Take 2 actually did something right with it's decision to pop this one out at $9.99, because it can be easily snatched up and the rewards are far, FAR better than anything else in the same price range (Spec Ops, anyone?). Now don't misunderstand, I don't think Ball Breakers is worth $50, but it's more than worth half of that. But enough about the game's price point and value, let's actually get into the goods.
Gameplay
I've often wondered if someone would do a Marble Madness remake. I don't think there's anyone that could say the game was revolutionary graphics-wise, but it did offer a rather innovative physics engine and control scheme. You might think of Ball Breakers as the illegitimate bastard child of an unholy union of Marble Madness, and something like Final Fight. It keeps the controls and physics, but swaps out the kiddie, non-violent gameplay of MM with something that's campy, but has a little more oomph. There's no blood in Ball Breakers (only a little club-swinging and lots of punching), and rightly so, because you see these combatants are robots. Well, androids actually, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
See Ball Breakers boasts a horribly thin back-story that barely covers its gameplay butt. "Evil" artificial lifeforms (read: androids) are sent to a penal colony where, for no real reason, they have everything below their torso lopped off (that's right, no more hot, nekkid robot hippity-dippity) and replaced with a ball that's tethered to them via an energy "chain". The ball serves as their feet, and carries all the usual laws of physics that a halved robot with a ball for feet would incur (except how the ball starts rolling without external force), meaning momentum restricts quick direction changes and makes for slow stops. This is both a blessing and a boon, since a charging fist is much more powerful when attached to the momentum of a fast-rolling robot, but makes for a difficult getaway when you're on the receiving end of said fist.
The bots are then forced to compete in areas with different objectives like Last Man Rolling (a beat-em-up with obstacles), Tag (where you're forced to collect tokens scattered all over a level in a certain time limit), Run The Guntlet (a race to the finish line with dozens of booby traps in-between), Race (take a wild guess... yeah, it's a race around a course), and Pursuit (just like the Gauntlet but with the added danger of the level dropping off into the water behind you as time elapses), King of the Hill (just like it sounds, you have to occupy a hill by yourself for as long as possible), and Powerball (where you simply toss a ball at a sticky post to score a goal). All of the different games are fun, and actually make for a pretty good multiplayer game should you find a friend in need of a little rolling mayhem.
Each of the characters in the game -- Angel, Apostle, Benny, Lockdown, and SO-PH-IE ¿ have their own strengths and weaknesses, and each of the 10 different sections of the prison are geared towards one of those strengths, so Angel may be better geared for the Hospital because of her speed, while Lockdown's strength may come in handy of the more brutal, combat-heavy areas. It's a nice balance, but isn't so extreme that you'll have any trouble finishing any of the levels with any one bot.
Graphics
Graphically, Ball Breakers is actually rather impressive. It's biggest and most novel addition is the fact that all the terrain in any of the levels can be deformed. Not the to the point of actually changing any of the designs, mind you, but when an enemy is killed, their ball detonates, sending out a shockwave that can be ridden like a surfer riding a tsunami. The effect is something to behold as reality around the explosion is warped and twisted while a few huge waves wash over the landscape, rippling through it and causing it to bend like water. If your player drops from a large height, the impact can cause a smaller ripple, but it's nothing like what the explosions will yield. While there are 10 arenas in the game that are supposed to be different, everything has been painted with the same blue-grey color scheme making it impossible to tell what level you're on. That's not to say the textures are bad, in fact, they're quite bearable, and the lighting manages to keeps things aesthetically interesting, but you're got going to see anything revolutionary in the level designs. It's obvious that the physics of the players were taken in to account, because many of the levels offer high slopes to charge up, and then back down to gain momentum as needed.
The interface is done fantastically, with animations of lighting leaping from metal ball to ball at the top of the screen and sliding sections cropping up everywhere in the menus. The in-action interface is small, and unobtrusive, offering details on the time, health, energy, rage (when this tops out, you can unleash a spinning attack), and laps when applicable without ever crowding the rest of the action. If there's one thing that can be said for developers Lost Toys, it's that their stuff looks pleasing to the eye (just check out their web site).
Sound
Ball Breakers sound is the weak link. The effects are muted and don't really convey the sound of metal smacking metal or booming explosion the way they should. Everything has been sampled at what sounds like a rather low bitrate, so there's generally no crispness to the effects. None of the characters have any audible speech, so any hope for some witty banter among combatants has been dashed, but at least there isn't one phrase or taunt muttered by the players over and over again.
The music is slightly better, usually consisting of a simple drum loop and some light, staccato notes that break in to help carry a melody. Sometimes there are some industrial-esque punches, and often there's an ambient overtone to everything, but it's nothing that you'll remember 5 seconds after tapping the power button. That said, it's not especially horrible either, so you won't be sent scrambling for the mute button as soon as it kicks in. Like so many games on the PlayStation today, it's just an average aural experience.