Collection Complete!

ARC Legends Assembled

After a few years had passed, Atari figured out that games sell. I guess they wanted in on the action properly, so they started a gaming label of their own. Thirteen titles were released over a short period around 1989/1990. There were some crackers, but I'm unsure about some. Which is weird coming from Atari themselves, especially given the lack of support for their newly released enhanced computer!

Well, at long last, after years of hunting and saving the pennies, I’ve finally done it - my Atari ARC collection is complete! Every last one of their games is now sitting proudly on my shelf. I can’t even put my finger on why I’m so fond of ARC, but there’s just something about them that’s always drawn me in. They released a variety of games across different genres, ranging from serious war games to jolly platformers.

Let's take a stroll through ARC’s impressive library. Yes, I said impressive and sticking to that...

• Defender II. Where do I begin with this outstanding blaster? Well, regular visitors will remember that I reviewed it and gave it a well-deserved rating of AtariCrypt Smash!! You should click this link and check it out right away. One of the best shooters for the Atari ST. Miss this at your peril!!
• Pyramax. This blends action and puzzle in a top-down ascent, where you climb a six-level pyramid in pursuit of the Crystal of Thaal, a relic of a lost civilisation. It offers straightforward yet tough gameplay: no flashy effects, just explore and shoot everything. Well, that's my initial impression!
• Enterprise. This is a top-down space shooter that puts you at the helm of a spacecraft defending your base while bombing enemy installations. Perhaps not as polished as more prominent ARC titles, but its rough edges were acknowledged playfully via a hidden developer message that reads, when reversed, “Enterprise is rubbish”. Yikes, imagine spending money only to discover that!!
• Chronicles of Omega. This is the only game in their catalogue to feature STe support, which is kinda odd when you think about it. Anyhow, I remember playing this and having to push through the pain barrier because of the fluffy controls design. The firing mechanics are pretty lame, but once I got used to that, I found myself enjoying this platformer a bunch. However, I'm still at odds with it because the STe may have DMA audio and silky-smooth 50fps scrolling, but its older brother has more on-screen colours, and the chip music is far better than a stodgy tracker tune. Swings and roundabouts, uh? Regardless, check out my review, as I think this game will surprise you.
• Star Breaker. This is a smooth-scroller, not (ahem) unlike other games we've played. A horizontally-scrolling shooter where we pilot a spaceship, battle waves of enemy fighters, and feel the need to kill everything. New to me, and one of those shooters I need to make time for soon!
• Photon Storm. This is a rarity, and was the game that (finally) completed my ARC collection. It's a mouse-controlled top-down shooter by legend, Jeff Minter. Players pilot a nimble craft, collecting plutonium pods while blasting frenzied alien enemies, with dual controls letting you fire and thrust in separate directions for dynamic movement. Come on, play this beauty now.
• Hellraider. A top-down sci-fi shooter where you command the mothership HMS Raider. Our role is to pilot one of four smaller escort fighters, called Orbitals, to fend off attacks from hostile ships, turrets, and mines. If you lose all Orbitals, you gain direct control of the lumbering Raider, which is tougher but far less manoeuvrable. Looks nice, but I need to practice with this a lot more...
• 9 Lives. This is the only other platformer released by ARC, but most people have bad memories of it. However, its poor reputation isn't deserved. Sure, the giant sprites look brilliant, but they were a stupid idea as they're too big for the ST's screen. It's this clumsy implementation that doesn't work very well, but the game has many endearing properties. It's clunky, but fun, and nowhere near as bad as people say, so check out my mini review before taking it for a playtest.
• Badlands Pete. The game that has everything a guy desires - we're a cowboy, we have a gun, we're in a western, and there are pies, beers, and girls. How can you mess up that winning combination? Well, the graphics are uniquely superb and perfectly depict a town on the Frontier. However, the game isn't fun to play as the NPCs are on steroids and constantly out to get you!! So it's a game of dodge, run, hide, and death! Argh, why ARC? WHY?? Check out my review, if you dare!
• Prince. A real-time strategic war game where two rival princes compete for territorial dominance through military manoeuvres. War takes place on a procedurally generated island where we unleash our squads via commands - scout, attack, and more. From what little I've played, this is a rewarding game that demands patience, determination, and a few spare hours!
• Gettysburg/Armada/Borodino. I'm bundling these three together because I think it's sneaky to release the same game with a different theme and graphics. Yes, I'm being facetious because all three are genuinely mind-blowing tactical war games. So, which one takes your fancy...
• Gettysburg – Command Union or Confederate forces in the pivotal 1863 battle, manoeuvring troops and artillery to seize key positions and decide the fate of the American Civil War.
• Armada – Relive the 1588 naval campaign as England or Spain, directing fleets across the Channel to outmanoeuvre and outgun your opponent in a bid for maritime supremacy. I reviewed Armada, and it shocked me - never have I played a game that took me so long to get into (and write about). The learning curve is legendary because you're thrown in at the deep end, without a paddle. But it's rewarding, and I would describe it as unmissable. So, don't be daft and click that link - I worked hard writing it, lol!!
• Borodino – Take charge of French or Russian armies in Napoleon’s bloody 1812 confrontation, using strategic troop movements and artillery barrages to break enemy lines and claim the battlefield. If the other two didn't appeal, then this surely will.

