Welcome to our Red Ball playlist, where we cover four games in the Red Ball series and tell you everything you need to know about them.

First off, what exactly is Red Ball? In a nutshell, Red Ball is a series of platform games that have you taking control of a tiny little red ball, hence the name, "Red Ball". Sure, it sounds really simple and in essence, it pretty much is. On the other hand, getting an Italian plumber from point A to point B while hitting bricks and jumping on baddies also sounds like a fairly simple premise yet no one really doubts how absolutely awesome Mario is.

One of the first things that you'll notice with these games is that they look really, really spiffy. Sure, everything is relatively simple when compared to other super high-res games, but for what they are, the Red Ball games look great. You'll be treated to vibrant colors, well-drawn landscapes, nicely-animated characters, and an excellent combination that brings everything together in one nicely wrapped little package. While some other games try to wow you with over-the-top presentations, Red Ball instead goes for a more subtle approach and it really shows in the overall quality. To be honest, the game's quality is such that it's reminiscent of some of the Super Nintendo masterpieces of yesteryear.

It's not just the graphics though, the game also sounds really great. You've got catchy music and quirky little sound effects that, like the graphics, come together for something greater than the sum of its parts. Just about everything has some sort of sound effect, from falling down the abyss to finally taking out the boss character. And with the variety of things that you can do, you'll be in for a great time just checking out everything that you can see, hear, and do.

And as for doing things, that's where the game really shines. As aforementioned, the game is a platformer that puts you in control of a little red ball as it rolls around in an attempt to get from the start to the end of the level. In between the two points are various obstacles that range from the mundane such as insta-death spikes and pits of doom, to the more outlandish such as electromagnetic manipulation of the terrain. As the levels progress, the challenges and puzzles get harder and more complicated. Sure, nothing is quite so complicated as to be unsolvable, but for a modern platformer they're fairly challenging.

Later levels up this challenge factor by ramping up the level of precision and daring required of the player. Things will soon approach the level of difficulty you'd see in old school console games. One advantage though is that you're not limited to three lives, so you're free to experiment and make as many mistakes as you need in order to accomplish the levels.

But enough about how good the games are, let's get on to actually covering the games themselves! First up in our playlist is Red Ball 3, check it out and you're surely in for a treat! less