Xenon

Kelly X

There is light at the end of my Super Pack tunnel - the penultimate game is a beast of a shoot 'em up released in 1988 by Melbourne House. The mighty XENON was my first experience of what the Bitmap Brothers were capable of. A team that (for me) was the Atari ST equivalent of Ultimate Play The Game. Remember, I came from the 8-bit world as a ZX Spectrum dude, so this is high praise indeed. The Bitmaps produced few titles, but each one pushed our machine to its limits whilst also oozing a level of class beyond others.

I can still remember loading up Xenon for the first time on Christmas morning. Once the graphics appeared, my nooby 16-bit mind was beyond impressed. However, my jaw didn't drop to the floor like a weighty anvil until that music kicked in - and just as the gorgeous visuals raced down my TV screen!! Epic. Timeless

Being silly now, but I always wondered why the pilot zooms over the entire level, only to travel back up through the baddie-infested land? Well, I should shut up and stop being silly because it's fantastic to watch, and the digitized recording of Erich Matthews saying "Sector One" is pure gold. Iconic even!!

Righto, do you fancy some screenshots from the first level? Of course, you do so here you are...

The first level is iconic. It looks great. Sounds great. Plays great. Then you meet the boss...



Very few times I beat this sucker. It's a lot harder than anyone admits!

Plane or Tank!

The game begins with us sitting inside a little tank, which is fast and manoeuvrable, but it's not long until you realise that you can't hit anything up high. Waggle that joystick (or hit the spacebar) to transform into a jet aircraft!! This is ace and can blast anything in the air, but you will need to transform back when you see any ground-based enemies. So, once again, get waggling to morph your ship between the two. This method of flipping between them is genius, and can be done anytime during normal play on level 1/3.

Initially, Xenon's gameplay is neither fast nor furious - yet I still panic when something is chasing me! The first level isn't that difficult, and you get to see a small selection of the baddies that the game has up its sleeves (like ladybirds!). There are more traditional defences that need destroying, like aeroplanes and ground-based missile silos. So flipping between your two attack vessels now begins to prove fruitful.

If you beat the boss, then you're whisked off to the second stage, which is much harder...

The second level proves just how cruel and sadistic those Bitmap Brothers truly were!!



Having said that, I think the boss is slightly easier than on level one.

Frantic. Mayhem. Death!

A status panel shows a range of different stats, including your score, altitude and fuel. There are also power-up letters that might be available after blasting something to smithereens - and Xenon has a great selection. Well, except for the balls that follow behind your ship - I hate those (always have!). Anyhow, each power-up has a wide variety of features to refuel, increased shot length, and more. Here are the cool ones I like:

• W = This is probably my second favourite power-up. Instant extra firepower!
• A = Stay protected and stronger in your ship.
• S = Side shots is a pretty cool upgrade, especially on the harder levels.
• H = Homing missiles help to make things so much easier.
• B = Balls, which can be stacked up to three. Great...
• L = This is so fantastic and possibly my fave - and picking up "G" reverts back.
• Z = Surely every game needs a smart-bomb?

Of course, there's always an end-of-level guardian. In fact, these 'Sentinels' also appear halfway through a level. That's right, four levels, so eight times you're battling these guys. They can only be killed by carefully aligning firepower at their weakest point. It's now that you die, only to reload with a trainer enabled.

Beating the sentinel (for a second time) whisks you off to the next level to fight a massive array of new foes. It always gets harder, so I doubt you'll last long - and that's the main issue I have with Xenon: it's too hard after level one. How many players have seen the later levels without resorting to a cheat? I thought so.

Enough reading, as it's time for more screenshots, and here are some from the third level...

Don't adjust your monitor... Yep, level three sure does look familiar, albeit in pink. Ugh!



The toughest boss in the game. This one is a killer, and I have never beaten it (without a cheat!)

Pixels

Visually, this game is a total babe. Level one has a metallic charm, which I absolutely love. Heck, even today it looks outstanding, and might even impress the spoiled brats and their PS4s! Every stage is gorgeous, but I admit to not being a fan of the fourth level - it looks rather out of place and kinda like an Amstrad game.

