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» MEDIA (2) Plasma Pong VIDEO: Plasma Pong

I've always loved Pong. Grandma had an old Pong Console mothballed in the back bedroom. I yarded it out and used it until it was sent to the trash heap. Enter new and improved Pong...

Pong? You're kidding right?
I recently discovered Plasma Pong. http://www.plasmapong.com/ As far as Pong goes, there have been some variations on the original theme. I've played Arkanoid, and the assorted single player clones. In 1994, I even played 'Mortal Pong' a sloppy student version of Pong written in BASIC in which the defeated players paddle is obliterated in different ways.

Alright how does it work?
The controls are simple, slide the mouse up or down and the paddle complies. Left click, and your paddle emits a stream of plasma into the playing field. Right click and your paddle creates a vacuum sucking the ball into the paddle. Holding right click charges the held ball to create a 'shock wave' which blasts the plasma away from the ball.

Much like a pinball machine the ball is influenced by an outside force beyond direct contact with the player implement. Unlike a demented pinball machine the plasma seems very natural and organic. There are no instances of the ball whipping away from a reasonable path falling directly into jeopardy. Best yet there are no quarters involved in Plasma Pong.

Firing up the Plasma.
The game itself is beautiful, the plasma flows and swirls with particle effects and bright vibrant colors. Plasma Pong Requirements:

*2.0 Ghz P4 or AMD equivalent; 128MB GPU
*7.41 Mb of Hard Disk Space

I ran Plasma Pong on a Laptop with 1.66 Ghz, and the Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express chipset. It definitely chugs along at 28 fps, but it is very playable.

Features?

Plasma Pong features single player, multiplayer, and 'sandbox' modes. There is a rich selection of options to customize each user experience, graphic settings, plasma viscosity you name it.

Single player is why I downloaded to begin with, and multiplayer was fun for me and my wife. However, the sandbox is an absolute hoot to play with. If you've ever fiddled with a winamp visualization to get it just right, the sandbox is a dream come true. There are plenty of features to keep the plasma moving. The settings include placing plasma emitters, walls, disabling gravity, turning the plasma into wobbly jello, to enabling 3d lighting.

Impressions?
I think this game is a blast(Yes I'm sorry bad Plasma Pong Pun).
I probably spent most of my time fiddling around in the sandbox mode. The actual game play is solid, and the AI while fairly easy to beat becomes more formidable as you progress. The ball certainly responds more quickly to the 'environmental conditions.'

There are some areas I would like to see improvement. I would prefer a difficulty selector, perhaps online multiplayer, more resolution options, and perhaps a screen saver option for saving and viewing user customized sandboxes.

I found this particular gold nugget of game software in a serendipitous accident. I highly recommend you check it out. Plasma Pong will keep you entertained significantly longer than the 30 seconds it takes to download.

If you're so inclined you can also support the individual who developed the software and provides it for free.

The Score
The game engine itself has great visuals, smooth controls, and a short learning curve, it is absolutely fabulous for those times you have 5 spare minutes, and you're tired of looking at Solitaire, and mine sweeper.. I could go for a few improvements, but the last patch came out on 03/01, so it is most certainly not a dead project.
Grading on a percentage scale I would give Plasma Pong a 78%.

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External Link: http://www.plasmapong.com/