Lupo Alberto

I'm taking another look...

Do you remember the excitement when Lupo Alberto was released back in 2015? Well, today I've taken another look because I was contacted by Luca Stradiotto who supplied a cheat code that enabled me to get much further into this *difficult* game. Otherwise, I'd have never stood a chance! However, I found a bug and got stuck lol

Lupo Alberto looks and sounds great but that push scrolling sure lets it down, especially when killed by something off-screen! But, it's still great and the two-player co-op is a fantastic feature to change characters. Overall, it's a shame that this was never released because I have enjoyed playing it. Well, until I got stuck!

It's silly (and a bit buggy) but it's so worth downloading!!

Jinks

This looks sucky!

Jinks appears as a horizontally scrolling 'Breakout' but is technically one of the worst Atari ST games ever released. A shameful port by Rainbow Arts with incredibly jerky scrolling that is enough to make your eyes bleed after only a few minutes of horrendous gameplay. Honestly, it's that bad and I pity whoever spent their cash on this!

Thankfully, Peter Putnik has begun work on an Atari STe version that makes use of the enhanced hardware for far better results, which you can see in the video above. However, as with Son Shu Shi and After The War, all current copies of Jinks contain bad data so Peter is looking for somebody to supply an image of the original floppy disk. Then he is able to repair this piece of hiSTory for the enhanced STe version. Can you help?

* This work-in-progress is available for both floppy and hard drive installation (Atari STe / TT / Falcon)

* If you want to torture your eyeballs then the original game can be found via Old Games Finder.

* Trusteft has a humorous recording of the original jerky game...

Xenon II - STE - Megablast!

Real music in-game!!

Xenon 2 is pretty much Marmite - some love it and some appear to hate it. Well, I love it. It's one of my favourite shooters with fantastic power-ups and freaky baddies. Plus, it's a technical masterpiece with outstanding aesthetics that proves the power of the Atari ST - when in the hands of developers with talent and commitment in equal measure. We need no custom chips nor those horrendously lame Amiga ports from the 90s!!

Okay, rant over. Here is a brand new Xenon II upgrade for 1MB+ Atari STe computers with an UltraSatan or decent hard drive. This new version streams 25KHz music, during gameplay, thanks to the DMA Audio hardware. There is no CPU hit whatsoever so everything is as good as it ever was BUT with your choice of music :-)

Just convert any song into: 8-Bit @ 25033Hz using a free program like Audacity. I've a massive selection of rock/metal songs stored and ZZ Top is currently during my games!!

Xenon II just got even better and I hope Peter converts many more games to make use of the DMA co-processor. The possibilities are endless... Hmm, perhaps I should send him a wishlist? LOL he'll block me!!

Cannon Fodder [Atari STe update]

Ugh, another lame Amiga port...

Yep, Cannon Fodder could have (and should have) been far better for the Atari ST. Alas, it was a rushed lame-ass port. However, cry no more tears for Peter Putnik has upgraded the game to support audio playback of 25KHz digital music - yes, during gameplay. This is making use of the DMA audio hardware lurking inside the Atari STe and (because it's a coprocessor) there is no CPU usage. Thus zero impact on the game's performance whatsoever.

Of course, storage requirements are too much for a floppy! An Ultrasatan or other hard drive device will be needed to store your chosen music - this can be anything and instructions are included in the zip file on how to use convert something from your music library. It's dead easy to do using Audacity. Click on my video, above...

Well, what an incredible upgrade! This is something else having real music blasting out from your Atari STe speakers. I'm only gutted it is the lame-ass Cannon Fodder getting this amazing upgrade. Why? Because it's a pile of rubbish with flick-screen horizontal scrolling. This not only gets you killed but also kills any enjoyment you might have had...

I hope Peter uses this technology again - for other Atari ST games - the possibilities are endless!!!

PacMania

Popping pills & chasing ghosts!

Pac-Mania was released in 1989 by Grandslam and is based on the arcade classic which was a nice conversion and generally well-received at the time. This new "3D" game saw our pill-popper change from an overhead 2D perspective to a fancy isometric viewpoint and, because the play area was so large - it scrolled. Which is an ace idea I gotta say!

Pacman himself also had an upgrade by having the ability to jump - even though he has no legs! Sadly, the Atari ST version suffered a smaller screen because it lacked hardware scrolling and, as a result, featured a large status panel. Don't get me wrong, something had to give but the game still featured smooth scrolling and definitely wasn't a lame port.