CryptO'pinion

ARC’s line-up might not have been perfect, but it was wonderfully varied with inventive shooters like Photon Storm, Star Breaker, and Hellraider, to quirky action-puzzle hybrids such as Pyramax and Enterprise. Alongside these came their more serious offerings with historical war games like Gettysburg, Armada, and Borodino, not to mention the multiplayer strategy challenge of Prince (I can't wait to play this one properly).

So, what did you think of my ARC hoard? Any favourites here, or are there any games that you hate with a vengeance? I'm sure there is, so let me know in the comments below. Every game can be downloaded for floppy and hard drive over at these great ST websites: Atarimania, Atari Legend, and 8BitChip.

Stay ARC... Stay Atari.

🤭

Defender II is a challenging joy to play! Amazing game.

Pyramax is a top/down shooter, and I'm looking forward to playing more.

Must-read-the-manual for this 3D space shooter!

Chronicles of Omega - the only game for both the Atari ST and Atari STe.

Star Breaker is one smooth shooter!

Photon Storm is one of the zaniest ST games to play. It's brilliant!!

Hellraider is tough, so you gotta master the quirky controls.

9 Lives is great, but the sprites are way too big.

Wanna be John Wayne? Better off just buying the outfit instead...

Armada is truly terrifying! To learn and master, that is.

Prince adopts a new approach to war games. Gonna enjoy playing this one.

Ignore my camera (and editing skills), these are my 13 Atari ST ARC games!!

A Box Of Surprises!

Santa's been!

Possibly the best thing about running with this crazy website is the amazing friends I've made along the way. One of the first is a fella from Norway who has supported me since day one, and his latest donation blew me away: a box of Atari ST games that were about to be thrown away! Can you believe that!!

Sadly, some of the jewel cases are badly broken. I doubt even an eBay seller could get away with exaggerating this condition lol. I don't care because I love anything for the Atari ST (shocker). The rest are preserved, with the floppies working, so this collection will be kept safe as long as I'm breathing.

Finally, there is a special gem - Mean 18 by Accolade. This is in brilliant condition, so it's definitely the star of the show and something I will cherish. Before scrolling down, click on these four pictures...

Skidz

How does a little community service sound? Well, in Skidz, we're picking up litter whilst riding a skateboard or bike. Avoid all the usual silly dangers along the way whilst also collecting top-ups for energy and time... Ugh, I hate time limits in most games. Anyhow, the levels are fantastic, with plenty of opportunities to leap ramps and more. The scrolling is smooth, and the graphics are consistently superb on each stage.

