Pong 2022

Pong 2022 is a table tennis-esque video game developed and published by Grim Company Studios. It is an unofficial sequel to Atari's 1972 masterpiece Pong and was distributed online via Steam on the game's 50th anniversary date— November 22nd, 2022. It expands greatly on the original game with online multiplayer support, an abundance of brand-new gimmicks, and an eye-opening soundtrack.
When asked why he made this game, director Ares Zypher shrugged and said, "why not?"
==Gameplay==
===Basic elements===
As with the original game, Pong 2022 is a two-dimensional sports game that simulates table tennis, with all players smacking a ball back and forth using their vertically-aligned paddles. If the player knocks the ball beyond the opponent's paddle, they will score points, and vice versa if they fail to protect their side of the screen. The longer the ball is in play over the course of a single round, the faster and faster it'll become, and it'll start at a slightly higher speed multiplier for every round that passes. The game ends when a player reaches a certain threshold of points.
Pong 2022 introduces various elements that make it a significantly deeper and richer experience than the original game, including versus formats, ultra shots, power-ups, and even crossover elements. For the real Pong purists out there, the original game can still be experienced in "Classic Mode", which also supports online multiplayer.
There are several modes available in Pong 2022, separated by "Local Play" and "Online Play". The player can choose to play either Classic Mode, Match Mode, or Tournament Mode. If the player chooses to play online, they can either choose to play Casually or Competitively, depending on their personal preference.
===Advanced elements===
For starters, the player can select however which versus format they want to play in— these include 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, 1 vs. 3, 4 vs. 4, and free for all. The more players there are on one side, the shorter their paddles will be. If the ball makes it past one player, their paddle will turn transparent so that another player can help push the ball back into play. In "1 vs. 3", the disadvantaged player will have a larger paddle than usual. In "free for all", there are two players on each side, with every player's playing field surrounded by solid walls to prevent the ball from slipping by them easily. Also in "free for all", there are actually three balls speeding around; for every player that fails to block a ball, their side of the arena will become closed off with a solid wall until the next round starts. Last player standing earns points.
One of the biggest differences between the original Pong and Pong 2022 is the method of earning points. The amount of points the player receives from batting the ball beyond the opponent's paddle strongly depends on the velocity the ball is traveling at. If the ball is hit beyond the opponent's paddle at the lowest speed possible, the player will earn only 1 point. However, if the ball has reached the highest speed possible, every victory will net the player 25 points. The game ends when one player has reached 100 points, 250 points, 500 points, or 1000 points, depending on the conditions the player set before starting a game of Pong 2022. If the player chooses to play 500-point or 1000-point matches, the likelihood of fruits like Melons and Pineapples spawning is dramatically increased.
Ultra Shots are one of Pong 2022's signature gimmicks. If the ball touches the dead-center of the player's paddle, they will earn points on their associated Ultra Meter. It also increases slightly for every round they win, and double that for every round they lose. When the Ultra Meter is maxed out, the player can hit the spacebar as soon as the ball hits their paddle to send the ball off at supersonic speeds to target and break the opponent's paddle on contact, earning them a free win. However, the opposing player has two frames where they can push back the ball at the same speed; this will still result in their paddle being broken, but they'll win the round if the initial attacker can't rebound the ball in time. An Ultra Shot becomes hard to pull off when the ball is moving too fast.
In the very center of the playing area is a small white circle that will contain a power-up at every 15 second interval, which can be collected by smacking the ball in its direction. The power-ups are randomized every time they're spawned in, but the same power-up cannot spawn twice in a row. There'll be three power-up circles distributed on the screen if the player chooses to play a 500-point match or higher. The power-ups are as follows:
*The Big Plus will temporarily increase the length of the player's paddle when collected, lasting until the next power-up spawns. It's useful to collect the Big Plus powerups as it'll make blocking any incoming balls easier.