The sprites are stunning, even those peculiar pink-brain things on level 4 - Yes, I cannot make up my mind about that level, it's pink, but it's still nice!! Scrolling is always smooth and perfectly paced for the gameplay. Xenon epitomises that mind-blowing late 80s era when we upgraded from older machines like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum or Commodore 64 to the glorious 16-bit world. Yes, this game is nothing less than a visual feast!

I've hinted at its gore, but here are screenshots from the odd-looking fourth level...

Level four is insane, and there are enough enemies to strike down an Asgard mothership!!



I wonder how many got that Stargate reference? Does anybody read my website?

Audio

Dave Whittaker has produced everything, booming from your ST's mono speaker. What you hear is every bit as mind-blowing as those gorgeous visuals. Sound effects are a blast, even if they do mute one channel to play (think something similar to Beyond The Ice Palace). Having said that, it's the music that is just... Mmm, so perfect. Epic. Timeless. Turn up the volume because the YM2149 is about to rock your house!!

Go on, click the green triangle and enjoy the outstanding chiptune.

The CryptO'pinion?

Hands down, this is one of the best 16-bit shooters there is. The range of powerups is great, and I love how we can flip between tank and plane at will. Sure, the bosses are annoying, and those later levels have way too much action for even Superman to contend with. But there is no denying this is an exciting shooter and a timeless classic I've loved for over 30 years. I think I've used the word "timeless" a lot. BUT IT'S TRUE :)

Xenon is downright awesome and very addictive. Play it, and try to hate it. I dare you!!

Download available for floppies or hard drive.

Begin your drooling! Yes, I really do own this ace Atari ST game!! Oh yeah :-)

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

NeST, AtariNet, Modems... Ugh???

Well, 2020 seems to have kicked off nicely because I've just taken delivery of four awesome Atari CDs and it's all thanks to winning the monthly prize draw over at Darkforce BBS. Now, I never win at anything so this was the biggest Mega ST shock ever!! All I need now is a CD-ROM drive. Yup, eBay here I come...

For those who still don't know, Darkforce is a bulletin board service run by Atarian Ron Hall, aka DarkLord. It's a BBS for all the usual stuff like news, messaging, chat, downloads, games, etc/etc. You can access it freely using any terminal program supporting the Telnet protocol - I prefer SyncTerm myself.

The CDs are mainly for the Atari Falcon, a grand machine I'll never be able to afford - unless I win the lottery. However, there is tons of other stuff and I'm eager to see what's on the Moving Pixels disk - lots of ST/STe stuff on that!! Greetings Ron - as you can probably tell, I'm excited to explore these oldie archives!

Wanna know more? Wanna experience this fine throwback to a magical time in computing? Of course, you do, so ignore the internet, travel back in time, boot up SyncTerm or any other preferred Terminal emulator, and then visit this address using the telnet command: telnet darkforce-bbs.dyndns.org 1040

I hope you all enjoy this amazing BBS. My thanks to Ron for this great gift :-)

Don't you dare fall for Ron's trickery? I expected beer and a room for the night... but... NOTHING!!

Check out the main menu!! Time has stood still and is also STuffed full of Atari goodness!

Ahh, I feel all nostalgic now. It's like I'm back in the 90s dabbling in NeST...

Heck, you can even play games. It's like having an Xbox in your terminal!

The downloads area is huge and also complimented with a CD Rom section!

I love the range of jokes and other random quotes that can be installed to pop up!!

Wizball

We are a... green thing!

We're finally approaching the end of my Super Pack adventure, and Wizball is one of those magical games I only have to hear, and all my Christmas morning memories come flooding back. There's something wonderful and eerie about the audio, be it the cool theme tune or that trippy in-game background "music".

Well, perhaps I played Wizball quite a lot that morning? But you wouldn't guess that if you saw me playing it now!! Nonetheless, it still has a special place in my rapidly-thumping ST heart. Our version was handled by the great Peter Johnson, of Arkanoid fame, and I'm confident he did a brilliant job, once again.

Check out these screenshots with its initially confusing dashboard...

My first attempt didn't go well. A weird power-up was collected...

...but then a *red* wiggly worm appears and kills me!

Here we go...

Wizworld was once a colourful place until the evil Zark turned everything grey and rather drab. We play as Wiz and are... well... a ball thingy who must attempt to add a splash of Technicolour back into his bleak world. We do that by collecting power-ups to aid us in shooting Zark's monsters, who then drop bubbles of red, green or blue. Using these primary colours, we can recolour this drab world to its former glory. Well, in theory!

