back to article Speedball 2 Brutal Deluxe

I know it’s not 2095 yet but with Boris back in power and the Olympics imminent, I am preparing myself to witness London fall into terminal decline due to sports related overspending and aggressive austerity measures. Indeed, I can envisage an appetite for a Rollerball-style games event; entertaining the galleries of corporate …

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  1. Nick Ryan Silver badge

    It's just such a shame that the recent sequel was so abhorrently awful and nothing like the originals that it's nothing more than an insulting cash in on nostalgia.

    I wasted far too much time playing both Speedball 1 and 2 :)

  2. chriswakey
    Thumb Up

    An utter classic.

    I lost count of the joysticks I knackered playing that.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    iphone

    I spend a bit (ok, too much) time playing it on the iPhone recently. The on-screen joystick isn't good, but luckily the tilt controls are MUCH better. But of course tilt doesn't work so well on the big iPad - so my advice is to play it on the iPhone instead.

  4. Sir Runcible Spoon

    Sir

    Great fun two-player - Seeing your mates face as you smash his goalie in the face allowing a simple score - lovely.

  5. Sir Runcible Spoon

    Sir

    Does anyone remember and old game that had you sword-fighting your opponent (you could perform a spin attack and decapitate your foe)

    Wouldn't mind a blast at that again

    1. AdamW

      Re: Sir

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian_II:_The_Dungeon_of_Drax ???

    2. Graham Bartlett

      Re: Sir

      That was Barbarian. (And Barbarian 2, which was basically the same thing with a bit of side-scrolling movement to the next encounter.) Not a bad game.

    3. Grifter

      Re: Sir

      Moonstone had that.

    4. Giles Jones Gold badge

      Re: Sir

      Yup, Barbarian is the one.

    5. JEDIDIAH
      Linux

      Re: Sir

      Plus the house elf would come out to tidy up the body and kick head around.

      Good times...

  6. Cliff Cheetham

    this used to be work for me

    I used to hammer this when I "worked" for a computer shop in Doncaster and play all the local kids at lunch-time when they came out of school !!

    I went through quite a few Zipsticks playing this, gonna check out ther ipad app now :-)

  7. g e

    No mention of Ice Cream?

    Quel disappointment!!

    I used to build my centre forward up and just have him muller through the opposition in a straight line all the way through to the goalie then slam the ball in for good measure :o)

    There was a throw you could do to bounce the ball of the electrifier so it went along the side through any opponents and round the multiplier loop, too. Most effective!

    Must have destroyed 4 Kempston Pro joysticks.

    Ice Cream, Ice Cream!

    1. thefutureboy

      Re: No mention of Ice Cream?

      Ice cream! Ice cream!

      Always seemed to get shouted whenever I messed something up or let in a goal...was sure the game was just taking the mickey.

    2. tsdadam

      Re: No mention of Ice Cream?

      Typically this appeared just the same time as my own post on the same thing :)

    3. foo_bar_baz
      Thumb Up

      @g e

      Destroyed 4 Kempston Pro joysticks? Quite a feat, I always thought the Competition Pro ("With Microswitches!") was nigh indestructible. Not much that could go wrong with them.

      I remember having to adjust the metal thingies under the fire buttons at some point, but that was all.

  8. Thomas 4
    Thumb Up

    Not bad...

    ....but my favourite Bitmap Brother's game was The Chaos Engine. Classic style shooter with chunky solid graphics for the time. If anyone knows where I can get an emu version, I'd appreciate it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Not bad...

      Had Chaos Engine running on my Android phone recently. Still a great game although the virtual joystick isn't quite the same. There's a version that runs on PC too. Search for WinAUE

    2. DavCrav

      Re: Not bad...

      "If anyone knows where I can get an emu version, I'd appreciate it."

      There's a megadrive/genesis version. Just saying, that might help you.

    3. Tom 38

      Re: Not bad...

      Little Green Desktop is an Atari ST fan site. It has links to three working emulators.

      As for the game itself, it is available on the Automation Collection disk 400. That should be enough information to find a copy.

  9. Dave 126

    Absolute classic. From an era of British classics, Bitmap Bros, Sensible Software, Code Masters, Team 17, Bullfrog...

    The Bitmap Brother's The Chaos Engine deserves mention in any compendium of the Steam Punk sub-genre, too, taking as its premise 'What if Babbage's difference engine had gone a bit HAL9000?'

    The closest I have experienced in recent times is Wario Stadium Soccer on the GameCube- takes the sensible step of not aping too closely the sport it is based on. Trying for and failing a slide tackle on your opponent gives them the opportunity to drop a massive Kooper Shell on your side of the pitch. The automated goal keepers are crocodiles... Superb mayhem.

    @ Sir Runcible... Very vaguely, from the pages of PC Zone... there was what looked like a rugby pitch with bombholes in it...

    1. phuzz Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      I think the Wario thing has morphed into Mario Strikers (something like that), on the Wii. I've not really played much myself but I watched my flatmate and his mates try for hours to beat the league in co-op mode, they never quite made it...

  10. Graham Bartlett

    Awesome game

    Still remember the classic strategy of "lob the ball at the goal and follow it in". When a player's in the air, a tackle automatically takes him out, so you hammer the goalie as he jumps and the ball sails straight through. Of course this relies on the two defenders and central midfielder not nailing you first...

    1. Tom 38
      Thumb Up

      Re: Awesome game

      This.

      The game basically boils down to making sure that you own the multipliers, making sure that you pummel the opposition CF, CM and GK non stop - they should be injured and replaced by the end of the first half - and then romping through the second half.

