I always find funny how in the early 90's the future was just a chromed version of the present with intense electronic music. That wouldn't be that bad. xD
I remember a joke in spongebob about that classic episode of Squidward is frozen for 2000 years, and he wakes ups, he says "Everything, is chromed!!" Now i see why
Music is my main hobby, pastime, addiction, much greater than videogames... Thanks for adding the link of Speedball 2 OST to Bandcamp Mark! In these times of pandemics and economic collapsing, arts is the 1st thing that humanity step aside and, musicians suffer the same luck from other jobs that can't be done in quarantines, sure you can compose and stream but many musicians rely on live performances and merchandise sold at their gigs. Bandcamp yesterday was giving 100% of the earnings to all their musicians but if you missed this, it is ok, they still give 80 to 85% of the earnings to your favorite musician, band, group. Please go and buy a song or 2 to support them in these times. Please stay safe and support your community in any way you can, especially doctors and elder people.
I have some fond memories of playing Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe at a friend's Amiga 500 when I was a teen. Years later I bought the game for the Genesis and I still have that same copy.
A few things I must admit here... while I did like the Amiga back in the day I wasn't a huge fan of Bitmap Brothers games. I liked the original Speedball, but not most of their other stuff. Speedball 2 however, is probably my favorite game they ever made. Spent a lot of time playing this one on my trusty ole Amiga, such a fun game. It's practically the only "sports" game I ever bothered playing the league in. Haven't really got into on other platforms, but always interesting to see them!
What I respect about The Bitmap Brothers' games is that they were consistently ambitious with their games in producing content way beyond a particular platform's limitations in terms of graphics, presentation, music, and overall gameplay. When you look at this game and compare it with contemporaries at the time like John Madden Football it's leagues beyond where you're lost in awe. 🤤
@@thedrunkmonkshow I agree though that the bitmap brothers games often stood out at the time, with great overall presentation (visuals and music) + nice game design for the most part
I remember when I got Xenon and Speedball for the Amiga. It really felt like arcadegames. Just the samples was a big thing back in the day..Good times (-:
30 years on, this game has NOT been bettered! An all-time classic, you can't find anything like this on PS4/Xbox -One etc...let alone the PS5 and XBox Series X
Yeah. The fact Bitmap Brothers tried to remake this twice and failed completely both times its a statement of how they got it right first time by pure dumb luck :D
@@RetroCore it was done at a time when newer staff to the Bitmap Bros, were sick of the Amiga getting ST ports. Sprites done on the Amiga and Amiga version delayed slightly so they could add the extra starfield pitch design and ice cream,ice cream samples etc
Game Boy version for me Mark. I played that game a lot and to the point when I was excused to go to the boys room growing up, I was playing it in the John with the voice off so the school staff could hear me. LOL. 8^) Anthony..
Yes I noticed that. If you compare them side by side you can see that the Amiga uses more colours in the gradients - for example the walls of the arena. Also the Amiga uses more than one colour for the pitch - there is variation in the colour of the metal 'plates' that make up the floor. Also it's especially noticeable on that frankly unpleasant-looking team management screen on the Archimedes. Unusual as the Archimedes was more than capable of a perfect Amiga port as proven by other games of the time. Definitely not the case here and odd that Mark didn't spot it.
If I had to guess, I'd say the Archimedes version was programmed to run in it's 16 colour screen mode rather than it's 256 colour screen mode. That would explain the difference, as the Amiga version runs in 32 colours. Do note that this is merely an educated guess, so no guarantees. Perhaps an Archimedes user can clarify?
@@DutchRetroGuy it sure does look like 16 colours to me. I always though the Archie games were mostly using 256 colours but perhaps it needed to reduce the screen colours to keep up the frame rate? There were a lot of Amiga games that only used 16 col mode due to speed issues or simple Atari ST ports.
@@molhoy Agreed, perhaps it would be unable to keep up a smooth frame rate using more colours? I'm so used to playing the Amiga version I find it difficult playing some of these ports like the Megadrive which seem so cutback.
You could also compare "speedball 2 ultimate". It is the best version for c64. It maintains the same playability, but adds cutscenes, music, gfx and much more. Simply amazing.
I never got why Amiga's title music gets so much praise. The melody itself isn't bad, but samples sound like distorted horns from ice cream van or something like that.
Fun fact: the soundtrack of the Mega Drive port is different between regions. The North American release has a terrible audio, thanks to John Phillips' custom sound driver. Luckily, Matt Furniss rearranged the soundtrack and reprogrammed the sound design for the PAL and Japanese releases.
Nice one. I never knew they had different sound drivers. Reminds me of Shaodow of the beast were the Japanese version was reprogrammed entirely and Marble Madness where the Japanese version once again was remade.
Want to big up the Acorn Archenemies for a minute. I'd say it seems to be the best Western computer of it's day when you look at the quality of the ports and games it managed to get. Sure I bet if I dug into it's library there would still be crap to be found but outside of the X68000 I feel it's probably one of the best home computers of its day for gaming.
The Acorn is indeed the X68000 of the West. It never had the quality of games the X68000 had but it sure could have been up there had it received Japanese support. Sadly it didn't and as we know, game devs in the UK at the time weren't exactly stellar.
First off, I hope you're hanging in there. I know covid-19 is on the way out in Japan, but be careful out there. IIRC, the Amiga and ST versions were developed simultaneously. It's no secret that ports from the ST were lazily done, as the Amiga was slow to catch on at first. When it DID catch on, though, development houses shifted focus, and you got stuff that really made the system sing. Megadrive seems the best one, PAL version anyway. Shame the US version had to use GENS. Lastly, I love how the CD32 version says "CD32 VERSION" on the title. In case people forgot what they're playing on. 🤣
Ah, Covid19 was never really here. It came on the cruise ship and infected about 700 people with 33 dieing but that's as bad as it got. No lock downs or anything.
@@RetroCore Agreed, one of the most overrated developers around, and most of their Amiga ports only ran at 25 fps. A few of their games were decent though like Speedball II, Cadaver and the Chaos Engine.
