Run+throw=ouch(repeat)! Yeah Super Dodge Ball Advance is a pretty simple formula to non-stop fun on your...oh wait, you don't have one yet... okay, my GBA! For those of you who are dodge ball game connoisseurs, like myself, you will no doubt have spent hours being a true brainwashed child patriot by destroying the international threat that we faced in the original Super Dodge Ball on the NES. Years later they taunted us with that one tempting screenshot on the back of the SNES box showing us the face of what dodge ball would be played like in the future. A world of super-deformed mechs battling for dodge ball dominance, but alas, we never saw a domestically released dodge ball title again. It was as if our brothers across the sea held a bitter grudge on their humiliating dodge ball defeat at my hands, and punished us all by putting a strangle hold on what could have been a prosperous genre. Well enough macro analysis of the global ramifications of my adolescent dodge ball dominance... lets talk Super Dodge Ball Advance.

First off it must be pointed out that the menus are Japanese heavy, so I will simply be commenting on the in-game play, and not the amount of game modes and options. The game play is just as simple and perfect as it was in the past. You can run, throw, duck, pass, and catch with ease. You can also bust out quite a few new moves such as calling your teammates to charge the line and jump for a give and go style attack, perform special throws with your side men/women, and a flipping move that I have no idea what it does! Another great feature is the ability to “target” the opposing player you wish to feel the hard leather of “bola del regate de la muerte” as our friends south of the border like to call it! The one big downfall of this otherwise fun game is that it is just too easy. I have owned the game for 2 months and have yet to taste the bitter pill of defeat. This could be due to my dodge ball expertise, but I would hope it is just due to my inability to navigate the options menu and select the hardest difficulty setting. Another welcome addition is the variety of different characters and teams, which adds an eclectic collection of players with “personality” rather than the ignorant classic “USA VS. THE WORLD”. ROCKY POWER! LET’S BEAT SOME FOREIGN ASS! WOO HOO! Okay sorry, I was having an 80s flashback. Long story short, if you loved dodge ball in the past and want a newer sleeker design to take on the go, pick this game up. However, I honestly feel it lacks the depth to merit a purchase for non dodge ball fans.