#Speedball 2 evolution psp review update
#Speedball 2 evolution psp review pro

And with all the other moves scattered across other keys, it can become an impossible scramble to reach and use them effectively in such a fast-paced non-stop game. Basic player control is fatally hamstrung by the WASD set-up, which makes simple evasive manoeuvres a real trial, while using the mouse to throw sounds a lot better in theory than it is in practice. Playing Speedball on the keyboard is, frankly, a horror show.

#Speedball 2 evolution psp review pro

It's not going to trouble to the likes of Pro Evolution Soccer for athletic variety, but it's hard not to beam when you run a cheeky dummy around the defense, leap over a sliding tackle and wallop the ball into the goal with a crunch. Freed up from the restrictions of one-button joysticks things like high and low throws, sliding, dashing and jumping are all assigned their own keys and are therefore much easier to pull off, making those last minute scrambles to the goal all the more satisfying. There are no new manoeuvres - not that the game really needed them - but the array of movement options from the original Speedball 2 has been given room to breathe all the same. Also extremely useful is the ability to target your nearest team-mate, which makes passing a much more fluid affair. You can now use hotkeys to change your formation on the fly, as well as instantly jump to the goalie - both of which are handy and sensible inclusions. The controls are another area where things are mostly the same, yet different. Viewpoints like this show off the graphical detail, but you'll be playing the game in the traditional top-down view. The default view is at a nice distance, allowing you to enjoy the new details, but offering greater scope for plotting a course to the goal and finding space for your team-mates. You see more of the arena (different viewpoints are also available) and there are more players on screen at a time. Unlike the rather gruesome updated visuals available in the XBLA release, this is a smart and welcome update. While the burly Bitmap Brothers shoulder pad style has been retained, the chunky sprites of old are now more slender and lithe polygon beasts. The most immediately obvious change is graphically. However, that's not to say that this modern makeover has been a complete success. Thankfully, despite several surrounding tweaks, the gameplay is virtually identical to how it was way back when. Even with original creator Mike Montgomery at the helm, the spectre of over-compensation loomed large.

#Speedball 2 evolution psp review update

Unlike the recent port of Brutal Deluxe on XBLA, this part sequel/part update actually tinkers with the guts of Speedball and thus can't coast on nostalgia alone. All I need to do is cue up some Sonic Youth, grow back my virginity and it could be 1991 all over again.

Spookily, as it's gone a bit nippy and I can't be arsed turning the heating on, I've just thrown on the nearest item of clothing and realised that it's an old plaid shirt. In fact, the whole Amiga scene - so quickly trampled into the dust once those spanky 16-bit consoles bounced into view - has been undergoing an impressive resurgence of late thanks to the likes of Xbox Live Arcade and Steam. It's more than a little weird that, after sixteen years of being little more than a fond memory for those who came of age during the last gasp of the quaint 'home computer' era, we're faced with two new Speedball games.