Blob Race

Worms. Gambling. Death!!

Introducing my daughter to gambling isn’t necessarily a good idea, but I thought racing cute blobs would be worth the risk of the police knocking on my door. Yup, you heard right, today we’re betting on green blobs. It’s similar to the horse racing machines at the seaside arcades, but it won’t cost you a penny!

Set in an absurd world where green blobs compete for glory, Blob Race casts you as a punter betting on a series of unpredictable races between these eccentric little creatures. There's no grand quest here; the fun comes from the light-hearted take of gambling on these wobbly competitors and trying to outsmart the odds.

Tidbit... 

Developed by Kev Davis back in 1991, Blob was never released for some insane reason.

Well, not until 1994 after he saw an unreleased beta on a Menu Disk...!

You know me, I'm a huge Atari ST game fan, and our PD scene is truly something special. There’s so much out there just waiting to be rediscovered. It’s often where you’ll find hidden gems and innovative ideas from passionate people. Blob Race is just that, and I must say Kev has a great sense of humour!

What am I waffling on about? Let's take a look at a screenshot before you read on...

Ricky D. would be proud of that boulder... until it squashed a blob to death!

Wacky Races

Racing a blob is pure gambling without the risk of losing real cash. We start with £100 in the kitty. It’s similar to the arcade games: choose a likely winner from six candidates. Each blob has a name and unique characteristics: speed, reaction time (how well it maintains speed), and the number of tricks it can perform.

Before each event, study the statistics - speed, reactions, and trickery. All to decide which blob is most likely to triumph, then sit back and watch the chaos unfold as they stumble, sprint, and unleash bizarre antics to gain the advantage. Blobs can also possess special tricks against competitors, such as throwing bombs, riding a bike, and sprouting helicopter wings. And if that wasn’t enough, some blobs can teleport or explode!

The betting system is simple but different from what you might expect. First place wins your winnings at the specified odds. Second place gets half of that, and third place returns your money. Finish worse and you get absolutely nothing. This system actually works well, encouraging progression and longer play.

It's time for another glorious screenshot of technically amazing graphics...

One gets crushed by a ton weight, and another develops helicopter hair.

High Roller Racing!

This is an incredibly fun game where you pick a blob and watch it squelch across the screen. The humour is superb: the falling ton weights, bombs, and other worm-like incidents are hilarious. The news headlines are also funny: avoid cliches like the plague!! Things like that pop up and had me in stitches.

My only criticism is the short race lengths. The chaos is the best part, so they should be longer. Otherwise, Blob is ace and gets a thumbs up from both of us. In fact, my daughter is now a hardened Blob gambler. What have I done to her? Look, gather the family around your ST (or solo). Everyone will love playing this.

• Grab it from Atarimania and give this stupid game a run for its money. Let me know what you think.
• Atari Legend has a cool menu disk by Adrenalin (with other games!)
• Looks like Kev released a text adventure, too. I might try this one day!

Nightbreed - The Interactive Movie

When they could make great horrors

I remember watching Nightbreed and absolutely loved it. Okay, it was a little cheesy, but I'm a fan of most horror genres, and Clive Barker never disappoints. It had such a different twist to its style and atmosphere, and I loved the idea of Midian with its freaks being the good guys. Something I didn't expect at the time.

Being the weirdo that I am, I would have loved to see Midian for myself one dark night - armed with nothing more than a flashlight!! Alas, it was never meant to be, until now that is!! Thanks to Ocean and their amazing dedication to movie tie-ins, I finally have their Nightbreed, which tries to follow the original plot. This time it's what's called an interactive adventure, umm, with some arcade action thrown in for good measure.

Let's stop the natter and check out some of the screenshots from this scary game...

Don't listen to the bad man...

Hey, check out that 90s hairdo (and Aaron's nipples! lol)

The gameplay area is large and feels a lot bigger thanks to the laborious car journey!

Armed with a torch, we head into the dark woods!

