Faceball 2000! (GB)

This game is an interesting little gem in Game Boy history. Released in 1991, this game was developed by Xanth Software F/X and is actually a rework of an earlier game called Midi Maze that the same company released on Atari ST in 1987. For the time, Midi Maze was pretty novel; the game was one of the earliest first-person "deathmatch" style video games that allowed up to 16 people to play simultaneously. This was made possible by the developers' utilization of the Atari ST's built-in MIDI port, which was usually used for keyboard and synthesizer inputs. It even supported chat!

Years later, the game was rewritten for the Game Boy platform and like its predecessor, was able to support 16 players with seven of the Game Boy's Four-Player Adapters linked together. The Faceballs themselves were also given distinct personality types. The game could be played in two different modes: "Cyberscape" and "Arena", but they may as well have been named "Single-Player" and "Multiplayer".

Looking back at this title, it's interesting to note how aggressively non-violent this game is, considering it's an early example of a first-person shooter. If you are shot by one of the Faceballs, you are treated to a picture of the ball that shot you saying, "HAVE A NICE DAY!" In the Super Nintendo version, which came out the year after the Game Boy version, you even have this classic sound byte:




It makes a bit more sense if you think of the game in terms of 1987, when Pac-Man was still at the height of his popularity. Video games were still primarily thought of as kid stuff and violent video games were not the norm.

The composer for Faceball 2000 was David Whittaker, an incredibly prolific video game composer who has created music for over 400 different video games. Check out the pulse-pounding beats of Faceball 2000 below:

David Whittaker - Cyberscape



Here's the main title tune:

David Whittaker - Faceball 2000 Intro



Enjoy!