Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

By Chris Wilkins Published 17 October, 2007

Mike Montgomery on today's XBLA release.

Whenever I talk with friends about the top games on the Amiga, a number of games by the Bitmap Brothers inevitably end up on the list. They were truly masters of the 16-bit machine, each of their releases receiving universal acclaim and setting new benchmarks in game design that other developers invariably failed to meet.

With the announcement of Speedball 2 coming to XBLA, fans of the series embraced the news with excitement, verve and a little caution. Speedball 2 epitomises the quality exuberated in the games developed by the Bitmaps on the 16-bit machines. To mess with a formula, deemed faultless by so many, would surely end in tears. Some relief ensued when news broke that Mike Montgomery was heading the project.

With the release of Speedball 2 on XBLA today, we thought it would be a good time to catch up with Mike once again to talk about the Speedball IP and attempt to gleam details on potential further XBLA conversions from the Bitmap's illustrious back catalogue.

Eurogamer: Speedball has been consistently popular ever since it was first released. Had you always intended to reincarnate it for modern super consoles?

Mike Montgomery: Definitely. We were just waiting for the right time. Live Arcade seemed like the perfect fit for bringing back Speedball 2 with the online play that people had been asking for.

Eurogamer: Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe evolved the concept quite considerably. Where did you begin with improving on the original model?

'Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe' Screenshot 1

Mike Montgomery: There were a lot of things that we could not do at the time with the original Speedball. In 1990 when we wrote Speedball 2, we were able to use feedback from the original game to refine the layout of the pitch, improve the AI of the players, tighten the gameplay and expand the available game modes.

Eurogamer: Was Speedball 2 a much bigger, and more costly development than its prequel?

Mike Montgomery: Yes it was but it was not such a big step as occurs in this day and age. It was for the same machines as the original so we did not have to deal with a jump in technology.

Eurogamer: What were the most difficult aspects of its development?

Mike Montgomery: This was the first game that was developed with a team and not just the original partners of the Bitmap Brothers. That was quite a step for us. Also it was a bigger game so the main issues were compressing everything to fit it on a single floppy disk and getting the performance out of the Amiga and ST.

Eurogamer: Was there anything you wanted to include in Speedball 2 that never made it into the final game?

Mike Montgomery: That was so long ago I can't remember (maybe motorbikes).

Eurogamer: Good answer. How did the new XBLA version of Speedball come about?

'Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe' Screenshot 2

Mike Montgomery: We'd been talking to various people for a while. Empire were just getting into Live Arcade development and showed a strong interest and it just went from there...

Eurogamer: Was it a difficult project to get off the ground?

Mike Montgomery: Not really. We'd worked on the original games so we knew the game inside out. Within a few months we had a playable version up and running and the entire project took about nine months to complete with a core team of three people (John Phillips and myself handling the programming and Mark Coleman providing the graphics).

Eurogamer: Was XBLA a good format for re-developing Speedball 2? Is it comparable in anyway to the Amiga or Megadrive (for instance)?

Mike Montgomery: XBLA is a long way removed from the old 16-bit days of the Amiga. You've got the full power of the 360 to play with and much more refined development tools. Also you have to dedicate a lot more time to the online aspects and the user interface.

Eurogamer: Is the XBLA Speedball 2 a port or emulation, and which format is it based on (ie. Amiga, ST, etc.)?

Mike Montgomery: The game is based on the Amiga code and assets. Rather than use an emulator we decided to port the code by hand to 360. This had the advantage of leaving the original gameplay intact while allowing us to add in the extra hooks for the 3D mode, add all the new online features. We could also expand the number of teams and leagues and revamp the user interface so it could be localized into numerous languages.

'Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe' Screenshot 3

Eurogamer: Other than coming from the same origin, will there be any correlation between the XBLA Speedball and the new Speedball game due out on the PC (high score tables, online play, etc.)?