      The more you score, the more money you get for a win, make sure to collect as many upgrades as possible.

      You can get out of league 2 easy enough by playing well and buying 'stars', but they are all league 2 stars, and so will suck next season. The absolute best players you get are the ones you started with, as these can all be improved to 250 on all stats, where as a star is quite fixed. So you need a few stars to help you in leage 2, but not more than 3, and keep pumping up your original squad.

      I also broke a bunch of joysticks on this, I ended up with a custom built joystick with parts from about 3 knackered ones! The fire button was just a microswitch dangling outside of the case :)

  11. tsdadam

    No mention..

    ..of the most memorable bit of speech from those hazy Amiga days?

    "Ice Cream!!"

    I loved the Bitmap crossover stuff too, like Super Nashwan from this game and Xenon 2: Megablast :)

    1. Thomas 4
      Happy

      Re: No mention..

      Xenon 2 was the first PC game I ever played. Couldn't remember whether it was a Bitmap game or not.

      It was, however, awesome.

  12. Jedit Silver badge
    Terminator

    Rollerball

    It's worth noting that there was an unlicensed rollerball game for the Amiga, called Killerball. It didn't have the bikers or catchers, but the style was intact and it was quite a fun game.

    As for rollerball itself, there has been a full game played. The stunt team on the original movie thought they'd give it a go before the sets were dismantled, and by all accounts had a high old time.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Re: Rollerball

      Was the the one where you could elbow your opponents in the face?

    2. Jason Hall

      Re: Rollerball

      You sure it wasn't on the C64?

      1. WuQi
        Thumb Up

        Re: Rollerball

        Elbow in the face? That was Rocketball by IJK Software on the C64.

  13. Bassey

    Strange

    I remember playing this game a LOT as a kid but didn't have any of the machines listed? Still, it was fantastic fun.

    1. stucs201

      Re: Strange

      As is often the case they've not listed all the platforms....

  14. Joseph Bryant

    Xbox Live

    Speedball 2 was re-released as a download game on Xbox Live quite recently. There's the option to play with the old graphics or with pointless new graphics, but it's still the same game underneath either way. Still fun!

    1. TakeTheSkyRoad

      Re: Xbox Live

      You might have just sold me an xbox !

    2. Dave's Jubblies
      Pint

      Re: Xbox Live

      Link or it didn't happen!

      I can't find it! TELL ME WHERE IT IS!!!!!

      please?

      1. system11

        Re: Xbox Live

        Unfortunately it was de-listed after Empire Interactive collapsed. It was a pretty good port too once you switched off the awful new graphics. Still got it on my machine, shame nobody can download it to play 2p with me now.

        1. GregC

          Re: Xbox Live

          It's also available for PSP (and it works on the Vita too). Brilliant fun on a handheld :)

  15. SpaMster
    Happy

    Brutal Sports Football anyone?

    I think Brutal Sports Football also falls into this games category, the brawling sports genre ruled!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Brutal Sports Football anyone?

      As much as I enjoyed Speedball II, Brutal Sports Football was indeed more entertaining. Injury time was just awesome, nothing could beat decapitating your opponents entire team.

  16. This post has been deleted by its author

  17. CRX-RULES
    Megaphone

    PS3 Version too !

    I recently saw this on PS3 so had to download and play continually until my fingers broke

    I completed the first 2 leagues , but then the 3rd league with the robot /alien players i couldn't remember form my younger days, anyway they mashed up my hardcore new transfers like a bullet shot through a wet turd ans i could win a match : ( - but still great fun and fine to play on ps3 pad

    Bodini was always my favorite : D

  18. herkamur
    Thumb Up

    Wow... My room mate and I in university played many hours of this game on my Amiga when we should have been studying. I still have the game and the working Amiga. Maybe I should fire it up again.

  19. Gazareth
    Headmaster

    Loved playing this years ago, you're right that not many other sports games can matched its fast & fun gameplay!

    On a pedantic note, in his current role as England manager, Roy Hodgson doesn't actually have the option to buy & sell players...

  20. Bad Beaver
    Thumb Up

    BAM BAM BAM

    I really liked this one back in the day. Bitmap Brothers had a great run, they even cultivated their own visual style. Speedball / 2, Xenon / 2, Magic Pockets and all the other ones are classic showcases of how to make good games.

  21. Joseph Lord

    Was available on PC too!

    I still have the 3.5" floppy disc it came on.

    Might have to get the PS3 version.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One of the greatest games of all time I reckon. God knows how many hours of my life I lost playing this against the computer and against friends.

  23. Stu J
    Thumb Up

    Cheating

    And if you wanted even more fun, you could use a disk block editor on your save game to up all of your attributes to insane levels. Awesome.

  24. Mayhem

    And don't forget th Mutant Leagues

    Mutant League football & Mutant League Hockey were great fun on the megadrive/Genesis.

    Always loved blowing up the opponents best goalie. Made scoring so much easier.

  25. blapping
    Meh

    sensi

    for gods sake, cut to the chase and do an article on the best game ever made - sensible soccer.

    1. blapping

      Re: sensi

      although speedball 2 is definitely up there sniffing at sensi's feet...

    2. Lamont Cranston

      Re: sensi

      Sensi was (is? I have it for PS2) good, but it's no Speedball 2. Few things beat the feeling of an extended powerslide, down the entire pitch, shoving all comers out of your way, and then flattening the goalie, before chucking the ball into the hole in the wall at point blank range. Or cocking it up at the last minute, and having the ball ping off the wall.

      This, and the Chaos Engine are quite possibly the greatest games ever made.

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