So today I'm reviewing Berzerk Ball 2 for the mobile platform (also available on the PC through flash sites such as Kongregate).

Berzerk Ball 2 is brought to us by Berzerk Studios, who has given us great games such as Frantic Frigates, Alienocalypse, and Rocket Santa 1 and 2.

It's a fast paced upgrade and launcher game in which the point of the game is to launch an annoying geek (Don't even ACT like you don't know the kind of guy I'm talking about) as far as you can via incredibly painful force and a baseball bat like “weapon”. I say “weapon” because it can be anything from an ear of corn to a wicked awesome grim reaper scythe. You start at level one and have a choice from a full team of members, six in total, all with special skills/stat bonuses that will come into play and change your strategy of how to attack your launch based on who you have chosen.

Once you have chosen your member you can customize your geek, because who doesn't want to choose the look of the guy they're about to knock half way around the world? The customization options you can choose from off the bat are pretty hilarious and varied. The best part? You will unlock about 5-7 more options for each body part as you progress through the game via rewards, challenges, etc. As you can see below in the picture I concocted some weird Bear Manboy Duckie Dinosaur Hybrid. I like to call him the ManBearDuckasaurus Rex. No seriously, I'm not even joking here I'm pretty sure people thought I was insane when they caught me rambling and laughing to myself as I tortured this poor homunculus geek. Vidja games? Srs Bsns.

Moving on into the actual game play, it's not a game that takes much learning which is a great thing because it's accessible to everyone from little kids to your grandparents. The basics of this game are that before launch you will be presented with two different angle markers which you will tap the screen to select the angle of launch and the power of the launch, so it's pretty much the way of every other launcher game out there. Once you have launched the geek you will have the option to boost him via a midair launch or a knock up in the air style launch depending on where the geek is altitude wise. This can make or break your game because it can mean the difference between sending yourself spiralling toward the ground which could cause a huge speed loss or rebounding the geek right before they hit the ground to rocket them up and forward even further. As with every launcher game here the key to “winning” is distance. You will unlock mini-games and challenges the faster and further you go.

Now that I've told you why this game is exactly like every other launcher out there, now let me tell you why it is completely different. One of the biggest things that stands out to me about Berzerk Ball 2 is the leveling system which makes the act of knocking this geek down the field over and over a LOT less repetitive and boring. Each member of your team gains levels independently which allows you to add a point in one of the nine different stats the game presents you with to assist in your launch.

The stats will effect everything from hit power, how many enemies you will encounter, to the recharge speed of your boost hit. To add to this, every time you max out a character at level 5, the game prompts you to switch to another character which will keep all the base stats you choose for your team stats and allow you to keep building towards the final level 25 with another person until all team members are maxed out.

Even more than just the basic stats and player bonuses the game features three unique ways to gain items. The first is during the game, you can crush or run over spider merchants which will bestow upon you special items that cannot be found in the shop. Secondly, located on the map is the shop which will allow you to buy your hitting stick/bat/corn/sword/etc, copper/silver/gold, or your lucky items that will also give you a nice stat boost. Almost every game has a store like this so it's nothing special or new.

Finally, one of the coolest features I found in the game was the Forge/Blacksmith. As you progress through levels and challenges you will unlock (or buy) copper, silver, and gold. Once unlocked, you can take these to the blacksmith and he will use them to craft items for you. The more stuff you craft, also depending on metal used, the better the gear is. The Blacksmith gains levels and the created items get even better based on his level. It can be a bit expensive to buy the stuff but as you progress through the game you should unlock copper and silver, gold has to be bought directly from the store and is incredibly expensive (200k in screws).

This game isn't just a one shot launcher either because it includes SIX different mini-games or “challenges” that you can pass to gain better abilities, help from non-used teammates, and geek costume options. The modes cover matching the geek, keeping him in the air for periods of time, causing MASS amounts of pain, and a cool launching game that I found to be challengingly fun and frustrating at the same time....in a good way mind you.

Now that you know about the game the real question is how did I feel about it? I played the game on both the mobile and PC platform and can say that the game is better played on the go. It's one of those games that you can finish in a sitting or enjoy playing in short bursts across the next week or so. This isn't to say the PC version is bad, because it's not but you can tell that some of the challenges and actual parts of game play were made with the mobile platform in mind. Some people would see that as a detracting factor with the game but I see it as a plus. In a disgusting sea of “freemium” games and misleading products for smart phones, Berzerk Ball 2 is a refreshing take on the platform. Although they offer transactions for those who want to pay for extra money, none of it is required to beat or enjoy the game like most games that offer transactions seem to now.

Every launch is a was challenge because I found myself dying to get the next unlock or to reach the next screen to collect more and more XP like a greedy addict. My girlfriend had to literally smack the phone from my hand at one point because I would not put the game down. I spent the weekend on both the PC and mobile version of the game and didn't find much, if anything, to be displeased with.

I would suggest this game to flash game lovers and gamers on the go. Check out Berzerk Ball 2 and make your own call but this is RedJeans for Split Infinity Radio giving this game an A+ rating for the mobile platform.

Questions, Comments, Cursewords? TL;DR? Email me at RedJeans@siradio.fm and let me know how you feel.