Will we finally get to see a Spider-Man game in the Battle of the Ports series? If so, try the 2000 game, which was released on the Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, PC, Nintendo Game Boy Color (Different from the consoles, though) and Mac.
If so, I'd vote for the Spiderman game on the Atari 2600. It was also ported to the Philips G7000 (aka Magnavox Odyssey 2). The graphics will blow you away (especially on the Magnavox).
Off topic - Just wanna ask you guys if you know a beat em up game with similar graphics to Silk Road on mame. I’ve been trying to remember a game I used to play back then, and these words is what I think part of the title “ King, Crown, Crystal, Skull”
Most of these ports are pretty good, the C64 port in particular is quite impressive given the system's limits. The only real stinker is the GBA port, and even that doesn't look TOO bad. It was common to zoom in to make the graphics visible on the small screen, but considering the monochrome Gameboy had a decent port, they could have afforded to zoom out a bit more. Alternatively, they could use the mode-7 scaling capabilities to have a dynamic camera that pans in and out. The system was more powerful than anything else on this episode, so there's no reason it couldn't have had the definitive version of the game.
The Amiga theme is wonderful, same for Chaos Engine. This unique music needs a revival, too much predictable "Game Music For Dummies" stuff around these days, and also see Demons's Souls all of you fans of horn instrument.
Speedball II was fun against another player, but I hated playing against the computer. When the ball is served, we both rush forward and no matter how upgraded my guys are, the the computer blows through me like I'm a rag doll. Throwing the ball around the score multiplier is pointless because the computer ALWAYS throws it right back, undoing it. When the computer throws the ball down the length of the field, there's always one of his guys in perfect position to catch it at the point where it lands. If I throw the ball down the length of the field, when it lands, all my guys (who were computer controlled until it activated one for me) are all off on the edges of the screen twiddling their thumbs, nowhere near the ball. I quickly got frustrated with how the computer seems to cheat.
Surely the best among the Bitmap Brothers games (absolutely overrated, in Amiga's time), which all in all is playable even today. I remember that at the time magazines went crazy for the game, especially for the Amiga version (much prettier than the ST version, by the way I didn't know it was the first one ever, usually Bitmaps worked first on Amiga and then on conversions).
Eric Matthew's talked of distribution issues with the Mega Drive version in the USA which hampered sales. He thinks the MD version is good, different colour palettes making it easier to distinguish between players.
on the C64, the intro is actuelly a seperate load (often removed)...... but main game, they did priotity the core game play first, and that is right call.
ua-cam.com/video/bSqTpxNNELk/v-deo.html - this also explains the long loading time. im do wonder why this intro also seens missing even in the c64 mini version? So yes, this explain the lots.
@@RetroCore I was about to add that. It has a nice, crunchy rendition of the intro tune with a fairly decent graphical text effect. It was on my original disk version at least.
LOL @ Amiga fanboys pants being dry. As for Speedball 2 yeah what a game, the Mega drive one is my choice, such a pity there was never a Mega CD version I bet that would have been the best if it happened. This is one of best European games made, now I feel like playing it again, that music is so damn good.
The Archimedes seems to handle the game nicely.. but can't help thinking they could have taken a bit more polish to it.. smoothed out some gradients and anti-aliased some rough fonts, especially as you'd be playing on a crisp monitor rather than TV
Well, actually, the game was first developed for the Amiga THEN ported to the ST and other machines, not the other way around. (The Bitmap Bros were very Amiga-centric)
I just remembered... how about that de-listed digital version of Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe for the Xbox 360? Was that emulation from the Amiga version?
I beleive it was a totally new port. It had the option for 3D graphics. Never seen it myself as it was delisted way before I knew about it. And this is why digital only media sucks the there are those out there who just can't understand this point.
@@RetroCore I agree, can't stand when digital games are delisted. There's also Speedball 2 Evolution for the PS3/PSP (also digital only), but that's an updated version of the game.
Bitmap Bros said they'd of loved to of done a SNES Specific Speedball III, a total remake of ideas for the platform, but nobody asked them to do such a title, as game starting to get a little long in the tooth at that stage.
It was released for Xbox 360 via Xbox live arcade. The game featured an original and enhanced mode. My memory of it is that it was ok - nothing special.. It was delisted
I always enjoyed the Amiga original, just feels perfect in every department. The Mega Drive one runs very nicely, with slightly worse audio but is a very good port and feels right. The CD32 port should have had much more content....different colour kits and stadiums for all teams for example. GBA sort of did this, but screen crunch ruined it. I think a PSN version on ps3 did make all these improvements eventually while retaining the look and feel of the 16 bit Amiga version.
fact: Spidersoft actually went on to become Rockstar Games home, known as Rockstar Lincoln. I find their pinball games, Pinball Fantasies are very good on GB and Jaguar. But when Take-Two aquired them out in 1998, they slowly making some piss poor games for GB/GBC like GTA 1/2, Evel Knievel and Austin Powers series. A truly stain for Rockstar Games's handhelds ports
Good stuff. Just not sure what version of the C64 you had. There was an intro and title music aloing with graphical screens when you won etc. Not to mention an upgraded version: ua-cam.com/video/L3vrZUEphSw/v-deo.html
the atmosphere was great with the cool background samples used in this game. ingame music was simply not needed and just reused the main theme in some versions. etc "ice cream" is vasty cool one example head in the crowld.
Just shows if a great game in the first place most ports are just as good if not better. The st original was great game the amiga version enhanced and improved to make slightly better use of the hardware , extra colours
I knew the GBA version was going to be the worst version.... What I didn't know was that it was made by the same developers that made SFZ3 on GBA as well! That's just APPALLING. (On the bright side, that may also explain it being one the only GBA games that I've heard that doesn't sound like shit.)
I didn't had opportunity to play in original Speedball 2, but I have HD version on GOG - why is it bashed so hard by reviewers? I don't feel like there are some issues with control or animation (AI responsible for passing the ball/control is not always doing the best choice, but it was the same in original, looking on this comparison).