Mike Montgomery: They are two separate products. The XBLA game is an enhanced version of our original Amiga game. The PC product is being written from the ground up by a separate team.

Eurogamer: What kind of new features (online play etc.) can we expect from the XBLA Speedball?

Mike Montgomery: The online mode let's you jump straight in to a game using preset teams or a team you've built up over time in the career mode. There's all the XBLA extras like leaderboards, Achievements and downloadable content like new arenas and player skins. Also the 2D and 3D modes are fully compatible in online so you can play which ever you prefer. We've also increased the number of teams to 32 (the original had 16) and extended the cup and league modes.

Eurogamer: Is Speedball likely to see any more sequels in the future, following on from the XBLA version or the new game?

Mike Montgomery: We have a lot of ideas for expanding the Speedball concept and would love to create some further games in the series.

Eurogamer: How have you found Microsoft's rigorous XBLA testing policy?

Mike Montgomery: Generally the process went smoothly. The guys at Empire had previous experience with this so we were able to avoid many of the common pitfalls. I know people moan about it but at the end of the day it all contributes to making a solid product.

'Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe' Screenshot 4

Eurogamer: Are you happy with the end result? Given more time what would you change?

Mike Montgomery: There are always time and budget constraints but I think people will be happy with the end result. Fans of the original will be able to prove their skills online for the first time and those who've never played before can find out what all the fuss was about.

Eurogamer: Are you planning any remakes or ports of any other Bitmap Brothers games? Surely Chaos Engine is screaming a remake on XBLA?

Mike Montgomery: We'd certainly like to so you'll have to watch this space...

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe is out today (17th October) on Xbox Live Arcade. It costs 800 Microsoft points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30).

Picture of Chris.

About Chris Wilkins

Read more articles from Chris by visiting the Chris Wilkins archive page.

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Comments (73) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • cyacomini #1 4 years ago

    I thought EEE was out on Live! Arcade today - No?

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #2 4 years ago

    Both are :)

  • Monkey_Puncher #3 4 years ago

    Chaos Engine, Xenon 2 and Gods on XBLA please!

  • beep #4 4 years ago

    Why mess with the graphics and camera angles? Won't this make it like the dreadful PSone Speedball game which promised so much and delivered so bleh?

  • cyacomini #5 4 years ago

    Xenon 2 - I'd forgotten about that one. Fantastic music from the bitmap brothers...

    I'd quite like to see Zero Wing too.

  • lennon #6 4 years ago

    Magic Pockets pretty please

  • TwistidChimp #7 4 years ago

    Those in game screenies look rather meh. They've lost the pixel art charm of the original. What is that, a 3D pitch with rendered sprite players ? Bleh :(
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 11:51

  • lennon #8 4 years ago

    Doesnt he say you can play in the original mode if you prefer?

  • Mortey #9 4 years ago

    Xenon 2's music was by Bomb the bass if I recall correctly!

  • reality_cheque #10 4 years ago

    Yes, Gods please! So very hard, but also so very awesome :D

    Plus the title theme kicks serious butt.

  • TwistidChimp #11 4 years ago

    @ Lennon. Ah, you're quite right, seems they've left the original 2D mode intact. Ah well, I'll be sure to check it out myself.

  • sabreman #12 4 years ago

    Has to be Chaos Engine for me. Playing that on the Commodore Amiga CD32 was just an awesome experience. C'mon Bitmaps - sort it :-)

  • hamstand #13 4 years ago

    oooo xenon 2. that intro remains one of the most exciting moments in gaming for me.... ha

  • groovychainsaw #14 4 years ago

    Yeah - chaos engine (maybe with a few new levels... ) would be awesomeness!

  • Ceatlan #15 4 years ago

    Aren't those screenshots the ones for the PC speedball game and not related in any way to the XBLA version of Speedball 2 Brutal Deluxe, which uses exactly the same graphics as the Amiga original ?

