[{"TitleName":"Cyberball","Publisher":"Domark Ltd","Author":"Matt Furniss, Stephen Wood, C. Buxton","YearOfRelease":"1990","ZxDbId":"0001194","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 77, Jun 1990","Price":"£1.7","ReleaseDate":"1990-05-24","Editor":"Oliver Frey","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Oliver Frey\r\nFeatures Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nStaff Writer: Mark Caswell\r\nEditorial Assistant: Viv Vickress\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nContributors: Nick Roberts\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nProduction Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nReprographics: Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Rob (the Rev) Hamilton, Jenny Reddard\r\nDesign: David Western, Melvin Fisher\r\nSystems Operator: Ian Chubb, Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executives: Caroline Blake\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nSubscriptions\r\n[redacted].\r\n\r\nDesigned and typeset on Apple Macintosh II computers using Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator '88, output at MBI [redacted] with systems support from Digital Reprographics [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop the Viv Vickress a line at the main address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH - including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. We regret that readers' postal enquiries cannot always be answered. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Colour photographic material should be 35mm transparencies wherever possible. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1989 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Tengen/Domark\r\n£9.99/£14.99\r\n\r\nEarly in the 21st century the game of Gridiron Football took a violent turn for the batter/worse (whichever you prefer). Injured players had body parts replaced with bionics. With some players ending up with over 50% of their bodies replaced, the idea popped up to have all metal players! By 2022 huge robots over 20ft tall have replaced human players. It is into this futuristic battleground that you are thrown.\r\n\r\nFirst pick a team. In practice mode choose between the Los Angeles Assassins or the New York Enforcers. Then move into pro mode with the San Francisco Hitmen, Chicago Killers, Miami Terminators and Dallas Destroyers.\r\n\r\nIf you watch Gridiron Football on Channel 4 on Sunday evenings you'll know what happens (this game is very similar). Each team takes it in turns to carry the ball up to their opponents' end zone to score touchdowns. The game starts with you being on the offensive. Choose from the menu of running plays, passing plays or option plays and one of tour formations.\r\n\r\nTime to play! An incentive to fast play and gaining that extra yardage is provided by the ball: 350 pounds of steel full of high explosive! This ball starts cool, but as play progresses becomes warm, hot, and finally critical. The only way to stop it exploding is to carry it over the de-fuse line. If you make it to the end or loss the ball you go on the defensive, similar to offensive play with a list of options appearing.\r\n\r\nSo go out there and cause some aggro! But hang on, this game is great in the arcades, but what's happened to it?. The small stick like robots judder round the pitch more like geriatric dormice than big butch machines. The title tune may be creditable, but from there on in it's all downhill! Programming on this obviously never made the end-zone.\r\n\r\nMARK 38%","ReviewerComments":["Definitely not my cup of tea this. I couldn't stand playing it for more than ten minutes. It takes absolutely ages to load, alright if you're in for a real stunner, but not if you're greeted by naff futuristic American Football. Nothing against American Football, but I object when it's played at this speed: it's unbelievably slow. The robot players crawl about the screen in a generally annoying way and aren't even very well drawn. Graphics are mostly very poor, and in black and white too. Sound is equally bad with average tunes and the odd effect, including something I think was meant to be a crowd cheering.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n45%"],"OverallSummary":"Geriatric robots in an arcade conversion balls-up with no ball.","Page":"46","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"38","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"45","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"57%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"45%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"50%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictivity","Score":"41%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"41%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 53, May 1990","Price":"£1.7","ReleaseDate":"1990-04-12","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Kevin Hibbert\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Amanda Cook, Joe Davies, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Simon Goggin, Duncan MacDonald, David McCandless, Paul Morgan, Rich Pelley, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertising Executive: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Greg Ingham\r\nAssistant Publisher: Jane Nolan\r\nProduction Manager: Ian Seager\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nMail Order: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistributors: SM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1990. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"Domark/Tengen\r\n£9.99 cass/£14.99 disk (128K only)\r\nReviewer: David Wilson\r\n\r\nSince the dawn of creation man has pondered three all-important questions... 'What is the meaning of life?', 'What came first, the chicken or the egg?' and 'How on earth do you play American Football?'. Well, if you think today's version of the game is complex just wait ill the 21st century! It's become so violent that humans don't want to play anymore! Oh no, instead it's the poor robots who take their place (and the pasting!). And this is what Cyberball is all about!\r\n\r\nIf you're not that familiar with American footie, here's a brief synopsis... Huge teams of humans run about in a game broken into several plays. Each consists of four 'downs'. Each down is an attempt to keep possession of the ball and move it up the field ten yards. Fail at your fourth attempt (Or 'down'? Ed) (Right, you're getting the hang of it!) and you lose possession to your opponents. Cyberball is played by huge teams of massive metal robots (or in the case of the Speccy by teams of seven monochrome robot sprites). The rest is similar, except that as an added incentive to gain the ten yards the ball is timed to explode!!! Eek!\r\n\r\nNow, in each down you have to choose a 'play' (or routine) for your team to perform and there are loads of them depends on whether you're defending or attacking. You have a time limit in which to choose these plays (which is nowhere near long enough to figure out exactly what you should be doing!).\r\n\r\nRight, into the gameplay, the pitch scrolls vertically up and down with the action and the teams move likewise (but slowly) chasing the ball. By clicking the fire button you can choose which player to control in defence. In attack you first control the receiver. From the 'play' you've selected, you'll have several options for places to throw the ball, and these will be marked by crosses on the screen. Your robots will start to move toward these as play begins. the ball goes to your receiver and then you choose which cross to throw the ball to. As soon as it's thrown, his cross is highlighted and you take control of the robot nearest to it. Move over it, catch the ball and then leg it toward the goal line pronto! Do this enough times and you win the game (and get lots of cash). Simple, isn't it? Er... no. It's actually very complicated.\r\n\r\nIn two-player games you're both on the same team, one catching and one passing. There's a limited amount of sound, the nicest bit being the sort of static noise that approximates to cheering as you kick off. There are lots of subtleties here including robots with different speeds and damaged robots not performing so well, but none of this is really apparent on the Speccy because of the jerky gameplay. Still, all this having been said, after I'd persevered I was actually able to make some progress! (Gasp! Ed) Here's Davey's trusty tip - instead of throwing the ball away as soon as you get it (like I used to do when we played rugby at school), you should make the receiver hold onto it for a but until your players are in the right place to catch the pass.\r\n\r\nAnyway, Cyberball sounded like a great idea for a game, but I'm afraid that Domark could well have been a trifle over-ambitious with the Speccy version. With the memory limitation, of course, the teams are both monochrome (although your opponents area is a bit darker), and the gameplay is a tad on the slow side. I suppose it's quite a specialist game. I mean even if you like the idea of small monochrome robots bashing each other, you still need to get to grips with the rules of American footie!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Nice idea but far too ambitious for the humble Spec. Die-hard fans could get some fun out of it.","Page":"18,19","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"David Wilson","Score":"70","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Blimey! Just what is going on here? Don't ask me who's got the ball, I'm only the quarterback!"},{"Text":"But before you do that though you're going to have to choose between running plays and passing plays (whatever they are). Hmm. I'm stuck."},{"Text":"Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to choose one of these 'plays' in about nine seconds, and memorise what on earth is supposed to happen when it's put into practice!!"