After drooling over Sinister Development's Centipede, there seemed little reason for anything else. Stupidly, I skipped Robert Dytmire's Megapede without giving it a second thought. Thankfully, I came to my senses and went back to it. I'm glad I did because this is nothing less than a fantastic homebrew effort with bosses, extra swarms, level-select and support for adults or kids. The audio is great and I adore the clunky 8-bit style with comically cute sprites and enormous mushrooms. Don't be an idiot, like I was, this is a fantastic millipede conversion!!
Space Monsters was developed by Darren Ithell for Goodman PDL and I'm sure you've already guessed it's a conversion of the arcade classic, Space Panic. I'm often a little dubious of 16-bit conversions for old arcade or 8-bit classics because, quite often, they don't work or it feels like something is missing. So I tightly crossed my fingers and booted it up.
Initial impressions are great, the game looks good with each screen having the expected platforms and ladders with horrid nasties roaming. It's instant death if you bump into one so Spaceman has discovered the best way to kill these critters is to dig a trap. Once they've foolishly got themselves stuck (for a few seconds) he has the opportunity to whack 'em with his spade which for a splattery death. Spaceman is a truly gruesome fella but, whatever works, right?
Let's check out the different types of nasties that you'll encounter. . .
Oh, the nasties in this game are so... well... nasty!! The Boss is tough but Don is a killer!!
No matter how much I try, I still panic!!
Yup, there are only three types of monsters but that doesn't mean their numbers are limited or boring. The first is a "Creature" and is pretty gullible and easy to avoid or kill. However, the other two aren't so dumb and possess a freakishly cunning AI. Next is "Boss" who is tough and then "Don", well, he's the real boss. Try not to anger them!!
Also, it takes a greater falling distance to kill the stronger nasties but you are rewarded with lots of extra points. However, if you fail to smash in their faces with a spade, then they angrily climb out looking for blood!! Finally, watch out for that time limit. Don't dawdle and get these beasts killed before your oxygen runs out - I'm never a fan of timers!
Right, let's check out an in-game screenshot...
Right, we've got him just where we want him. Quick, club the sucker!!
Input & Output?
The controls are superb!! This is a relief as I've played a few similar games which required pixel-perfect alignment with the ladder before you're allowed to climb it. That's always a pain which I'm happy to say doesn't exist here. Digging holes and caving in the heads of aliens is easy and so much fun. My only quibble is not being able to fall down a hole otherwise, the authenticity for both style and gameplay has been perfectly captured and I love that.
Visuall, well, it's Space Panic so is everything you expect it to be with a clean-cut design and cutesy sprites. It won't win any awards and nor should it, but who cares? The audio is far better with nice sampled sound effects throughout - that ROAR as a monster climbs out of a hole will scare you to death!! I just miss the lacking background chiptune.
Well, you guessed it! Yes, it's time for another screenshot so keep on scrolling...
'Creature' is a cute but gullible goon and temporally falling into a hole will make him angry!!
The CryptO'pinion?
Space Monsters is fantastic and perfectly captures that oldskool vibe in both look and style. The gameplay itself gradually increases for that expected stressful experience and trying to tactically dig the right holes whilst worrying about what could creep up on you is truly a PANIC. Yep, this is literally one of the best conversions I have played.
Sinister Developments were one of the best shareware groups in the 90s and released five fantastic arcade games. Each was their own take on the classic original and it was obvious that a lot of love went into their creation. Fantastic graphics, audio and ultra-smooth gameplay which felt authentic yet somehow regenerated and fresh.
Only recently I stumbled upon the Sinister Developments website and was surprised they still had their Atari ST software featured. That was both a shock and a pleasure to see such Fuji wonders listed on a website (that also looked like it hadn't been updated in a generation). Sadly, the download links didn't work so I decided to send them an email and kept my fingers crossed. After all, I did not expect to receive any reply from such an old website...
Surprisingly, I got a reply straight away from Gordon Gibson who not only fixed the broken links but also kindly supplied the full (registered) version of each title. Yep, all for free without any strings attached (is it my birthday?). Yeah, how cool are Atari ST folk? For reference, the incredible Atarimania now has each game featured within its archives.
