Ball: Difference between revisions

'''''Ball''''' is the very first game of the [[Game & Watch]] series<ref>[http://www.intheattic.co.uk/ball.htm ''Ball'' info page on In The Attic, a website dedicated to classic videogames] Retrieved 13 November 2010</ref> and was released as a part of the Silver series on April 28, 1980. It is one of the games in the [[Museum|Gallery Corner]] in the original ''[[Game & Watch Gallery]]''. It is also an unlockable [[minigame]] in ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 2]]'', which includes an updated "Modern" version of the game. Depending on the publisher, the game has gone by other names as well, including '''''Juggle''''' and '''''Toss-Up'''''.

In ''Game & Watch Gallery 2'', the player starts out with only the Classic version of ''Ball'' (unlike most Game & Watch games in the ''Game & Watch Gallery'' series). In order to unlock the Modern version, they would first have to either obtain five stars on both modes in the Classic version or possess a star count of 25 or more. Easy Mode seems to be like Game A, while Hard Mode is Game B.

This Game & Watch was later reworked into the ''Mario''-themed ''[[Mario the Juggler]]''; this remake was the last Game & Watch title produced (not counting ''Parachute × Octopus'' released nearly 10 years later).<ref>[http://www.intheattic.co.uk/mario_the_juggler.htm ''Mario the Juggler'' info page on In The Attic, discussing its ''Ball''-basis] Retrieved 13 November 2010</ref>

The player starts out playing as [[Yoshi]] (depicted as a [[Yoshi (species)|Light Blue Yoshi]] in the [[Game Boy Color]] version), but as they collect more stars, they can later play as [[Mario]], then as [[Wario]], and finally as [[Bowser|King Koopa]] (who is represented by a ''K'' instead of a ''B''), each more difficult than the last. The first mode has the Yoshi juggling [[Yoshi Egg]]s. The Mario mode has the player juggling a [[Super Star|Star]], a [[Super Mushroom]], and a [[Heart (item)|heart]], actually just like ''Mario the Juggler'' but with the Super Mushroom added. These items have varying arcs of flight as opposed to the fixed patterns of the eggs. The heart is also only worth two points as opposed to three. Wario's mode gives the player the same heart, the same Star, and a [[Wanderin' Goom]] to juggle. The objects have varying arcs of flight, and the Goom will occasionally fly off-screen. Bowser's mode features a [[Koopa Shell]], a [[Boo|Boo Buddy]], and a [[Goomba]] to keep aloft. Like the Wanderin' Goom, the Goomba and shell will sometimes fly off-screen. The Boo Buddy will also occasionally stop while traveling across its arc. Like the heart, the Goomba and shell are only worth two points apiece.

The four variants of the Modern version of ''Ball'' all have [[Bob-omb]]s that sometimes fly down from the sky. If a Bob-omb hits one of the paddles, it will cause a Game Over too. At 100 points for the Yoshi, 200 points for Mario, 300 points for Wario, and 400 points for Bowser, [[coin]]s will rain from the sky. Touching the coins with the paddles rewards the player with bonus points. By getting all of the coins, the player receives a 20-point bonus as well.

G&WG2_Modern_Ball_Bowser.png|[[Bowser]]

G&WG2_Modern_Ball_Warp_Pipe2.png|Warp Pipe (Bowser variant)