The Mega Drive port is a bit on the lazy side. For start it uses the same vertical resolution as the ST/Amiga versions i.e. 200 pixels instead of using the full 224 pixels that the Mega Drive usually displays. Then it lacks the voice sample "Ice cream!" and the colors are based on the ST version instead of Amiga. On the other hand it adds two new music tracks during the menus + it allows for music during gameplay + it improves the visibility with the players now having fully colored outfits. edit: didn't know the Mega Drive version played better than the computer versions! In fact, I grew up with the ST version but that was ages ago and when I discovered the Mega Drive port, it was more recently and didn't play the ST version again in the meantime so I couldn't tell much about how the gameplay compares. Also I wouldn't complain about the Master System version's colors! The game actually looks amazing for a third generation system. Not fan of the CD32 version's colors on the other hand. Man, so many pointless ports on that system :/ (Chuck Rock, Battletoads, Jungle Strike... or even Speedball 2 here...)
It has the ST's colours because the Amiga has a bigger palette to choose from than the ST & MD do (4096 vs 512). Bigger palette means better colours choices are possible and when you have a competent artist, this can make a difference. Often it doesn't make much of a difference though and there are some stellar looking games even with the smaller palette of the ST/MD so please don't take this as a negative post about those systems. Nonetheless, this is the reason.
@@DutchRetroGuy that I know, but that wasn't the point. by default the ST can display 16 colors, the amiga 32 and the mega drive 64, so it's disappointing in any cases that the mega drive port got ST graphics the amiga and mega drive color capabilities are on par, BTW, with different pros/cons on each side. but most multiplats have better graphics on mega drive because the subpalettes are more flexible also worth mentioning that the mega drive has a hardware feature called shadow/highlight which can triple the master palette and onscreen color capabilities. it wasn't used often because it wasn't much needed to begin with and also because it has some drawbacks but a game like ecco 2 uses it for great results there are other ways to increase the amount of colors on mega drive (midframe palette swap for example) but those are tricks and not hardware features
An interesting title to look back at now. Loved it on the ST at the time, though always jealous of the enhanced Amiga version with the improved playfield and Ice Cream samples etc. Mega Drive version had the better framerate, but just didn't feel the same for myself. Master System and C64 ports impressed from a technical point of view, but weren't versions i wanted to play, having played the ST version.
The DOS version sounds like they left a Tesla coil next to the keyboard and forgot to turn it off. The audio is horrible, and I'm used to the identical Genesis sounds.
Ahh, a genuinely good Amiga game. From Europe no less. Let's see how Retro Core reacts. ... I see, he just *has* to include a dig at the system and even the community no less. Showing some great class there, really nice. And he wonders why people call him biased. Well, there's your reason - this kind of crap is exactly why you're known to be biased. If you can't even stay neutral about a system when you get to play a genuinely good game on it, you're the one with the problem. And not the community or the system. More so because that fantasy 'rabid Amiga fan base' of yours does not actually exist. And the Amiga fans that do comment on your channel are not doing anything like the sort of stuff you keep claiming they do en masse. I've gone back and checked over two dozen or so videos of yours that feature Amiga games. And what I found was at worst a few people with (sometimes) strong opinions disagreeing with you. But also many Amiga users agreeing with you. There were no masses of anger. No masses of pants soiled. I'm genuinely very much disappointed here. You seem to be on a downward trend when it comes to this subject. All these thinly veiled personal attacks against an entire community really should stop. You're better than that, aren't you?
mark tends to despise western gaming stuff in general and for many reasons I disagree with that but he is also spot on in some ways. the 1 button scheme that western hardwares sticked with back then was indeed a bad move. some western games were indeed poorly designed. and amiga fanboys are indeed well-known to be highly delusional and quite childish. I discovered this as soon as I discovered youtube years ago. the worst part is how they just feel the NEED to always trash the ST, not even getting the point that the ST was a *budget* 16-bit computer made during a much shorter development time and as such is *logically* less advanced than the amiga yet amiga fanboys always need to sh*t talk about this but it's not just that. so many stupid talk about the mega drive, SNES, MS-DOS and all... or even about arcade hardwares "YES AMIGA TOKI BETTER THAN ARCADE" (not even true, by the way) "AMIGA HARDWARE OWNS ARCADE BOARDS!!!" (which in addition to not be true, is also funny since we talk about one of the simplest arcade boards at the time...) go ahead, check some comment sections or forums around and you'll see. but something tells me that you already know what I'm talking about yet you're fine with that? I know myself some genuine amiga fans, respectable people who love the amiga for what it IS and who also don't feel the need to sh*t talk about the ST or other hardwares from that era. in some ways, I consider you as one of them, but you would have to be more real about how many amiga fanboys still behave
@@ryzmaker11 spare me... I've seen so many online discussions and you are dead wrong if you think that "Amiga Fanboys" are worse somehow than any other type of fanboy. The very same things you claim go for SEGA fanboys, Nintendo fanboys, CPC fanboys, etc, etc, etc. And yes, even the Atari fanboys - who quite consistently claim the Amiga is crap. It's an very big misrepresentation of reality to claim differently. This channel is the perfect example of how wrong your post is. The vast majority of Amiga posters on here are NOTHING like what you or Mark are claiming. There are a few Amiga posters that do make silly points every now and then, but it's nowhere near the scale that is being claimed. And I don't buy for a second you don't know it.
I wonder if you even listened to what I said. Did I not make negative comments about the Mega Drive version looking and sounding worse than the Amiga? I think I did but do you see all the Mega Drive fans getting upset about that? No. Amiga version = Looks better and sounds better. Mega Drive version = Faster frame rate and plays better due to better AI programming and smooth action. That's not a fan boy comment, that is how it is.
@@RetroCore I listened very well. Which is why I reacted this way. The negative statements about the Mega Drive version were just that - some minor criticisms about a single version of a game. Contrast this with the negative statements you made about the Amiga version, which were not just some minor criticisms of the game, but also vast sweeping and rather negative statements about the system and the community. That is what I'm getting at. This is not about having an opinion about the game. This is about how you depict the system and more importantly, the community.
Lol, nope. Japan has no issues. No lock down, no panic buying apart from dicks believing the toilet paper fake news on sns. The government soon put an end to that though.
