<s>
Ballblazer	B-Application
is	O
a	O
futuristic	O
sports	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
Lucasfilm	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
1985	O
by	O
Epyx	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
Rescue	O
on	O
Fractalus	O
!,	O
it	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
initial	O
pair	O
of	O
releases	O
from	O
Lucasfilm	O
Games	O
,	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
and	O
first	O
published	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
called	O
Ballblaster	B-Application
during	O
development	O
;	O
some	O
pirated	O
versions	O
bear	O
this	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
and	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
ports	O
were	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ballblazer	B-Application
is	O
a	O
simple	O
one-on-one	O
sports-style	O
game	O
bearing	O
similarities	O
to	O
basketball	B-Application
and	O
soccer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ballblazer	B-Application
,	O
together	O
with	O
Rescue	O
on	O
Fractalus	O
!,	O
were	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
fledgling	O
Lucasfilm	O
Computer	O
Division	O
Games	O
Group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
games	O
were	O
developed	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computers	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
console	O
in	O
mind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cartridge	O
versions	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	O
computers	O
and	O
the	O
5200	O
were	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
released	O
first	O
in	O
the	O
third	O
quarter	O
of	O
1984	O
,	O
with	O
disk	O
versions	O
for	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
and	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
and	O
IIe	B-Device
coming	O
under	O
the	O
Atarisoft	O
label	O
in	O
the	O
fourth	O
quarter	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ballblazer	B-Application
and	O
Rescue	B-Application
on	I-Application
Fractalus	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
were	O
also	O
scheduled	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
then-upcoming	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
Winter	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
on	O
January	O
5	O
–	O
8	O
,	O
1985	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
and	O
Rescue	B-Application
on	I-Application
Fractalus	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
not	O
yet	O
being	O
released	O
on	O
any	O
platform	O
,	O
Epyx	O
became	O
a	O
distributor	O
for	O
both	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
disk	O
format	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
versions	O
were	O
not	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
distribution	O
deal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
computers	O
,	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
by	O
K-Byte	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
computers	O
by	O
Activision	O
,	O
who	O
published	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
port	O
announced	O
in	O
1984	O
never	O
materialized	O
,	O
Tramiel	O
's	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
eventually	O
released	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
cartridge	O
version	O
in	O
limited	O
quantities	O
in	O
late	O
1986	O
,	O
manufactured	O
from	O
the	O
stock	O
inherited	O
from	O
the	O
July	O
1984	O
buyout	O
of	O
Atari	O
,	O
Inc.	O
;	O
the	O
cartridge	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computers	I-Device
in	O
December	O
1987	O
,	O
packaged	O
for	O
their	O
new	O
XE	B-General_Concept
Game	I-General_Concept
System	I-General_Concept
;	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
version	O
in	O
March	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ballblazer'''s	O
theme	O
music	O
,	O
called	O
"	O
Song	O
of	O
the	O
Grid	O
"	O
and	O
heard	O
between	O
matches	O
,	O
was	O
algorithmically	O
generated	O
,	O
a	O
technique	O
designed	O
by	O
Lucasfilm	O
Games	O
team	O
leader	O
Peter	O
Langston	O
and	O
called	O
"	O
riffology	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Langston	O
,	O
an	O
experienced	O
jazz	O
,	O
rock	O
,	O
and	O
folk	O
musician	O
,	O
said	O
of	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
's	O
music	O
:	O
"	O
One	O
reviewer	O
,	O
an	O
eminent	O
jazz	O
player	O
[	O
Pat	O
Metheny ]	O
,	O
said	O
it	O
sounded	O
like	O
John	O
Coltrane	O
did	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
version	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
rare	O
releases	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
POKEY	B-Device
additional	O
sound	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ReceptionComputer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
quick	O
and	O
intense	O
"	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
"	O
squeezes	O
more	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	O
400/800	O
than	O
any	O
game	O
I	O
've	O
ever	O
seen	O
...	O
spectacular	O
graphics	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Info	O
rated	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
is	O
undoubtedly	O
the	O
FASTEST	O
game	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
64	O
"	O
and	O
recommending	O
it	O
to	O
"	O
gamers	O
with	O
strobe-like	O
reflexes	O
"	O
.Zzap	O
!	O
64	O
gave	O
an	O
enthusiastic	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
their	O
only	O
criticism	O
being	O
weak	O
sound	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
rated	O
3	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
for	O
value.Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
gave	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
version	O
a	O
97%	O
score	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
retrospective	O
review	O
,	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
Forever	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
3.5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
,	O
and	O
notes	O
that	O
it	O
has	O
the	O
best	O
audio	O
of	O
any	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
entire	O
7800	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
LucasArts	O
and	O
Rainbow	B-Application
Arts	I-Application
released	O
a	O
remake	O
and	O
follow-up	O
called	O
Masterblazer	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
and	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
titled	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
