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. However, I have to admit (to my disappointment) that the ST conversion has never impressed me. And 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 gave it, my experience was just as terrible as it was years ago. 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 if a combination of keyboard and mouse could have been implemented? Or even a method similar to 3D games like 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 aids the overly difficult action. 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 the flaws of this broken game.

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 arcade port I've played (ignoring Rolling Thunder). And I'm gutted to write that. I genuinely am.

What a nasty piece of work I am. So let's calm down and check out some 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 for my constant frustration with Battlezone. Apparently, the ST is emulating/translating 6502 code in real-time which absolutely baffles and amazes me equally. Maybe it was quicker to go that route than to invest time and money into making a real 68000 version?

Oddly, I now 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 :)

Defender II

Defenda

Unlike many of you, my first experience with Defender wasn’t in the arcades but on my ZX Spectrum. That little machine wasn’t exactly a powerhouse, but it was versatile and capable of handling this arcade shooter. I could be wrong, but I'm sure it was Defenda by Interstella Software, released in 1984. I absolutely loved it, though I wouldn’t exactly call myself skilled. Oh, what a shocker - Steve is rubbish at a fast-paced shooter!!

Fast forward a good few years, and along comes ARC with Defender II, developed by none other than Jeff Minter. Oddly enough - and I know this is practically sacrilegious coming from an Atari ST guy - whenever I hear his name, I immediately think of the Jaguar's Tempest 2000. I spent countless hours playing that trippy game in 1994/95. And half the time, I’d just leave it running in the background!! But anyway, back on topic - Minter programmed Defender II for the ST in 1990, and it’s everything you’d hope for, with loads of extra visual flair jazzing up the arcade classic. Not only that but the two original games are included as well.

Yes, Defender and Stargate are included, but my focus is Defender II. Don’t get me wrong, having all three games in one is incredible, but if I’m being brutally honest, they’re pretty similar. That statement might get me slapped by a purist, but hey - whatever! At the end of the day, I fire it up to play Defender II.

Let's have a break for some screenshots that really don't do the action any justice...

As a base comparison, this is the original Defender. It's zany, zappy, and FUN!

Defender II explodes all that zappy'ness into a zillion Llama-crushing pieces.

Defender II

From the golden era of Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Pac-Man came a furious shooter called Defender. The objective is always the same: little men wander the planet’s surface, innocently going about their business - until aliens swoop in from the skies, intent on abducting them for some bizarre, probe-related experimentation. We can’t let that happen! So, we skim the planet’s surface, blasting every last alien into smithereens. It’s a wonderfully simple concept, like so many old games. Straight to the action and I love that.

The controls weren’t quite what I expected, Defender II uses a combination of mouse and keyboard. Moving the mouse adjusts altitude, the left button thrusts, and the right changes direction. So how do you shoot? That’s done with the Shift key, which you can hold down for rapid firing. And because this is Defender, I naturally want a smart bomb to clear the screen when things get tough - just hit Control, and hey presto, BOOM!!

But there’s more gun love just waiting to be discovered - pressing Alt unleashes an electrical weapon called the Smart Laser, which instantly fries anything nearby. It’s powerful but has limited fuel reserves, so I tend to use it early on when the screen is flooded with (far too many) enemies for my meagre reflexes. Thankfully, every 10,000 points earn you a fuel top-up, along with an extra life and another smart bomb.

Jeff Minter didn't hold back and cranked up the mayhem, making Defender II an even more exhilarating arcade experience. And it doesn’t stop there - we have an optional AI Drone, a handy companion that mirrors your actions for much-needed extra firepower. Hitting the Spacebar toggles its functions between this standard mode into a powerful "toothpaste" laser (stronger beam), up-shooter, and bombing mode.

Defender II goes beyond anything I expected from a mere Defender clone. Jeff has transformed it into something else entirely. The AI Drone is a brilliant addition, but for me, the true game-changer is the Smart Laser. With that, your experience - and progress - improves more than you ever thought possible!

It's about now that you should leave to boot up your Atari ST to play. Wait, don't go just yet...

The training mode is superb as it introduces you to everything very nicely.

Completing a wave results in this nifty info screen with bonus rewards.

Aesthetics

It’s hard to imagine a game from the early 80s could be dramatically improved. After all, it’s Defender - a game where a black background takes up 95% of the screen. Well... hold my beer... because ARC’s version is an absolute visual feast, far beyond anything the original ever was. The credit for these sexy pixels goes to Wayne Smithson and Simon Butler, though, at first glance, they might not look like much.

What I mean is, that the magic happens only when triggered by playing the game - firing and obliterating enemies. These actions turn boring old Defender into a psychedelic explosion of party pixels. It’s pure visual chaos - stunning and borderline hypnotic. At first, I found myself watching the dazzling display rather than playing - so I kept dying! When playing properly, the action never lets up, throwing an eye-popping, high-energy spectacle at you from start to finish. Honestly, it’s one of the best-looking games I’ve seen.

The audio is almost as impressive, packed with superb sound effects that belch and burp loudly with every move you make. The laser - easily the most frequently heard sound - has more of a machine-gun vibe, though it takes a backseat whenever explosions and other effects are heard. It’s a shame the DMA hardware wasn’t utilised, but honestly, I have no complaints - Defender II is as loud and obnoxious as it is visually glamorous.

Interestingly, the theme music was created by Martin Walker using Microdeal's Quartet. I love what musicians have managed to produce with that, and I only wish it had been used more often. Superb music.

Right then, I'm yapped on enough so carry on scrolling for the ultimate opinion you're dying to read...

Having 3-in-1 is tremendous Minter value. Play the originals - they're damn excellent!

Of course, it's Defender II I prefer - there's nothing quite like it!

The CryptO'pinion

Disregarding the fantastic value of three games in one, this is an absolutely stupendous product. Defender II is a monumental shooter - a true masterpiece, perhaps even superior to StarRay or Anarchy?

It’s not just the frantic speed or the jazzy visuals that make this version so brilliant; it’s the innovative new weaponry that transforms the basic gameplay without ruining it. The drone is a worthy addition, offering several attack modes (though, in my humble opinion, it’s best left as it is). It’s the smart laser that really tips the balance, elevating the game from being great to truly exceptional. This underrated feature is a must-use, as it compensates for slower reactions and lets you progress deeper into the later missions.

I’m sure you’ve all guessed it by now: I’m giving it a massive 98% and awarding it the AtariCrypt SMASH accolade. Defender II is arguably the best horizontally scrolling shooter for the Atari ST. Wow, that's a bold statement alright so let me know what you guys think in the comments section below.

Right, waste no more time and click these links to play Defender II...

• Atari Legend has a ton of excellent menu disks: https://www.atarilegend.com
• 8BitChip has the hard drive version: https://atari.8bitchip.info...
• Demozoo has a wedge of Quartet music I'm going to enjoy: https://demozoo.org/quartet/
• Here are more jazzy screenshots along with level codes (untested by me - YMMV)

Level 5 - FLOYD Level 9 - FURRY Level 13 - BEAST Level 17 - LEMAC Level 21 - ZIPPO Level 25 - LASER Level 29 - DAFAD

Level 33 - MAGOG Level 37 - FUNKY Level 41 - DONKY Level 49 - KANJI Level 53 - IRATA Level 57 - NEURO Level 61 - STOAT

Any easy SMASH rating so go and grab it off those download links!!