So Mr Ebbs, you're one of those selfish d-heads we've all seen or heard about then? If so can someone please publish a photo of this guy if he's known to you so everyone else knows who he is and can rightfully tell him what a **** he is.
@@johnebbs3819 I'm not the brightest? I know you 'might' be joking, but it's not something to be joking about you cretin, and I say that as one of the 'vulnerable' people that along with two other 'vulnerable' members of my household will be the ones that will kick the bucket because of selfish a-holes who either spread this virus or cause us to put ourselves at serious risk because they've cleared the shelves of items that are even more important to us than 'healthy' folk.
If you thought that the GBA port was bad, then you all haven't seen the Modern PC port (Speedball 2 HD). Now THAT version is totally crap, the graphics look like nothing to the original, gameplay feel way more sluggish and they used the same color scheme for the teams that was used in the AmigaCD 32 and the GBA.
The way screen moves in GBA version could make you feel nauscious, another victim of screen crunch. MD version was pleasant surprise, usually Amiga ports for MD are inferior on MD.
many if not most games that originated on the amiga turned out as good or better when ported to the mega drive which is to be expected due to the more powerful hardware. chuck rock, james pond 2 (maybe james pond 1 too), zool, risky woods, gods, the chaos engine... and then you can add the many other home consumer games that are also better on mega drive regardless of the platform of origin (alien 3; addams family; road rash; desert strike; jungle strike; james pond 3; puggsy...) and I don't even talk about arcade ports which are 99% of the time better on mega drive! what amazes me though is how the mega drive or most other hardwares of that era struggle to keep up with the amiga in terms of racing games o_O
Gods ran faster on the Mega Drive and in 64 colours compared to the Amiga version, sadly due to cartridge limitations, the Amiga title music was replaced
I always find funny how in the early 90's the future was just a chromed version of the present with intense electronic music. That wouldn't be that bad. xD
Give me Chrome over Corona any day :)
Hell of a lot better than what we got.
And more recently (JJ Abrams Star Trek), the future is an Apple Store.
Supercool breakbeat music here!
I remember a joke in spongebob about that classic episode of Squidward is frozen for 2000 years, and he wakes ups, he says "Everything, is chromed!!"
Now i see why
lol, I remember that one. There's robot versions of Squidward and Spongebob too from what I recall.
gameplay looks like your average visit to the supermarket these days..
Lol, in the UK from what I've seen on TV the last week. People are morons.
@@RetroCore hows japan doing with all this?
Many a true word spoken in jest!
Minus the chrome and cyberpunk overtones
Many hours spent on this in my youth! Great video, thanks!
On the Megadrive that is!
The best playing version.
MD & C64: Speedball 2
Everything else: Ball 2.
Music is my main hobby, pastime, addiction, much greater than videogames... Thanks for adding the link of Speedball 2 OST to Bandcamp Mark! In these times of pandemics and economic collapsing, arts is the 1st thing that humanity step aside and, musicians suffer the same luck from other jobs that can't be done in quarantines, sure you can compose and stream but many musicians rely on live performances and merchandise sold at their gigs. Bandcamp yesterday was giving 100% of the earnings to all their musicians but if you missed this, it is ok, they still give 80 to 85% of the earnings to your favorite musician, band, group. Please go and buy a song or 2 to support them in these times. Please stay safe and support your community in any way you can, especially doctors and elder people.
I have some fond memories of playing Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe at a friend's Amiga 500 when I was a teen. Years later I bought the game for the Genesis and I still have that same copy.
A few things I must admit here... while I did like the Amiga back in the day I wasn't a huge fan of Bitmap Brothers games. I liked the original Speedball, but not most of their other stuff. Speedball 2 however, is probably my favorite game they ever made. Spent a lot of time playing this one on my trusty ole Amiga, such a fun game. It's practically the only "sports" game I ever bothered playing the league in. Haven't really got into on other platforms, but always interesting to see them!
You can always spot a Bitmap Brothers game a mile off- such lovely pixel art in all of their games!
What I respect about The Bitmap Brothers' games is that they were consistently ambitious with their games in producing content way beyond a particular platform's limitations in terms of graphics, presentation, music, and overall gameplay. When you look at this game and compare it with contemporaries at the time like John Madden Football it's leagues beyond where you're lost in awe. 🤤
except that john madden football was actually more impressive! unless you talk about the 1988 computer version, of course ^^
@@ryzmaker11 You make such a good point that I didn't consider. Thanks for that 🙂
@@thedrunkmonkshow I agree though that the bitmap brothers games often stood out at the time, with great overall presentation (visuals and music) + nice game design for the most part
@@ryzmaker11 Yeah, that 1988 computer game was probably more limited than Pro Quarterback on Sega Genesis XD.
I remember when I got Xenon and Speedball for the Amiga. It really felt like arcadegames. Just the samples was a big thing back in the day..Good times (-:
Great video as always.
Thanks!
30 years on, this game has NOT been bettered! An all-time classic, you can't find anything like this on PS4/Xbox -One etc...let alone the PS5 and XBox Series X
Yeah. The fact Bitmap Brothers tried to remake this twice and failed completely both times its a statement of how they got it right first time by pure dumb luck :D
Terrific video!
I did not realise this was on the ST first, possibly the best ST to Amiga port that I know of. :)
I'd say. It's a port done right.
@@RetroCore it was done at a time when newer staff to the Bitmap Bros, were sick of the Amiga getting ST ports.
Sprites done on the Amiga and Amiga version delayed slightly so they could add the extra starfield pitch design and ice cream,ice cream samples etc
I'm impressed how many clones it got, like PowerBall on the Genesis.
I guess this was pretty popular backin the day.
@@RetroCore But to see a Japanese clone of a western game is special.
Ignoring Ultima and Wizardry and all that stuff.
I played a lot with my Master System version, but Megadrive one is a truly brutal deluxe game! Amazing BotP Mark!
It's just a shame it's missing many voice samples.
Game Boy version for me Mark. I played that game a lot and to the point when I was excused to go to the boys room growing up, I was playing it in the John with the voice off so the school staff could hear me. LOL. 8^)
Anthony..
Lol, like me know when I watch UA-cam everytime I go to the toilet in work.