Skidz reminded me somewhat of Back To The Future II, and isn't really the kind of game I normally play, if I'm honest. However, I enjoyed it quite a lot, plus I appreciate the effort that went into its creation - it ain't no lame conversion. So, a good start for the box, and possibly something I'll return to someday?

Wanna take this for a ride, then click here for the floppy disks.

Check out those shorts, this is one seriously cool Marty McFly!

Liberator

Here's one that should be familiar to all who follow the prattle I post here on AtariCrypt. I won't repeat myself, so take a look at the review to see what I thought of it a couple of years ago. How time flies!

Go on, I know that you're curious, so click the link above and download it.

Okay, I bet you're wondering what on earth is going on!

Rock'n Roll

This isn't something I've ever played, and I didn't know what to expect. It feels like a weird cross between an overhead Marble Madness and Gauntlet. Except we are a ball that's stuck in a maze, and we need to escape. I'm annoyed already by this game, but I guess I should plod on...

The intro is ace, and not unlike a demo we all know and love. The game takes time to grasp because of its movement feel and the need for precise controls. Oddly, I never found the mouse a good option. Getting around the maze is easy after a while, and I found keys while swerving into hazards and secret rooms.

The graphics are magnificent with smooth scrolling, albeit at the expense of a smaller play area. Barry Leitch wrote the music, and it's excellent, although it grates after a while because it needs to alternate.

This isn't something I would have bought back. The concept will appeal to Marble Madness fans; otherwise, you might find it galling. Learn to master the controls, and you may have a game that's unexpectedly fun.

Grab the floppy disks and take this weird little game for a spin (sorry).

A ripped idea, but I don't care because it's brilliant. Awesome graphics.

Skyfighter

The Atari ST has a great number of decent vertically scrolling shooters, so I'm a bit perplexed that I have never played Skyfighter before. The gameplay and style reminded me of Plutos or Xevious, but it's all a bit drab with slow scrolling and too few enemies to shoot down. Well, that's hardly a good start, is it?

Control is best using the mouse as it's far easier to move around the screen and shoot with either the cannon or bombs. Dropping bombs on fuel pods will top up your ship's reserve, but that can be a tricky task in itself. This concept of refuelling worked well in RiverRaid, but less so here because you must stop concentrating on the bad guys to make a careful detonation. Very fiddly, so expect to get shot down in later levels.

After completing the level, you shall be quizzed. Yep, the computer will ask you a basic question about the stage that's just been played. It's a nice idea, but rather pointless, although very rewarding. To think your commander will send you out to war understocked with weaponry if you get the question wrong. Quite funny...

The graphics and sounds are boring, and I'm sure any 8-bit computer could have done better. To me, Sky Fighter feels rushed in every respect, but I had fun for 10 minutes. However, I would rather play Flying Shark.

Don't listen to me, grab the floppy disks and take this for a test flight yourself.

It's cheap and very tacky, but there's some fun to be had here.

Bombuzal

Here's another one I have already featured, but this time it wasn't so much a review as something that I wanted to share within our Pix Art section. Why? Because it's got amazing graphics, and I wanted to celebrate that wondrous fact. Bombuzal is a beautiful looker and a great puzzler too, so check it out right here.

Don't miss out on this wonderful puzzler. Click the link above and download it right now!

Is it just me, or does he look like he's sleepwalking with his eyes open?

Forgotten Worlds

This is one of those arcade conversions that should never have been. Don't get me wrong, I think Tim Round (of Dragon Breed and R-Type 2 fame) did a great job with this. Except for the botched controls.

Even if you had never played the arcade original, it's obvious that the home computer game doesn't feel right. Shooting straight whilst moving up and down is fine, but what about shooting in other directions? Well, you need to hold down the fire button to get our guy to rotate that attack. It's too weird and very clumsy.

