Cyberball 2072 Review

By Dan Whitehead Published 12 September, 2007

Part man. Part machine. Any cop?

Version tested: Xbox 360

With the 2007 NFL season lumbering into action last week Microsoft clearly saw the potential for some post-game impulse purchases on the ol' Live Arcade, as pumped-up frat boys staggered back to the dorm for some celebratory videogames and "brewskis". Hence, presumably, the arrival of this mostly forgotten American Football arcade game, which swaps steroid enhanced beefcakes for battling robots and the traditional pigskin for a bomb. Dude! It's, like, totally extreme!

(Punches the air while whooping and hollering)

(Shotguns six-pack of Miller Lite)

(Vomits)

Ooh. That's better. Sorry.

Originally punted into arcades back in '88 by Atari, beneath the quaintly futuristic title Cyberball is actually a fairly decent - though inevitably basic - gridiron game. You have a seven-strong team of robot linebackers, quarterbacks and receivers. There are over 100 different plays to call, covering breakout runs for the endzone, passing tactics, safety defence and others. As you'd expect, you call the play (depending on whether you're playing defence or offence) and then the robots grind into action.

As they follow the paths set out in your play, you make the pass and control shifts to the receiving robot as you steam up the field. Here's the catch: the bomb-ball gets hotter with each play, and must be reset by crossing the fifty yard line. Should the ball go critical, it'll explode at the next tackle - destroying the robot carrying it. Robots can also take damage from the general rough and tumble of the game, so repairs can be made at half time, or you can simply replace knackered players with upgraded models after the match.

'Cyberball 2072' Screenshot 1

Rampaging purple and green robots? The Joker's behind this, I'll wager

At the most basic level of choosing plays and dashing for a touchdown, Cyberball has aged reasonably well. There's lots of variety, and this Live Arcade version includes features from the Tournament edition as well - such as the Game Breakers challenges and other game modes. All of them involve the exact same gameplay, of course, but for a two decade old arcade game it's fairly well stocked with stuff to try.

What it's not is balanced. To start with, play can be a teethgrinding frustration as you acclimatise yourself to the rudimentary AI. There's not a whole lot of subtlety in the design, so expecting your initial robots to do much in the way of effective blocking or tackling is a lost cause. Accurate passing is also something of a chore so you just have to bludgeon your way to victory, learning the plays as you go. Once you've worked out the most common plays, however, the game flips and becomes far too easy.

'Cyberball 2072' Screenshot 2

They’ve just made an interception, as the text handily points out.

The CPU simply follows set patterns for each play, always passing in the same place, so practice means that you'll be able to see where the ball is going before your opponent even throws it, and interceptions become pointlessly simple to predict and win. Meanwhile, the game contains no explanations for those unfamiliar with American Football, so casual players will be put off by the typically dense tactical guff, while fans of American Football will soon be bored by the simplistic scope of the thing. Neither side really benefits.

The robotic façade doesn't add much to the proceedings and, while the exploding ball adds a curious twist, even that element feels fairly perfunctory. When you think of robots playing a lethal game of American Football you picture insane carnage, but Cyberball deviates so little from the original game that you half suspect Atari had a normal football game, and added the robots at the last minute to make it more marketable to the wide-eyed 80s youth. Swap explosions for injuries and the game remains unchanged.

'Cyberball 2072' Screenshot 3

For all their different chunky designs, the robots generally operate as a homogenous mass.

Most galling of all, the game features a bafflingly restricted multiplayer mode. The original cabinet boasted two monitors and four joysticks, so you could have two players against two. This version retains the two-player co-op mode, which makes passing easier, but offers absolutely no way of playing against a human opponent, either locally or online. Given that the limitations of the CPU player are what ultimately sink the game's long-term challenge, it's an incomprehensible omission.

American Football fans looking for a cheap retro fix will probably squeeze 400 points worth of fun out of Cyberball before déjà vu sets in, but the absence of any real multiplayer challenge means any amusement comes with a built-in expiry date, one that arrives sooner than you'd like. It's no Speedball, that's for sure.

5 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

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Comments (28) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #1 4 years ago

    So we know EG's Live connection does still work, then...

  • jack_klugman #2 4 years ago

    Space Gir... Oh.

  • DDevil #3 4 years ago

    This isn't Space Giraffe... I'm confused... Where is the Space Giraffe review?

  • Hughes. #4 4 years ago

    Same score though.

  • driptray #5 4 years ago


    How? Why? Huh? Why? ... Space Giraffe ... Come on EG ... Space Giraffe.

  • cawley1 #6 4 years ago

    God, Cyberball is shit!

  • rashes #7 4 years ago

    Came in here to moan about this review instead of Space Giraffe.... but I've been beaten to it!

  • sickpuppysoftware #8 4 years ago

    I used to love this game when it came out in the arcades. I can see how it would get old quickly in your living room though.