Aww man the amiga version, that was fun!
Man i swore this game was on Neo-Geo. Can you imagine it would have been so nice to have a beefed up arcade version of this.
Antonio Jones
That’s Soccer Brawl, you might be thinking of?
@@christschin3708 nope never seen that game in my life, but Im glad i saw it now!
Interestingly the Archenemies looks like it uses noticeably less colour than the Amiga version.
I don't know about less color, but I also noticed that the palette looked even more washed out than on the Amiga. Perhaps an emulator thing?
Yes I noticed that. If you compare them side by side you can see that the Amiga uses more colours in the gradients - for example the walls of the arena. Also the Amiga uses more than one colour for the pitch - there is variation in the colour of the metal 'plates' that make up the floor. Also it's especially noticeable on that frankly unpleasant-looking team management screen on the Archimedes.
Unusual as the Archimedes was more than capable of a perfect Amiga port as proven by other games of the time. Definitely not the case here and odd that Mark didn't spot it.
If I had to guess, I'd say the Archimedes version was programmed to run in it's 16 colour screen mode rather than it's 256 colour screen mode. That would explain the difference, as the Amiga version runs in 32 colours.
Do note that this is merely an educated guess, so no guarantees. Perhaps an Archimedes user can clarify?
@@DutchRetroGuy it sure does look like 16 colours to me. I always though the Archie games were mostly using 256 colours but perhaps it needed to reduce the screen colours to keep up the frame rate? There were a lot of Amiga games that only used 16 col mode due to speed issues or simple Atari ST ports.
@@molhoy Agreed, perhaps it would be unable to keep up a smooth frame rate using more colours? I'm so used to playing the Amiga version I find it difficult playing some of these ports like the Megadrive which seem so cutback.
Very fast paced on the Genesis and plays well on the 16 bit micros and c64
i love your videos!!!
Did they all have manager mode? that was also fun.
Yep, even the Master System had that.
I'm no human FRAPS, but my eyes tell me the C64 is the only 50 fps version and then the smoothest of them all.
Thanks to the C64's scrolling hardware 👍
great game great music
You could also compare "speedball 2 ultimate". It is the best version for c64. It maintains the same playability, but adds cutscenes, music, gfx and much more. Simply amazing.
Never knew such a version existed.
@@RetroCore
because you NEVER do research!!! (Full of spontaneity)
MD version for me, but a doffed cap to the C64 version. Amazing!
I never got why Amiga's title music gets so much praise. The melody itself isn't bad, but samples sound like distorted horns from ice cream van or something like that.
I guess because they were samples and back in the early 90s samples were all the rage in euro music.
It really does though. It just sounds so awful.
Fun fact: the soundtrack of the Mega Drive port is different between regions.
The North American release has a terrible audio, thanks to John Phillips' custom sound driver.
Luckily, Matt Furniss rearranged the soundtrack and reprogrammed the sound design for the PAL and Japanese releases.
Nice one. I never knew they had different sound drivers. Reminds me of Shaodow of the beast were the Japanese version was reprogrammed entirely and Marble Madness where the Japanese version once again was remade.
Want to big up the Acorn Archenemies for a minute. I'd say it seems to be the best Western computer of it's day when you look at the quality of the ports and games it managed to get. Sure I bet if I dug into it's library there would still be crap to be found but outside of the X68000 I feel it's probably one of the best home computers of its day for gaming.
The Acorn is indeed the X68000 of the West. It never had the quality of games the X68000 had but it sure could have been up there had it received Japanese support. Sadly it didn't and as we know, game devs in the UK at the time weren't exactly stellar.
I love my Friday Night BOTP!
First off, I hope you're hanging in there. I know covid-19 is on the way out in Japan, but be careful out there.
IIRC, the Amiga and ST versions were developed simultaneously. It's no secret that ports from the ST were lazily done, as the Amiga was slow to catch on at first. When it DID catch on, though, development houses shifted focus, and you got stuff that really made the system sing.
Megadrive seems the best one, PAL version anyway. Shame the US version had to use GENS.
Lastly, I love how the CD32 version says "CD32 VERSION" on the title. In case people forgot what they're playing on. 🤣
I think Covid in Japan isn't that much of an issue, especially compared to here in the US (or rather, how people in the US are making it out to be)
Ah, Covid19 was never really here. It came on the cruise ship and infected about 700 people with 33 dieing but that's as bad as it got. No lock downs or anything.
Wait... a DECENT Amiga port?!
What witchcraft is this?
Shame most of their games still sucked.
More like the definitive version...
@@RetroCore never liked Gods, it's so slow and choppy.
andrea nardo Gods isn’t too bad. Although I prefer it on DOS.
@@RetroCore Agreed, one of the most overrated developers around, and most of their Amiga ports only ran at 25 fps. A few of their games were decent though like Speedball II, Cadaver and the Chaos Engine.
Bitmap Brothers => Kings of less than 25fps
Hehe, can't argue with that 😅
Loved this game on my amiga what about the ps1 port
The PlayStation game is technically a different game.
ICE CREAAAAM!!!
Will we finally get to see a Spider-Man game in the Battle of the Ports series? If so, try the 2000 game, which was released on the Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, PC, Nintendo Game Boy Color (Different from the consoles, though) and Mac.
Maybe some day. I'll add your recommendation to the list.
@@RetroCore thank you for the response. Really appreciate it. That, and the hard work you're putting into this series.
If so, I'd vote for the Spiderman game on the Atari 2600. It was also ported to the Philips G7000 (aka Magnavox Odyssey 2). The graphics will blow you away (especially on the Magnavox).
Off topic - Just wanna ask you guys if you know a beat em up game with similar graphics to Silk Road on mame. I’ve been trying to remember a game I used to play back then, and these words is what I think part of the title “ King, Crown, Crystal, Skull”
What system? Arcade game?
Retro Core I remember playing it on mame
Most of these ports are pretty good, the C64 port in particular is quite impressive given the system's limits. The only real stinker is the GBA port, and even that doesn't look TOO bad. It was common to zoom in to make the graphics visible on the small screen, but considering the monochrome Gameboy had a decent port, they could have afforded to zoom out a bit more. Alternatively, they could use the mode-7 scaling capabilities to have a dynamic camera that pans in and out. The system was more powerful than anything else on this episode, so there's no reason it couldn't have had the definitive version of the game.