I'm gutted because everything about this conversation is class. I love the presentation from the arcade, and both the graphics and sounds are excellent. However, I simply cannot control the darn thing for love nor money. Why didn't they compromise with the controls, like in Ikari Warriors? You know what I mean...

A beautiful game ruined by the controls. What a shame!

Grab the floppy disks or a brilliant version for hard drive installation by D-Bug.

Okay, let's just stay on the left and move up & down. Yeah, that'll work...

Impact

If you enjoy Breakout, then Impact is gonna make you grin like a Cheshire Cat because it's brilliant. Audiogenic isn't exactly a big name on the Atari ST, but John Dale and Martin Day came up trumps.

A good Breakout needs to be fast and smooth with responsive controls and lots of power-ups to keep you interested. This has got the lot, and it's so aesthetically pleasing considering it's just bricks and balls. A fantastic Break-Out and most certainly one of the best there is for any computer. I guarantee you will love it.

Waste no more time and grab the floppy disks or, better still, a hard-drive version by D-Bug.

Smooth 50 fps action throughout, and it sounds wonderful, too.

Battle Chess

This is one of those games I first saw on a friend's Amiga. Since I don't understand chess, I never bothered to play the ST version. Although I do enjoy watching the computer move all the pieces. The artwork is gorgeous, as are the animations, but I think I like the busy bee mouse pointer the most!!

The kind of game that makes you wish you were lazy and learned to play chess. Or is it just me?

Download the floppy disks and get battling!

Unlike me, the computer seems to know what it's doing... Look at the busy bee!

Joust

Come on now, tell me you don't adore this classic game? And the Atari ST game is practically arcade-perfect. This has already been featured and was part of a special posting comparing it to other console conversions. I should do more like that... Check it out. (pssst, you might like Winglord, best on Atari STe)

The D-Bug lads have done it again with a superb hard disk version, and the floppies are here.

Ostriches fly, drop eggs, and joust with each other. That sounds normal to me!

Targhan

This is a belting hack 'n slasher in a time of barbarians and bloodied swords. I've always loved Targhan, and it's one of those games I periodically boot up for a quick couple of plays. It's simple, it's fun, and it sure doesn't take itself seriously. Walk along, see a bad guy? Kill him with your mighty sword. Oh yeah!

We can run, leap like a girl, dodge attacks, climb ladders/ropes and explore in a near-open world. It's that freedom I love, plus the constant enthusiasm for gratifying violence. The controls are responsive and a cinch to learn using the joystick. Attack moves can be performed only when holding down the fire button:

The graphics are great, with huge sprites and decent animation, along with background aesthetics like flying birds. Sadly, the limitations of the 16-colour palette mean everything is tinted a glaring red. That's a shame, as most ST games feature palette-splitting routines to increase the number of on-screen colours. For example, to separate the play area from the status bar, so each part of the screen uses its own palette.

The audio is cool with a fuzzy sampled tune bleating away on the title screen. Things get much better in-game thanks to the superb sound effects. Lots of Barbarian-inspired grunts, screams, chinks, footsteps, and more. Some are rather strange, though - killing a bat produces a peculiar explosion sound.

I personally feel this is one of the better hack-and-slashers for the Atari ST. It's just great fun!!

Download the floppies to hack and slash your way to victory!

Okay, this fella is the first badass you meet. Are you ready?

European Soccer Challenge

The Atari ST seems to excel with these footy games, just look at Sensi Soccer, Kick-Off, Goal, and Speedball. Well, here the pitch is viewed overhead, but it feels cramped and cluttered with too many players fumbling for the ball. The action is sedate and feels like they're trying to run through a field of thick glue. I thought the game was much faster. Its speed reminded me of the ZX Spectrum game, Match Of The Day!

I'm not a soccer fan, so what do I know? Well, I partially enjoyed playing Team a while back because it had a large playing area and was fast. But this is one of the worst things I've ever played, albeit with great sound effects. They think it's all over. Well, for European Soccer Challenge, it most definitely is.

