N.o.B.I Racing was released by Joytrick (1994) and is a 'snake' clone where we guide 'Alfred' through a series of mazes. Always hungry and on the move, Alfred needs our assistance as he munches everything in his path. However, every time he eats, he grows longer, and this can become quite embarrassing, especially if he bites into himself. So our task is to help Alfred through the mazes without bumping into his own tail.
Two types of bonus levels appear at frequent intervals, featuring two-player gaming, DMA audio, and support for multiple resolutions. Simple stuff for dexterous players, but soon becomes incredibly fast on later levels against the clock!! NoBI Racing is old school, and that means it's extremely addictive and a bucket load of fun!!
After yesterday's superb (but mind-blowing!) technical flight sim, I needed something less taxing on my old brain cells. So I'm taking an easier route with a Pac-Man clone called Mac-Pan. Weird name and there are already many PacMan games, but this one is more vanilla, so let's get pill-popping & ghost munching!
Mac Pan was released in 1987 by Richard Beith and works in ST High resolution. There are a few integrated features that I really liked: hold down the fire button, and you can temporarily increase the yellow guy's speed. Hang on, he's not yellow anymore! Anyhow, the game's speed can be tinkered with in the preferences. The graphics and sounds are pretty good, plus there is support for simultaneous 2-player.
It's not the best PacMan but I still enjoyed it, and being able to choose the game's speed is a superb idea. It's easy to imagine German office workers in the 80s playing Mac Pan during their lunch break. Monochrome users should jump up & down with excitement because this is an excellent clone of the classic.
This morning I played ProFlight by Nick Brown of HiSoft - I jumped inside my Panavia Tornado to take it for a spin Maverick style. It runs fine on any Atari ST but will certainly benefit from faster computers: my Mega STE delivered an astounding framerate boost. As you can see from the animation, it's compatible with both display modes (mono shown).
Now, I remember labouring over ProFlight back in the day so wondered how my older (and wiser?) brain would cope with this flight simulator. The main emphasis is on simulated realism so you're out of luck if you thought this was an arcade-style combat shooter. However, that doesn't mean it's all work and no play because, once you've got over the hefty learning curve, there is an enjoyable and rewarding experience to be had. However, that curve is indeed hefty!
Man, this is such a professional product and one that comes in a large box with a thick and weighty manual - it's like something you would expect from a real flight school! Yes, this is an incredible flight sim for techie gurus to drool over and certainly one of the most rewarding sims I have ever played. Please be careful and don't crash it O_o
However, I fear this game might be too big and too complex for the casual game to bother with? The sheer amount of hours that are needed to fully devote yourself to the game are huge thanks to its immensely complex design. However, players without kids and tons of spare time will be rewarded with a fantastic flight sim experience. Tell me if I'm wrong.
HiSoft is trusting you with their precious plane that can be enjoyed using either a floppy disk or hard drive.
Isn't Diamond Edge a brilliant program? One of its features is 'Test Disk', which scans for potential problems. Only the other day, this saved my bacon because Drive C (a 32MB partition) suddenly reported itself as 22MB. Why, I do not know, but Diamond Edge came to the rescue and fixed several serious errors!!
I have found it particularly useful to optimise (defrag) the partitions in order to better stream audio for (storage) demanding games (Cannon Fodder / Xenon II) or other programs like ST Video Player. I defrag the drives on a monthly basis. Don't get me started with Undelete, another superb part of the Diamond Edge suit.
Diamond Edge is one of the most fundamental utilities for all Atari computers equipped with a hard drive. Anodyne has Diamond Edge freely available to download, along with the manual, too.
Tons of Atari ST games run in high resolution, and one of the best is Bolo, a Breakout clone. It takes the familiar concept and improves upon it tremendously with lots of extra features, like the ability to move the bat almost anywhere. There are also gravitational effects that are cunningly effective, different brick types, and the ability to change the physics of the ball's speed/direction. Bolo is an awesome brick-blaster. It's brilliant!!
Grab it from Atari Legend, who has many menu disks to choose from.
SysInfo is a useful utility that can display a whole raft of details about your Atari ST (it recently helped me diagnose a problem with my Mega STe's audio!). It can diagnose everything from TOS/GEM details to the more technical aspects like the Cookie Jar, VBL, traps & other mind-boggling jargon.
Incredibly helpful and also perfect for geeks! You can download SysInfo from Atarimania.
After FAR too long, Maggie/25th Anniversary issue was released this weekend!! Yes, a lot of time has passed since the previous issue, but the latest edition is now available to enjoy. I'm about to download myself a copy and spend the evening reliving my ST days by reading this ace diskmag - 90s style! Yes, it's been far too long, but I'm incredibly excited and hope to see more ST disk mags. My congrats to everyone involved!!
Grab the floppy disk, but you can read it online. Here are the links...
Andrei Ellman of Wacko Software created a game made from three classic genres: Pong, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man. This release is different because all three games are playable at the same time.
Yep, you heard correctly! Check this out...
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 a bit odd, and things get strange when trying to play everything simultaneously. However, my tiny brain couldn’t handle it all, and I found I could only play two games at once, not three! Visually, it works well, but if you’re struggling to see clearly, adjust each game’s appearance using the numeric pad. There’s also an option to invert colours, which makes everything a bit ugly, but it’s much better for your 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.
This is a maddening nightmare that will drive you insane. And you will love it!!
The excellent Universal Item Selector by Application & Design Software was released in the UK by ST Club. The Atari ST is blessed with a small but great selection of replacement file selectors, and this is the best. Only on the weekend, I trudge through a folder containing over 100 tracker mods, deciding which ones to keep or delete. So I installed UIS, which made the job 100x easier because of its integrated tools.
This is a game with few friends: Navy Seals is deceiving, and my first impression is of an arcade-style platformer. However, this Ocean gem is anything but a typical run-and-gun 'em. It's more ruthless and requires stealth, strategy, and tactics. Extreme perseverance is the order of the day because this game requires a committed player willing to spend many hours mastering the levels. No spare time? Then don't bother!
Taking down scumbag terrorists is all part of the job when you're a member of the US Navy SEALs. The mission requires us to sneak into the lion's den, kill everyone, and plant explosives to destroy their stockpile of missiles. Each map is a layout of platforms within a maze of trigger-happy bad guys.
Use covert tactics - so play slowly and carefully to learn the enemy's location. Many practice games will be required to plan the best route from start to end. This is vital and the only way to successfully complete the mission. This is not easy, so it will not appeal to a casual gamer, who will run away crying!
After wiping away your tears, take a moment to steady yourself. Some games, like The Immortal, are designed to be played through the process of trial and error. Navy Seals is exactly the same. Play a game, progress as far as you can, and make notes. Review those notes and play again. You’ll advance further and create new notes. Repeat this process, and you’ll beat this challenging game in no time. Honest.
Let's take a look at the first screenshot with gorgeous details against its grungy colour palette...
I love the layout of the first level. This is an absolutely fantastic design!
Aesthetics
Navy Seals is a babe with gorgeous visuals that oozes a style I admire. I love the beautiful character animation as you run, leap, climb, and sneak about. Each level complements the environment and feels like something from a cheesy 80s B-movie! Heck, even the screen showing me dead is great. Yep, I said that.
Sound effects do their job well, and the music is an excellent chiptune to bop along to. Like it a lot!!
Hey, it's time for a screenshot. How about one you will see a lot? Here you go...
Don't expect to beat this game on your first attempt. Or second. Or third...
The CryptO'pinion?
This is such a difficult game, but I found myself enjoying the challenge. Each level requires the player to learn all aspects thoroughly, so don't expect a cakewalk. There are two drawbacks to Navy Seals: the time limit, which is harsh. And I don't understand why Ocean didn't include a way to unlock each level with passwords?
Navy Seals won't appeal to the casual gamer as it requires much playtime with strategic planning to figure out an efficient route through, before the dreaded timer expires. Can you do it? I hope so because Navy Seals is a rewarding game, albeit brutal. In fact, brutal might be too namby-pamby a description for this?
Gamers were tougher in the 80s and 90s. Navy Seals prove that fact.
Hard drive installable versions are available from both D-Bug and 8bitchip.