The Amiga theme is wonderful, same for Chaos Engine. This unique music needs a revival, too much predictable "Game Music For Dummies" stuff around these days, and also see Demons's Souls all of you fans of horn instrument.
Yep. Tired of generic orchestra.
I only played this once but tried to copy it and it wasn't compatible with my 600 or 1200:(
Bummer 😕
Speedball II was fun against another player, but I hated playing against the computer. When the ball is served, we both rush forward and no matter how upgraded my guys are, the the computer blows through me like I'm a rag doll. Throwing the ball around the score multiplier is pointless because the computer ALWAYS throws it right back, undoing it. When the computer throws the ball down the length of the field, there's always one of his guys in perfect position to catch it at the point where it lands. If I throw the ball down the length of the field, when it lands, all my guys (who were computer controlled until it activated one for me) are all off on the edges of the screen twiddling their thumbs, nowhere near the ball. I quickly got frustrated with how the computer seems to cheat.
Are you planning on covering Road Fighter?
Yep, it's on the future games to cover list. That list is very long though.
@@RetroCore Thanks!
Surely the best among the Bitmap Brothers games (absolutely overrated, in Amiga's time), which all in all is playable even today. I remember that at the time magazines went crazy for the game, especially for the Amiga version (much prettier than the ST version, by the way I didn't know it was the first one ever, usually Bitmaps worked first on Amiga and then on conversions).
Eric Matthew's talked of distribution issues with the Mega Drive version in the USA which hampered sales.
He thinks the MD version is good, different colour palettes making it easier to distinguish between players.
I'd agree with that.
on the C64, the intro is actuelly a seperate load (often removed)...... but main game, they did priotity the core game play first, and that is right call.
Ah, that would explain the lack of one.
ua-cam.com/video/bSqTpxNNELk/v-deo.html - this also explains the long loading time. im do wonder why this intro also seens missing even in the c64 mini version? So yes, this explain the lots.
@@RetroCore I was about to add that. It has a nice, crunchy rendition of the intro tune with a fairly decent graphical text effect. It was on my original disk version at least.
LOL @ Amiga fanboys pants being dry. As for Speedball 2 yeah what a game, the Mega drive one is my choice, such a pity there was never a Mega CD version I bet that would have been the best if it happened. This is one of best European games made, now I feel like playing it again, that music is so damn good.
To be fair, the Mega Drive version should have looked better but the lazy devs used the ST graphics rather than the Amiga graphics.
@@RetroCore Oh wow I didn't know that, damn those devs for not using the real Megadrive hardware, I hate when that happens for any console.
the SMS and c64 version looks like the nes version of sb1 aka klashball nice to see there wasnt 20 crappy micro ports
That's always nice to see 😁
The Archimedes seems to handle the game nicely.. but can't help thinking they could have taken a bit more polish to it.. smoothed out some gradients and anti-aliased some rough fonts, especially as you'd be playing on a crisp monitor rather than TV
It's a lazy port in 16 colours when it should have been 256 colours ...
you have a castrated c64 (file) version I suggest you check the full (floppy) version which has a back screen and all menus
Well, actually, the game was first developed for the Amiga THEN ported to the ST and other machines, not the other way around. (The Bitmap Bros were very Amiga-centric)
The SMS port looks pretty decent for an 8-bit game.
It does.
It's actually really dang IMPRESSIVE if you think of it.
I just remembered... how about that de-listed digital version of Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe for the Xbox 360? Was that emulation from the Amiga version?
I beleive it was a totally new port. It had the option for 3D graphics. Never seen it myself as it was delisted way before I knew about it. And this is why digital only media sucks the there are those out there who just can't understand this point.
@@RetroCore I agree, can't stand when digital games are delisted. There's also Speedball 2 Evolution for the PS3/PSP (also digital only), but that's an updated version of the game.
Hey... Do you know of ANY Chinese/android/emulator devices that can run dolphin/GameCube full speed?
Nope, none of them can.
What's this brutal jeelux? You haven't forgotten your native tongue already have you mark?
That's how we say it in the UK.
@@RetroCore guess I must be in the minority here in Nottingham
Bitmap Bros said they'd of loved to of done a SNES Specific Speedball III, a total remake of ideas for the platform, but nobody asked them to do such a title, as game starting to get a little long in the tooth at that stage.
It was released for Xbox 360 via Xbox live arcade. The game featured an original and enhanced mode. My memory of it is that it was ok - nothing special.. It was delisted
I always enjoyed the Amiga original, just feels perfect in every department. The Mega Drive one runs very nicely, with slightly worse audio but is a very good port and feels right. The CD32 port should have had much more content....different colour kits and stadiums for all teams for example. GBA sort of did this, but screen crunch ruined it. I think a PSN version on ps3 did make all these improvements eventually while retaining the look and feel of the 16 bit Amiga version.
More like Battle of the Sports. Eyyyyy.
😒 That's terrible 😜😁
Surprised they did not make team members more distinct....they almost look the same and it's confusing.
the mega drive port (EU and JP versions) improved that aspect among some other things
no Retro Core Speedball 1? 😕
Happy megadrive always honnored sega fans 😁
Oh yes!
Hey i got a question do you have group discord that not part patreon members
I'm afraid not.
As awesome as this game is, it is one I have never played.
If you do, make sure it's the Japanese or Euro Mega Drive version. The US version has worse audio.
"Ice Cream! Ice Cream!"
fact: Spidersoft actually went on to become Rockstar Games home, known as Rockstar Lincoln. I find their pinball games, Pinball Fantasies are very good on GB and Jaguar. But when Take-Two aquired them out in 1998, they slowly making some piss poor games for GB/GBC like GTA 1/2, Evel Knievel and Austin Powers series. A truly stain for Rockstar Games's handhelds ports
Good stuff. Just not sure what version of the C64 you had. There was an intro and title music aloing with graphical screens when you won etc. Not to mention an upgraded version: ua-cam.com/video/L3vrZUEphSw/v-deo.html
the atmosphere was great with the cool background samples used in this game. ingame music was simply not needed and just reused the main theme in some versions. etc "ice cream" is vasty cool one example head in the crowld.
