Showing posts with label Beat 'em ups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beat 'em ups. Show all posts

Friday, January 06, 2023

Street Fighter


A disgruntled gamer

Back in the summer of 1988, I was the only guy in college with a ZX Spectrum. Don't get me wrong, I loved my old Speccy but I had grown out of it and spent much of that year dreaming of Atari's new supercomputer. It was tough seeing magazine game reviews because the Atari ST games appeared to have graphics lightyears ahead of the current competition.

However, I will always remember the advert for Street Fighter because it featured screenshots taken from various systems, the Atari ST being one. It was a jaw-dropping moment seeing such amazing details and bright colours (the image above). In reality, the advert was a lie because that image was actually taken from the arcade version!!

Not that it mattered because this beat'em up was something of a shambles thanks to Tiertex chimps randomly hitting their keyboards until they thought it was ready for release. I honestly don't know how they got away with this product - it's not only the jerky scrolling and laughable animations but the control system is sluggish and vastly unresponsive.

Of course, after months of yearning for the Atari ST, I finally got one at Christmas. Ignoring Street Fighter, this slab of grey power lived up to all my hopes and desires and you can imagine the joy on my face when I first got to boot up Xenon, Buggy Boy or Beyond The Ice Palace. Magical moments in my history. (Atari STFM Super Pack)

If you're still interested in playing Street Fighter then you are obviously insane, but here are the links...

8BitChip has the download for hard drive/ultrasatan installation.
Floppy disks can be found using Old Games Finger (Automation #41)
Wasabim has recorded a fantastic YouTube video!
Type "STREETCHEAT" on the title screen and you can hit the Help key to skip levels.
Maybe you're curious how Street Fighter would have performed on the Atari STe? (unfinished)
Hey, why not check out our Pixel Art & Beat'em Up sections, go on and click the links!
 

Even though a trainer was enabled, I endured much pain to get these screenshots! I wanted to play through until the end, but it seemed to go on forever so I was thoroughly braindead and gave up. Anyhow, we're here for the (static) pixel art so I'll stop moaning about that advert and game. Dare I ask if there are fans of the ST beat'em up out there!

I hope you enjoyed this silly little post by a disgruntled gamer remembering US Gold's misleading advert? O_o



Look at him trying to punch me even though I've jerkily leapt 15ft in the air.


Look at the magazine advert and then try and tell me that it's the same as the ST game!


Look at the size of this bad boy. Hmm, let's punch him in the nuts - that'll work!


Another giant dude to fight, so I decided to cower in front of Ian Dury's little car heh.


You'll see something like this at the end of each stage. Great, uh?


Look at all those strange faces watching. Quite scary!


Another clipping of the advert (enhanced using online tools, hence the weird text)

Sunday, September 09, 2018

Aaargh!



Aaargh?

Sometimes, I don't want to play a life-sucking adventure or learn the ins and outs of some RPG. Sometimes, I just wanna smash up stuff and then feast on many annoying human beings. Well, today I loaded up Aaargh! by Melbourne House which is basically Rampage and we can be a giant ogre or a fire-breathing dragon.

Destroy buildings, kill attacking critters, eat stupid humans and then collect an egg trophy. Watch out for the angry yocals and various dangerous critters so conserve energy by eating what you find - or those tasty humans!! Once you have the egg, it's time for a (terrible) battle with a beastie opponent before plundering the next village.

The controls are a little clumsy because our beastie must be facing in the right direction to pick up items and perform specific attack moves. Sadly, we can be knocked to the ground far too easily which is very frustrating when waiting for him to get up - and that gives other nasties more than enough time to creep up on you once again...

It's not Rampage, but it's still fun for an hour and who doesn't enjoy burning homes before eating the angry villagers? Aaargh! might be utter rubbish but I actually enjoyed it. Of course, I'm mad but it's great fun being mad!


I found this screen pretty awkward to walk around.


This is a great level and nothing is better than killing the native peasants!!


Oh no, this looks scary. Love that face in the rock!

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Hong Kong Phooey



A story about a mild-mannered janitor

Once again, I've been plodding through my YouTube channel and found another old video, Hi-Tec's Hong Kong Phooey. This is a scrolling beat 'em up that begins with a cool intro based on the 70s cartoon I watched as a kid - this certainly brought a smile to my face!! After Spot releases the unappreciated janitor from the filing cabinet, we begin our adventure searching for Baron Von Bankjob who has just escaped from jail.

Watch out for the thugs wandering back and forth who want to stop us from capturing the villainous Baron. Thankfully, we are an expert in kung fu which is very handy. The joystick controls are superb and we can punch and kick our foe in many different ways: pushing up (whilst walking) performs a killer Van Damme flying manoeuvre. To reach higher platforms requires a bigger jump and that means also hitting the fire button which is a little cumbersome.