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"This cross marks one of the possible places you pass to (but best to be sure there's a robot waiting to catch it before you do!).\r\n\r\nThis is one of your speeding little 'running back' robots. Pass the ball to him and he'll be the ideal bod to whizz up-field with it. (I wish I was 'running back' home for tea and away from this very complicated game.)\r\n\r\nThis humanoid chap is the quarterback. He receives the ball when it's first 'hut-hutted' out from between the 'legs' of the big robot in the 'scrimmage line' in front of him. (Can I go home now, Matt?)\r\n\r\nAnd these are all the opposing team robots you've got to avoid. (Big, aren't they?)"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"64%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"65%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"70%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 81, Sep 1992","Price":"£2.5","ReleaseDate":"1992-08-13","Editor":"Linda Barker","TotalPages":60,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"YOUR SINCLAIR\r\nABC 59,059\r\n\r\nEditor: Linda Barker\r\nArt Editor: Andy Ounsted\r\nStaff Writer: Jon Pillar\r\nEditorial Contributors: Craig Broadbent, Stuart Campbell, Jonathan Davies, Dave Golder, Tim Kemp, Leigh Loveday, Rich Pelley, Adam Waring\r\nArt Contributors: Phil McCardle, Anthony Colbert\r\nAdvertising Manager: Alison Morton\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Jackie Garford\r\nProduction Co-ordinator: Lisa Read\r\nProduction Technicians: Chris Stocker, Jerome Clough\r\nScanning: Simon Windsor, Jon Moore, Simon Chittenden\r\nPublisher: Jane Richardson\r\nPromotions Manager: Michelle Harris\r\nPromotions Assistant: Tamara Ward\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\nAssistant Publisher: Julie Stuckes\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair. Future Publishing [redacted]\r\n\r\nManaging Director Chris Anderson\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: Future Publishing Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1992. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the tape-recorded permission of David Bowie. Don't try and palm us off with any imitations, cos we can spot a Bowie fake at five hundred yards.\r\n\r\nISSN 0269 6983\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair smiles happily across the Shed at Commodore Format, Amstrad Action, Amiga Format, PCW Plus, PC Answers, PC Plus, Sega Power, Amiga Power, Amiga Shopper, Classic CD, Needlecraft, Cycling Plus, Photo Plus, Mountain Biking UK, PC Format, Public Domain, ST Format, Total! and Today's Vegetarian\r\n\r\nAnd remember, kids... If you ever have to go to school, remember how they messed up this old fool."},"MainText":"CYBERBALL\r\nHit Squad\r\n£3.99\r\n[redacted]\r\nReviewer: Leigh Loveday\r\n\r\nI'm not a huge fan of sports sims (with the possible exception of a bit of tennis), nor do I have a great love for complicated games. So when Cyberball, probably the world's most complicated sports sim, glared up at me from the Jiffy bag, my initial resentment quickly turned to horror as I realised I was going to have to try and play the blimmin' thing.\r\n\r\nAfter a brief period of blubbing, I gave it a shot. Discarding the feebly superficial instructions, I flunked my way through a series of bewildering tactics screens only to flounder in the turgid gameplay.\r\n\r\nLoads of beefy robots chugging around smashing lumps off each other and trying to score a touchdown before the ball explodes - great in theory, crap in practice. The presentation is fine, but as the game plays more slowly than a half-dead inebriated sloth with chronic verrucas, by the time anything starts happening you've completely forgotten the tactics you'd chosen. Not that they meant much in the first place.\r\n\r\nSo, unless you're one of the world's top American Football players or a whopping great fan of the original coin-op, I'm afraid you'd have more success trying to decipher a rap by MC Kinky.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"52","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Leigh Loveday","Score":"67","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Status warm, eh? I reckon he must be hiding over there behind the sofa then."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"67%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 101, Jul 1990","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1990-06-18","Editor":"Jim Douglas","TotalPages":84,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Jim Douglas\r\nDeputy Editor: Garth Sumpter\r\nDesigner: \"Osmond\" Browne\r\nAdvertisement Manager: James Owens\r\nSales Executive: Alan Dykes\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nMarketing Manager: Dean Barrett\r\nMarketing Executive: Sarah Ewing\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\n\r\n©1990 EMAP Images, [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by J'n'G Type\r\nColour work by Pro Print.