Just shows if a great game in the first place most ports are just as good if not better. The st original was great game the amiga version enhanced and improved to make slightly better use of the hardware , extra colours
I knew the GBA version was going to be the worst version....
What I didn't know was that it was made by the same developers that made SFZ3 on GBA as well! That's just APPALLING. (On the bright side, that may also explain it being one the only GBA games that I've heard that doesn't sound like shit.)
Maybe they farmed it out? Or maybe they didn't actually develop SF Zero 3 on the GBA. Either way it is an awful port.
A mystery the world has yet to solve....
Getting battered by Revolver over and over, ouch!
Hehe. Yep, I'm rusty at this game.
I'll be watching this later. But even without watching this video, if you know your onions, it's the Amiga 500 all the way. Awesome game.
Amiga is second 😉 Mega Drive is first. Well, in the playability area. For looks and sound the Amiga is first.
Pfffttt! Lol.
I didn't had opportunity to play in original Speedball 2, but I have HD version on GOG - why is it bashed so hard by reviewers? I don't feel like there are some issues with control or animation (AI responsible for passing the ball/control is not always doing the best choice, but it was the same in original, looking on this comparison).
I've not played the HD remake myself but from what I've read it doesn't play like the original.
I've only played the Genesis version, but it's fun. I do like the color changes in the CD32 port though.
I do too, well maybe not the menus.
I always remember the c64 version being much better than it is maybe because I was young and nieve lol
Apparently there's an ultimate version too. I wasn't aware of that one. Maybe that's the one you had?
@@RetroCore possible could have been, majority of my c64 games where on bootleg cassettes
The Mega Drive port is a bit on the lazy side. For start it uses the same vertical resolution as the ST/Amiga versions i.e. 200 pixels instead of using the full 224 pixels that the Mega Drive usually displays. Then it lacks the voice sample "Ice cream!" and the colors are based on the ST version instead of Amiga. On the other hand it adds two new music tracks during the menus + it allows for music during gameplay + it improves the visibility with the players now having fully colored outfits.
edit: didn't know the Mega Drive version played better than the computer versions! In fact, I grew up with the ST version but that was ages ago and when I discovered the Mega Drive port, it was more recently and didn't play the ST version again in the meantime so I couldn't tell much about how the gameplay compares.
Also I wouldn't complain about the Master System version's colors! The game actually looks amazing for a third generation system.
Not fan of the CD32 version's colors on the other hand. Man, so many pointless ports on that system :/ (Chuck Rock, Battletoads, Jungle Strike... or even Speedball 2 here...)
Oh yes, the Mega Drive release is so much better to play than any other version. Just a shame a lot of the speach is missing.
@@RetroCore Master System version looses the metallic look due to colours?
It has the ST's colours because the Amiga has a bigger palette to choose from than the ST & MD do (4096 vs 512). Bigger palette means better colours choices are possible and when you have a competent artist, this can make a difference.
Often it doesn't make much of a difference though and there are some stellar looking games even with the smaller palette of the ST/MD so please don't take this as a negative post about those systems. Nonetheless, this is the reason.
@@DutchRetroGuy that I know, but that wasn't the point. by default the ST can display 16 colors, the amiga 32 and the mega drive 64, so it's disappointing in any cases that the mega drive port got ST graphics
the amiga and mega drive color capabilities are on par, BTW, with different pros/cons on each side. but most multiplats have better graphics on mega drive because the subpalettes are more flexible
also worth mentioning that the mega drive has a hardware feature called shadow/highlight which can triple the master palette and onscreen color capabilities. it wasn't used often because it wasn't much needed to begin with and also because it has some drawbacks but a game like ecco 2 uses it for great results
there are other ways to increase the amount of colors on mega drive (midframe palette swap for example) but those are tricks and not hardware features
@@RetroCore OK! I will see about that as soon as I can. Also curious about the Archimedes version now. That computer seems to be vastly overlooked.
IIIIICEEEEE CREEEEAM!!!
ちょっとレトロなコアは、あなたが地下nfsでビデオを撮ることができます
Retro na Core? I like having a core that is retro 👍. As long as it is still fast moving 😁
Hi Mark. Guess what bro? Today marks the 6th anniversary of the Neo-Geo thread on Atariage.com. Feel free to come by and celebrate with us bro. 8^)
Poor GBA, many developers created many shoddy ports for it.
More so than the Amiga, it seems... That poor handheld got inundated with shit.
Speedball 2100 is missing ... Why ?
An interesting title to look back at now.
Loved it on the ST at the time, though always jealous of the enhanced Amiga version with the improved playfield and Ice Cream samples etc.
Mega Drive version had the better framerate, but just didn't feel the same for myself.
Master System and C64 ports impressed from a technical point of view, but weren't versions i wanted to play, having played the ST version.
Surprised no snes version....
Amazed too, honestly. I'd have loved to see how that turned out.
I would imagine rather slow and chunky.
Bean cup roybertitos
its football but with ball ok
The DOS version sounds like they left a Tesla coil next to the keyboard and forgot to turn it off. The audio is horrible, and I'm used to the identical Genesis sounds.
Boy that MSDOS sound is rough. And such a choppy frame rate!
Ahh, a genuinely good Amiga game. From Europe no less. Let's see how Retro Core reacts.
...
I see, he just *has* to include a dig at the system and even the community no less. Showing some great class there, really nice. And he wonders why people call him biased.
Well, there's your reason - this kind of crap is exactly why you're known to be biased. If you can't even stay neutral about a system when you get to play a genuinely good game on it, you're the one with the problem. And not the community or the system.
More so because that fantasy 'rabid Amiga fan base' of yours does not actually exist. And the Amiga fans that do comment on your channel are not doing anything like the sort of stuff you keep claiming they do en masse. I've gone back and checked over two dozen or so videos of yours that feature Amiga games. And what I found was at worst a few people with (sometimes) strong opinions disagreeing with you. But also many Amiga users agreeing with you. There were no masses of anger. No masses of pants soiled.