For those old enough to remember this fantastic cartoon, check this out...


I love the title sequence. It's short 'n sweet but I feel like a kid watching it!

The moves are easy to learn but lots of fun. "Yee-ah that, sucka!" (say this in a Mr T voice!!!)


Hanna-Barbera magic?

The graphics are pretty nice and cartoony with an oldskool style that might not appeal to many looking for that gorgeous 16-Bit sex appeal. I must say, the scrolling is smooth but it's at the expense of screen size which has been reduced by a largely pointless status panel. Gotta love the crude character sprites and their pathetic animations but the worst of all is when we jump - it's more of a float through the air! Totally ludicrous, but who cares?

Musically, there are nice tunes which I loved and that are accompanied by sound effects for jumping and so on. Okay, they're just about good enough so it's the background music I enjoyed the most.

Yep, all pretty good but not great. Let's not let that stop a couple more screenshots from appearing...



Learning kung fu certainly didn't help this janitor to jump grace. More like floating!


One gets kicked into the air and then Flash Gordon turns up!


The CryptO'pinion?

I remembered making this video recording along with a lukewarm feeling afterwards - basically because I kept on getting lost. Perhaps I should have checked out the map first? Anyhow, back then, I wasn't sure if the game captured the heart of the TV show or not. And I must admit, I'm still not exactly sure now.

So, Hong Kong Phooey brings nothing new to the table. However, the lame Chuck Norris kicks are crudely entertaining and I enjoyed exploring a technicolour world. If you have a cat called Spot, and a cabinet to get changed in, then I suggest you boot it up. A good game but, there are better platformers available for the Atari ST.

Download the floppy or hard disk version.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Deathbringer



It's Hercules!

Deathbringer is a horizontally scrolling hack and slasher that reminds me of a bunch of different Atari ST games like Barbarian II, Golden Axe and, dare I say it, Shadow Of The Beast. You are Karn, a warrior who must kill an evil wizard using a sword possessed by a blood-hungry spirit called Abaddon. Our world is viewed side-on and can be travelled in either direction through a variety of landscapes but the gameplay remains much the same which means wielding your huge sword whenever you see anything nasty. I'm liking the sound of this slasher already!!

Karn can run and jump using three attack moves: fire + left/right for a jab that is handy against skeletons but useless for others. Push up for an overhead swing - great for flying enemies. Pull down for an underhanded swing that works well for the goblins and other peculiar nasties like rocks. Yep, rocks.

Killing is the name of the game to keep Abaddon happily stuffed with souls - represented in the status bar by the sword's blood. The more baddies you kill, the happier our resident demon is, try not to starve him otherwise he might just get his fix elsewhere. There are many monsters that want to stop you from completing your noble quest: baby dragons, trolls, skeletons, bats, giants, and even birds who drop stinky eggs. A boss screen follows each level but they are rather easy!

I think it's time for some extraordinary screenshots. Breathe. Now, check this out...




Psygnosis eat your heart out!

Deathbringer has fantastic graphics - truly fantastic - and regular visitors will remember I featured the game within our Pixel Art section because of its intro/boss stages and other outstanding artwork. The in-game multilayer parallax scrolling is legendary and proves the power of the Atari ST in the hands of a decent programmer.

Aesthetically, this game makes the lame ST port of Shadow Of The Beast look like Pong!!

The audio is on par with the stunning visuals and a great title tune along with lots of funny in-game sampled sound effects - I love the horrific screaming in the intro!! However, I can't help but be disappointed Empire didn't make use of the Atari STe. Even so, we have sampled effects and smooth parallax scrolling. Eat that Psygnosis!

See what the Atari ST is capable of when in the hands of talent. Well, let's just check out another screenshot...




The CryptO'pinion?

Deathbringer appears to have it all but I've not yet mentioned how this Conan wannabe actually plays. Surely running and hacking at slimeball enemies is guaranteed fun? Well, it should be but this is where disappointment rears its ugly head thanks to the unresponsive controls and that's the last thing you need during the heat of battle!

For example, press fire/up for an overhead swing which actions a split-second later. Other niggles exist like when Karn and a baddie are standing too close - so are unable to hit each other!

Deathbringer's strong points are its beautiful graphics, great sound effects and an incredible array of interesting monsters. Well, I don't think I have ever seen a goblin on a sleigh before! Sadly, I'm left wondering if anyone at Empire actually bothered to play this game before releasing it. Probably not, which is oddly peculiar. With a little tweak here and there...

