point, and D3 had tried the same thing on the PS1 with poor results. So, aiming more toward the Neo Geo game for style and adding some fairly high resolution sprites, this dodgeball game came out considerably better.

When I mention the style of the arcade games, I am not just referring to play, but especially the graphical style. One large character with three smaller cohorts take each side of the court, and three outer court players surround the opponent's side. You can still pass, throw, jump, catch, and execute super throws in the exact same way the Super Dodgeball games allowed. However, this game is made as a world sports contest, so the teams represent and are themed as stereotypes from their countries.

The music is forgettable, the graphics are pleasingly high res, though some differences in each of the small character sprites as opposed to simple clones would have added some personality. The control is pretty well tuned, though it felt to me like catching the ball was a little on the easy side after getting the timing down. Four players can play using a multi-tap, which adds to the fun, and there are three unlockable teams to get from the single player mode.

Whether or not this game is relevant to you hinges on a few factors. If you're fond of games like Super Dodgeball and want some variety with new characters, arenas, and super throws, World Champion Dodgeballer is for you. Likewise, if you collect the Simple 2000 series, it's a no brainer. If you're on the fence, I'll say this: it's quite fun and just as shallow. It works best as a party game. Personally I enjoy it, but in the years since I've had it, it's been relegated to a certain group of friends, and otherwise collects dust.