Sometimes with the advance of technology we seem to forget exactly where we came from and what we have been through to get where we are. No, I’m not being all philosophical but with all the advances in gaming such as sound, graphics and social networking it’s nice to stop, look about and play something basic. I give you Videoball.

Videoball is the creation of Action Button Gaming who are based in sunny California. Videoball started out in 2012 as a prototype game and Action Button have added the network options and multiplayer (it can’t all be basic can it?).

Videoball is essentially an old fashioned space shooter but you have to score goals instead. The controls are straight out of an 80’s arcade cabinet, simple and no great skills to pull off. You are basically a triangle trying to get a circle past a line on the opposite side of the screen. This could be mistaken for a built in arcade feature. You fire a triangle into a circle, the circle moves, rinse and repeat until you score a goal. You can long press the action button and a bigger triangle will appear or if you keep holding it a square will spawn and this acts as a defense block for your team.These, however, can be destroyed. Firing at your opponent stuns them for a second, this can be irritating especially when your score is equal with the opposite player as it can make or break a game.

Videoball

Straight from launching Videoball I had a sense of nostalgia. The basic music and simple on screen options were nice and teleported me back 20 years. This feeling however didn’t last and it quickly became a tense game of trying to beat the opposition. The triangle didn’t move quick enough and my angle of shots were more hindering than helpful, but that would be my skills rather than the game’s fault. At times there was also a familiar yet disturbing sense of the CPU cheating! It takes a few second to charge your shot for powerful finish but the CPU can bust one out in half the time. Things get even tougher as you progress because 1 circle becomes 2, then 3 etc. When more players join, it makes for a confusing and hectic experience.

The early levels are the easiest and most straight forward but to be honest as you progress there is very little reward and things get very busy. After playing for around 20 minutes things became tense in the Mafia household as there were clear winners and sore losers. In Videoballs’ defense the ability to just pick up a controller and play made a refreshing change and this is definitely a game for all the family no matter what age.

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I do feel however that this is not a game that you can return to over and over again, it’s basic and lacks the ability to grip you and make you want to return. On the flip side if you are having a party and want a bit of nostalgic fun then this will keep people occupied for a while, but they won’t be talking about it for very long afterwards.