Ultimately, a very good game but the laggy controls ruin what might have been a tremendous experience.




Stonish has the floppies (Special FX (#53a / #53b)
But I would install it on a hard drive if you can!

Wednesday, November 01, 2017

The Ultimate Arena



Wax on, wax off...

The Ultimate Arena was released in 1995 by STeam and must surely rank as one of the last commercial releases. It's a beat'em up and the first thing to do is choose our character: Sandy or Terry. Now we can proceed to the first match against a series of dodgy villains, each of whom has their own skillset and special abilities. Some might say it is Atari Mortal Kombat and, why not because we fight in various arenas against several lunatics whilst watched by a bloodthirsty crowd.

Each arena offers a different environment and I chuckled to myself when I first noticed the electrified fence - just one touch and you're crispy burnt toast!! Each warrior has their own trippy personality with a varying degree of speed, talent and special abilities. Watch out for a T800 which I thought was really well done and there is also an Indiana Jones wannabe who is an incredibly tough opponent. Interestingly, your energy bar isn't fully replenished at the start of the following round, thus increasing longevity for determined gamers to figure out all the moves. This is a fun beat'em up!

Now let's check out a couple of screenshots of a Terminator and some silly fighting...



Whether you're Samantha Fox or a Terminator - this game is kick ass!! Love it!!


Showing off some cool moves there? Or is he just defying gravity? You decide.


Don’t forget to breathe, very important!

There is no beat 'em up would be worth its salt without fast and responsive controls to kick seven bells outta your opponent. The Ultimate Arena has what it takes and I found it easy to learn the various moves along with their special abilities. The two-player mode is great and allows us to play as the other characters (all except the final guy). A turbo mode is optional but I found that pointless so I cannot say I was impressed too much. Blood can also be turned on/off (what... why?)

Like Domark's Pit Fighter, each character is digitised and they try their best to look macho whilst kicking seven bells outta you. It's quite remarkable the amount of detail squeezed into each pixel with smooth animations and the backgrounds are always interesting: like the Terminator watching you on a screen and the crowd with their silly movements. However, I'm not so sure about the colour palette which is too brownish. Okay, I was tempted to let that slide but then I remembered other Atari ST games make better use of colour, ala Black Lamp. Yeah, umm, it is rather too brown!

Let's kick, punch and electrify through a couple more screenshots...



Kick people to death while they're already being electrocuted. It's all allowed!!


Or just pounce from a great height until they are splattered. All good fun!


The CryptO'pinion?

As I've said in the past, I'm no expert when it comes to beat 'em up games. However, I am genuinely shocked at how much fun I've had with this Mortal Kombat wannabe. I half expected it to suck, especially being released long after the gaming side of the ST had died. Surprisingly, even though the STe has no hardware to move the sprites, it's shockingly entertaining so has possibly replaced Double Dragon 3 as my favourite from this genre?

Also, I love how it doesn't take itself too seriously and the fact I can try my luck against a Terminator is kinda cool. It's obvious that a lot of hard work and love went into its production - and all during the twilight years which is extra impressive. Beating the hell out of digitised guys is a great way to spend a couple of hours!! Play this.

The floppies can be found via Old Games Finder. (but stay away of the early beta version as it's rubbish!)

Tuesday, August 08, 2017

Darkman



The darker side of pixel art

Darkman is a combination of mini-games strung together in that Ocean style we loved so much. However, the first thing that struck me was the quality of the artwork and I instantly knew this was going inside our PixelArt section. The title image and cutscenes have a mysterious theme that perfectly captures the movie's atmosphere.

There are movie scenes - like dodging the oncoming traffic or covertly sneaking pictures for a disguise (which will produce hilarious results for such a sinister game). This dark theme continues through to the end with a short comic strip. This game is a great example of extraordinary 16-Bit artwork thanks to the talent of James Clarke/Mister X, Darkman!!

 - Floppy disks can be downloaded off Stonish and I recommend Now 5 #7.
 - A hard drive installable version of Darkman is available via D-Bug.
 - AtariMania list the other works of James Clarke and the ominous Mister X.








Sunday, July 23, 2017

Street Fighter II



Another unfinished game...

The ST world constantly amazes me. Just when you think you've seen it all, a "new" version of Street Fighter pops up and slaps you in the face!! Yep, I had oddly never heard of this before! Where have I been all these years?

Anyhow, this beat'em up was developed for the Atari STe by Patrice Mandin, a guy whom I'm grateful for Doom and more. However, it's incomplete without the full game's content or even colours (although it is running in ST low). As is, it's fast and responsive by making use of the Blitter, hardware scrolling and DMA stereo sounds. It's actually very playable!

