Game Description

The futuristic sport of Rageball is fast and aggressive, played by teams of exiled convicts who have nothing to lose, and broadcast around the globe to countless violence-hungry fans. The single player takes the role of the manager of an up-and-coming Rageball squad, coaching the players to victory and placing smart bets to augment the team coffers. Up to four competitors can battle against one another using the PSX Multi-Tap adaptor. ~ All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

Other than the marksman feature, there is nothing really enjoyable. ~ Matt Grandstaff, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

In the year 2612, sports will hit an all-time low. Prisoners of Earth are sent to a planet called IS-326, nicknamed "The Hell," where they are forced to compete in a soccer-esque sport that has no rules, and more importantly, no sense of control. Welcome to Rageball, Agetec's poor excuse for a futuristic sports title.

Paying tribute to the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger film, The Running Man, Rageball is a televised event featuring prisoners playing for their lives. Unlike The Running Man, the game's presentation is far from entertaining. Matches open up with terribly pixilated FMV, where cheerleaders and contestants look like they just got back from the land of the block people. Unfortunately, during gameplay, the graphics take an unbelievable turn for the worse, as the game's arena and players look to have been designed during the first year of the PlayStation's life.

The concept behind Rageball is actually quite good, involving players kicking and throwing the ball up field with the intent of scoring on the opposing team's goalie. To make things difficult for each team, opposing teams can do anything necessary to stop you. Defensive strategies include punching, tackling and even hiring a marksman in the crowd to take out players. On top of intriguing offensive and defensive schemes, the Rageball arena features four power-up stations to spice up gameplay. With these stations, contestants can turn the Rageball, which is an iron skull, into a weapon capable of harming opposing players. At the same time, when using a power-up, the Rageball is supposed to be easier to score with. In addition to Rageball power-ups, the game also features additional items that appear, allowing players to shrink, freeze, or slow down their opponents.

Despite a promising concept, the gameplay is executed poorly. Character movement in the game is extremely choppy, with players of all sizes moving very slowly and awkwardly in a game that should be fast-paced. As for passing and shooting, the game is very inconsistent. At times gamers will have no problem executing passes via throwing and kicking, while other times the ball simply moves two feet and stops. Although the passing is frustrating, it is nothing compared to the struggles of scoring. The game suffers from a significant flaw where onscreen players often need to come to a complete stop in order to make a scoring attempt. While very annoying, it really doesn't matter since scoring appears to occur based on chance, not skill. The game's computer-controlled goalies easily block eight-shot onslaughts and power-up shots without even flinching, only to turn around and let the simplest shots go through.

Of all the faults in Rageball's gameplay, the game's power-up system is its most glaring problem. Put simply, the power-ups have no real effect on the game. When a player or the Rageball is enhanced in some way, no real benefits occur. In fact, it is actually is easier to play the game without using the power-ups, for they often lead to confusing camera movement.

Although most aspects of Rageball are disappointing, the game has a few decent features. Most notable is an intriguing season mode, which allows gamers to not only play through their selected team's schedule, but also offers interesting managing options. By winning games and finding money in the Rageball arena, managers can buy new attributes for their players and hire marksmen to take out opposing players. While the former is relatively common in sports titles, the marksmen feature is a great new twist. After buying a marksman, players can press R1 to activate the marksman at any point during gameplay. By far the coolest part of the game, players suddenly see the contest from the perspective of a fan looking through a futuristic scope. At this point, gamers can then aim and fire at opposing players with the hope of injuring one.

Unfortunately, outside of some interesting season options and somewhat rocking music, there is little reason to pick up Rageball. Even with its budget minded price, the game will bring more frustration than fun. Gamer's are better off renting The Running Man or saving up for a quality futuristic sports title. ~ Matt Grandstaff, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Rageball suffers from terrible FMV, horrible frame rates, and choppy player animations. ~ Matt Grandstaff, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

While the majority of the game's sounds are rather bland, the guitar-driven music is pretty good. ~ Matt Grandstaff, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

Enjoyment of this title is measured in minutes. ~ Matt Grandstaff, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The game's manual gives easy-to-understand directions on how to play the game while making it sound interesting. ~ Matt Grandstaff, All Game Guide