Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
Ice cream! Ice cream!
The Bitmap Brothers' violent future sport combined pinball physics with tactical team management.
Overview
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe was future sport as combat. The Bitmap Brothers’ 1990 Amiga game combined handball, pinball, and legalised violence into something addictively playable. Teams clashed in steel arenas, points scored through goals and player injury alike. “Ice cream! Ice cream!” became gaming’s strangest victory cry.
Fast facts
- Developer: The Bitmap Brothers.
- Publisher: ImageWorks (Mirrorsoft).
- Release: 1990 (Amiga original).
- Setting: dystopian future, legalised violent sport.
- Team: Brutal Deluxe, starting from the bottom.
- Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, PC, C64, Mega Drive, and more.
- Music: Nation 12 theme became iconic.
The gameplay
Speedball 2 mixed multiple mechanics:
- Team control: direct one player, AI handles others.
- Scoring: goals (10 points), hitting stars (2 points), multipliers.
- Injuries: knock opponents down for points.
- Power-ups: collect tokens for temporary advantages.
- Bouncing: pinball bumpers and walls created chaos.
The management layer
Between matches, players became managers:
- Team upgrades: buy stat improvements.
- Roster changes: acquire better players.
- Career progression: transform Brutal Deluxe from worst to champions.
- Economics: prize money funded improvements.
The Bitmap Brothers style
Their games shared characteristics:
- Metallic aesthetic: steel, chrome, industrial design.
- Attitude: edgy, mature-themed content.
- Polish: smooth animation, responsive controls.
- Music: electronic soundtracks defining their era.
Speedball 2 epitomised the approach.
”Ice cream!”
The crowd chant became legendary:
- Actually: “Ice cream! Ice cream!” celebrating scores.
- Misheard as various phrases.
- Became gaming meme before memes existed.
- Perfectly encapsulated the game’s strange charm.
The C64 version
Conversion handled the complexity impressively:
- Reduced player count worked within hardware.
- Gameplay feel maintained.
- Obviously less detailed, but playable.
Legacy
Speedball 2 proved sports games could be brutal, stylish, and deep simultaneously. The Bitmap Brothers’ aesthetic influenced countless games. The management layer added longevity beyond arcade matches. Modern sports games’ career modes owe debt to Brutal Deluxe’s journey from bottom to top.