Fireforce

Space Master

Fireforce is probably best described as Dungeon Master meets Alien, only this time you're patrolling a sci-fi spaceship with shotguns. Step into the boots of a government space marine and prepare to stalk gangs of alien nasties lurking in the claustrophobic corridors. Released in 1995 by Roland Tomczak of Trigon Software, it even supports multiple players (sharing the monitor) via keyboard, joystick, or joypad.

Fireforce is a first-person, 90° grid-based crawler, but the swords and magic have been swapped for pistols, shotguns, and machine guns. There's not much by way of complex objectives, just survive and kill anything that moves. Fine by me! Sadly, I only found the unregistered shareware version, thus some features are locked. Even so, you can still go monster hunting and play against friends - ala deathmatch-style!

Generously, there are two game types in the unregistered version: solo missions, where you need to clear out the enemies in three different environments, or multiplayer skirmishes where you and a mate (or mates) blast at each other on the same screen. That's right, split-screen multiplayer, which is extraordinary. We're automatically equipped with guns, though I found the machine gun particularly handy for mowing down my opposition. The premise is simple: shoot fast, shoot straight, and try not to end up as space dust.

It might look similar, but don't expect the controls to be like Dungeon Master; it plays more like an arcade shooter than an RPG. Moving forward and back is simple enough, but strafing requires awkward joystick combos that made my creaky old stick groan. Shooting is odd: push forward and fire at the same time, then pull down and fire to reload. Weapon switching is at least straightforward: hit fire and left/right.

Visually, a lot of work went into this game. The enemies might look a little silly, but the environments are dark and well drawn and also convey a strong sense of scale through large maps. Performance is excellent, no doubt helped along by Blitter acceleration. It's smooth, fast, and responsive, making exploration a joy. I only wish the 1-player "window" were larger, rather than the same small layout as in multiplayer. The audio might not feature the Falcon's tracker music, but the DMA sound effects make up nicely. Turn up the volume!

Fireforce is a cracking shooter. Once you get past the awkward controls, you're left with a fun, atmospheric shoot 'em up that drops a shotgun in your hands with only one demand: kill 'em all. Hunting monsters is satisfying, and the head-to-head mode is a real treat - grab an extra joystick or Jagpad if you can. So if you fancy Dungeon Master with guns and aliens, this game is more than worth downloading.

My only regret is not discovering it sooner. Argh, I'm thirty years late, but better late than never!!

• Atarimania has the unregistered download (we need the registered game)
• Hey, don't stop! Check out more enhanced games for the Atari STe.
• The Atari ST/e has more FPS games: commercial, freeware and even Doom!!

Monster hunting in 1-player mode. Argh, such screen wastage!

Let's go monster-hunting in 2-player mode!

Hey, I see a shadowy figure in the distance...

Oh no, it's head-to-head, and that fuzzy bit briefly appears when getting shot.

Only when three are playing will the screen be used fully.

Defensive Alien Remoting Command

Hidden GEMs

Every so often, I weirdly stumble upon something that wasn't hidden but is new to me. Both DARC and DARC II are first-person shooters I’ve likely seen at some point but since forgotten (why does that keep happening?). Anyhow, Dieter Marfurt released these around 1996, and the second isn’t strictly a sequel; it’s essentially the completed game, so the one to boot up and play (well, if you ignore its dreadful intro).

The year is 2153, following the world’s destruction by nuclear contamination. To restore the Earth’s fauna, a team is sent 2,000 ft underground to find a backup(!) we can restore. However, the contamination mutated the life forms down there into aggressive Zorks that angrily roam the corridors. The place is huge, the corridors are dark, and monsters are waiting for you. Dare you venture in to save the planet?

Sounds great, right? Yeah, it does, and I love first-person shooters! Let's see a screenshot...

A Substation-like maze with little red devils running around!

Gameplay

Both games are first-person shooters similar to Substation or Destruction Imminent. No matter what the documentation says, the engine isn't Doom and more like Wolfenstein, which is still cool. The gameplay involves navigating your team through dark, mutant-infested corridors, collecting items, and battling the red devils (Zorks). These guys are quick and never in the mood to talk - so shoot first and ask no questions. But trigger-happy adventurers will need to source pickups, as your ammo will not last long.

The first thing that struck me was the engine's speed and agility. Walking around and exploring the maze is surprisingly fast and smooth. Possibly because of the Blitter being used, although the game still works on older machines. The colour palette is murky and quite spooky as you begin to scour the badly-lit corridors. However, the joystick/keyboard controls are strange and will take some getting used to. Unlike the above-mentioned games, you cannot simply walk and turn as you would expect. It is (ahem) slightly different:

• For example, if you prefer the joystick, pushing up/down moves you forward/backwards. Pushing left/right will sidestep. To actually turn around, you must move left/right whilst pressing the fire button. To shoot, press up and fire at the same time. Yes, it's most peculiar.
• I found the keyboard miles better: walking forward = 8, walking backwards = 2, sidestep left = 4, sidestep right = 6, and firing is done by slapping that space bar. Now comes the cool part: turning around is performed using the cursor keys in all four directions. As you can see, this is a two-handed game, but I gotta admit, this octopus arrangement works surprisingly well.
• Additionally, whatever method you use, you can switch between team members by pressing "y, x, c, v". If you're lost, press M for a map, and press D if the music is making you anxious!
• Doom had been out for years, so I'm baffled by how complicated this is.

As with anything, practice makes perfect, so have a game or two before you play properly...

Screenshots really do this game no justice. Anyhow, grab that ammo!

CryptO'pinion

Playing DARC II is unusual, but an absolute blast. The engine is fantastic, especially given the competition, and it's still running on an 8MHz computer. The Blitter makes everything a tad quicker compared to the older STs, and the thumbing background music adds so much to the already genuinely chilling atmosphere.

However, I don't really see the point of having a team of players rather than being a Doomguy, since there's no real gameplay benefit other than "extra lives". Sadly, ammo is scarce, as caches are very rare, but my biggest issue is the size of the underground. It’s enormous and likely too vast to fully explore.

Okay, for all its faults, DARC II is incredibly enjoyable. The engine alone blows me away, and even more once I discovered it was coded in GFA BASIC!! Yep, I love this shooter and exploring through the dark, murky corridors is great. Substation remains unbeaten, but if you enjoyed that, then you're gonna love this one.

• Download both games from Atarimania.
• Click here for more first-person shooters for the Atari ST/e.
• Hey, both games use the Blitter, so let's add 'em to the Enhanced List.

Up-close and personal. Prepare to die!

Oh no, they're ganging up on me now!!

Hang on, what's that? Let's kill them and find out.

DARC has a superb map, so hit the M key and don't get lost.

Things get even better in DARC II with extra information to assist.

Hellgate

Wait, what? Is this DOOM?

Hellgate is a first-person shooter for the Atari ST/e created in 1997 by David Walters of Smartsoft. It's an impressive attempt to develop Doom using STOS. Of course, it'll take more than a humble 8MHz processor to deliver decent frame rates, especially given that a friend's 25MHz PC wasn't that good.

Wait a moment... Hold your horses, Marine!! Did I just say that Hellgate was developed using STOS?? That is something else!! Okay, don't get me wrong, this is a brilliant tool that has certainly proved itself more times than I care to mention; however, can it actually handle a 3D engine running at a decent framerate?

Please remember that this is shareware, and I have only found an 'unregistered demo' that may not reflect the completed product. This is also missing a few bits 'n' bobs like a rocket launcher and extra episodes. Sadly, after scouring the internet, I failed to find the registered version, so I'm praying the full game isn't lost!! Please, can anyone help to find the full release?

Enough of my boring blabbing (for now) because we have a couple of screenshots to view...

I like the iWatch menu. Apple, you need to learn from this!

A familiar screen after romping through the first level and successfully killing everything!

I'm getting a Doom vibe!!

The year is 2196, and we humans have somehow terraformed the ice giant Neptune. The planet's largest city is plagued with extremely high crime levels, so our mission is to investigate this. Now, I'm no military expert, but I think that means we grab a weapon and kill everything in sight. Well, I'm sold, so count me in!!

Firstly, we need identification, so enter your name into a simple but sweet screen. The audio is great, but I'll say no more to risk spoiling it (I thought it was cool). Next, there are three difficulty levels to choose from:

• Dead Easy: which the documentation hilariously says is for kids and your granny!
• Well 'Ard: which is kinda like an equivalent of Doom's "Hurt Me Plenty".
• Suicide: is for those with Godlike skills, but even the docs advise against this nightmare!

