Battlezone

3D Tanx

I first played Battlezone at a friend's house on his Atari 2600. As a Speccy guy, I was captivated by its vibrant colours, smooth movements, and gritty sound effects. Sadly, I have to admit (to my disappointment) that the ST conversion has never impressed me (I hate saying that). The framerate is sluggish, the controls are awkward, and we can't even use the mouse. Making matters worse (for me), everyone else appears to like it. I don't get what they are seeing. Am I missing out on the ST's version of an iconic arcade shooter?

Years later, I watched an excellent video review by Trusteft, and he enjoyed it. This came as a shock, but it got me thinking - what was he seeing that I wasn’t? I felt I needed to give this ST conversion another try. However, I didn’t merely want to copy the lad, so I booted it up in monochrome instead. Think different, uh?

In light of that shocking decision, let's pause for a couple of screenshots...

I see this broken screen a lot...

Oh no, I know where that is heading!!

Vector wars

Before loading the game, I gave myself a little pep talk - stay open-minded and be prepared to admit I might have been wrong all these years. The game boots up, and I find myself enjoying its iconic title screen. Unfortunately, no matter how many attempts I made, my experience was just as terrible as it always was. I never reached a point where I felt my initial impressions were proven wrong. The sluggish controls simply don’t work. Since the arcade version uses two sticks, I can’t help but wonder whether a keyboard-and-mouse combination could have been implemented? Or even a method similar to Virus.

The framerate isn’t sufficient for the game’s demands; the Atari ST has demonstrated it can do better in Resolution 101, Starglider, Simulcra, etc. This lack of agility makes the already difficult action even harder. Hitting tanks is already challenging, but dodging their shots feels nearly impossible! Sure, it’s clear you shouldn’t stand still and need to keep moving, but nothing can compensate for its flaws.

This wasn't a review; watch videos by Trusteft and Into The Vertical Blank for in-depth information. I'm only here to be an obnoxious, disgruntled gamer. With that in mind, they are both wrong because Battlezone is the suckiest port I've played (ignoring Rolling Thunder). I'm gutted to write that. I genuinely am.

What a nasty piece of work I am! Let's calm down and take a look at more screenshots...

Dammit, my tank is so lame. It's not the driver, honest.

It was now that I reset and booted up Resolution 101.

6502 Power!

Interestingly, Klaz may have the answer to my constant frustration with Battlezone. Apparently, the ST is emulating/translating 6502 code in real time, which absolutely baffles and amazes me. Maybe it was quicker to go that route than to invest time and money into making a real 68000 version?

Oddly, I find myself developing an undeserved respect for this game running like this. The fact that it’s being emulated is impressive, even though it shouldn’t be. Well, you know what I mean. What I wanted was a decent conversion. Hang on, could this be the only commercial Atari ST game that is emulated?

Regardless, I’ll be sticking with the exceptional 2600 conversion. Now then, what a game that is!!

• Klaz's download: http://d-bug.mooo.com/klaz/Games.html#Battlezone
• Trusteft channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TrusteftRetroWeekend/videos
• Into The Vertical Blank: https://intotheverticalblank.com
• Thanks for reading my silly post, and don't forget to comment!
• My respectful greetings to Trusteft and the boys at Into The Vertical Blank :)

Missile Command

[ my video recording shows both colour and monochrome games ]

Let's take a big step back in time

Straight out of the golden age of Atari's gaming archives is Missile Command, a phenomenal shooter I played a lot, but more so on my old Speccy thanks to Ocean's Armageddon, a fantastic conversion.

This Cold War-era crosshair shooter is about protecting the cities of Zardon from a ballistic missile attack. Aliens from Krytol noticed how prosperous Zardon is, so they are free-rolling in and taking everything. You are Zardon's only hope; grab hold of the mouse and use your arsenal to defend us from annihilation!

Doesn't matter whether you run in colour or mono, so check out these screenshots...

Angry aliens, again?

This has always been a cool game, and the ST received a faithful conversion that feels as good as I remember. There is support for 1/2 players, which can be configured to enable/disable other features, like the enemy's multiple warheads and smart bombs. Initial attack waves start slowly at a sedate pace (skippable), but the war soon gets crazy when the Krytolians use faster missiles and smart bombs. Trying to detonate them is tricky, especially during the heat of battle when you don't wanna run out of ammo!

Unlike other home conversions, the ST makes convenient use of its tank mouse for perfect and precise control. Both mouse buttons are used to fire a limited supply of ammo - the left button fires from the left base and, well, I'm sure you've guessed what the right button does? The controls are simple and genius.

Okay, it's time to view some apocalyptic screenshots of doom...

8-Bit graphics and they rock!!

Ok, visually, don't expect to be blown away. The graphics are typically crude for an early arcade game - most of the screen is a blank canvas waiting to be covered by missile trails. However, that's the charm of early retro games when gameplay mattered most. You know, I do admire those blocky cities (which I'm supposed to save from an explosive death), but I also love the wacky colours and font. Yep, it's silly... but so am I.

The effects are fine, but I am a little disappointed that Atari didn't roll up their sleeves and go the extra mile! We have heard far better from the YM chip, and the game is hardly pushing the Atari ST, so why not use samples? Hmm, it's a little bland in the audio dept and definitely needed something with a little pizzazz.

Yes, the audio needed to use samples, but that won't stop the next roll of screenshots...

The CryptO'pinion?

Missile Command is such a simple game and also one of the best from that early era. Fans of the original should appreciate what an authentic arcade conversion is, and one that certainly brought back lots of great memories for me. This is fast, frantic and bucketloads of fun, so that's a thrilling win in my book.

A timeless classic, and I'm proud to rate this a nuke skin-blistering 92%.

Missile Command easily earns the accolade of an AtariCrypt SMASH!!

Grab a floppy or hard disk version.

Defend Zardon from its inevitable annihilation!

I hope you last longer than I did in my video recording? Not hard, is it... lol

Moon Patrol

Luna road-tripping

The moon is under attack from a legion of aliens, and it's our job to stop them! We've managed to find a cute Space 1999 buggy that appears to drive itself most of the time. It even follows handy checkpoints so you don't get lost. So dust off your spacesuit in anticipation of the Atari ST version of this arcade classic.

With your foot always on the gas, you can control the level of acceleration as you travel, trying to avoid potholes and any obstacles. Moving the joystick left/right changes the acceleration, and pushing up lets you leap over potholes. However, that requires precise timing because the wheels aren't great at handling potholes. So the slightest missed jump makes the buggy violently explode like something out of a cartoon!!

It sounds silly, and it is, but isn't that what makes older games intriguing? Let's crack on...

Don't let the graphics put you off from playing what is nothing less than a beast!!

Simple mechanics yet still tough!

There are two difficulty modes: beginners and champions. If you're new to Moon Patrol and wanna break yourself in gently, then choose beginners. This gradually introduces the game's twisted mechanics and alien monsters. Use this mode to learn joystick controls and the feel of the game. It's cool.

The harder difficulty is better and offers a far more interesting game with many extra features, obstacles, and enemies. Here, the landscape is terribly hostile, made worse by even more invading aliens who frequently appear from every corner of your screen. It's manic, but don't run away, there are weapons!!

Banging on that fire button will simultaneously shoot two weapons: one at the top (firing upwards) and a front-mounted rocket launcher for the approaching enemies. So keep one eye on the road ahead and another on those pesky aliens. It's a lot harder than you might think, so keep on firing and hope for the best!

It's screenshot time, but why not use a different monitor? Check this out...

Hang on, there are mountains in the background with snow. Hmm, very odd... ;-)

Aesthetics

Look, if all you care about are spanky sexy graphics, then walk away. Moon Patrol looks dated, and that's exactly what you would expect from an 80s game. The game's style and decor are authentic, with silky-smooth scrolling supporting a three-layer parallax effect, and the buggy's animation is superb as it rumbles over the bumpy terrain. Don't forget, Moon Patrol also works in ST High (640x400) and looks gorgeous.