Okay, you've probably watched the Space Invaders video and been blown away! Well, check out Galaxians...
The Sinister archive!
Centipede - Gordon said they wanted a mix between Centipede and Millipede which worked out well. I found a few bugs but nothing to stop the fun as this is a frantically zany and frenzied version of the classic. A superb conversion. (To bypass the shareware message just press "ESC" key on the language screen).
Painter - I personally thought this was the weakest of the bunch but it's still enjoyable and very difficult with killer AI (literally). There is also funky stereo music on the Atari STe - yeah!!
Asteroids - This begins with a familiar intro supporting stereo playback for the Atari STe. Inintially, I found it difficult but, after a few tips from the man himself, I got to grips with it. I still suck at it, but at least I'm "better"!! (To bypass the shareware message just press "F10" key on the language screen).
Space Invaders - This is my favourite of the bunch. It's a beauty and feels perfectly authentic it screams brilliance. Yet again, the Atari STe features DMA music with stereo sound effects too. (To bypass the shareware message just type in "PEPSI MAX" on the language screen).
Galaxians - I've always been rubbish at this gamr but it's such a great conversion. I think that Sinister have created one of pure gold and it had me feeling that I'm back in the 1980s. (To bypass the shareware message just press "INSERT" key on the language screen).
The CryptO'pinion?
Sinister Developments' history proves their talent and each game is a brilliant arcade conversion in its own right. What's even more impressive is the use of various Atari STe enhancements, which is always cool. Oh, did I mention that all these games are now free? :) Come on, that is incredibly generous. Do you feel that Atari-love in the air?
Five outstanding arcade games which I know every Atari ST/e player is gonna love. Which is your favourite??
To safeguard this precious archive of Atari ST gaming history, I have also stored them in my Dropbox. So, what are you waiting for? Get these Atari ST/e games downloaded right now? I'm sure you're gonna love 'em all!! :-)
Bellum Internecinum was released in 1989 by M Goss-Custard and is a Galaga-wannabe. Shoot first and ask questions later because these ET's are incredibly trigger happy and take no prisoners. Aliens attack in predictable formations - just itching to be killed - but beware because these move rapidly as the levels progress. They also swoop down to clutter the screen for some frantic action. There is the freedom to move in all directions - which is superb. However, your ship can only take so much damage before parts begin to fall off so watch out.
Bellum Internecinum is a rock-solid shoot 'em up and I've loved every second of it. A fantastic game!!
Dave Munsie is literally a legend within the Atari ST world. It's as simple as that. This guy released several outstanding games like Berzerk, Frantick, and Kid GP. Hey, a couple of his games were even enhanced for the much-loved Atari STe.
Asteroidia, as you've probably guessed by now, is a Munsie-take on the old Asteroids arcade genre. This means it's hardly going to win an award for originality, but don't be put off because I've a sneaky suspicion this might be worth your time downloading and playing this rock blaster. Well, it's a Munsie game so that's a given, right?
Okay, forget about a static/no-scrolling ST screen and those old vector graphics. Dave is transporting us to a part of space where moving pixels rule thanks to the hardware of the Atari STe. Pixels that are powered by the Blitter chip so scroll along at blistering speeds. Not only that but you can expect DMA audio too. Your monitor won't know what hits it!
To be honest, it's hard to imagine Asteroids looking impressive but, I'll post a screenshot anyhow...
The planet is powered by the Blitter and whizzes by!
Boring old asteroids, right?
As you would expect, the gameplay is predicably asteroids with us controlling a ship to try and chase down those lumps of rocks. It's initially quite hard and surely takes some getting used to because everything moves so fast. Thankfully, the controls are a cinch to master so it won't be long before you realise how fantastic this alternative conversion is.