Pssst!! Hey, you... Do you fancy a couple more sexy screenshots of STOS Doom...

The pistol is good and does its job as something just to get you started.

Nothing compares to the shotgun. Just ask Doomguy, he'll tell ya!

Let's play...

Once you begin, everything feels familiar to ID's iconic shooter. The episode screen displays where you are in Neptune's city complex, and the in-game status bar shows health, armour, ammo, keys and even your ugly mug in the middle. Well, there's no shame in using a tried-and-trusted format? (I like it!!)

The controls are performed using the mouse: pushing upwards to walk forward, and pulling back on your chunky tank does the obvious. Left/right allows our marine to look around the city - unless holding the right button to strafe. The keyboard is used to flip between your weaponry and open doors.

Yup, you're stuck using the mouse, which is incredibly frustrating at times, especially during the first few games. Well, nothing is perfect, and it does work quite well, but I cannot help but wonder why David didn't implement the alternative WASD. Anyhow, the mouse only works well once you have practised.

Hardly a crushing blow, is it, but not ideal, so let's take a gander at some screenshots...

Look out for medkits, armour, and ammo to help fight off the hordes.

What? No zombie guys or imps? No, we have these blocky robotic dudes!

An honourable ripoff?

Fans of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom will instantly feel at home as we begin the mission with only a pistol. Our armoury can ultimately include a Shotgun, Minigun, Rifle, and Rocket Launcher. However, I never got to see the Rifle as I lost my bearings, which you can see at the end of my video recording (scroll back up).

That takes me onto the automap: there isn't one. As much as I tried hitting TAB - nothing!! Perhaps it was me, but I got lost and desperately needed to figure out where to go, especially while recording my video!

Look out for pickups to boost health/ammo, and there are hidden rooms just as in Doom and Wolfenstein! This is how I found the shotgun on the first level, a fantastic find! Also, some doors are locked and need a specific key to unlock. There is nothing shockingly new, but Hellgate's familiarity is no bad thing whatsoever.

Righto, let's not get sarky and just introduce two more flourishingly sexy screenshots. Ahem...

Keep an eye out for secret rooms, just like we did in ID's Doom and Wolfenstein.

Yep, that provided me with armour, health and the shotgun. What a find!!

486 Aesthetics?

Graphically, things are poor compared to Doom (which is understandable), but also compared to ST shooters like Wolfenstein, Destruction Imminent, and Substation. Everything looks crude, with a sluggish framerate and more than a few glitches. Interestingly, the robotic enemies are made from polygons, which is kinda cool and not what I was expecting. However, they are a bit thick, and I'd have preferred demonic bitmaps!

The sound effects are sparse, using fuzzy samples for firing, pickups, doors, etc/etc. The robotic enemies scream when dying - freaky but cool!! Sadly, there's no music for ST dudes, but STe owners can enjoy lovely Mad Max chiptunes alongside the effects. This actually works incredibly well and suits the mood and style.

Two more screenshots before the much-anticipated opinion that you're eager to read...

Two missing episodes lost? I hope we find the registered game one day :(

Here ends my game... the screen turns red, and I fall to the ground. DEAD!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Hellgate was interesting, but it's not as good as other FPS shooters for the Atari ST. A faster computer, like my Mega STe, compensated for the poor framerate but couldn't fix the wonky mechanics, bugs, or the psychic robots who always seemed to know my movements before I did. Ultimately, the mouse controls are the real problem, as the game desperately needs a keyboard. What a shame (needs hacking!!).

Hellgate is fun, but I doubt I'll return to it anytime soon. However, let's remember this is unfinished and developed by one guy using STOS, and that fact alone blows me away. All credit to David.

Download Hellgate and give it a playtest. Let me know what you think in the comments.

- Download Hellgate -

KillThings

Killing time

KillThings, by Orm of Digi Tallis, is a 3D first-person shooter similar to something like Wolfenstein. Alas, it was never finished, but it is still very playable, and I'm impressed by the speed of its 3D engine, which is both fast and fluent. What's more, is the mapping screen, which works just like the one in Doom - love it!!

