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Nitro Ball [ガンボール] Game Sample - Arcade

847 views · Published 6 December 2015 · 10:22 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Vysethedetermined2 · 2015 · Gaming

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Without getting too into things, Nitro Ball (Gun Ball or  ガン・ボール in Japan) is a very strange, but glorious, hybrid of pinball and overhead run-n-gun action from Data East, back in 1992. Developers tried a LOT of different concepts during the earlier years of gaming...board games fused with strategy and RPG elements, shooters with RPG elements, fighting games with RPG elements, visual novels fused with action segments, adventure games with educational bits and puzzles...so in actuality, Nitro Ball SHOULDN'T seem obscure, but it really does...and how it didn't really catch on, I'll NEVER know.

Modern gaming still introduces a lot of great and innovative gaming concepts, but a lot of them tend to exist within the independent gaming community these days. There is nothing inherently wrong with all of the very detailed FPS games coming out or RPGs that are trying to ditch the formulaic "turn-based" systems of yesteryear, but one has to ask...would games like Nitro Ball succeed now when they have failed in the past? Was it because Nitro Ball wasn't any good? Was it ahead of its time? Did it just have all the right mechanics, but didn't appeal to any specific demographic? Would a new developer be afraid to make a game similar to Nitro Ball now because of risk versus reward? I can't give you all the answers...but I can tell you this; Nitro Ball is an EXCELLENT game and if they were to bring such a bizarre, yet cool, arcade classic like this back with updated technology, I would not hesitate to buy it.

Like many arcade games, Nitro Ball does not have a robust story worth anything of note...three men (should you set the game to 3 players) are playing a game that deals with a popular "show" in the future, where you blast goons and their evil devices while the world watches for entertainment. It is up to Gary (an ex-navy sergeant of 6' 3" and 177 pounds), Harry (an ex-police officer of 6' and almost 2 and 1/2 inches --- 180 pounds), and Sam (an ex-prize fighter of 6' 3"+ and 186 pounds) to play the game and win. Winning the game also allows the heroes to fulfill their dreams and each character wants something different for their prize.

Generally speaking, it is easier to say that "pinball elements aside", the game is more or less a high quality run-n-gun like "Mercs". You grab lots of goodies for points, different weapons, and a couple of special items, including one that allows your character to morph into a BALL FORM that allows you to hit ramps and bumpers for points and to gain extra items (think Pinball).

There are 5 stages, but the game looks good, sounds great, and has classic arcade action that I am sure that most people will love, so give it a try!

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