\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher Web Ltd, Peterborough.\r\nDistributed by BBC Frontline."},"MainText":"Label: Domark\r\nPrice: £8.99\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\nThis could just have been the most exciting game ever. Imagine; all the thrills and action of American football - attacking plays, strategic defenses, complex gameplans; but instead of humans, the players are giant bloodthirsty robots with exploding balls. Footballs, I mean.\r\n\r\nNow if you're interested in American footie, and can tell a defensive sack from a running bleeder, this might sound like your idea of heaven. Even if you're not interested, the idea of a cross between a sports sim and Apocalypse Now might catch your interest. Trouble is, the idea is exciting but things don't quite seem to come together into an exciting GAME.\r\n\r\nCyberball comes in an over-sized box with a little 60-page game manual which explains the history of the sport, how to play the game, and the winning strategies. Once you get the idea, giant robots have replaced human players because the sport got too dangerous - you can choose one or two-player mode, and control options. After that it's largely a matter of practice; as far as I can make out the arcade elements are much less important than the strategies you choose from the multiple-choice menus between plays.\r\n\r\nThe two teams, the Destroyers and the Terminators, face off down a vertically-scrolling perspective screen; one team is in Offensive mode, with one highlighted robot under direct control, selecting Running, Passing or Option Plays. The other team is in Defensive mode, the object being to choose the best Short, Medium or Long strategy to help you tackle the player before he passes.\r\n\r\nThe offensive player's aim is to score touchdowns by running across the defender's line, then to score conversions. Trouble is, your players can be damaged by tackles, causing them to lose control of the ball, and the ball itself becomes critically super-heated as play continues, and will explode if not reset by crossing the baseline.\r\n\r\nIf you like learning jargon like \"Wide receiver in motion - pitch to left back swinging wide - wide receiver comes round for hand-off and follows surge left!\" then you'll enjoy this game. It's very nicely put together and has cute little graphics. I can't help feeling, though, that it would have made more sense as a head-bashing arcade smash-'em-up, rather than the rather laboured strategic challenge it is now.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Great sports bash idea, spoiled by slow-moving strategic execution.","Page":"20","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"60","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"And the offense players face some stiff opposition from the defence. Pass that ball! Kerr-runch!"},{"Text":"Hut Hut! Cybernetic jocks face off for the big play Make those moves, sack that quarterback!"},{"Text":"Wah? Simple to understand \"plays\". Give you the option to take the game and win! Or you could just get thoroughly confused."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"76%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"58%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"57%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"59%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"60%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 126, Aug 1992","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1992-07-18","Editor":"Alan Dykes","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Alan 'Out and about' Dykes\r\nDesign: Yvette 'West Coast' Nicholls\r\nSU Crew: Garth 'Bright shirt' Sumpter, Steve 'Rainy Holiday' Keen, Ed 'Skate' Laurence, Pete 'Master of the Runes' Gerrard, Graham 'Machine Code' Mason, Phillip 'Morse Code' Fisch, Phil 'The Lift' Anglin\r\nAd Manager: Tina 'Schwing' Zanelli\r\nAd Production: Matthew 'Leaving on a Virgin jet plane' Walker\r\nMarketing Man.: Mark 'Daddy' Swallow\r\nMarketing Persons: Sarah 'Green Tartan' Ewing, Sarah 'Alan, it's going to be late' Hilliard\r\nPublisher: Mike 'Volkspublisher' Frey\r\nManaging Director: Terry 'Meetings' Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1992 EMAP IMAGES\r\nPhone: [redacted] (just call to say you love us)\r\nFax: [redacted] (Ask Heather to pass on the paper please)\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nColour by those wonderful Colourtech people\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher\r\nTypeset by Altyp Inc\r\n\r\nAbsolutely no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system or copied, resold etc with the prior permission of the publisher, who is a very nice and helpful sort of chap (NOT!) SU - the answer to all your problems. Need to send someone a get well gift? Pop a copy of SU through their letterbox. Troubled by the common cold, flu, nasty insect bites? Never mind, read SU and it'll take your mind off it. Want to know what's going on in the world of Spectrum? Look not further. All this and more can be yours with SU. Nut I don't think we'll try to show you how to throw plastic objects to your friend."