As Aaron Boone, we begin our adventure in the doctor's office, listening to his lies. Yup, he's trying to trick us into a confession for something we haven't done - our world is collapsing in on itself. After this introduction plays through, we're presented with a map of the area. Here you can travel to three possible destinations: the redneck police station, an ever-attractive asylum, and the mysterious Midian Town.

To drive, we use the overhead map by using the mouse and clicking each intersection of a road. Watch out for hidden roadblocks that present a decision: do you smash through like a rebel or turn around to find an alternative route? Keep your eyes on the fuel gauge, I wouldn't like to get stuck on these roads at night...

Deciding where to go is up to you, but look at the map before you start burning fuel. And then think to yourself, what would Aaron Boone do? Everything may look similar, but each action you take (generally) has a different outcome: I made my way to the hospital in my first game, but (ahem) that didn't go very well.

Not well at all, actually! Check out the screenshot I got to see on my first game...

What a nightmare it is to be shackled and caged like a beast!

Arghh!! Caught and locked away in a padded cell for the rest of my days!

Just listen to his howling!! Wow :o

I've been eaten, again!

After many failures, I restarted and headed to Midian. Here, I was given three options: I chose to enter Midian itself, which is something I was really looking forward to. However, I think this was a bad choice because I was instantly torn to pieces by a Berserker without any chance to defend myself. What an ending!!

I tried again with my venture into Midian. This time, I was set upon by something that was extremely vicious. However, this is where I finally got to see Nightbreed's action scenes as I fled like a scared chicken. This part has you banging on the mouse button to separate two sprites at the top of your screen - representing you and the monster. I escaped, but trigger-happy cops were waiting!! I found myself in the morgue. Wow!

As you can see, my fortune in this game is pretty terrible. Let's see some screenshots...

I made a poor decision, and the doctor was waiting for me...

He brought the cops. Who shot me into pieces!

Midian is full of freaks... but I gotta admire the artwork and a dodgy game of chase!!

Horrorscope!

Visually, Nightbreed doesn't fail to impress with loads of gorgeous artwork. I love the eerie tones that make use of great palette choices to honour the movie's atmosphere nicely. Sadly, the animations are pretty lame, and I dare you not to laugh when being chased. However, it's this part where I thought Aaron looked like David Boreanaz [that vamp Angel] as his image wobbles back and forth. Or is it just me?

The audio is excellent. Okay, I'd have liked more background sounds, but what we have is sampled and pretty darn awesome. Easily my favourite sound effect is when we're captured and held captive in the asylum: this is probably one of the scariest samples I've ever heard in any game. It's incredible. Listen to it!!

Remember when I said I found myself in the morgue? Well, that doesn't necessarily mean game over...

Oh no, I'm not doing too well... Well, I did end up in the morgue, so that's never good!

Well, I never expected that... this is turning into an old Hammer House of Horror movie!!

The CryptO'pinion?

I’ve enjoyed Nightbreed’s strange storyline and unsettling visuals, which I’m sure Clive Barker would appreciate. The game offers quite a challenge, but I was left a little disappointed: considering this is an interactive adventure, I imagined a lot more "interaction". I felt forced into following a predetermined and limited plot, so one wrong move, and you're dead. It's supposed to be a free-roaming adventure!

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t another Dragon’s Lair, and I’m sure fans will find something enjoyable in this movie tie-in. I loved the ability to venture into Midian, but I simply feel more could have been done to exploit the storyline, and variety of Midian monsters. It’s not a bad game but not a great one either.

Here are more screenshots to tempt you to downloading Nightbreed for floppy or hard drive!

Boogey Man

Bogey?

Scouring through the ST archives, I found something called Boogey Man, by Anthony Hamilton. The screenshots reminded me of an old 8-Bit game, but it really isn't anything close to what I expected.

This is a tough one to describe... we are Burt, a guy who loves to collect snot. And there is plenty of that popping up all over your screen in both small and large doses. There are nine levels in all, which might sound too easy. It's not because the controls are super-sensitive, which makes the entire experience very chaotic as you agonisingly attempt to carefully navigate, avoiding the nasties. Yes, it's as mad as it sounds!

