Speedball – a brutal reboot, hopefully (Rebellion)
One of the Bitmap Brothers’ most acclaimed games is going into early access on Steam and it’s looking very promising.
The concept of future sports doesn’t really exist in the modern video game world, with the only real equivalents being fantasy themed sports like Blood Bowl and Pyre. It used to be quite a popular concept back in the 80s and 90s, when the undisputed champion of the genre was Speedball, or more accurately 1990’s Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe.
There have been many attempts to revive the series since then, with Speedball 2100 on the original PlayStation, an Xbox Live Arcade version of Speedball 2, Speedball 2 Tournament in 2007, Speedball 2: Evolution in 2011, and Speedball 2 HD on PC in 2013.
Needlessly to say, none of them were a hit but Sniper Elite publisher and developer Rebellion (who now own Bitmap Brothers’ back catalogue) is the latest to give it a go, with an early access version, called simply Speedball, available from today on Steam for £14.99.
It’s described as a brand new entry in the series, set in the ‘grim future of 2139’, where mega corporations use violent sports to distract the masses from the misery of their lives. In other words, the concept is still heavily influenced by 1975 movie classic Rollerball (just forget about the 2002 remake).
The original Speedball worked as a cross between rugby and hockey, where violent tackles are all part of the game and additional points can be scored by taking out rivals (or using the score multipliers at the side of the court).
Despite this it was a highly skilled game and one of the most entertaining sports titles of the era, even if it wasn’t based on a real one.
It was very much of its time though, with very restrictive, digital controls that have never translated well into any of the attempts at a modern follow-up.
Considering how photorealistic modern sports sims look, the visuals and presentation have also been a problem, so it’s going to be interesting to see how Rebellion tackles that.
The trailer and screenshots look relatively encouraging, and very much like a modern interpretation of Speedball 2. There’s also apparently a sports management strategy element to the game, which also existed in the original.
According to the listing on Steam, the new game has a ’12-month roadmap’ before the full version is released, presumably for other formats as well as just PC.
Speedball – why do we suddenly fancy an ice cream? (Rebellion)
Additional features planned for the next year include a team management and draft system, player and manager progression, a career mode, and skill-based matchmaking and leaderboards (it’s a bit ominous they’re not there from the start).
New cosmetics, skins, and arenas are also promised, with Rebellion planning to take into account fan feedback as development continues.
Speedball – EA Sports FC eat your heart out (Rebellion)
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Source:: Metro
