Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

If you liked the original, you'll love this sequel. Created by the extraordinarily talented Bitmap Brothers. Speedball 2 is subtitled 'Brutal Deluxe.' It means it. The game of speedball (a combination of hockey, armor, pinball, and mayhem) has become so violent it has had to be moved underground. This version has more player attributes and other enhancements to make the play even more frantic, not to mention bloodthirsty. If you thought the original Speedball was fast-moving, wait 'til you see this one! The playfield (pitch) is bigger, but the automatic scrolling is so responsive you'll be reaching for the dramamine bottle in no time. The player animations have also been redone with more detail. Now when you give someone an elbow, you see it onscreen. Speedball 2 is deliciously vicious, sort of like the Sex Pistols on steroids. It's also one of the most highly playable games to come along in quite a while.

The ultimate future sport game to date - fast, brutal, enormously playable. The Bitmaps' finest moment. Teams can be hard to tell apart in the heat of the action. The best.

One of the advantages of computerizing a fictionalized game is that you can completely change it for the sequel, doubling the size of the pitch and throwing in loads of new features. Try doing that with footie!

Phew! The ST version was great, but the Amiga version is little short of amazing. The pitch seems to scroll more quickly and smoothly, and play seems faster (although the Bitmaps swear that both versions are identical speedwise). The Amiga's graphic superiority it utilised to produce better pitch detail and the support screens are drawn in 32 colours. But the most impressive improvement is the sound: the crowd roars, players grunt and groan as they get beaten up and the commentator shouts out "Replay" and "Get ready!" - there's even a vendor in the crowd yelling "Ice cream! Ice cream!" It's one of the best examples of how great sound can really add to a game, and easily makes this the future sports sim to buy.

Speedball 2 ist klasse. Das Spiel ist schnell, hart und macht Spaß. Auch der Multiplayer macht trotz Schwächen sehr viel Spaß. Schön ist auch, dass man hier den Torhüter steuern kann.

Die Bitmap Brothers haben von jeher ein glückliches Händchen bei ihren Fortsetzungen, man denke nur an “Xenon II”. Und die Neuauflage des Brutalo-Sports hat ja schon am ST recht gut ausgesehen, mit der brandneuen Amigaversion haben sich die Jungs aber mal wieder selbst übertroffen! Und das war bestimmt nicht einfach, den schließlich ging es darum, einen Meilenstein der Softwaregeschichte nochmals zu verbessern: Als „Speedball“ vor ca. zwei Jahren herauskam, war so gut wie jeder von dem futuristischen Sportspektakel begeistert – das Game war nicht nur unheimlich schnell, sondern auch genial einfach zu handhaben. Regeln gab es praktisch keine, man musste einfach den „Ball“ (eine Stahlkugel) irgendwie ins gegnerische Tor bugsieren – ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste!

If you liked the original, Speedball 2 will not fail to fulfil your expectations. With the enhanced modes, online leaderboards and ranking, local and online play over LIVE and some challenging achievements, Speedball 2 is a worthy purchase for the 800MS Points.

The graphics are not superb but very nice for a sports game. Everything is done is the typical Bitmap Brothers metal-look. The sounds could have been better but it‘s OK because the gameplay compensates everything. If sounds and graphics are more important to you, you probably should try the Amiga version or get the PlayStation version Speedball 2100 which was released autumn 2000. Due to the confusing player-switch-habit Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe gets 4 out of 5 points from me. The game is most fun when you play fullscreen and with a joystick - that really beams you back to the late 80s/early 90s.

In most ways that matter, this is a fine conversion of an enduring classic, and is exactly the sort of game that makes Xbox Live Arcade one of the most exciting gaming platforms around. Available for 800 points, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe is not necessarily the sort of game that newcomers will take to, but for those of us who were around at the time, it's damn near essential. The Bitmaps deserve credit for not messing around with what made it great - but fix those bugs soon, eh chaps?

Playing the original ROM of Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe is great, but we were hoping that the Xbox Live Arcade graphically enhanced gameplay would be a bit better. This isn’t a huge deal unless you must play with the updated visuals; we’ll assume most of you won’t mind decent sprite-based graphics from yesteryear. The enhanced mode also seems to suffer from some control hiccups that the classic mode does, which is an even bigger shame. The classic mode also gets a nice shadow on the ball when a high pass is thrown, which is sadly absent from the enhanced version. This lack of shadow actually makes the enhanced mode more difficult to play well and, consequently, makes it a letdown for the most part. The bottom line: Pick up Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe for its ROM-perfect mode and online extras, but not for the (nifty-looking) enhanced visuals.

Speedball 2 doesn't offer a lot of frills and extras, but it does prove to still be a solid action/sports game that is just as violent today as it was 17 years ago. Fans of Speedball should be impressed with what Bitmap Brothers have done with this franchise and new players shouldn't have much trouble seeing what the appeal is. It's not for everybody, but Speedball 2 is worth checking out.

