14 DAY TRIAL // Empire Interactive has recently revealed one very improbable title to hit Xbox Live Arcade so soon, but an anticipated one at that, for the service: Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe. The title was recently voted one of the most wanted games for Xbox Live Arcade. It truly is one of the finest combat sports games ever developed.
The Bitmap Brothers classic, Speedball, was first released for the Amiga in 1990 and quickly became a huge success. However it wasn't until the release of its sequel, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe that gamers worldwide (if gamers existed in that era) bought over 2 million units. It is still considered by many to be one of the best games of all time.
As for the recently announced XBLA version, it is said to be a perfect conversion of Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe but with the addition of an all-new High Definition version, more teams and downloadable content. The new version will basically enhance this classic game, whilst still retaining all the classic elements that have made it a firm favorite amongst gamers.
"We are pleased to be bringing this all time classic to Xbox LIVE Arcade," commented Ian Higgins, CEO Empire Interactive. "With its brutal and addictive gameplay, and the ability to play multiplayer over Xbox LIVE, we are sure this will be the definitive version of Speedball"
"This is another example of Empire updating a classic IP and bringing it to a brand new audience. Double Dragon is our first foray onto Xbox LIVE Arcade, our announcement of Speedball 2 demonstrates our continued intention to bring high quality classic titles to a broader market," said Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings.
How many Microsoft points you'll need to get it and when it's going to be available isn't yet known, but the mere fact that the game is set for an XBLA release is quite enough for now. We don't want any old-school gamers dying on us, now do we?