Enhanced games - part 3

Land of Enhancement

The previous Atari STe compilations went well, so I thought we needed a third stab at this. If you're curious, the first two can be viewed here(1) and here(2). Let’s crack on and see which games I've picked…

Aerial Kombat was released in 1995 by Colin Polonowski and is a two-player head-to-head duel. It puts each player in the cockpit of a World War I biplane for frantic dogfights across scrolling battlefields. That can be changed to cars or choppers. The idea is to outwit and outgun your opponent - with DMA sound effects! It's a shame there's no support for player vs computer, but if you have a willing mate, then this game rocks! The download is available at Atarimania.

Candyman is a PacMan-style maze-chaser released in 1996 by Mika Poikonen where we zip around a labyrinth scoffing sweets while being chased from an “evil tooth-fairy,”. Just try and clear the levels before she nabs you. The Blitter is (umm) being used, and you can enjoy a repeating loop of a 2 Unlimited song! If you can stand that tune, then Candyman is actually a great game. That tooth fairy chases well, I enjoyed this! The download is available at Atarimania.

Final Fight was released in 1991 by US Gold, and immediately sets the bar high by acknowledging its running on enhanced hardware. Well, stop right there because that doesn't mean Blitter, hardware scrolling, or DMA audio. No, they just use the extended palette and feature extra on-screen colours. Sure, it looks better than when running on the STf, but it's so disappointing to be tricked like that. The game takes place in the crime-ridden streets of Metro City, where the mayor’s daughter has been kidnapped by the Mad Gear gang. We take control of one of three heroes to battle through waves of gang members and bosses to rescue her. You know the sort, and the gameplay follows the usual side-scrolling beat ’em up formula, with plenty of punching, kicking, and weapon-grabbing as you face wave after wave of street punks and gang bosses. Not the best beat'em up, but certainly nothing like the dreaded Street Fighter. Downloads are available from Atari Legend.

Revenge of the Mutant Camels was released by Jeff Minter for a few different specs of "ST", but I'm playing the 1MB STe version with all the crazy DMA audio! This game is a gloriously bizarre side-scrolling shooter where you ride a mutant camel and blast your way through waves of silly enemies. Along the way, you grab power-ups ranging from apples to spliffs, with weapon upgrades adding to the chaos. The result is pure Minter madness: stupid, psychedelic, and utterly unlike anything else. Make sure you grab the right version from these listed on Atarimania.

Warriors of Light is a first-person dungeon-crawler by Jon S. Stock and Tom Walker. We are a Warrior of Light, one of the last monk-warriors combining magic and combat skills. Your mission is to storm the fortress of the exiled Gorgon sorceress Haephaestia, avenge your fallen comrades, and uncover the dark reasons behind her devastating attack. Sadly, I don't think this was ever fully completed, but I cannot verify that as I've stopped using most social media. Very promising game, I hope it gets finished. The download (w/ source code) is available at Atarimania.

That was quite a mix of incredibly different games, but you cannot deny that those Mutant Camels come out as winners. I can also see the potential of Warriors of Light, and Candyman is excellent too. As before, compiling this list was fun, and all titles have been added to our ever-growing Enhanced Games page.

I hope you enjoyed this third compilation. Stay enhanced... Stay Atari STe!!

Hunt down your mate - in a car - and kill him!

Surprisingly, a belting game of chase, but ... ugh ... that repetitive audio!

Could have been so much better with a little help from the Blitter...

Crazy, surreal, insane, trippy, absurd, and we all love it!!

Possibly too much for STOS to handle? Who knows, I just hope it gets finished!