Here is a screenshot of the original ST game (note, I've left in the top/bottom borders for a reason)...

As you can see, it looks great albeit with that overly large status panel taking up a lot of space.

Gee, how would an Atari STe have coped?

Well, I'm glad you asked! Entering into the 16-bit arena is Samuel (aka Zamuel_A) with an upgrade specifically designed to make maximum use of the Atari STe and its lovely enhanced hardware. Firstly, the gameplay now takes place in overscan opening up the gameplay arena in ways you cannot imagine. The entire screen flows along at a silky-smooth 50fps thanks to the hardware scrolling in all four directions (a much under-utilised feature of this computer).

But that's not all, the Blitter handles all the sprites and the DMA audio hardware plays the sampled sound effects with our sweet YM2149 banging out wonderful chiptunes - better than Tracker MODs!! Technically, this is far beyond impressive and I'm sure Samuel has utilised every part of the computer? Well, it certainly provides the wow factor!

Wanna see how it looks compared to the original? Of course, you do so scroll down a little further...

And this is how the same game appears on the Atari STe using overscan and all the other goodies!

The CryptO'pinion?

Okay, the original PacMania was a good game and a decent conversion - I don't want to appear negative about it whatsoever. Having said that, Samuel has completely blown away the original game with his upgrade! It has transformed our yellow friend for the 21st-century retro gamer. It's impossible not to be impressed by Samuel's dedication and hard work.

This is what happens when a talented chap takes a great game and rebuilds it in a way that would never have been possible back in the day. I doubt any software house outside of the mighty Thalion would have been more committed to developing for the Atari STe? Especially when you consider how the boundaries have been pushed in such incredible ways.

This is a fascinating revamp of the old favourite and far more enjoyable than ever. Absolutely superb!!

Downloads are on Atari-Forum! (another video I recorded)

R-Type Deluxe

R-Type for the Atari STe anyone?

An early beta of the new R-Type Deluxe has been released at STNICCC by Stephen Jones, aka Bod. It has been designed to make use of the STe hardware - Blitter co-processor, hardware scrolling and of course, DMA effects/music. It plays far better than the original game and the pictures you see here were kindly sent to me by Stephen.

I have really enjoyed playing R-Type Deluxe which has proven the Atari STe to be a formidable computer. The action feels smoother and much better plus the audio has a great effect at making this feel more arcade-like. This is looking to be an impressive project but please remember this is a Work In Progress. (update).

 

 

Update July 24th

This file is already on Atari-Forum but here is my backup of Stephen's R-Type Deluxe source code. I'm keeping it safe until another developer continues the work. <download link>

Lupo Alberto

Stop the press!

Late last night I came across an interesting post on AtariAge by Philsan concerning an unreleased game called Lupo Alberto. This is a platformer that (I think) is based on a European comic or a TV show? Well, after 25 years of lurking in unreleased hell, the ST version finally gets to see the light of day (now listed on AtariMania)

First impressions are pretty good with cartoon visuals and cute sprites roaming about - just look at those chickens!! However, it's push-scrolling which is a severe shame because the game's mechanics demand proper scrolling. Well, it is unfinished so I shouldn't complain too much and the push technique is fast and zippy...

Gameplay is tricky for such a cute-looking platformer so I imagine lots of frustration ahead of me but I'm delighted we have a game rescued and I'm looking forward to giving Lupo a proper run for its money tonight!

Update: during a game press CTRL and type: otrebla. Thanks to Luca Stradiotto!!

YOPAZ IceStar

A brand new GEM game!

Yopaz is a new Sokoban-themed puzzler by Cedric Bourse that stars a happy chap who loves to collect stars. It's a GEM program but slick, very smooth and even features ambient sounds on 4MB Atari STe computers.

Taking place within the vacuum of space, all movement follows the laws of physics: once Yopaz begins travelling, he is committed to that direction until hitting an object. So think and take your time because you will need to use the ice blocks to manoeuvre and collect all the stars. There are other oddities, like blocks that aren't ice but will instead teleport you to a different place entirely. It always pays to study the screen before taking action. Think before you move.

Also, there is an advanced mode for those with a sadistic desire to punish their brains even more on levels that are incideously cunning. This is a brain-killing choice (I'm too scared!!). You have been warned!!

Cedric Bourse, aka Orion_ (not Orion), has a website where you can download a playable demo and he is only asking for $4 to purchase the full game. An incredibly cheap asking price for such a brilliant puzzler! A puzzler which is fun - love it.