},"MainText":"Label: Hit Squad\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £3.99 Tape\r\nReviewer: Paul Anglin\r\n\r\nAmerican football has got a little rough these days (well rougher) and so people like you and I have decided to stop playing and leave it up to enormous robots to entertain us. Oh yeah, and they thought a pigskin ball was a bit girlie so they decided to use a bomb instead.\r\n\r\nThis is basically American football (apart from the above changes) with a smaller pitch. Traditionally American football is bit complicated for us Brits to play (as well as relatively uninteresting) and Cyberball carries that tradition, but succeeds in making it worse.\r\n\r\nIt's nothing to do with the menus, which are actually very well set out. It's the game itself that provides the confusion. Both team look very much the same and the ball blends in perfectly with the background which is highly annoying. Also the responsiveness of the players is about equal to that of a crippled centipede.\r\n\r\nGraphically Cyberball isn't terrible, it's just that the two team look very similar to each other and as the pitch also uses the same colours as the players and the ball the result total confusion. Sound is nothing amazing but it's okay. Unfortunately due to cofusing graphics and terrible responsiveness this game is an absolute nightmare to play and prolonged effort (if you can be bothered) really makes no odds. A disappointment.","ReviewerComments":["There's only three things I like about Americans; hamburgers, west coast girls and their version of football. However I have yet to play a Spectrum version of American Football that captures its true feel. Cyberball is another in a long line of attempts that captures the feeling of sheer frustration more than anything else.\r\nAlan Dykes"],"OverallSummary":"Euggh what a horrible game. What a desperate thing to do to such a great game and sport. Cyberball has always been a bit of a problem to play. It's way too complicated and the graphics on this version just make it worse I'm afraid.","Page":"44,45","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Anglin","Score":"55","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Alan Dykes","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Decisions Decisions."},{"Text":"Here we go."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"62%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"54%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"53%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"55%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 101, Apr 1990","Price":"£1.3","ReleaseDate":"1990-03-16","Editor":"Julian Rignall","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Julian Rignall\r\nArt Editor: Andrea Walker\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Glancey\r\nStaff Writer: Paul Rand\r\nAdvertising Manager: Nigel Taylor\r\nDep Ad Manager: Joanna Cooke\r\nSales Executive: Tina Zanelli\r\nProduction Assistant: Glenys \"Teddy\" Powell\r\nPublisher: Graham Taylor\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries to: EMAP Frontline, [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted By: Kingfisher Web, [redacted]\r\nColour By: Proprint, [redacted]\r\nTypeset By: Jaz and friends on one heack of a big printer\r\nDistributed By: EMAP Frontline\r\nMegadrive Software courtesy of SpectreSoft, [redacted]\r\n\r\n©C+VG 1990\r\nISSN No: 0261-3697"},"MainText":"Domark\r\nSpectrum £9.99, Amiga £24.99\r\n\r\nIn the 21st century, American Football is played by giant 20 foot high armoured robots - one or two humans control the entire team from positions of safety high above the goal line.\r\n\r\nThe object of the game is easy - you've got to get the ball over your opponents goal line to score points. The trouble is that the ball is explosive, and as soon as its in your possession its internal fuse begins to burn. You have four attempts to move the ball ten yards upfield to the defuse line - make it and the fuse is reset for another four turns. Fail and the ball explodes, the opponent takes possession of a new ball and starts to make his way back upfield towards your goal-line.\r\n\r\nDuring offensive play you control the quarterback robot at all times, unless you choose to throw the ball to a receiver robot, whereupon control is passed over as soon as the ball leaves the quarterback's metal mitts. All the other robots follow pre-programmed movements which you select before each down - the list is enormous, and each is accompanied by a picture which details all robot activity.\r\n\r\nWhen you're playing on the defensive you can control any one of the robots - all you've got to do is stop the opponent from reaching the defuse line in four goes to regain possession. Again, there are many defensive moves accessible at the start of each play.