There was a time, in a bygone era full of hope and positivity known as the early ‘90s, when Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe was unprecedented champion of all sport video games. Sure, that title reign only lasted until 1992 when Sensible Soccer became the darling of the school playground, but it was long enough for Speedball 2 to become a classic of its fledging genre. Now, some 35 years later, Rebellion are attempting to put this aged champ on top with a series reboot, snappily titled Speedball.
From the start, let me just say that Speedball plays a darn good game of Speedball. Don’t let the snazzy 3D visuals fool you, Rebellion’s version is as fast and furious as you remember the original games being, maybe even more so. Speedball is a 6 v 6 ultraviolet conglomeration of American Football, Rugby and the 1975 cult classic film, Rollerball. Played from a top-down perspective, each enclosed arena is filled with traps to navigate – flamethrower turrets, spike pillars, explosives and more. It can get pretty hectic with players flinging the metal ball from teammate to teammate before beating the opposing goalie and lobbing the blood-soaked orb into the goal. Rules are minimal, players can tackle each other as much as they like. Heck, you even get points for injuring the opposing team, meaning you don’t even need to win with goals, just violence.
The players themselves are delightfully athletic, each capable of wall-running in that Assassin’s Creed style, flipping over obstacles, and leaping high above enemy tackles. Controls are incredibly responsive, so after just a short time you’ll be flipping over traps, before running along a wall, leaping from its surface, rolling back to your feet and finally launching into an offensive tackle with the best of them. In fact, Speedball goes out of its way to make you look good whilst playing it, even if you’re a new player that’s not entirely sure what’s actually going on. Thanks to a rather good tutorial though, you won’t be confused for long, as each element of the game is explored, from the opening whistle to the gore-splatted finale.
I say gore-splattered, because this sports game can get very nasty, particularly when you take into account Rebellion’s genius addition to the traditional Speedball formula, jet packs. Each player essentially has a rocket fuelled missile strapped to their back, allowing them to blast across the arena like a distinctly non-child friendly version of Buzz Lightyear who’s decided to flatten you. These super tackles add a satisfying element of risk and reward to the gameplay, you can dash across the entire arena to take out another player, but you can just as easily send yourself splatting headfirst into a wall. The crowd will love it either way, and so will you.
In terms of team selection, this is a who’s who of beloved players from the original games. Though this time every single team has a distinctive look and unique abilities. The highlight for me? As a devoted 2000AD fan the option of fielding a team of Mega-City One Judges was totally zarjaz. Also, does this mean that Speedball is definitively part of the Dreddverse? I certainly hope so!
Accessible and enjoyable with very little practice, Speedball is ideally suited for local play, with newbies soon able to provide a threat to even experienced Speedballers. With games over in a dinky five minutes, this is perfect pick up and play fodder. Outside of local play however, Speedball isn’t nearly as sure footed. The singe player league mode lacks in depth. Sure, you can hire new players, and ongoing injuries need to be accounted for, but otherwise this is just playing eighteen matches in a row by any other name. It’s basic, formulaic, and is lacking in imagination, failing to keep things fresh and surprising for the player
The same is true of the online mode. Online games play smoothly enough, though a lot of the fun is lost due to lacking the comradery of a couch session. You can set up a league between friends, but it’s all rather basic. An online global league mode, with brackets and winners each season and unique in-game prizes would certainly be a welcome addition, but that relies on having a large enough playerbase. Otherwise this is just a series of exhibition matches and little else.