There are bad guys which come in two flavours: a Blob and a Spike. Touching either kills you instantly. Watch the timer, which is just another way to lose a life - and you can see that happen to me near the end of my recording. A boogeyometer is shown bottom/right to display how much snot remains to be collected. Once accomplished, an exit door appears on the right, and we can leg it to the next level for more snotty fun.

Right, it's time for a screenshot, so let's begin with an informative one...

Burt seems to love snot for some peculiar reason, but look out for the nasties who wanna stop you.

Aesthetics

The visuals are basic and very 8-bit, which is something I admire because it often works very well. Interestingly, this game runs in Medium resolution, which explains the fine details and lack of colour. I liked the sprites, especially Blob, but there's nothing here pushing the old ST, of course, and that's fine.

The audio will certainly entertain the kids. Oh, and the big kids, like me. I absolutely loved it, but I should say nothing more to spoil your surprise other than Anthony made excellent use of MasterSound!!

Struggling to understand just why I played this game? Better check out this screenshot then...

Gameplay relies on fudgy controls to make it feel chaotic. Can you beat level nine?

The CryptO'pinion?

Whatever you're thinking when you saw the screenshots - don't. Since when did the visuals matter? The idea and gameplay are humorous and incredibly entertaining. Yes, the controls initially feel too snappy, but you will get used to that, and anything different would just make the game too easy. So it's perfect as is.

Boogey Man is a ridiculous game and one I'm sure your kids will love for all the obvious reasons. I loved every second of it, and I've heard there's a Boogey Man II listed on AtariMania... dare I try the sequel? LOL

Faster Than Light: The Atari ST

Kick back and enjoy another Atari ST book

Jamie Lendino of ExtremeTech has released a book for the world's best 16-bit computer. I've just got the digital edition tonight and enjoyed flicking through some pages. To say I'm impressed would be a huge understatement. This is seriously good stuff. Heck, even my little website gets a mention, which is mind-blowing.

Faster Than Light is full and covers many different topics: from the history and range of different computers, plus the various uses we got from this incredible beast. The book is available on (your local) Amazon store now for less than a tank of fuel!! I'm buying the paperback edition, and I hope you ST nutters do the same.

Shall we see some nabbed screenshots and text? Why not! Here you go...

   

   

“Power Without the Price.” Every Atari fan remembers that slogan from the 1980s as the rallying cry for 16-bit computing in the form of the Atari ST. This groundbreaking computer brought previously unimagined power to the home user for the first time—and transformed an industry or two along the way.

Author Jamie Lendino offers a fresh, vital look at the history of the Atari ST, guiding you from its inauspicious genesis at the centre of a company known for its gaming consoles to its category-defining triumphs in music, desktop publishing, and video gaming. And he doesn’t stop there: He then leaps to the present to pull back the veil on the thriving software and mod communities that aren’t just keeping it alive today but taking it to places its creators never could have imagined.

Whether you’re a longtime devotee who wants to relive the magic of the machine that unleashed the wonders of Dungeon Master, Time Bandit, and Starglider, an intrepid DIYer on the hunt for new ideas and resources to take your homebrew system to the next level, or a newcomer hungry to learn the ins and outs of one of the most important computers ever created, this book will get you there just as the ST did its long-ago digital pioneers: Faster Than Light."

Bugziacs

1983 has come knocking!

A new remake of Don Priestley's Maziacs is released by Bello Games with coding by George Nakos (aka GGN), graphics by Niels Kleine (aka Tinker) and Kevin Dempsey (aka SH3). At the moment, it's unfinished, but I loved the ZX Spectrum original so much that I couldn't wait to get my grubby mitts on the olde classic.

I expected differences, but this feels authentic, and with a remake of the old DK'Tronics loading screen. Surprisingly, there is a good reason Bugziacs feels so much like the original - "This version actually runs the original Spectrum code translated to 68000 using a custom tool and then some routines replaced with ST-specific code". Extremely interesting, and I hope many more Spectrum conversions are in the pipeline.

Check out the first screenshots. I feel like I'm 12 again looking at these Speccy delights...

