Speedball

The Good
An interesting thing about Speedball: while its sequel is considered as one of the best games on the Amiga (and a classic on the PC as well), Speedball is considered one of the worst. I've seen evidence of this on numerous Amiga-oriented sites and publications, among them a page that I think was titled "the 10 worst games on the Amiga".

I disagree with this ruling completely, owing to the fact that the original Speedball was the source of countless hours of sheer enjoyment and fun. While obviously inferiour to its sequel, Speedball is still a surprisingly original and fun game, with a decent premise, good graphics and sound and reasonably smooth gameplay on a slow machine. Besides, you just gotta love the concept.

The Bad
Admittedly the gameplay isn't as smooth as I'd wish (and becomes fairly jittery when the action becomes intense), the playfield isn't even remotely as well layed out as it could be (more precisely, as it was in Speedball II) and the I find the default EGA palette revolting.

The Bottom Line
A terrific game, shadowed by a magnificent, perfect sequel. Still makes a fun waste of a few hours.