U.S. Championship V'ball (bootleg of Japan set)

Arcade Video game published 36 years ago:

U.S.Championship Beach Volley - V'Ball (c) 1988 Technos Japan Corp.

The player takes control of a pair of beach bums named George and Michael who make their living playing beach volleyball against locals. One day, they find a flyer for a nationwide beach volleyball tournament offering the winning team a $2,500,000 cash prize.

In single-player mode, one person controls both characters on a team. In two-player mode, the players either cooperate by playing on the same team or compete against each other by controlling opposing teams. The American version allows the game to be played by up to four players (if the cabinet allows it). The single-player mode consists of two cycles with four stages: the Minor Circuit and the Major Circuit. The stages in the game are Daytona Beach, New York, Los Angeles and Hawaii. After completing the Major Circuit, the player faces against the U.S. Navy team, set in a naval base.

The controls consist of an eight directional joystick and two buttons for jumping and receiving. The characters perform several moves including power spiking, back spiking, jump-serving, blocking and diving.

There are a few minor differences between the Japanese and American releases. The Japanese release features an opening cut-scene explaining the plot. Between matches, intermission sequences depict the main characters visiting a car dealership to purchase a vehicle. As the player progresses, the cars increase in quality, shifting from used cars to new cars during the Major Circuit. The American release removes these cut-scenes, but extends the multiplayer support to up to four players with multiple game modes: 1 or 2 players against the computer, 1-on-1, 2-on-1, or 2-on-2.

- TECHNICAL -

Game ID : TA-0025

Main CPU : MOS Technology M6502 (@ 2 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Yamaha YM2151 (@ 3.579545 Mhz), OKI6295 (@ 8 Khz)

Players : 4
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2

- TRIVIA -

U.S.Championship Beach Volley was released in December 1988.

V'Ball stands for 'VolleyBall'.

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
[JP] Nintendo Famicom (1989) "US Championship V'Ball"