Madballs making their triumphant return to XBLA

10:30 PM on 05.28.2009   |   Jim Sterling

39 comments

What is this I don't even ...

Madballs. Yes, we are talking about those obscure rubber balls with faces from the eighties. You remember, right? They had one guy that was a living baseball, a mummy, a swamp monster. They were ridiculous and failed to have the lasting appeal of Transformers and pretty much disappeared when the fad was over, yet here they are, resurrected for no good reason and coming to XBLA this Summer. 

Why someone thought that bringing back Madballs was a good idea, I do not know, but it's a real fact that we now have to deal with. Madballs in Babo Invasion is a "casual hardcore" shooter which features an apparently new line of toys. I didn't realize they'd brought the things back properly, but it just goes to show that anything will be recycled in a desperate attempt for easy money. 

So there you have it, Madballs, a toy line that about five you remember, is back. Hooray?

OTTAWA, CANADA- May 28, 2009 Playbrains, an independent game development studio specializing in the digital download arena, are proud to announce that their debut console title, Madballs in Babo Invasion, will be releasing on Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade in Summer of 2009.

A gameplay rich, feature laden 'casually hardcore' action shooter, Madballs in Babo: Invasion (MiBI) is that rarest of gaming commodities; a genuinely unique title. Featuring the recently re-released Madballs (tm) characters, Oculus Orbus(tm) and Horn Head(tm), from the popular 1980's toys best remembered for their outrageously bad looks and graphically colorful names. MiBI is an arena based 3D shooter where players are able to design their own combat maps almost instantaneously by placing a combination of map tiles to create a never before seen map before gameplay starts. Truly, no two games are ever the same. And with up to 16 player Multiplayer support, MiBI will boast the highest number of players over Xbox LIVE Arcade upon its release.

Offering players a satisfying and immersive experience in both single-player and multiplayer, Madballs in Babo:Invasion has a plethora of features and game modes such as 4 player online co-op along with, never-before-seen in an Xbox LIVE Arcade title, being able to incorporate your Xbox LIVE Avatar into multiplayer combat via the 'Avatar Attack' mode. Yes, Xbox LIVE Arcade combat just got personal.

Much more on this groundbreaking game will be revealed in greater depth leading up to its release in the Summer of 2009, including additional information on the following features; 

·Single Player - Hours of repeatable gameplay through 10 epic levels 

·2-4 Player Online Co-op - challenge individual campaign levels with your friends or play the whole campaign in 'Enduro' mode 

·16 Player Multiplayer - 21 maps to match all game sizes 

·'Invasion' Mode - the signature mode of the game, players take turns placing map tiles to create a unique multiplayer map prior to each match 

·'Avatar Attack' - Multiplayer combat with your Xbox LIVE Avatar 

·Classes - 10 character classes (each with 2 special abilities) over two warring factions, with each faction having 5 unique weapons each with two distinct firing modes 

·Madballs Characters - Oculus Orbus(tm) and Horn Head(tm) from the infamous 80's toy craze as in-game characters 

·5 Archetypes - Assault, Heavy, Runner, Flyer, Support 

·Deployables - active (rocket turrets) or passive (healing towers) can be placed in Invasion mode 

·Unlocks and Secrets - 50 unlocks and 50 Secrets to find during campaign gameplay 

·Action - emphasis on fast-paced, visceral action that is easy to pick and play, yet offers a real strategic challenge for hardcore gamers