A funky chiptune bops away in the background, which is, oddly, very much excellent. I was expecting something so old it would grate and something I'd switch off, but it's foot-tappingly excellent. In fact, I love it. This is accompanied by vintage bleeps for the sound effects that perfectly suit this classic game.

I love it when a game transports me back in time rather than trying to improve upon it (ie, ruin it)...

The checkpoint idea is great for a number of reasons, plus it's fun to break a record.

The CryptO'pinion?

Moon Patrol is an excellent conversion and a groovy step back in time to 1982. It's instantaneous fun, and I love how its troublesome landscape combines pothole-hopping whilst frantically trying to shoot down the aliens. It's tough but addictive, so keep your eyes on the road otherwise - KABOOM! Instant moon junk!!

A faithful conversion of a classic with rock-solid playability. Trust me, this is #retrogaming gold!!

Atari Legend has access to all the floppy disks

8BitChip has a version for hard drive installation!

Strategy Wiki lists the many versions of Moon Patrol

Here is their walkthrough, which I thought was pretty funny.

Megaroids

One of the oldest ST games

Asteroids is a true arcade classic that has been converted for every home computer. Not to be left out, Megamax released Megaroids in 1985 for the Atari ST. That's right, 1985, when the ST was a baby. Interestingly, they developed it using their own (brand new) C programming tool. Now that's fearless for the time!

The gameplay is, obviously, Asteroids and faithful to that. Shoot the rocks for points, but don't forget to blast the alien ships - for lots more points! Joystick controls are dead easy: "Z" and "X" rotate your craft, and SHIFT fires. Thrust uses "?" The key and SpaceBar activate a hyperspace when you're in trouble.

Graphically, it's different from the original; the vectors are gone, replaced by bitmaps. The ST's high resolution looks stunning, and Megaroids' framerate is superb. The rocks sweep across the screen like butter off a hot knife. Colour systems aren't forgotten, as they're compatible with medium resolution. But this is interlaced to produce 640x400, but with colour. That's right, essentially 640x400 in colour on your TV!!

Sounds are nothing more than you would expect for asteroids. They're nice and work very well. Especially when you remember this is a 1985 game for a 1985 computer. I'm really impressed, all things considered.

Megaroids has an authenticity I admire. The gameplay feels perfect, and I'm shocked that something this good was released the same year as the ST. I'm impressed by the silky-smooth framerate and flicker-free interlace support for colour systems. This is a wonderful conversion with bucket loads of rock blasting!!

AtariMania and Atari Legend have

the floppy disks to download.

Starglider

Unplug the TV!

If I had to name an Atari ST game that defined the 1980s, then Starglider would be up there with the best of 'em. This 3D shooter somehow appeared from out of nowhere and rewrote the book on how a shooter should be. A whole new generation of gamers witnessed this explosion of 3D aesthetics like never before.

Today I wanted to show you a lesser-known aspect of Starglider. It supports the ST’s crisp Hi-Resolution mode, sacrificing colour for increased definition thanks to the 640x400 display. A legendary game running on a display, unlike anything else at the time. Of course, everything else remains unchanged, including the gameplay.

I've always loved Starglider as it's a perfect blend of action and strategy. The mouse controls are spot-on, and the combination of using both buttons to fire/move is extraordinarily efficient. The sound effects are superb and feel somewhat arcade-like to me. However, it's the opening music that many remember the most. What can I say... Staaaaaaaarrrrrrgliiiiiderrrrrrr from Rainnnnnnbirrrrrrd (insert echo effect)!!!

This is still a jaw-dropping shooter, which plays every bit as well as I remember. Everything from the smooth framerate to crisp sound effects to exciting gameplay style. It's challenging yet a constantly enjoyable shooter. In fact, it's timeless. Play it by downloading either the floppy or hard disk versions. Yes, right now.