Wizball is a horizontally scrolling "shoot 'em up" which supports both single and multiplayer - believe it or not. Solo gamers get to be Wiz, with the additional help of Cat, thanks to using power-ups. Those with friends can choose their preferred character from the start and even compete in coop - which is pretty cool.

Sadly, I have no friends, so I must go it alone, but here are some screenshots to cheer us up...

Okay, let's restart and try again... Just what are those weird alien things?

Who cares? Erm, just shoot 'em!!

Need help?

Wiz gets around by bouncing across a drab-looking landscape. The fire button shoots a weapon, and tapping left/right controls direction and speed. At first, this is difficult, but the controls are light and responsive. However, you won't get far without shooting the aliens that look like something from a chemistry lab.

Once dead, they turn green and are safe to collect for a range of different effects:

• The first comes in two parts helping to give far better control and then preventing gravity from taking its affect. Therefore we stop bouncing! Yes, I like this power-up a lot!!
• The next gives a much-needed boost to our weaponry and in both directions too don't forget.
• Feeling alone? Collect three and you'll be rewarded with a new Cat to help you out.
• Superpowers are awarded for four power-ups!
• Five green blobs enable vertical shooting...
• Smart bomb... I don't think I get so far into the game to need this!
• Finally, seven green blobs gives you a shield. Umm yeah!

Power-ups are key to success, so take your time! Why not view a couple more screenshots...

The power-ups disable gravity and also do lots more...

...but then a load of eyeballs turn up to kill you. Great!

Practice makes...

The power-ups are necessary, so waggle the joystick when something takes your fancy. For me, I stop him from bouncing first and foremost. It's then that I make the decision to either make use of the friendly Cat or go for shields/better firepower. The choice is yours, but nobody should ignore the option to defy gravity...

Some aliens drop various colours, either for special treats or to recolour your world. They come in a wide and funky variety but are usually tough to kill. Thankfully, this world is pretty big, and there are escape tunnels to traverse into different areas. However, I feel these aliens are often too hard to kill, so I rarely reach the bonus stages or use the Wiz Lab for permanent power-ups. Which I'm gutted about as you can imagine!!

I hear older disks are bugged and prevent completion. Ahem, I was never able to test that theory but I'm interested to know if this is true. For now, I'll blame my creaky old joystick!

Don't run away and hide like a baby, play it! Hey, here are some more screenshots...

His world might be as colourful as ST High Res...

...but at least the aliens are rather jazzy and very colourful!

Graphics

Wizball is a corker and a great looker for the 80s. I adored it from the first moment I saw the title screen, which begins to reveal its colours using several funky methods. Sprites are well-drawn, and little Wiz is cute and funny - especially when he opens up in the Wiz Lab. Yeah, it's silly, but I really like little touches like that!!

A game like this needs to scroll, and wimping out by saying that the ST cannot scroll would have been totally unacceptable (a bad workman and all that). Thankfully, Peter Johnson never wimped out, and everything moves fast and smoothly! Which is a relief because the action needed to feel agile and spritely.

A lot of dedication went into making this game visually impressive. Wanna see more proof...

Trivia question: Which beautiful megademo has Wiz appeared in? Too easy, right...

Sounds

The audio is both great and bizarre. Don't get me wrong, the theme tune is incredible, something I've loved throughout the decades (have a listen below). Also, the sound effects work well, but that strange background "tune" adds a spark of brilliance to the atmosphere. Yep, a lot of effort went into making this game.

Don't believe me? Been too many years, has it? Well, click on this below and listen...

What do you reckon? Funky tune, right? Let me know in the comments below.

The CryptO'pinion?

Wizball is a lot harder than the 8-bit original, and ultra-fast reactions are needed. I feel the firing of our weapon should be quicker and more like a Jeff Minter game? Okay, maybe that was a bad example, but it's too lethargic. Also, in one-player mode, controlling Cat is awkward and not what you need when aliens are invading.