I'm genuinely very much disappointed here. You seem to be on a downward trend when it comes to this subject. All these thinly veiled personal attacks against an entire community really should stop. You're better than that, aren't you?
mark tends to despise western gaming stuff in general and for many reasons I disagree with that but he is also spot on in some ways. the 1 button scheme that western hardwares sticked with back then was indeed a bad move. some western games were indeed poorly designed. and amiga fanboys are indeed well-known to be highly delusional and quite childish. I discovered this as soon as I discovered youtube years ago. the worst part is how they just feel the NEED to always trash the ST, not even getting the point that the ST was a *budget* 16-bit computer made during a much shorter development time and as such is *logically* less advanced than the amiga yet amiga fanboys always need to sh*t talk about this
but it's not just that. so many stupid talk about the mega drive, SNES, MS-DOS and all... or even about arcade hardwares "YES AMIGA TOKI BETTER THAN ARCADE" (not even true, by the way) "AMIGA HARDWARE OWNS ARCADE BOARDS!!!" (which in addition to not be true, is also funny since we talk about one of the simplest arcade boards at the time...)
go ahead, check some comment sections or forums around and you'll see. but something tells me that you already know what I'm talking about yet you're fine with that?
I know myself some genuine amiga fans, respectable people who love the amiga for what it IS and who also don't feel the need to sh*t talk about the ST or other hardwares from that era. in some ways, I consider you as one of them, but you would have to be more real about how many amiga fanboys still behave
@@ryzmaker11 spare me... I've seen so many online discussions and you are dead wrong if you think that "Amiga Fanboys" are worse somehow than any other type of fanboy. The very same things you claim go for SEGA fanboys, Nintendo fanboys, CPC fanboys, etc, etc, etc. And yes, even the Atari fanboys - who quite consistently claim the Amiga is crap.
It's an very big misrepresentation of reality to claim differently. This channel is the perfect example of how wrong your post is. The vast majority of Amiga posters on here are NOTHING like what you or Mark are claiming. There are a few Amiga posters that do make silly points every now and then, but it's nowhere near the scale that is being claimed.
And I don't buy for a second you don't know it.
I wonder if you even listened to what I said. Did I not make negative comments about the Mega Drive version looking and sounding worse than the Amiga? I think I did but do you see all the Mega Drive fans getting upset about that? No.
Amiga version = Looks better and sounds better.
Mega Drive version = Faster frame rate and plays better due to better AI programming and smooth action.
That's not a fan boy comment, that is how it is.
@@RetroCore I listened very well. Which is why I reacted this way.
The negative statements about the Mega Drive version were just that - some minor criticisms about a single version of a game.
Contrast this with the negative statements you made about the Amiga version, which were not just some minor criticisms of the game, but also vast sweeping and rather negative statements about the system and the community.
That is what I'm getting at. This is not about having an opinion about the game. This is about how you depict the system and more importantly, the community.
Dutch Retro Guy Don’t worry about it, we’ll all be dead soon.
I don’t like this game. But I recognize is an excellent game. The c64 is a joke.
Mark do you want to buy some toilet rolls ? I have loads here when I panic bought.
Lol, nope. Japan has no issues. No lock down, no panic buying apart from dicks believing the toilet paper fake news on sns. The government soon put an end to that though.
So Mr Ebbs, you're one of those selfish d-heads we've all seen or heard about then? If so can someone please publish a photo of this guy if he's known to you so everyone else knows who he is and can rightfully tell him what a **** he is.
@@RetroCore I was joking !!!
@@jaysmith2858 can you not work out that I was on the wind up ? Obviously you are not the brightest.
@@johnebbs3819 I'm not the brightest? I know you 'might' be joking, but it's not something to be joking about you cretin, and I say that as one of the 'vulnerable' people that along with two other 'vulnerable' members of my household will be the ones that will kick the bucket because of selfish a-holes who either spread this virus or cause us to put ourselves at serious risk because they've cleared the shelves of items that are even more important to us than 'healthy' folk.
If you thought that the GBA port was bad, then you all haven't seen the Modern PC port (Speedball 2 HD).
Now THAT version is totally crap, the graphics look like nothing to the original, gameplay feel way more sluggish and they used the same color scheme for the teams that was used in the AmigaCD 32 and the GBA.
I'm glad I've not seen it. Sounds awful.
@@RetroCore Awful is kindly putting it, there's a longplay video for proof on how bad it is. ua-cam.com/video/vE-vaw4SIgQ/v-deo.html
The way screen moves in GBA version could make you feel nauscious, another victim of screen crunch. MD version was pleasant surprise, usually Amiga ports for MD are inferior on MD.
many if not most games that originated on the amiga turned out as good or better when ported to the mega drive which is to be expected due to the more powerful hardware. chuck rock, james pond 2 (maybe james pond 1 too), zool, risky woods, gods, the chaos engine...
and then you can add the many other home consumer games that are also better on mega drive regardless of the platform of origin (alien 3; addams family; road rash; desert strike; jungle strike; james pond 3; puggsy...)
and I don't even talk about arcade ports which are 99% of the time better on mega drive!
what amazes me though is how the mega drive or most other hardwares of that era struggle to keep up with the amiga in terms of racing games o_O
I'm sure Amiga fans would disagree with you saying most were better on the Mega Drive. It's true though 😜
@@ryzmaker11 Nice, i admit im not much familiar with MD overall, save for most popular games.
@@metalcoola then do yourself a favor and get one! it's easily one of the best gaming systems ever and it's still rather affordable to get into :)
Gods ran faster on the Mega Drive and in 64 colours compared to the Amiga version, sadly due to cartridge limitations, the Amiga title music was replaced
Megadrive best port.
For playability, yes. I just wish it had the Ice Cream speech.
Funny how I just hate this. How it looks, how it sounds, how it moves. European game designers surely lived in a bubble during the 80s and 90s.
Can't say I'm a fan of Euro or American made games in general until the very late 90s onwards. That's not to say all games though, just most.