*The Apple will gift the player 5 points when gathered. Bananas offer 10 points, Melons offer 25 points, and Pineapples offer 50 points. Melons and Pineapples do not appear in 100-point matches.
*The Comet will double the ball's current speed when collected, while the Stone will instead halve its current speed. The Comet spawns more when the game's in its Slow Phase, and vice versa in its Fast Phase.
*The Magnet doesn't have an obvious effect, but as soon as the next power-up spawns in, the ball will try to draw it in. The magnet is only in effect for the player that collected the magnet, so no one else holds the advantage.
*The Dollar Sign is a gamble power-up; if collected, they'll increase the amount of points the player earns by the end of the round by a 1.5x multiplier, but they lose half the amount the opponent earns instead if they win.
*The Ultra Orb will increase the Ultra Meter by one-fourth when gathered. They won't spawn inside the circle, instead revolving around it in a clockwise formation (or vice versa) until gathered.
Finally, there are the crossover elements. At every 60-second interval, things switch up by either introducing elements from Breakout, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, or SkiFree, chosen at random. If a Breakout Event happens, two layers of bricks will surround the item spawn(s); directing the ball towards the bricks will cause them to break off one by one. If an Invaders Event happens, three alien sprites from Space Invaders will defend each player's camp, shifting around to block the ball like soccer goalies. A Kong Event will summon various barrels that will bump the ball around on contact, with Donkey Kong sometimes passing through as a huge obstacle for the ball to pass by. Finally, a SkiFree Event will summon the Abominable Snow Monster, which will chase around the ball; if it catches the ball, it will crunch down on it and steal a sizable amount of points from all players. Each event lasts 15 seconds.
Any of these elements (Ultra Shots, Powerups, and Crossover Events) can be enabled or disabled locally, but they are either all enabled or all disabled in online matches, depending on whether you're playing Casual or Competitive Play respectively.
===Customization===
Pong 2022 allows for customization, like many games do in the modern age of the video game industry. The paddles can be made into different shapes and given different hex colors, although every paddle retains the very same hitbox and properties. If two players have the same paddle color (or very similar ones), one player will randomly be assigned their backup color. The player's paddle can be made wavy, rugged, etc., and given textures that make it look cracked or make it look smooth and shiny. Using an art program, the player can draw up their own textures for the blocks, although only the preset textures can be used online so adult imagery doesn't find its way in the online scene.
The ball can also be customized, although only in local play. The ball will always take the color of the player that hit it last, so the color can't be customized, but the shape can. The player can reshape the ball so it's a square, a diamond, a U-turn, a lightning bolt, a heart, a knife, etc. although once again it will always have the same hitbox no matter what form it takes. It can also be made to look like a Space Invader, a Donkey Kong oil can, a Mario sprite, a Link sprite, or whatever drawing the player makes to replace it. Once again, custom drawings can't be used online.
==Achievements==
There are several Steam achievements for Pong 2022.
==Soundtrack==
The soundtrack for Pong 2022 is something to behold.
"Television Static" 	Used when starting up Pong 2022.
"Ambiance (Lack Thereof)"	Used when playing anything in the game.
==Poll==
<poll>
Which element of Pong 2022 is your favorite?
Having the original Pong, because f**k you GrimCompany!
The revised points system
Ultra Shots
Power-Ups
Crossover Elements
</poll>
==Trivia==
*Pong 2022 was going to include a Story Mode, but Grim Company Studios wasn't sure how to implement it. However, Ares hinted that it would've involved a couple named Romeo and Juliet, who were going through an ugly divorce and were taking out their anger on each other. The ball would've started as a ball, then turned into a beer bottle, and finally into a knife. You would've gotten different endings depending on if you chose to play as Romeo or Juliet.
*Grim Company Studios had to sue someone named Evan Jiffy for distributing an illegal modified copy of the game called "Pog 2022", which replaced the ball with the face of Ryan Gutierrez. This in turn cancelled the PogChamp meme.
Category:Games
Category:Fan Games
Category:Pong (series)
Category:2022