Don't bother, but if you fancy a kickabout, then grab the floppy disks from here.

Try as I might, I couldn't kick the ball into their net...

Blasteroids

This is another I have already featured here on AtariCrypt, and I must say, I had a blast with it. Pun intended! Okay, it's not quite as good as Stardust, but it's incredible and a bucket-load of fun. Check it out.

Shoot, move, don't stay still. Kill everything!! Oh yeah, I love it!!

Out Run

This is a racer that's no stranger to most Atari ST owners out there who naively wasted their cash. The driving angle is too low and is complemented by the worst framerate any game has ever delivered. Tidbit: Scientists have proven that if you play Out Run for more than 30 seconds, your eyeballs burst. Fact.

Why anyone would boot this up, I've no idea. The Atari ST has far better alternatives: Crazy Cars 3, Lotus Esprit 1 or 2, Vroom, etc... Or go slapdash in a fantasy land with Buggy Boy. Or challenge yourself in Stunt Car Racer. Heck, we even have a brand new remake of Pole Position and Lotus for the Atari STe.

Thankfully, there is a rumour of an upgraded version in the pipeline for the Atari ST. It's a work in progress by Peter Jørgensen, of Manic Miner fame. I have played a few betas, and it's much faster, smoother, and better-looking than the drivel Probe/US Gold produced. I hope he manages to finish it one day.

Download the floppy disk or this hard drive installable version from D-Bug.

Get yourself ready for headache-inducing framerates!

Mean 18

Along with Leader Board, this is one of the oldest golf games, and the screenshots certainly help to prove that. But wait, don't be put off by these naff DOS-like visuals because this is actually a cracker.

Over three courses, there are two difficulty levels: experts choose their own clubs with trickier controls, so it's probably more fun as a "novice". The 'action' is viewed from a third-person perspective, and the balls are whacked using a 3-click method: once to begin, again to select the power, and the final click to hit the thing in a straight line. That sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is, I promise!

Compared to Microprose Golf, it might not have much appeal at first glance, but it's a cracking golf game, so ignore the frightful graphics and take it for a spin. Ugly as hell, but I love this game a bunch. Plus, the condition of the slimline sleeve/box and its contents is superb. As cool as it is ancient!

It won't ever be as cool as my original, but you can grab the floppies from here and play it.

Another glorious shot. Hmm, will I ever break even with a PAR?

The CryptO'pinion?

Wow, this was a mixed box of goodies. Not all games will appeal to everyone, and Outrun was always going to be a disappointment. But at least the floppy disk still works, so perhaps I should use that as a blank? Thankfully, Targhan, Joust, Blasteroids, Battle Chess, Impact, Bombuzal, and Mean 18 are corkers!!

Those with keen eyes would have noticed some loose floppies: Captain Blood and Pro Tennis Tour. The first is an astronomical (sorry) game that I should properly feature someday. The other is tennis, a repugnant excuse for a sport. Plus, it's the only floppy disk that doesn't work, so I'll get Fast Copy on that!

Thank you to Loggins for this wonderful gift; it's been an absolute pleasure to experience these games. My greetings to everyone who helps support AtariCrypt (see the "Ko-Fi" link at the top of this page) :-)

Stay Atari and all the beST for 2022.

Atari ST games

      

      

A one-floppy compilation

How many Atari ST games can you fit onto a single floppy disk? Well, Peter Putnik has already provided us with the answer: a whopping twenty-three games!! These are heavily compressed on one bog-standard double-density floppy disk. However, a hefty size reduction comes with appropriate decompression times!

There are many classics: Arkanoid, Robotron, The Sentinel, Asteroids, Virus, Tempest, Head Over Heels, Pengy, Jet Set Willy, Crystal Castles, Major Motion, Moon Patrol, Joust, and tons more!! (use the search at the top)

What, you don't believe me? Then you should clickety-click right now and grab the download.