Sadly, Patrice stopped development so it's left this project in limbo - waiting for another techie to pick up the gauntlet. Great progress has already been achieved, and the source code is available, so it's sad that nobody has attempted to finish this incredible "beta". I think the potential is huge so download Street Fighter and prepare thy jaw to drop!!

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Guardian Angel



Dimamic get Dynamic!

Freddy Hardest is our Guardian Angel for Dinamic's scrolling beat 'em up in the Big Apple, which actually ain't too dissimilar to After The War. Manhattan always seems to be the perfect setting for a grim future with crime and gangs. I don't know why but it's got that deathwish vibe and setting nailed so perfectly.

Anyhow, I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic and I think it's because I played their Army Moves via disk (instead of tape) back in my Spectrum +3 days (a short-lived machine as it died after a few weeks... sigh).

They've released some good Atari ST games also and many you can find by searching at the top of this web page. Anyhow, we begin our Death Wish at the docks and are instantly assaulted by waves of 80s-styled thugs! Some have brought along their toys, like baseball bats and knives. Where's Charles Bronson when you need him?



Ahh, nuts! That guy is big and I hear sneaky footsteps behind me!


Yee Aw that sucka!

Being a beat 'em up, we get around crime-infested streets using left/right. The fire button performs a punch, which you'll find is only good against the weaker Sailors. Pulling down allows us to stomp on rats but offers little benefit against tougher dudes! Finally, pushing up will unleash the fury of your infamous high kick which is your only powerful move. Energy levels will automatically replenish IF you get a chance to stand still for a moment.

Guardian Angel doesn't take itself seriously and has you laughing at the silly antics you see on-screen. I love how the baddies turn into zapped skeletons for a split second when dying - it's like a Tom And Jerry cartoon. Watch out for "Death Star", a forklift trucker called Ricky Chang who is probably the world's worst driver. However, my favourite is being kicked out of your cute yellow boots when suffering a final death blow. Hilarious stuff.

That's this game to a tea, it's stupid but incredibly entertaining. The kind you play after a bad day at work!



What? You think ganging up is going to scare me away - not on your nelly!!


Aesthetics

The gameplay window is small with much of the screen being -mostly- pointless decor. However, I do like the detailed backgrounds, even if they're too colourful for a bleak city scene! Sprites are large and well-detailed with basic animation but there are some cool scenes and Ricky Chang will always make me laugh. Fantastic!!

Forget the terrible theme tune. Okay, thankfully, all in-game sound effects are made from good and meaty samples with the chainsaw guy being superb. In fact, I really love the excellent variety of sampled sound effects.



Now, this is a proper title screen with great artwork.


The CryptO'pinion?

Guardian Angel sure has some good qualities; a bucket load of humour matched by responsive controls, superb sprites and sound effects. Sadly, it's typically Dinamic and too tough!! Only having one decent attack spoils any long-term potential but, I must admit, I enjoyed it with a trainer enabled! But that's a bad thing, right?

I think you guys need to play this beat 'em up regardless of the need for a trainer. Damn good fun!!

Stonish has Medway Boys #85 Floppy Disk.

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

After The War



Muscles and big boots

After The War was released back in 1989 by Dinamic Software and is (partly) a fantastic beat 'em up similar in style to Double Dragon 3. You are Jonathan Rogers, aka Jungle Rogers, and must assassinate Professor McJerin who is today's nutcase. Worryingly set in the near future during a post-apocalyptic Manhattan where you must kill all the bad dudes and escape to somewhere far nicer than this hellhole! Sounds easy, right? Let's see...

The game is split into two parts: the first is a scrolling beat 'em up. The second is a shoot 'em up platformer. Upon playing part one, the first thing that struck me was the graphics which look amazing with huge sprites, great colour, and good scrolling. I adore the backgrounds and found the artwork and design to be apt for the grungy scenario. Sound effects are very cool and made up of low-quality grunts and thumps with silly cries when somebody is killed. It is worth mentioning the awesome title theme which I think is superb!



It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum... No, wait... Wrong game!


Kick and punch everyone!

Controls are very easy to master and offer: a punch, a flying kick, jumping, and a get-me-outta-here rollback. Strangely, the keyboard is needed to activate another type of kick and a nut-crushing low punch, especially useful for rabid dogs! Sadly, I found flipping between the two sets of controls an awkward killjoy.

Part two is only playable once the first is completed. Our musclebound hero is now equipped with a giant weapon as he heads off into the underground. Gamestyle is a platform shooter where we need to blast everything, even the pesky rats! Controls aren't great and trying to guide the directional aiming is overly complicated. This stage is okay but I found myself stressing over the controls rather than having fun which isn't good.



