Speedball (video game)

Speedball
Speedball cover art
Developer(s)	The Bitmap Brothers
Publisher(s)	Image Works
Platform(s)	Atari ST, Amiga, Blackberry, Commodore 64, PC, NES, Sega Master System
Release date(s)	1988
Genre(s)	Sports, Action
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Speedball is a 1988 video game based on a violent futuristic cyberpunk sport that draws on elements of handball and ice hockey, and rewards violent play as well as goals.

Speedball was released in November 1988 for the Amiga and Atari ST and later ported to the PC (DOS), Commodore 64 and the Sega Master System. SOFEL released a port for the NES in 1991, as KlashBall. It was re-released in 2004 as one of the 30 games on the C64 Direct-to-TV.

The game is played by two teams on an enclosed court with a goal at each end, similar to that of ice hockey or five-a-side football. The court contains elements that affect gameplay, such as score multipliers and power ups. Points are scored by successfully getting the ball into the goal, and also by injuring opposition players. The team that has amassed the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

A player has control of only one outfield player on a team at any one time. The game may be played by one or two players; two player games are played competitively.

Speedball received scores of 862 (DOS) and 834 (Atari ST) out of 1000 from ACE, 79% from Mean Machines and 57% from Power Play. The game won the 1989 Golden Joystick Game Of The Year award.Computer Gaming World gave the game a positive review, praising its graphics and long-lasting gameplay. It was also voted Best 16-bit Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards.