Game review: Red Ball Challenge - iPhone / iPod Touch

Now I get to play it in miniature form on my iPod Touch, becoming one of the plucky hopefuls making fools of themselves in each episode by toppling off the Topple Towers, being knocked in the mud by the Sucker Punch and belly-flopping into the water off one of the Big Balls.

If you haven’t seen Total Wipeout before I highly recommend it.

It’s puerile but compelling entertainment watching people with overblown opinions of their physical prowess suffering humiliation in some very funny challenges.

The show is a bit like a modern version of It’s A Knockout, only without the silly costumes.

Stuart Hall’s raucous laugh is replaced by Richard Hammond’s mocking yet amusing commentary and there is even a lovely co-presenter called Amanda Byram to keep dads’ eyes on the screen.

Total Wipeout has been converted for the iPhone/iPod by Tag Games and given the name of Red Ball Challenge.

Although not by any means a perfect representation of the show, a decent attempt has been made at putting this all-action programme into a video game.

The game plays out like a slightly stripped back version of the BBC1 show.

You start by competing as one of the 24 contestants (this is more like the US version as there are only 20 participants in the UK show) trying to set the fastest time on The Qualifier obstacle course.

The course comprises four obstacles - Topple Towers (several stacks of wobbly rubbery blocks), Sucker Punch (wall covered in mechanical boxing gloves), Big Balls (four big red padded balls positioned in a row across a pool) and Rope Swing (swing across water from one ledge to another).

In the TV show failure on any of the obstacles leads to the contestant falling into mud or water and swimming to the next one. In the game this is replaced by time penalties.

The computer sets a target time which you need to beat to be among the fastest 12 competitors and be through to the next round.

The second round is The Sweeper. The dozen survivors stand on small 10-foot high podiums in a circle above a pool while a big motorised arm spins around trying to knock them off. Anyone who falls is out of the game, with the last six still standing going through to the final stage.

The TV show finishes with the Wipeout Zone, another extreme watery obstacle course, but Red Ball Challenge the game culminates with the Dizzie Dummies round.

Here you must be first to the finish line after working your way across a set of wobbly table tops.

Each segment of the virtual show plays as a short mini game, so there are six parts in all. This means you can complete the whole thing in just a few minutes, ideal for portable gaming. Replay value comes from trying to do better each time you play.

Apart from Dizzie Dummies you can also practice each obstacle individually.

The game can be a lot of fun and it’s great carrying a playable version of one of my favourite TV shows around in my pocket.

However, Red Ball Challenge is not without its issues.

For one thing the game mechanics for the different events are hit-and-miss.

For some of them the set-up is exactly right. The Topple Towers and The Sweeper, for example, use a combination of tilt controls for balance and a touch button for jumping, and this works well.

On the other hand the process for getting across the Big Balls doesn’t feel quite right.

For this event you must stop an increasingly fast moving slider on a coloured bar in order to time your jump from ball to ball.

Although it’s quite difficult to do successfully, the process feels too basic. There isn’t any real skill involved, such as judging distance. Also there is no discretion for the player to choose their style for getting across. In the TV some contestants try dashing over the balls nimbly while others employ a slower and more deliberate strategy.

The game looks quite nice, adopting a colourful and cartoony 3D graphics style.

However, the animations and ragdoll physics leave something to be desired. Obviously you want to do well and get across all the obstacles without a hitch, but when things do go wrong you want to see your character take a calamitous fall into the mud or water. The game doesn’t do a great job of capturing all the comedy of the TV show.

Controls in the game are simple and accessible. There are no more than one or two things to do at the same time in any of the events. Unfortunately, the controls are not as responsive as they should be, particularly tapping the screen to jump. This can lead to some irritation.

Another shortcoming is a slightly stuttering game engine, luckily usually between events rather than during but still frustrating. The game has a habit of freezing briefly ahead of The Sweeper event – a few times when it’s unfrozen I’ve already been sent plunging into the water and out of the contest.

Loading times between events are longer than ideal.

Characters vaguely resembling presenters Richard and Amanda are in the game, though clicking through their text-only commentary becomes rather tedious after a whole.

The final thing to mention is this is only a single-player game. It would be nice to have some multiplayer options added for wi-fi or at least pass ‘n’ play.

There are currently local and global leaderboards but the scoring system makes absolutely no sense.

Overall, Red Ball Challenge ticks a good number of boxes for what a game based on the Total Wipeout TV show should contain. It features several of the best events from the show in an easily digestible package.

However, the game needs some improvements made if it wants to be regarded as a Total Wipeout champion rather than one of the losers who get stuck in the mud.

Verdict: 6 out of 10 – Captures the essence of the TV show it’s based on, but ends up falling short of delivering a truly rewarding Total Wipeout experience.