This product is like new. At NexWave Games, like new means:
Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
BattleSport for PlayStation 1
BattleSport for PlayStation 1 combines a futuristic ball sport with combat between hover tanks. You enter an enclosed arena, find the bouncing ball and try to shoot it into your opponent's goal. From the cockpit, you watch the ball, the clock and enemy fire at the same time. Taking a hit can cost you possession, suddenly turning an attack into a chase. That also gives you something to do throughout the defensive play.
Missiles, lasers and other equipment help you hold your opponent back. You choose a tank with its own strengths, such as speed, armour or manoeuvrability. In the single-player tournament, you start at the bottom of the rankings and earn money for better vehicles and weapons. Each round brings a different arena with new obstacles and items. Choosing between chasing the ball immediately and picking up a useful power-up first often determines who gets the next shot on goal.
You can play individual matches alone against the computer or with two players using split screen on the same console. You need two standard PlayStation controllers for this; a Multitap is not required. The tournament is single-player. You save tournament progress yourself through Game Options and Save Game on a PlayStation memory card. At least one memory block must be free. You can load a saved position later to continue the tournament.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
BattleSport for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of BattleSport
BattleSport grew out of Cyclone Studios' work for the 3DO console. The original game appeared in the 1990s, when developers were experimenting with three-dimensional playing fields and unusual sports. Combining a ball, a goal and armed vehicles gave the project an immediately recognisable premise. You did not need to know any existing sporting rules: the match revolved around scoring, taking possession and keeping your opponent away from the decisive position for long enough.
Acclaim brought BattleSport to PlayStation in 1997, with Unexpected Development developing this version. The game retained the cockpit view and the collision between sport and shooting. The original PlayStation manual separately describes quick matches, matches with custom settings and the single-player tournament. That tournament added longer-term progression: winning matches earned money to buy equipment and eventually choose another tank. A victory therefore had consequences for the next encounter.
The PlayStation release sits among the vehicle-combat games and futuristic racers of that period. Armed machines were already familiar from other action games, but here goals decided the result. The original packaging therefore also emphasised two-player split-screen matches. Both participants could play on one television from their own cockpits. This offer concerns that original PlayStation game; its 3DO history explains BattleSport's origins, but the controls and saving described here belong to the PlayStation version.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Twisted Metal 2 for PlayStation 1 shares vehicle combat, scattered weapons and the search for a good angle of attack. There, however, you try to destroy the other vehicles to finish a battle. BattleSport also lets you shoot, but ultimately demands goals with a loose ball. You therefore regularly have to break off a fight to recover the ball or defend your own goal.
Vigilante 8 for PlayStation 1 also lets you collect weapons and fire at opponents from a vehicle. You drive recognisable cars and buses through large areas, with specific objectives during the adventure. BattleSport concentrates the action in a sporting arena with a ball and two goals. Your position relative to that ball therefore constantly matters, even when your tank has enough weapons to win a direct duel.
Like BattleSport, WipEout 2097 for PlayStation 1 uses hovering vehicles, futuristic environments and weapons that can hinder a competitor. The race nevertheless remains a journey around a fixed circuit: corners, braking and your finishing position decide the result. BattleSport gives you an arena in which you change direction to win possession. You aim for the goal instead of repeatedly following the same track.
Destruction Derby 2 for PlayStation 1 combines competition with the ability to badly damage opponents. In the derby arena, you earn points for spinning and destroying other cars. BattleSport also rewards aggressive defending, but a damaged opponent is primarily an opportunity to advance with the ball. Your tank also has ranged weapons; Destruction Derby 2 makes you cause damage by carefully timing the collisions themselves.
Speedball 2100 for PlayStation 1 is a close comparison because of its brutal futuristic ball sport. You win possession, find space and try to reach a goal while opponents use violence to stop you. There, you control players within a team and can also exploit other scoring opportunities on the field. BattleSport replaces the athletes with hover tanks and shows the arena from a cockpit, giving aiming and vehicle handling a greater role.