    Simply
    Put
    Are
    Certain
    Entertainment
    Games
    Incredibly
    Rejecting
    Reviewing
    After
    Fucking
    Eternities

  • IAmBatman #9 4 years ago

    I don't understand why everyone is so keen on a Space Giraffe review, surely you've played the demo by now?

    Or is it just that you want to complain that the score is wrong?

  • sickpuppysoftware #10 4 years ago

    I don't even own a 360. That's not the point is it?

    Enter into the spirit!

  • Harlequeen #11 4 years ago

    The great thing about cyberball at the arcade WAS the multiplayer. Used to beat the thing 99-0 etc against the PC, but people could run patterns that mimicked other plays, only to change just before the pass. Removing multiplayer is very much a cut down version. Still bought it though.

  • driptray #12 4 years ago

    @IAmBatman; 2 reasons:
    1. Apparently it's already written (so where is it? And why should this newer XBLA game get a review up before it? Conspiracy theories abound!)
    2. To many it's an "important" game (first 360 game from Jeff Minter) and hence simply should be written about!

    (edit: and 3. I want to complain that the score is wrong! ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 12/09/07 @ 09:39

  • Chaote-Imagicka #13 4 years ago

    We demand Space Giraffe review for great justice!

  • Xerx3s #14 4 years ago

    A 5 is rather generous imo.

  • PlugMonkey #15 4 years ago

    "A 5 is rather generous imo."

    +1.

    Cyberball didn't manage 5/10 scores in 1990. It's shit. I thought they must've remade it when I saw the heading, but no.

  • ukslim #16 4 years ago

    I loved playing 2-on-2 Cyberball matches in the arcade. I would have gratefully paid 400 points for a chance to do that again on XBL. But nooooo. The review's right, it's in incomprehensible omission, so I didn't buy it.

  • SomaticSense #17 4 years ago

    I don't really want to jump on the bandwagon, but it really is taking the absolute piss with regards to the SG review now. I swear you guys are doing it for a laugh now just to see everyone's reaction when you - yet again - don't post the bleedin review.

  • rhinoxious #18 4 years ago

    I agree, this has gone too far, lets take it the top . . .

    Someone call Minter, he'll sort out this lot of lazy arsed webhacks.

  • MikeN #19 4 years ago

    Instead of Cyberball how about the old "Mutant League Football" or "Mutant League Hockey" games from the megadrive? If Talisman is getting a XBLA release surely a "Blood Bowl" game would be a good idea?

  • Caimbeul #20 4 years ago

    The game may be shit but bollocks to your generalisation of NFL fans and players you wanker.

  • Darren #21 4 years ago

    Is this the same game GameSpot gave 2/10 to? LOL

    Hmmm, I remember this from years back on the Amiga and it was rubbish back then. 5/10 is waaaaaaaaaaay too generous in my opinion.

  • Darren #22 4 years ago

    P.S. Stop reviewing rubbish like this, EG, get reviewing Two Worlds please! ;)

  • crazyhorse174 #23 4 years ago

    P.S. Stop reviewing rubbish like this, EG, get reviewing Two Worlds please! ;)

    Agree.

    I can play the SG demo just now and see what its like before a review, but I want to know whether TW is actually any good and I cant try a demo of it.

  • bad #24 4 years ago

    I remember buying this for the Atari Lynx. I never realised the graphics on that version were so close to "arcade perfect" (ie. it looked ropey then, and it looks even more ropey 15 years later)

  • SomaticSense #25 4 years ago

    "I can play the SG demo just now and see what its like before a review, but I want to know whether TW is actually any good and I cant try a demo of it. "

    There are a couple of differences though. Two Worlds only came out last Friday, whereas SG came out on 22nd Aug. Also, there is the not so small factor that the SG review has already been done (given 5/10), just not posted.

    But yeah, it's a bit silly the Two Worlds isn't up yet. But not as silly as the lack of SG.

  • AOFanboi #26 4 years ago

    <em>To many it's an "important" game (first 360 game from Jeff Minter) and hence simply should be written about!</em>

    Are you sure? I thought XBLA had Tempest 2000...? Though probably ported by someone else.

  • kentmonkey #27 4 years ago

    I used to really like the old Cyberball (still do to be honest, playing 1 vs 1 is really good fun). 5/10 is probably about right though to be honest, despite the fact that I find it fun, I couldn't play it for more than about half an hour at a time, and against the AI it sucks.

  • quantumsheep #28 4 years ago

    To many it's an "important" game (first 360 game from Jeff Minter) and hence simply should be written about!

    Are you sure? I thought XBLA had Tempest 2000...? Though probably ported by someone else.



    Actually, Tempest 2000 would be ace on XBLA - but it's not there yet.

    Anyone heard that Rez HD and Ikaruga are coming to XBLA? Is it old news?? Only found out today y'see!

    Edit - oh, and there it is on the front page - silly moi!
    Edited by 1 at 13/09/07 @ 00:14