According to the game's story, the first Speedball league fails due to violence and corruption. As the organisation gives place to anarchy the game is forced underground, but five years later, in an attempt to regain public interest, Speedball 2 is born. The game starts in 2105 with the emergence of a new team, Brutal Deluxe.
Gameplay
Speedball 2 makes several changes over the original Speedball. Teams have nine players on court rather than five, and targets on the floor and walls can be hit to receive bonus points. The number of points that a team receives for scoring a goal starts at 10 but can be increased to 15 or 20 via the use of score multipliers located on the walls of the pitch. The same number of points for scoring a goal is given for injuring a player from the opposing team. When a player is injured, he is replaced by one of three substitutes. If all three substitutes are injured, the injured player will be forced to return to the game and play on in spite of his injuries. There are five game modes: knockout, cup, league, practice and multiplayer. Each game lasts for 180 seconds.
Reception
Speedball 2 is one of Bitmap Brothers' most successful titles. Zzap, CU Amiga and Computer and Video Games scored the game highly. The music, written by Simon Rogers and remixed and coded by Richard Joseph, won the 1991 Golden Joystick Award for Best Soundtrack. The voices, including the 'Ice Cream' salesman, were voiced by sometime Richard Joseph collaborator Michael Burdett working under the pseudonym Jams O'Donnell. The game was voted the 3rd best game of all time in Amiga Power. In 1994, PC Gamer US named Speedball 2the 24th best computer game ever. The editors wrote, "You just can't beat this game for pure action." That same year, PC Gamer UK named it the 30th best computer game of all time, calling it "totally convincing and very stylish". In 1998, PC Gamer declared it the 40th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "still one of the funnest sports games out there".
Remakes
Various remakes of Speedball 2 have been released.
Speedball 2100
Speedball 2100, released only for the PlayStation, is a 3D version of Speedball 2 with more options such as choosing and renaming any team, instead of having to play with Brutal Deluxe. This version, released in September 2000, failed to win over gamers and press because it lacked the speed and gameplay of the originals.
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe (2007)
Empire Interactive released onto Xbox Live Arcade on October 17, 2007. The game features a 3D graphics mode in addition to the "classic" visuals, as well as additional teams and online play. According to statements by the Bitmap Brothers, this version of the game takes place in the 24th century. It was eventually delisted from Xbox Live Arcade, but people who have already downloaded it are still able to play it.
Speedball 2 Tournament
released a remake developed by Kylotonn, Speedball 2 Tournament onto Steam in November 2007.