Ohh, the menu system is just like the original. Even the font...

...and these silly sprites too. Comical and I love it.

I wish more games had an intro detailing what to do. Brilliant idea.

Wow, it really is Maziacs!

Once the game begins, things feel familiar, but the look (and movement) is better than my favourite Z80 computer could ever manage. The goal remains the same: explore a maze for hidden treasure and make your escape. It sounds easy, but you cannot carry both a weapon and the treasure at the same time.

Each maze is randomly generated, which means a different game each time. The one thing that remains constant is the angry Maziacs who roam the corridors looking for a scrap with our plucky hero. Thankfully, some kind soul has left swords scattered throughout. Sadly, these can only be used once per battle! So this is where the map comes in handy, along with your memory for those weapons you may have missed.

This might sound weird and rather limiting, but it works well to keep you on your toes. The ST game plays like I remember and, unlike most 16-bit updates, it doesn't feel like it's lacking that 'je ne sais quoi'. This is authentic yet also a unique improvement. That in itself is impressive, as I'm tired of classic games being spoiled by better graphics or unnecessary changes. Yes, I mean the terrible Chuckie Egg II as an example!

Bugziacs also boasts a surprising and fascinating feature: you can play the game using either the original Spectrum graphics or the updated and delightful Atari ST graphics. This is incredible and something I’d love to see in other games being ported to the Atari ST. It’s a truly wow moment.

You don’t believe how good this is? You’d better check out some more screenshots then....

The Atari ST version looks amazing. Authentic, yet a cracking advancement too.

Of course, you could step back in time and use the original Speccy graphics?

Whatever you decide, it's always best to use the map. Don't get lost!

Don Priestley would love this!

Keep an eye on your energy levels (displayed using a red vertical bar) because that ticks down as you explore. Fear not, whoever left the swords has also kindly left energy drinks. Also, I advise chatting with the prisoners who are usually willing to aid you on your travels. Although it's odd, they know so much yet never ask to be freed? Finally, please use the map, which will be incredibly helpful at crucial times!

This is well-balanced and incredibly playable. Sure, it's got some quirks/bugs as those randomly generated maps can sometimes be rather unfair: more than once, I began with a Maziac standing beside me!! But let's not forget this is a work-in-progress, so I'm extremely eager and excited to see the final product.

I’m absolutely thrilled to be playing this game on my Atari ST! Here’s a screenshot...

Maziacs... oops!! Bugziacs has the most helpful prisoners you could ever imagine.

The swords are necessary but probably made in China - they don't last very long!

Hang on a mo, three monsters and only one sword? Oh no!!

The CryptO'pinion?

What an absolutely fantastic version this is, and being able to switch between Atari ST and ZX Spectrum visuals is just too good for words. It's always great to see a "new" game in development for our computer. I hope GGN can put this tool to use in the future and get other Speccy games converted. GGN - please develop Chuckie Egg 2 next, as this is my favourite 8-Bit platformer, but I also have a massive list ;-)

Whether you're old enough to remember the original game or not, Bugziacs is a bundle of frantic mayhem. It's a simple idea, and it's a rush hunting down the treasure before panicking to quickly escape. Yes, it's tough, but it's so much fun. This is a brilliant game, and I cannot help but highly recommend it to everyone.

Maziacs is superb on the ZX Spectrum, but guess what? So is Bugziacs on the Atari ST. Absolutely superb!!

Both AtariMania and Demozoo have Bugziacs to download.

UPDATE = a new version is released!!!

ST Collection #8

This is a cool one

Here's another menu disk that I like, ST Collection 8 by Typhoon. As you can imagine, it features loads of intros by the likes of Cynix, Fuzion, plus also a few other oddities: I love the strangely funny Sonic Demo and Dune's Faith features spectacular artwork, stunning effects, and audio to die for!! MJJ's Trisogames is always great, but I must admit it was Pascal Ganaye's Strip Tetris that caught my attention (naughty boy)

As you'd expect, it's just Tetris, but we're also treated to a 4-bit glamour girl who removes her clothing the better you perform. Hmm, that didn't come outright, but you know what I mean? Gameplay is pretty good, and my old man reactions did well in the video recording, so is a nice conversion of the boring old classic!

