Written by: Rik
Date posted: April 16, 2016
Speedball
You don’t hear much mention of the original Speedball these days: in recent memory, I can recall a single comment somewhere on Rock, Paper, Shotgun from someone claiming to prefer it to the sequel, only for that person to be immediately derided as “a hipster”. Moderate internet research suggests it was well enough received at the time.
Speedball 2
This very game what we are talking about here (squire). As we mentioned, probably best experienced on ST or Amiga. There was a Megadrive version too (pictured), which was faithful enough, although I was irritated on a very superficial level by the coloured uniforms.
Speedball Arena
This was definitely announced as an actual thing at one point but available information is rather sparse. It got cancelled. (Screenshot from Gamekult).
Speedball 2100
The first attempt to update Brutal Deluxe to the modern system of the day (in this case, the PlayStation). Gameplay is superficially the same as the original, but feels a bit ‘off’. Plus the camera is too close and the graphics are the ugliest thing imaginable.
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe (Xbox Live Arcade)
A faithful port to the Xbox 360, with a few extras including optional 3D visuals. (Screenshot from Mobygames).
Speedball 2: Tournament
Another remake, this time from French developers Kylotonn, this again lacks the fast and furious violence of the original, and complicates the action with additional controls.
Speedball 2 HD
The most recent remake, spearheaded by Sensible Soccer creator Jon Hare. Promises to retain the spirit of the original gameplay don’t seem to have been fulfilled: the pace is slower and the pitch is bigger, plus the graphics sort of have a ‘cheap pound shop toy’ feel to them.
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