Rollerball (video game)
| Rollerball (video game) | |
|---|---|
NES cover art
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| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Producer(s) | Satoru Iwata |
| Designer(s) | Satoshi Matsuoka (MSX) Makoto Kanai (NES) |
| Platform(s) | NES MSX |
| Release | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Pinball |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Rollerball (ローラーボール Rōrābōru?) is a video game produced by HAL Laboratory, Inc. in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System four years after its initial release on the MSX. It is designed to be played by one to four players, in turn. It is an emulation of a pinball machine.
The pinball machine rendered in Rollerball is composed of four screens, which, by proportion, would be about as long as two standard pinball tables if it were a real table. The graphics on two of the four screens are based on various aspects of the New York City skyline. The topmost screen (hereafter called the bonus screen) merely shows some clouds and a blimp. The second screen (the main screen) shows the top of the Empire State Building, while the third screen (intermediate) shows the lower skyline and the Statue of Liberty. The lowest (final) screen shows only a blue backdrop, representing the Ocean.
In the main mode, each player launches the ball directly into the main screen. To the top is a small loop marked SLOT; if the player sends the ball through this loop, a slot machine display in the center of the screen cycles, with various penalties or rewards given when one of the three symbols (an eggplant, a pair of cherries, or a bell) appears three times. The center of the SLOT loop is open, allowing the player to enter the bonus screen.
There is a pair of kickback holes in the upper right of the main screen, with a bumper in proximity to the upper one. The lower one will shoot the ball straight up, relying on the curvature of the wall to direct it into the upper hole if the player is lucky. If the ball falls in the upper hole, one of two things can happen. If the kickback slot in the bonus screen is empty, the ball will be transferred to that slot and another ball will be released to the plunger to enter play. If the kickback slot is already filled, the ball is relaunched from the lower hole.
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Wikipedia