There's lots of cool stuff on this disk, and Demozoo has the credits and download. Check these out...

D-Day

Rule Britannia!!

A couple of years ago, I managed to buy myself a mint copy of D-Day by US Gold. This is a war game on four disks, so it's a pain to someone (like me) who's been spoiled by the luxury of an Ultrasatan. However, I couldn't find a hard disk version anywhere, so I did what any sane person would do - I asked Peter Putnik.

Later, during the World Cup (and after a couple of beers), I had myself the hard disk adaptation of this wonky war game. Launching it from my Satan is a dream compared to the floppies, and I'm really grateful for Peter's commitment to the ST scene. So, what did I think of US Gold's take on this historic moment?

Before we begin with my review, June 6th 1944, is a moment in time we cannot comprehend but will never forget. This video recording and game review are just my humble way of saying thank you to those who have served.

We need to see a screenshot, so let's kick it off with the topography of this historic area...

Overlord offers a crude yet incredible insight into the situation on the day. Quite frightening!

Operation Neptune

A map of Normandy during D-Day illustrates enemy positions and planned missions, enabling their execution. This is like a campaign mode for the entire Overlord Operation, and each event features by time as it unfolded. However, it's extremely confusing for newcomers, and even the manual recommends starting with the individual missions. I love their honesty, so I did exactly that and began each part in turn.

The idea of these mini-games is actually very excellent. They are divided into four categories: Tank, Bomb (the most sluggish planes ever!), Paratrooper, and Infantry. Splitting them up is brilliant and lets you skip straight to your favourite. Also, no matter the game, there are always several missions to choose from.

Wanna hear more? Good! So let's take a look at each mini-game right now...

There is a wealth of information and statistical detail to check out in the main game.

Mission #1 - Tank

The first game is Tank, a WWII twist on the Battlezone format, and looks like another ST title, possibly because they share the same programmer, Pascal Jarry! There are lots of missions, and the first instructs us to destroy every bunker on the beach - a lot harder than it may sound! There are loads of missions, but it's quite buggy, and I suffered a few crashes. At one point, I even managed to get myself stuck in a tree!

Performance is poor, and the engine noise is missing (which is weird), but I have to admit I had a bunch of fun driving the little tank. Make sure you hit the function keys for the different modes of operation, and also a cool outside perspective. It's worth playing a couple of missions, but sadly, it feels like a rushed add-on.

An average game that could have been much better; I rate it 5.5/10.

The big boys are here, and we're taking no prisoners!

We're out roaming the countryside - looking for a fight.

Mission #2 - Bomb

This next game is truly eye-opening. How did it manage to slip past the US Gold Quality and Control debt? (lol). Again, there are lots of different missions, and I chose to fly at night to bomb a bridge. Well, that was theory, anyhow, but I literally had not even the slightest chance of hitting it. Not in a million years!

Controlling the plane is strange. There are basic instruments to help with your noble adventure, but it's all a bit rubbish. It's nothing like I would expect, so you're left feeling blind, which makes completing any mission nigh on impossible. Calling it a sluggish 3D engine is a massive understatement; I reckon an Oric 1 could perform better. It’s definitely the weakest game, so I won’t be playing it again.

I am really struggling not to be too cruel here, but I must rate Bomb at 2/10.

Wow, I really don't know how to describe this part of the game... So poor.

Mission #3 - Paratrooper

We parachute in, either solo or with troops, into a dangerous warzone. Firstly, getting them safely on the ground is crucial, but be mindful of the challenging wind conditions. Despite the ludicrously bad gameplay, guiding your men to safety is surprisingly rewarding. My daughter enjoyed it and thought it was good - bonus!

Unlike the Bomb game, this game is so bad that you need to play it. Weird, right?

I don't know why I enjoyed this game so much. I have no answer, and rate it at 6/10.

Weeee, one man gets tangled and falls to his death, but the others land safely!