  • rhinoxious #16 4 years ago

    You can play in original mode,

    and fromt eh sound of it the 3D version is working on exactly the same gameplay code, but just with fancier grpahics 'pasted' over the top.

    No reason why not, all you have to do is make sure teh animations take the same amount of time so they look rights and you can run all the same collision code and control and AI stuff under the hood.

  • nickthegun #17 4 years ago

    ICE CREAM!!! ICE CREAM!!!

  • sabreman #18 4 years ago

    I personally prefer the 1st Xenon game. I think I played it first on the ST, the Amiga was though the master of the 16-bit era.
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 12:38

  • lennon #19 4 years ago

    No it wasnt the ST was ;)

    /Ponders how things have changed oh......

  • FlamingCarrot #20 4 years ago

    Megablast by Bomb the Bass on Xenon 2.

    Please: Gods, Chaos Engine. No thanks: Magic Pockets and Z.

    I cannot wait to get this. Has it still got the music from the Amiga version (just on the intro).

  • inomine #21 4 years ago

    Z was awesome, and brutally hard, I want someone to bring that to the DS :(

  • Rirekon #22 4 years ago

    Awesome!

  • BadBoyBonner #23 4 years ago

    Glory days with the Amiga linked upto the Hi-Fi & Xenon 2 soundtrack kicking out!

  • lennon #24 4 years ago

    No to magic pockets?

    I used to love jumping on that pedal bike and going as fast as possible. :)

  • swede #25 4 years ago

    Yes, I used to have the 'miggy hooked up to the hifi as well. At the time, used to think it sounded as good as recorded music. Its amazing how bad 8 bit audio sounds now if you listen to it... still for its day, amazing, especially after upgrading from speccies and c64's.

  • FlamingCarrot #26 4 years ago

    I remember doing that with Powermonger :-)

    I really didn't like Magic Pockets. Traumatised by Betty Boo...
    Edited by 2 at 17/10/07 @ 13:05

  • BadBoyBonner #27 4 years ago

    Swede

    Lets not forget, that it sounded truly awesome when the material we were comparing it to was probably an 8th generation recording of someone's audio cassette on a walkman, hissing all over the place or with Dolby B removing anything over 8KHz lol

  • FlamingCarrot #28 4 years ago

    The audio in the Amiga was superior to the ST by miles i remember. Turrican's soundtrack was brilliant (hooked into the stereo).

  • swede #29 4 years ago

    yeh, it did sound awesome, i used to boot up xenon 2 just to listen to the music. I was amazed the first time I saw the Amiga in action.

  • swede #30 4 years ago

    Do you think if we get a red ring of death with the XBLA speedball playing, it will give us a Guru Meditation error number?

  • lennon #31 4 years ago

    @FlamingCarrot - Betty Boo lol

    I had completely forgotten that!

  • Darren #32 4 years ago

    Well it sounds a lot better than what I thought it would as it isn't just a straightforward port. I admit I don't think much to the original these days but I'll certainly check out this 3D remake to see if it plays any better than the original.

  • threeze #33 4 years ago

    It's a shame the demo is really quite terrible.

    The music is painfully bad - where are Nation 12 these days? Why can't you play the new 3D version in the demo, are the Bitmaps scared it will scare off more people than the putrid menu system? And what is with having to press a button to move off the line once the ball is shot up? It just feels wrong, as wrong as the new samples, as wrong as the animation on the multiplier and as wrong as it feels to be complaining about Speedball 2.

  • Retroid #34 4 years ago

    They shouldn't have bothered with the shitty 3D 'update'.

    >:(

  • Darren #35 4 years ago

    It's the 3D remake I'm interested in so if this demo doesn't allow me to try it then I'm afraid I won't be buying it. Why lock out something that people might think improves the look of the game?

  • FlamingCarrot #36 4 years ago

    The Killing Game Show and DMA's Walker.. Perhaps they could be XBLA'd?
    What game used the Loadsamoney sample on its theme tune? Something Psygnosis i think...

