It is fast, and for me that means the D-pad is the only way to go. There’s some smart coding here, because I never spotted a moment where I wanted one thing and the controlled player did something else – although the game is fast moving enough that my focus could have already moved on. I’d seriously urge any player to go for the tutorial option when they first play the game – it explains the basics and lets you try out the d-pad or tilt controls before you get thrown into a match.Īs for all the tackling, passing and jumping moves, you just need to tap the screen in a form of “go do something” and your players will work it out for you. The easiest way is to throw the ball into the opponents goal (that would be ten points) but there are stars and bumpers you can hit all around the playing field, just like a pinball machine has, for smaller scores – but they all add up. You have a team of nine cyborgs (human players with mechanical improvements, so they don’t feel pain, for example), and your goal is to score more points than the opposing team. Speedball 2 is essentially a souped up, science fictionalised version of a contact ball sport – think Rugby, American Football, Rollerball and British Bulldog all rolled into one. Go buy it now.Īnd now, for everyone else. This is Speedball 2, as you remember it, but in your pocket. Anyone who has memories of the game needs to know only one thing. Now here’s Speedball 2 Evolution, a licenced version of the game that’s made the jump to the smartphone world via Tower Studios.
The next version, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe sealed the reputation of the franchise, and that meant that pretty much every sequel was prefixed Speedball 2. First up, don’t bother looking for Speedball – historians will know that this is a game from 1989 that flooded the minds of Atari ST and Commodore Amiga owners.