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2013 · Remake · Vivid Games · Sports · Indie

Speedball 2

Nintendo console exclusiveRemake

Speedball 2 HD is a modern reincarnation on the classic, futuristic cyberpunk sports game Speedball, originally developed by the Bitmap Brothers and first released for the Atari ST in 1990. A brutal mix of handball and ice hockey placed at break-neck pace.

Released: 5 December 2013
Platforms: Game Boy Advance Windows
Genres: Sports Indie
Developers: Vivid Games Tower Studios The Bitmap Brothers
Publishers: Mastertronic Rebellion Developments
Modes: Co-op Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action Science fiction
Age ratings: USK 6
Languages: English, French, German, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 7.5hmain story9hcompletionist

About

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe is a sports action video game developed by The Bitmap Brothers and initially released for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990. It is a sequel to the 1988 game Speedball, and therefore, it is based on a violent futuristic sport that draws on elements of handball and ice hockey, and rewards violent play as well as goals. The concept of the game is reminiscent of the 1975 film Rollerball. The original game was developed by The Bitmap Brothers, with various remakes for many platforms since being published.

The game was released for multiple platforms: the Acorn Archimedes, Atari Jaguar, Atari ST, Amiga, Amiga CD32, IBM PC compatibles, Commodore 64, Mega Drive, Master System, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Speedball 2 makes several changes over the original Speedball. Each team has nine players on court rather than five, and targets on the floor and walls can be hit for bonus points. The number of points that a team receives for scoring a goal is normally 10, but can be increased to 15 or 20 via the use of score multiplier ramps located on the walls of the pitch. The same number of points for scoring a goal is given for injuring a player from the opposing team.

When a player is injured, he is replaced by one of the three substitutes. If all three substitutes are injured, the injured player will be forced to return to the game and play on in spite of his injuries. There are five game modes: knockout, cup, league, practice and multiplayer. Each game lasts for 180 seconds, divided into two halves.

Story

According to the game's story, the first Speedball league (founded in 2095) fails due to violence and corruption. As the organisation gives rise to anarchy, the game is forced underground, but five years later, in an attempt to regain public interest, Speedball 2 is born. The game starts in 2105 with the emergence of a new team, Brutal Deluxe.

Reception

Speedball 2 is one of Bitmap Brothers' most successful titles. Zzap, CU Amiga and Computer and Video Games scored the game highly. The music, written by Simon Rogers and remixed and coded by Richard Joseph, won the 1991 Golden Joystick Award for Best Soundtrack. The voices, including the 'Ice Cream' salesman, were voiced by sometime Richard Joseph collaborator Michael Burdett working under the pseudonym Jams O'Donnell. The game was voted the 3rd best game of all time in Amiga Power.

In 1994, PC Gamer US named Speedball 2 the 24th best computer game ever. The editors wrote, "You just can't beat this game for pure action." That same year, PC Gamer UK named it the 30th best computer game of all time, calling it "totally convincing and very stylish".