Having said all that, I really enjoy Wizball. I genuinely wish there were more hours in my day to play it and (maybe) beat this infuriating shooter. I'm going to be returning to it again because I need to know how it looks in colour!! Don't be quick to judge; it's surprisingly entertaining, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

Don't be a sissy - download for either floppy or hard disk and help Wiz restore his world!

Goodbye...

Another year is done!

I thought it might be nice to leave 2019 with a selection of previously featured games that you may have missed. So before welcoming in the new year, here's a bloated list of games which I think are true Christmas Crackers - and for a variety of different reasons. So, should be played by all ST Nutters!! :-)

We begin by taking gaming seriously. Yep, let's tax the old brain cells with four amazing games:

• Yopaz is a familiar thinker running in GEM. But don't let that put you off because it plays really well and even supports the STe for some seriously cool ambient sounds.
• Next is Unheart which has a C64 visual feel and some think it's a Boulderdash clone when they see screenshots - which it isn't. Instead, it's a mind-bogglingly brilliant puzzler!
• Thirdly, it should be instantly obvious what BeGEMed is all about? Never have I played something so captivating with beautiful aesthetics. One seriously addictive puzzler!
• Finally, the brilliant and originally titled Sokoban. This unassuming game is cunningly difficult and easily expandable. It will always get a thumbs-up from me!

 

 

Two extra games

Now that's four games you should take time out to play. But wait, that's not all... Here are two more little-known games which I think deserve a lot of attention and for different reasons...

• Alpha Waves. Wow, this is something captivating and it blew me away when I first saw it. Imagine yourself trapped inside a box and the only way to escape is by bouncing your spacecraft on springy platforms. It's weird yet works so perfectly. A milestone in 3D game that will offer hours of surreal and alternate fun. Download this right now!! 

• Okay, let's switch now to burning rubber and head straight onto the asphalt! The Atari ST is certainly blessed with lots of ace racers and driving games but few seem to remember Power Up? Okay, it's hardly original and slower than we'd like but it's fun, especially on the STe because it can make use of the DMA and Blitter. Faster Atari computers are supported for smoother framerates. It's not perfect but I still love this game!

 

 

Fancy a little more?

Platformers are next and those who know me will be aware of my addiction to the genre. The Atari ST has many: Stario, Rainbow Islands, Gods, Ghosts & Goblins... But here are a few others I wanted to share:

• Prehistorik was written in STOS and is so much fun. It's a lightweight platformer but one with incredible mechanics and is GREAT fun. It should be played by all. Oh yeah! 

• Magic Boy is next and I said BOY not POCKETS!! This is another Christmas Cracker which plays as good as it looks and with STe support. No lame Amiga port here. 

• Next is a fella with a Big Nose who walks along boring landscapes - which should have been far better. But, you know what, this plays brilliantly and is so addictive. 

• Finally, we end with a Thug but he's a nice thug and another hidden GEM in the ST world.

 

 

Yes, there is always more!

Okay, it's time to end this little compilation but there are plenty more games within our archives - so use the *search* function because you never know what's lurking! Also, don't forget to download AtariCrypt Magazine. Yes, it's free... well... donationware for the honest among you. Go on, grab yourself a copy.

Finally, thank you for visiting my website for another year. It's great reading the comments; your messages of support are always appreciated. Once again, I cannot leave without paying homage to our dear supporters: so this article continues over on Buy Me A Coffee as a special treat to those amazing guys!

All the very beST for 2020 and above all ... STay Atari !!

Merry Christmas

Catnap is a wonderful animation by Gary Johnson of Atari USA that makes the perfect Christmassy post! Apparently, the cat & dog are the pets of Ralph F. Mariano, publisher of the online diskmag ST Report. Personally, I've never read an issue but it lived long into the 90s. Yep, this is something I must research over the Christmas holidays.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our Patreons for their support over the year: Mind-Blowing support from our ST community!! Plus, there are many friends in my little ST world who help: Tom, Dale, PeterJ, Marko, PP, Paul, Karim, Michael, Maarten, and Seb. Finally, my greetings to those who regularly visits my little ol' website to get their fix of Atari :-)

Merry Christmas to all ST Nutters

I wish y'all the very beST †

Silent Night Atari ST chiptune by Chris French

Thundercats

Today's cartoons are rubbish!