  • sabreman #37 4 years ago

    @FlamingCarrot

    Was it Blood Money? Seems to ring a bell.

  • FlamingCarrot #38 4 years ago

    Blood Money! Spot on!!

  • Darren #39 4 years ago

    "The biggest unanswered question is: where is the money?"

    Oh that title track was ace!!!

  • Kiigan #40 4 years ago

    Bloody hell, what have they done to Speedball 2? Fucking awful.

    Where are all the nice character customization screens from the original, upgrading armour etc? The new product structure / menu stuff is totally unsuitable.

  • FlamingCarrot #41 4 years ago

    Actually as i recall that was the best thing about the game!

    Seems a shame that the Nation 12 music is lacking from Speedball 2. I remember when i first loaded it and that opening fanfare blasted out with the "In 2020.." or what ever it was. Always thought it set the scene perfectly.

  • BadBoyBonner #42 4 years ago

    While on the subject of putting Disk one in, just to listen to the music - who can forget the awe-inspiring Full Contact Roto-scoped intro from Team17's Full Contact – as for disk 2….

  • Spanner #43 4 years ago

    Did you know the original "Ice cream! Ice cream!" sample from Speedball 2 was the voice of the late great Richard Joseph?
    Haven't played the XBLA version yet. Is it still in there?

  • FlamingCarrot #44 4 years ago

    Team 17! Pushing the boundaries at the time of anything graphical. I loved Full Contact. THanks Bonner, i am having a full blown nostalgiafest today! Lionheart- did i imagine it or was it a rather good platformer on the Amiga? No pussy quicksaves in those days, just contoller throwing, red faced fury as you died one last time...

  • BadBoyBonner #45 4 years ago

    Lionheart

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=G2px97_lj2Q

  • FlamingCarrot #46 4 years ago

    Bonner...many thanks. Fantastic...

  • Darkedge #47 4 years ago

    Looking forward to this, but release Chaos Engine on XBLA PLEASE! Doesn't need updating at all but a hi def version of the original would be lush

  • sabreman #48 4 years ago

    What's the concensus on this game so far with those that have played it? Will have to wait till tonight - when the kids are in bed :s
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 14:38

  • tinners #49 4 years ago

    hard to like these days im afraid, still an utter classic but the years show, so far only SWOS seems to age well....and thats'....well gone it seems :(

  • Brogan #50 4 years ago

    Am really enjoying this still great. only down side is the UI in the armour upgrade but no deal breaker by a long shot.

  • Ceatlan #51 4 years ago

    This is and always was intended to only be a port of the original Amiga game, no 3D graphics no nothing.

    The 3D version is an entirely different product being developed by different people and only for the PC, not for the 360.


    Personally I'm happy with that, because I'm pretty confident that the 3D remake for the PC will suck big time. I hope I'm proved wrong, but I'll be amazed if I am as nobody has made a good speedball game since the original brutal deluxe.

  • Squig #52 4 years ago

    Chaos Engine on XBLA ftw!

  • Monkey_Puncher #53 4 years ago

    Seems to play just as I remember it, though I'm not an expert on the game like some people so I'm sure the fanboys will have something to complain about. Oh and they've done a pretty good job with the updated graphics as well, I was expecting them to be rubbish but the game still plays exactly the same and looks pretty nice as well.

  • Darren #54 4 years ago

    How big is the XBLA download out of interest? I'm assuming it's a lot bigger than the 880 KB of the original? LOL

  • driptray #55 4 years ago


    Can you see more of the playing area in 3d mode?

  • Monkey_Puncher #56 4 years ago

    Gremmi, the updated graphics aren't the full 3D version they're doing for PC.

  • Ceatlan #57 4 years ago

    I stand corrected.

    Thank you for doing that, I have been asking the question about that all over the place and never got an answer, it seems I had to stand up and make and incorrect statement so somebody would correct me to actually get an answer.