"Speedball 2" bietet härteste Actionkost und massig Spielspaß à la Bitmap Brothers. Grafik und Sound sehen gegenüber dem Original zwar eine Idee abgespeckter aus, lindern aber den prachtvollen Brutalo-Spaß nicht die Bohne. Nach anfänglicher Hektik und Frustration motiviert Speedball 2, dank Paßwortsystem, ungemein. Für Sportfans, die gern harte Spielchen knacken, empfehlenswert.

Wo werden Mannschaften für 200 Jahre gesperrt, die während des Spiels den Schiedsrichter foltern? Bei "Speedball" natürlich, jener liebenswerten Sportart des 21. Jahrhunderts, welche das Programmierteam "Bitmap Brothers" vor zwei Jahren erfand. Beim Nachfolger "Speedball 2" wurde die harte Mannschaftssportart in jeder Hinsicht aufgemöbelt. Zur kernigen Action beim Gerangel um einen Stahlball kamen eine Portion Trainerstrategie, ein größeres Spielfeld und neue Wege, um Punkte zu erzielen.

Speedball 2 is not going to win any beauty contests, and the controls make it feel as though you are playing with a field of squeaky tin men, but it is not without its charms. The wealth of game modes, ability to run and grow an online team, and frantic gameplay ensure you will play this title for longer than a quick stroll down memory lane.

Speedball 2 is a fun little game that will probably do a better job in stirring nostalgia in those who were playing it 16 years ago rather than drawing in any new players. It's not going to set the Xbox Live Arcade world on fire by any means, but slots in nicely as another well-done classic game revival.

The Xbox Live Arcade version of Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, then, does a solid job of re-creating 1991's game, but falls short almost every time it attempts to improve upon or enhance it. Attaining some of the new game's varied achievements is tough enough to provide a lasting challenge even for speedball veterans, but don't expect great things from the online play. If you're new to Speedball 2, there are certainly worse XBLA games that you could spend your points on, but remember when the original was made, and don't expect to win many matches until you've learned your way around the arena.

This game may or may not have been popular and revolutionary when it came out, but by today's standards it's just plain boring.

Speedball 2 is a fine example how a lazy port can really drag down a great premise. The gameplay is still fun, but too few options, dull graphics, and the especially horrible music and sound effects really ruin the experience. It's kind of like putting a star quarterback in a team full of second-rate college footballers: He may deliver a great solo effort, but he alone can't win the game against other pro-teams. If you're able to look past the slipshod presentation and are only looking for a few fast games, then it's definitely worth your while. The fast gameplay is truly gripping, and few things are more satisfying than turning around an almost-lost game by scoring a goal in the last few seconds.

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe is not terrible, by any means. It's a faithful translation of a classic game that many gamers have fond memories of playing. The gameplay hasn't aged well, though, leaving most of the game's appeal to fans of the original. If you are one of those said fans, ten dollars isn't a bad price for a trip down memory lane. If you never played Speedball 2 before, though, it may be all too apparent why you missed it the first time around.

Un titre qui accuse malheureusement un sacré coup de vieux et qui souffre désormais d'un gameplay un peu trop limité pour tenir le joueur en haleine très longtemps. Dommage car l'on passe quand même d'agréables moments avec Speedball 2 notamment grâce à ses différents modes de jeux et ses possibilités en multijoueur.

If you take away all the bad things in this version, and you are still left with the same game as the original. Add in achievements and online leader boards, and you’ve got something that might appeal to fans of the original. New comers will have to take the learning curve and the slightly overpriced 800 points price tag into consideration. With what they have tried to add to the original game, it’s a shame it didn’t provide more. I see it as a case of a good job emulating but severely lacking in ambition and originality.

There are options to play in tournaments, to spend cash to improve your players, and to play online against other players, but when the gameplay is this frustrating and unappealing you’ll have no desire to spend the time with the game to make use of these other modes and features. Unless you grew up playing Speedball 2 and have a strong desire to relive your childhood you should probably pass on this one.

Speedball 2 doesn't offer a lot of frills and extras, but it does prove to still be a solid action/sports game that is just as violent today as it was 17 years ago. Fans of Speedball should be impressed with what Bitmap Brothers have done with this franchise and new players shouldn't have much trouble seeing what the appeal is. It's not for everybody, but Speedball 2 is worth checking out.

Speedball - another name for a fast sphere of energy that you chase around, smacking opponents and laying them out on their respective duffs. Sounds exciting, probably not, because this has been done too many times before. Oh well, creativity is hard to find.

Classic Speedball II may have been a big success in 1991, and could even be described as Bitmap Brothers’ franchise game, but players today demand far more for their gaming dollar. The poor animations, and more than anything, the lax controls, make this a game that few will play more than once.

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe used to be fun, but time has not been kind. Despite a variety of new gameplay options, this Xbox Live Arcade entry is not worth a second glance, due to poor controls, graphics, and sound. Skip It.