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Faster than the Amiga version, and contains many elements of the arcade machine and surprisingly faithful graphics. Cyberball fans should look out for this one.","Page":"16","Denied":false,"Award":"C+VG Hit","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Julian Rignall","Score":"84","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Calling the plays on the Amiga."},{"Text":"Calling the plays on the Spectrum version. There are over 100 named manoeuvres to choose from."},{"Text":"Choosing your team in the Amiga version."},{"Text":"Get your linebackers to the crosses to complete the play."},{"Text":"The L icon indicates the linebacker under joystick control."},{"Text":"The quarterback winds up for a pass to left field, but will the wide receiver reach the ball in time?"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AMIGA SCORES\r\n\r\nGraphics: 88%\r\nSound: 95%\r\nValue: 77%\r\nPlayability: 82%\r\nOverall: 80%\r\n\r\nDomark's conversion of this superb Tengen coinop is nearly a brilliant one. I say nearly, because while it features amazing graphics, all the sampled sound and speech of the coin-op (there's loads) and gameplay that mimics the arcade machine perfectly, there's one problem - it plays very slowly. Compared with arcade machine there's a considerable drop in speed, and consequently play can become frustrating if you're used to whizzing around the field at high speed. If it had been just a little faster Cyberball would undoubtedly have been a C+VG HIT!. As it stands it's an extremely polished and enjoyable game that offers plenty of single or multi-player thrills and spills at a pace that fans of the arcade machine might find just a little too sedate. It's definitely a case of trying before buying."},{"Text":"UPDATE\r\n\r\nST, C64 and Amstrad versions are coming soon - the ST version is virtually identical to the Amiga version, and includes all the sampled speech and, unfortunately, the slow pace of action. It's hoped that C64 and Amstrad Cyberball will be just as good as the Spectrum version."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"84%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"The Games Machine Issue 32, Jul 1990","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1990-06-21","Editor":"Richard Montiero","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"ALL DEPARTMENTS\r\nNewsfield, The Games Machine, [redacted]\r\n\r\nEDITORIAL\r\nConsultant Editor: Richard Monteiro\r\nDeputy Editor: Richard Eddy\r\nSub Editor: Dominic Handy\r\nStaff Writers: Robin Candy, Mark Caswell, Warren Lapworth\r\nEditorial Assistant: Vivien Vickress\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\nEditorial Director: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nProduction Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nDesign: Ian Chubb\r\nReprographics: Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard, Robert Hamilton\r\nSystems Operators: Paul Chubb\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nAd Sales: Sarah Chapman, Jackie Morris (assistant)\r\nAdministration Assistant: Joanne Lewis\r\nGroup Promotions Executive: Richard Eddy\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions rates available from main address\r\n\r\nDesigned and typeset on Apple Macintosh II computers running Quark Xpress, Adobe Illustrator 88, with systems support from Digital Print Reprographics, [redacted]. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group. Distribution effected by COMAG, [redacted].\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. List of winners are available after the closing date from Viv Vickress at the main address. No person who has any relationship to anyone who works for Newsfield Ltd or any sponsoring companies may enter the competitions. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into TGM - including written and photographic material, hardware or software - unless it's accompanied by a suitable SAE. We regret that readers' postal enquiries cannot always be answered. Unsolicited written or photographic material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates - we reserve the right to edit any written material. The views expressed in TGM are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\n©1990 TGM Magazines Ltd\r\nA Newsfield Publication ISSN 0954-8092\r\n\r\nCover Design Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Spectrum Cassette: 9.99, Diskette: £14.99\r\n\r\nOriginally reviewed: TGM030\r\n\r\nOh dear, this is disappointing. After the rather good Amiga version comes this naff Speccy conversion. Both the sprites and backdrops are mono, the characters look nothing like tough 20-foot-tall mean dude robots, and the movement (if you can call it that) is glitchy. Save your money.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"57","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"45","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"45%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]