    Seems its easier to get corrected for being wrong than it is to get an answer to a simple question :-D (I think that is probably true of the entire internet)

  • sabreman #58 4 years ago

    Right, off home to dowload, buy then play it.

  • 1Dgaf #59 4 years ago

    Could you ask him about the bug where, as the ball is put into play, your team freezes for a few seconds, letting the CPU get possesion?

    Or how about when the ball ends up near two members of your team and the computer can't decide which one you should control.

  • sabreman #60 4 years ago

    @1Dgaf

    I will if you want me to :-)

  • 1Dgaf #61 4 years ago

    If you could I'd appreciate it.

    I think there's a lot of potential for fun there, but that bug and some design choices do spoil the fun a little.

  • patchbox360 #62 4 years ago

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=FBSYwNiZdwo

  • Eldandoerino1 #63 4 years ago

    Downloaded played a few games deleted instantly.

  • Ryze #64 4 years ago

    Right - I want my bloody 360 now!

  • Agent_Llama #65 4 years ago

    Flaming Carrot: "Lionheart- did i imagine it or was it a rather good platformer on the Amiga?"

    I remember playing the demo of that. Recall it being rather fun. The amount of inane platformers on the Amiga was quite impressive, I remember playing a demo for Beavers too. Which was odd.

  • T-Bag #66 4 years ago

    Some games really don't age well but Chaos Engine is still brilliant to play now!

    I'm not ashamed to say I didn't actually like Speedball 2 much first time round but i'll check out the demo. Is it sad that I STILL load up some games on my Amiga to listen to the music through the Hi-Fi ! Speedball 2 being one of my favourites. I have ripped most to mp3 these days though.

  • driptray #67 4 years ago


    Really loving this now. It's just FUN!

  • Darren #68 4 years ago

    Downloaded the Speedball 2 demo and as expected it was as dull as my recent play of the Amiga version (which oddly looked and sounded better). At 100 points I'd have said piss off, at 800 I'll say f*** off!!! I'll put my £6.80 toward something better, like Eternal Sonata or Half-Life 2 thanks!

  • septimus #69 4 years ago

    Plays well, though the sound on the Amiga was better (will boot one up to confirm when I'm bored), the music certainly was better on the Amiga.

  • sabreman #70 4 years ago

    Played it last night when I got in - it hit the spot perfectly for me, especially in the normal graphics mode. The 3d enhanced visuals did not do it for me - then again I like the old games for the way they looked and sounded at the time and believe graphical enhancements are not always necessary.
    Edited by 1 at 18/10/07 @ 09:33

  • Darren #71 4 years ago

    The graphics look awful. Why couldn't the devs have just redone the 2D graphics for hi-def TVs and dropped the 3D ones completely? Even playing it in a small window on a widescreen TV it looks poor, and expanded it looks utterly dreadful. The original was 880 KB in size yet this game is 48 MB, presumably because of the 3D mode? Of course, the demo doesn't let you play the game in 3D, not that it would have made any difference really, as the gameplay is dated and dull IMO.

  • driptray #72 4 years ago


    @Darren. I completely agree! The "enhanced" version should have been proper hi-def sprites, and proper widescreen support. That would have been perfect!

    (ideally too, they could have produced a version that did away with the whole 8-direction thing and given us proper analog support .. but perhaps that would have changed the game too much.)

  • spadge #73 4 years ago

    RE: Full Contact Intro

    It was just a single bitplane animation in half-bright mode, nothing complex. Not sure what else anyone ever used extra-half-bright mode for :-)

    Full contact wasn't (by far) our best, but it was our first!

    You can't compare the footprint size of the games Darren, take the arcade ports which were in some cases less than 16K but end up 16-20Mb due to the XBLA system. (See Defender!)

    Glad to see Mike's still going, I interviewed him when I was running 17bit in 1987 :)