Every once in a while, I come across a gem of a Half Life 2 mod.  I haven't been scouting too intently, but I came across this on Steam and decided to check it out. 

It turns out this is a very exciting game.   First of all, if that's all you need, here's a link to their site and download. Now, if you need more, let me continue.  The best way to describe the game is sort of a mix of Lacross and Hockey... with guns and Spiderman-style acrobatics.  The objective is to grab the ball (which I assume is called a smashball) and either throw (3 points) or run (7-points) it in to the goal.  Of course, the goal is blocked by a giant armored machine gun and rocket launcher toting landmine tossing monster that can take you out in a matter of seconds.  Even with that obstacle, it's not an entirely impossible proposition.  You can choose from one of four classes, a forward, the nimble yet fragile goal scoring champion, a halfback, the less agile but more heavily armed offensive counterpart to the forward, a full back, the much slower but stronger defensive power, or the afore mentioned goalie.  Each class has it's own set of weapons that aid in its placement in the field.  Also, all positions have a grappling hook that can latch on to any surface and slowly pull the user in that direction or simply let them swing from one area to another.  While this allows for a great amount of manueverability, the best way to get yourself moving is to use the turbo button- a short boost of speed in any direction you're facing. This boost has another more sinister purpose.  If you boost in to another player it will cause them damage and could potentially knock them out.  The bigger your character (e.g. Fullback vs Forward) the bigger the bang.  If a player is knocked out too many times they will die and be out fo the round.

Now when you get all of these things together on a map, it turns into a chaotic symphony of explosions, bodies, bullets, and a funny little orb called a smashball.  I find that I perform best in defensive roles.  Using a fullback or the goalie to strip the ball from incoming forwards and halfbacks and take them out entirely while moving the ball back down the field/court.  Goalie can be one of the most rewarding positions when you block a shot or stop a run, but even more demeaning when the opposition scores a goal and you're sitting in the middle of the camera frame looking like a waste.  The offensive game can easily be just as exciting.  Boosting and swinging around enemy territory with the ball in your hand trying to avoid the defenses and get a shot at the goal.  I have to admit it seems to be much more difficult on offense than defense, but it's still a good time.

I can't say I haven't played a game similar to this.  There was that Unreal Tournament game mode (I haven't even looked for it in UT3) that involved you shooting or running a ball into a goal.  Smashball feels a lot like that game mode, but it's a LOT more fun.  It's much deeper and, surprisingly, even more fast paced.  Even though it's a great time, it has its downsides.  It feels very incomplete at the moment and has some major bug issues.  I would rather pay something like $10 for it and have a higher quality product than have a free buggy time, but that's just my opinion.  Maybe in the coming months there will be some patches that will fix these issues.