Speed Ball 2 (Genesis)

Difficulty- ***1/2

Controls- ***

Sound- **

Graphics- ***

Overall- 11 1/2 stars out of 20

Due to extreme violence and 'illegal acts' speedball has been forced underground! You control a new expansion team called Brutal Deluxe. Its up to you to lead and manage the team all the way to the top. Do you have what it takes?

When you select any of the available 3 game modes your team pretty much stinks (you are an expansion team...) It doesn't help that the game doesn't match you up against teams of the same skill level as you.

You'll win a few games here and there, but until you buy better players you will be hurting. The lack of an onscreen HUD to know the placement of your teammates is inexcusable. It makes the passing game difficult.

The players are easy to move around and the controls are simple. Each button does basically the same thing. Pass, slide tackle and jump. That's it. Maybe adding a punch button for up close attacks would have spiced things up. Also the fact that you can't switch players in-game is downright crappy! (What were the programmers thinking?)

Music selection is almost paper thin. The opening theme is hard on the ears too. Once you start a game, no music is played whatsoever! Thankfully there is some good sound effects. The announcer yells "replay!" when you score a goal. Also you get a blarring horn that sounds great. Your slide tackles and hits don't sound too convincing though.

If you like the colour gray, this games for you! I know its supposed too be the future but c'mon! Every player is the same colour! And so is the arena (really?) The only way to tell your guys apart is their health meter above their heads. On a side note you get a great replay when you score goals. Couple that with a little victory animation makes things nice.

Overall, if you had the choice between this and Power Ball, I say grab Power Ball. While the game is fun (don't get me wrong) it does have some glaring flaws. The controls are nice and simple, but you think they could have added a switch player button? The music is also non-exist ant but the sound effects are decent. The graphics look nice but its marred by the fact that the players and the arena is in gray! Unless its dirt cheap..buyer beware!