Mission #4 - Infantry

I enjoy overhead action/strategy games, and this is styled similarly to titles like Cannon Fodder or Rebellion. However, don’t be fooled; it’s more of a slower-paced tactical game where stealth is key.

Many missions involve guiding stickmen through fields while avoiding enemy bunkers, tanks, and obstacles. The gameplay is crude, and the enemy AI is like a robotic turret (ie, not good, but deadly!). Each enemy unit has a specific position on the screen, and once spotted, they relentlessly bombard that area. It’s your job to sneakily find an alternative route and pick them off with your gun, grenades, or mortar.

The controls are surprisingly imprecise, and getting the soldiers to stand exactly where you need them is half the battle. It’s also annoying when they take the long route around an obstacle, often putting them in the line of fire and causing them to die. The graphics are quite Cannon Fodder-ish, but very crude. I might be a terrible pixel artist, but I honestly think I could have done better. The sound effects are made from crunchy samples and add to the atmosphere, but the constant noise might give you a headache.

I should stop complaining because, despite its flaws, this game is incredible. It reminded me of what I'd call (a lite) Stonkers on the ZX Spectrum. Infantry is nothing more than finding a safe route through the map and picking off the enemy one by one. It’s very simple and not much more, but I genuinely enjoyed myself more than I can explain. I played the game for several hours. Yes, I know, I’m mad!

It's crude and ridiculously unrealistic, but I loved it!!! So I'm giving Infantry a 9/10.

We're on the beach in one mission, and raising everything to the ground on another!

The enemy won't move, but they're sure out in great numbers. Can you kill everyone and escape?

The CryptO'pinion?

This is the ultimate mixed bag of goodies. The Operation Overlord sections are rich in depth and provide a unique historical perspective. However, D-Day feels as if it were hastily programmed, which is odd considering the credits. Technically, it fails to utilise the Atari ST hardware effectively and is riddled with sluggish, buggy code. While D-Day is somewhat tacky, I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Infantry game.

Therefore, I recommend D-Day for this one game alone. Honestly, I enjoyed that a bunch!!

Grab the floppies via Atari Legend

8BitChip has the new HDD version!

Looks pretty good, right? Well, this was recorded using my beefy Mega STe.

I'll say no more...

Pop!

Menu Disks!

One thing I love is trolling the ST's massive archive of menu disks, and Golden Dawn #44 features quite a few unexpected crackers. The first is Pop! by Manuel Castrillo of Bit Culture, a 1993 shareware game. The instructions are quite difficult, but we're on Skuiskie Island and armed with a gas gun to kill lots of nasties!

Pop! is a platformer that feels kinda like a weird mix of Pang and Monster Business. Actually, it's rather odd if I'm honest, and certainly not what I expected to play. Right from the start, you're thrown in at the deep end, which means instant death. Why game developers think something like this is a good thing, I do not know.

Stick with it and, after many pointless deaths, you will get the hang of things. Use your gun to gas these critters to Hell - they take a few hits! Enjoy their cute expressions, but hurry up because they need to die before the time limit expires. The controls feel nice but are too slow, especially when trying to turn around in the frantic heat of battle. Interestingly, there is support for two players, which adds a whole new level.

So what about the graphics and sounds? Well, I couldn't ever be too judgmental about the aesthetics of any shareware game, but Hoog has already set that bar impossibly high. However, Pop! has nice graphics with some neat touches - like your death. The colours are a little off, so I think a better use of the palette should have been made, especially when monsters blend into the scenery, and your gun's bubbles are invisible against the background sky. Music is DMA and in stereo, but sadly, little audio is heard during gameplay...

This is a shockingly silly game, but addictive too. With a little more thought, I'm sure Pop! could have been better, but it's spoiled by sluggish controls and a terribly harsh time limit. Having said that, I obviously thought it was good enough to feature - either I'm going soft, or I had myself some fun on this rainy morning?

Go on, grab Golden Dawn's disk via Demozoo, and take a look at these screenshots...

Instantly eaten alive by something oddly cute. Must try harder...

Kudos to them for putting most commercial companies to shame by making use of the STe!