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".
