Dodgeball used to mean smacking classmates with red balls and disciplinary impunity. Double D’s retro style trades rowdy second-graders for Space Invaders alien ship–like abstractions, but it also emphasizes speed and cooperation via elements you won’t find in any gymnasium.

Only four maps vary the shape of the arena, but variations determine whether tagged players await reinstatement on a bench-warming line or sabotage enemies from behind. If the default surface seems too forgiving, swap it for movement-retarding plasma or slippery ice, or electrify boundaries to stun the unwary. Four kinds of balls further mix up the action: heavy balls are slow but hard to catch, for instance, while glass balls break on impact.

No matter what projectiles are careening around and trailing stylish vector effects, the controls are both easy to grasp and challenging to master. Five character types necessitate changes in playing style — from slow-moving but strong-armed Shooters to fleet-footed but butter-fingered Runners — but curving a ball around an obstacle and timing the perfect catch to enable powerful special shots is satisfying enough even in chaotic matches devoid of playmaking. It’s a good thing, too: it’s hard to get team spirit up when you have to create new matches just to change any settings.

The individual layers of variation don’t run terribly deep, and offl ine exhibitions only cast a harsh light on amateurish A.I. flaws, but Double D Dodgeball ’s offbeat mix of arcade action and online sporting teamwork still packs enough fastpaced intensity and simple strategy to be worth inviting to recess.

On Xbox Live Arcade

+ Fluid blend of old-school looks and current-gen speed

+ Adequate variety of characters, ball types, and field options

- Surprisingly weak matchmaking system, worse A.I.

? Why can the A.I. catch balls that hit from behind, but we can't?

6.5