I hit him that hard, he flew up into the air. Yeah, I'm so big and strong!! GRR!!!


The CryptO'pinion?

After The War is two games in one which may sound great but, it's not. The beat 'em part is superb with decent graphics, sounds and lots of violence - I enjoyed playing this a bunch!! But that's more than can be said about the second part which doesn't work at all. There is too much going on and it's not enjoyable if I'm honest...

Download this game, if only for the beat 'em up stages and you have yourself a winner. Tons of fun in this game!!

* Update September 2017: 8BitChip has a brand new hard drive installable download!
Old Games Finder has all the floppy disk versions you could ever desire!
* Who fancies a couple of cheats?
          -> Fancy the code to part two: 101069 (tested and works)
          -> Infinite energy in part one, press keys: ALT, 1, B (untested)
          -> Infinite energy in part two, press keys: ALT, 1, M (untested)

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Double Dragon 3 - Rosetta Stone



Yie Ar Kung-Fu!

Today I wanted to feature an Atari ST game to help celebrate St George's Day so I figured something dragon-related would be great? Anyhow, I tried a few games but I wasn't in the mood for those and sadly, nothing else really caught my attention. Then I remembered Double Dragon 3 ... ahem ... come on, it has "dragon" in the title!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 For all those wondering what England's St. George's Day is about 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Okay, Double Dragon 3 takes us on a trip around the world and begins on the streets of America. From the first stage, we're thrown into the thick of it as these streets are filled with many thugs - all intent on giving you a good hiding!! There are lots of kicks and punches which can be acted out using cool animation and look pretty nice.

Controls are smooth & responsive I found with each type of kick or punch was easily performed. In fact, DD3 is actually very easy to pick up and play so feels like that arcade feeling I hoped for. We need no learning curve. I must say that, immediately, even a beat 'em up noob like myself gets a thrill from this arcade-styled kicker!



You don't mess with guys that look like these two!!


But I gotta laugh at the fun artwork throughout. It's great, but a little creepy!!


Kick him when he's down!

Immediately, it's obvious this game was designed with fake Hollywood-style action over any pseudo-realism which is fine by me! The baddies are awesome and can attack in groups making for a frantic, full-of-laughs, joystick-bashing time. At times, I got a Golden Axe vibe and, throughout, I enjoyed the barrage of silly fighting.

The gameplay is well-balanced, without being too easy or overbearing. I soon discovered a jumping/flying kick which is very effective. However, repeating the same move soon bored me, so out came my joystick-waggling skills to uncover other hidden moves and before long I found a spinning vertical kick! Now I wonder what else there is...

The enemies are a traditional lot with predictable AI but they all move slowly so the overall pace is reduced. Occasionally, shops are available to offer you cool power-ups like weapons, etc/etc. This adds a little more depth and longevity to your entertainment and proves that beating people up will always be incredibly good fun!



Come on, get up and take some more smackin'!! Yeah, I can take on anybody GRR!!


Ah, he's big. Well, they say that the bigger they are... (I hope that's true!!)


The CryptO'pinion?

Double Dragon 3 is a bucket load of fun with great graphics to boot. I loved the initial location set in the grungy streets of America and later levels vary nicely. The sound effects are neat but it's a shame there's no in-game chip music. However, I am genuinely shocked by just how much I enjoyed this beat 'em-up and I cannot recommend it enough.

Double Dragon 3 offers great, kick-ass action so scores top marks from me. I really enjoyed this game a bunch!!


Kick & punch your way using either
floppy disk or your hard drive

Monday, April 13, 2015

Tiger Road


Tiger Road was released in 1989 by US Gold but I always felt it didn't do justice to the awesome original. From the very beginning, you're thrown into an instant hack & slash action scene battling a constant hoard of stupid bad guys so pick up your axe and thrash your way to victory! However, I felt I was too harsh so played it again...

Well, that's easier said than done because the enemies won't give you a moment's rest and the larger baddies are a pain in the rear end - so difficult to kill these guys! Which is made worse by little visual feedback to help show if you're doing anything correctly or not. Argh, sometimes it feels like I'm hitting away at thin air...

Visually, it looks pretty nice but didn't really come across very well so sometimes felt like a different game to the original. The Atari ST has far better arcade conversions but there is still something rather cool about this conversion. It's not perfect and more could have been done but the action is fast and smooth which feels just right.

Overall, a pretty good conversion in terms of how it looks and sounds but the gameplay is blummin' brilliant. And that's all that matters. So pick up your joystick and have some fun hacking away at the bad guys. Highly recommended.