Sadly, there are no audio effects and little to do other than wander corridors looking for a bug-eyed stickman to kill. Still, the potential is staggering when you think about what's been completed for this unfinished version. Interestingly, there is a level editor if you're feeling bravely creative. Go on, I dare ya.

KillThings was never going to replace Wolfenstein or Substation, but I'm fascinated by oddities like this lurking within our archives. I'm impressed by the hopes and dreams this developer had for what they wanted to create back in the day. It's a shame his idea died before it was completed. The 'readme' explains a great deal.

But fear not, we have this demo, which is neat and shows what might have been if completed. It's rather cool and can be downloaded from their website, along with the level editor and much more. You know, I hope that one day, Orm gets back to this project because it's excellent! Superb programming - massive potential...

The game's mapping function works like a dream, much like we saw in Doom!

Why not design your own levels using the editor?

Destruction Imminent

Who needs a PC?

Destruction Imminent was released in 1996 by Cunning & Devious Games for the Atari ST/e and is a first-person shooter, similar to a typical Wolfenstein clone. In fact, it's incredibly reminiscent of that early 90s era, thanks to its familiar look and gameplay style - which probably has your mouth watering about now?

Our adventure takes place in a comparable environment, gloomy corridors filled with evil hordes of enemies waiting to eat you alive! Oh, and we have a range of familiar weaponry. Okay, let's say this game was (ahem) inspired? Before you begin, watch the intro playthrough. It's very cool and accompanied by gorgeous music as it introduces the monsters we will soon encounter. These are a scary bunch and pretty freaky!!

It's time to stop reading and look at a couple of screenshots of the robots and rock monster...

The robots can be really tough opponents at times.

Rock monster? Hmm, I'll say no more...

Enter the dungeon!

From the start, the atmosphere is predictable, with each level plagued by strange creatures - not to worry, because we have weapons ranging from pistols to machine guns, rocket launchers, and plasma rifles. Some of these monsters are oddballs - the Rock Monster is like a crude Daroou (Dungeon Master). He's oddly cute and looks like he's made from gingerbread! Anyhow, kill him and free yourself from that pixel art!

The controls are superb: cursor keys are used for walking, CTRL fires weapons, and SHIFT allows you to run away like a cowardly chicken. Also, side-stepping is possible, which is always needed. There isn't a key to open doors; just walk up and nudge them with your nose. This is where the engine is at its weakest because it's often a pain to align yourself properly. But then again, Wolfenstein has the same issue (for me).

Additionally, the Function Keys are used to flip between weapons/health. It's a bit awkward, but you will eventually get used to this. Sadly, the mouse isn't supported, but the keyboard movement is responsive and just like Wolf3D. Remember, this isn’t Doom, so stop right there - it’s not that game.

Wanna see some more of the enemies you'll be up against? Of course, you do...

Things are getting creepy with bugs!

There are also bats. Surely, you're not scared? Come back...!!

Aesthetics

Surely the 8MHz Atari ST isn't powerful enough to run a first-person shooter? You need at least a 25MHz PC, right? Ignoring its drab user interface, the visuals are remarkable, using a 3D engine that won't fail to impress. This makes use of texture mapping, light-sourced sprites, and a decent framerate. Power without the price. The only niggle I have is that the weapon is perhaps too large, as it obscures close enemies!

As for the audio, it's equally impressive, using sound effects and great music. Everything is even better on the Atari STe thanks to the stereo DMA coprocessor. This game is awesome, so colour me impressed!

It looks and sounds excellent, which is always nice, so let's check out the last two monsters...

Mutants? Nah, they're not scary! In fact, they look like me on a Monday morning!

Gotta love the pixel artwork - minimalistic yet stunning!

The CryptO'pinion?

As you can probably tell, I've enjoyed blasting my way through this game! The weapons are great, and exploring demon-infested worlds is engaging. I have very few complaints (already mentioned), so I cannot take anything away from what is an extraordinary first-person shooter. Plus, it's an example of what the Atari ST/e is capable of knocking out in the hands of talented people who care about their product. No lame port!

Preferably, play on an Atari STe to enjoy what is nothing short of a brilliant first-person shooter.

Destruction Imminent

[ download from my Dropbox ]