Thundercats was released back in 1988 by Elite and is obviously based on the old kids' TV show. I don't remember the programme much myself, but YouTube does, which meant I got to watch a few episodes of this olde classic. An interesting show for the time, and something that makes you realise just how much better things were back then. The ST game shares many expected similarities, particularly with its characters.

The gameplay is represented as a sideways-scrolling platformer across multiple (torturous) levels. We are Lion-O, a Thundercat with flame-red hair and a huge sword who battles strange animal foes. These baddies are from Mumm-Ra, who has stolen the Thundera jewel and kidnapped the other Thundercats.

What shall we do? I think we'd better save the day, but let's see some screenshots...

The first level breaks you into the mayhem nicely. Look for power-ups and try not to panic.

However, things soon get freaky with loads of enemies attacking from all sides!



Being attacked by so many birds at once isn't my idea of great fun.

The weapons are great, but I didn't like that slowwwwww laser gun!

Run...Shoot...Die!!

The terrain is straightforward with monsters, deadly water, disappearing platforms and rocks/etc to leap over - watch out for the bigger baddies who will follow and chase after you. Random power-ups will appear at regular intervals and will need to be struck (with your sword) before you can collect them (I liked the mushrooms). An extra life is appreciated, but I wasn't thrilled about the laser gun, which is limited - it doesn't fire far, thus annoying when something is out of reach! That doesn't make sense, does it?

The gameplay is regularly broken up by bonus rounds like trying to rescue Tygra, which proved impossible: one touch and you have failed the mission!! Who playtested these games back then, or is it just me and my lame skills? Also, the levels are broken up into themes, which you can choose between: they are Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Basically, little changes, but we do get different visuals and extra baddies to kill.

Are you ready for more awesome Atari ST screenshots? Of course, you are...

That creepy fella is tough, so repeatedly hit him where it hurts. No, not his wallet!

Don't forget the mushroom power-ups... You will need all the help you can get.



Hang on, what's this? A spaceship? Gun? Plane? Hover car?

Nope, it's a lame spaceship and one that features that silly laser too... Joy!

16-bit gamers are tough!

The joystick controls are easy to learn and also very responsive: left/right walks our flame-haired hero, and he can also jump and crouch with ease. I liked these controls, which work well, and the best part is our huge sword, which puts Conan's to shame!! However, it's used more like a club, which is weird, but it works.

Sadly, no matter how responsive the controls are, there are too many baddies to cope with. They appear from both sides of the screen - so you're soon overrun as the hordes gang up. To make matters worse, your weapon (which thinks it's a club) can only kill what is directly in front of it, rather than swinging like a sword in a wide arc. So you're constantly jumping, crouching, and turning around. Add that to everything else, and it won't be long until you've died - or launched the joystick in frustration! Yikes.

Maybe games were a lot harder back in the day? Thundercats certainly proves that possibility...

I love the macabre artwork here. It's a bit crude yet very cool... and his toes are funny!

Graphics & Sounds

Visually, things are lovely, I thought. Colours are bold and represent the cartoony-feeling well. Plus, I loved the sprites, which are superbly detailed. However, what shocks me most is the smooth scrolling, including a second parallax layer, too. It's always nice to see when developers don't wimp out with flick/push-scrolling.

The in-game sound effects are nice, even if everything sounds all too familiar. However, it's the music I adore. This game ROCKS, and the theme tune is Rob Hubbard awesomeness. Leave it playing!!

Check out this artwork and listen to the tune. Go on, it's lovely...

I always fail to rescue poor old Tygra!

Click on the green arrow and enjoy this outstanding Rob Hubbard chiptune.

The CryptO'pinion?

Thundercats is a good game, albeit ridiculously challenging. My red-haired hero was walking, jumping and crouching like a crazed maniac on speed!! Yet, I still couldn't manage to kill everything without dying several times. Heck, even with a trainer, it's still hard, but at least this cheat enabled me to endure and finally see the other levels after decades. However, those who playtested this need their head examined.

Yes, it's crammed full of annoying mechanics. However, it's still a game to boot up and play because it looks great, sounds great, and who doesn't enjoy clobbering animals with a huge sword? Personally, I'm more of a He-Man fan, but I enjoyed this platformer, and I think you will too. Flawed but bucket loads of fun!

AtariMania has the Super Pack floppies, and 8BitChip supports hard drive.