Visually, this is a nice looker but it's the speed of everything that will impress the most. To see planet Earth swooshing across your monitor certainly makes you realise just how under-utilised the Blitter and Atari STe was by the bulk of the commercial gaming companies. Once again, Mr Munsie puts them to shame. Audio hasn't been forgotten and we get DMA support which plays a short sampled tune. However, it's quite repetitive so I switched to chiptune/sound effects!
Here is the options screen with options to use the Blitter and flip between PAL/NTSC...
Gotta tip my hat to Mr Munsie... Blitter, 50Hz, Atari STe / Falcon support. Incredible!!
The CryptO'pinion?
Sure, this is Asteroids but, the twist is how it performs with impressive Blitted graphics zooming about the screen. It's like watching a demo and it proves how much potential the Atari STe had yet wasn't utilised. The joystick controls are superb so your gameplay is rock-smashingly addictive. This is one of the most entertaining versions of this original.
Blitted graphics or not, this is bucketloads of fun and a superb Asteroids conversion. Highly recommended!!
Download Asteroidia from AtariMania Hey, can you beat my hi-score below?
Crapman was originally featured within the Synergy megademo and later released as a standalone product in 1993. Most Atarians rate this as one of the best Pac-Man and it's obvious why with spot-on perfect gameplay: those pesky ghosts are clever and a cunning level design help make this extremely challenging.
The graphics are marvellous and the Scavenger music is just perfect - gorgeous and timeless! Crapman may indeed have a silly name but it's a fantastic twist on the original idea and immensely addictive. Right, I cannot stress this enough, stop what you're doing and play this game right now. Quite possibly the best Pacman clone ever?
LINKS
- Download Crapman game from the Demozoo website.
- The Synergy Megademo is one of the best Atari ST demos so download it.
- I also recorded a few more videos from the superb Synergy:
Andrei Ellman, Wacko Software, created a game made from three classics: Pong, Space Invaders and Pac-Man. But this release is different as all three games are playable at the same time. Yep, you heard correctly!
Pong is controlled by holding the fire button and moving up/down. Pac Man is initially quite confusing so read the docs within the download! Space Invaders is easy, left/right moves and pushing up/down fires the gun.
The controls are odd and things get weird when all running everything at once! However, there's only so much my tiny brain could cope with and I found that I could play two games at once. I had no chance with three! Visually, it kinda works well but if you're struggling then you can alter each game's appearance using the numeric pad. Also, there's an option to invert colours which makes everything look ugly but it's much better on the eyes.
I think Andrei was one crazy, mixed-up kid who had a good laugh when coding this. Don't take it too seriously and practice with the controls because Video Games 1 is ridiculously entertaining. You will love this maddening game(s)!!!
Back in the day, I was always fascinated by what assortments of goodies I could find within the ST's public domain. I was always scouring the various PD Libraries trying to find either the next big thing or something obscure that would take me by surprise. Who remembers Goodmans, FaST Club, Democlub, LAPD, and so many other libraries?
Amazing times and the Atari ST is truly blessed with a gigantic and assorted Shareware/Public Domain library. That includes a fantastic gaming section and here is one such example, Annihilator by Robert HC Leong. This is a classy shoot 'em up that was released back in 1991 through the esteemed Budgie UK label (a company I genuinely do miss).
The oldskool gameplay feels instantly familiar with lots of baddies swarming around the screen. They're called Insectoids, not Galaxians, no matter what you think! The controls are responsive: moving left/right will dodge the attacks whilst whacking the joystick's button will fire your cannon. Killing aliens is never boring but remember to look out for power-ups that replenish your ship's shield and increase firepower. There are even end-of-level bosses, a cool idea.
Robert coded in a level skip cheat. It's easy to activate this, just pause the game using the spacebar. Now hold down shift and press keys F1-F10 for the required level. Sweet!!
Annihilator is a tremendous blast back to the early 80s and is a brilliant ST shooter. In fact, it's almost as good as I would expect from a commercial company with exciting gameplay and smooth-as-silk visuals and fluent controls. Budgie UK has tons of great games and this is one of the best in their library. Definitely worthy of a Crash Smash rating!!
Waste no more time and get this great game download from the GamerBlitz website.
