Cyberball

Cyberball is an arcade game from Atari Games featuring 7-man American football with robot avatars of different speeds, sizes and abilities. The game replaces the standard downs system with an explosive ball that goes from "cool" to "warm", "hot" and "critical" depending on the stakes. Players can only defuse the ball by crossing the 50-yard line or changing possession, whether through a touchdown, an interception or a fumble, to reset it back to "cool". A robot that holds a critical ball while being tackled is destroyed along with the ball. The robots also have a limited durability. When offensive units are attacked, they wear out and emit smoke and then flames after a few hits. A flaming robot explodes when it is hit, fumbling the ball. Players can upgrade the robots with faster and more durable units using money bonuses earned during the game.