Alpha Waves

Boing... Boing... Boing...

Alpha Waves is a unique game released by Infogrames in 1990 and is nothing like I first imagined (back in the day, I mean). In fact, I still remember the first time I booted it up. That was a weird moment, and one of those times that I had to pick up my jaw from the floor. Not because I was seeing wondrous graphics or anything I might have hoped for - but simply because I was experiencing something brand new.

Yes, this is a new genre of 16-bit gaming that had us piloting an odd spaceship (it looks like a wedge of cheese). We guide this craft whilst trapped in a multi-roomed cube, and each inner room is littered with platforms. These function to progressively propel us higher into the air, our means of transportation. Ie, reaching other ledges. Hey, I guess they forgot to include an engine in our little wedge of cheese? Well, almost...

Anyhow, this mechanic allows our ship to bounce independently, as if on a trampoline. But that effect only happens when using the platforms; otherwise, gravity takes over fully, and we sink to the floor like a lead balloon. All that is because this wedge of cheese has no upward thrust, only forward. So skim from platform to platform - to ultimately reach the dizzy heights. Ultimately, to reach the exit door.

A cool concept that is well-executed and easy to pick up and play, so let's view a screenshot...

That's me there, and you can see my shadow. Use that for guidance.

But is it any good?

We have two gameplay modes: "Action" has a time restriction, whereas "Emotion" gives you all the time in the world and is useful for newcomers or those simply wanting the leisurely experience. Controls are best with the joystick, and navigation can be improved by pushing up/down to change your world-view angle.

Interestingly, a shadow is cast by your craft - this helps to pinpoint your position in each position perfectly, and it's totally necessary. Some rooms contain obscure baddies which can annoyingly get in the way and knock you about - watch out for the "snake" creature!! Alpha Waves will never disappoint, no matter which gameplay style you prefer. Of course, I like to play the "Emotion", which is absolutely superb for explorers!

As you can tell, it's tough to explain, but much easier to play! So let's see a screenshot...

What is that weird thing? An enemy ship or someone coming over to help?

Aesthetics

This game might appear crude based on the screenshots. Playing will reveal how great everything moves in what I can only describe as an abstract world of 3D-filled vectors with zero distance clipping.

Faster computers will knock it out of the park, but the 8MHz Atari ST performs fluently. Heck, it even runs in high resolution, so you can see all the polygons at 640x400 without any slowdown (but I personally preferred the wacky colours in low resolution, which look a lot better to me, IMHO).

Sound effects are samples and nice too, but there is little else to hear. If I'm honest, you spend most of your time listening to your ship bouncing on platformers. I love the door sound effect, very Interphase.

It looks weird but brilliant at the same time, so let's check out a screenshot...

The CryptO'pinion?

I personally rank this as one of the best Atari ST games I have ever played. Bold statement, but this is an amazing experience and a perfect example of the gems lurking within our archives just waiting to be discovered. It may not appeal to everyone, but Alpha Waves certainly helped invent a new genre that nobody ever expected. It offers many unique challenges that require considerable skill and perseverance.

A flabbergasting moment in gaming and one I absolutely adore. Who would ever have thought bouncing a piece of cheese through cubic rooms would be so much fun? A historic game that you need to play!!

• Downloads are available for both floppy and super-zippy hard drives!

Prehistorik

Would you Adam and Eve it?

Rub your eyes in disbelief because I've managed to find a decent STOS game! That's right, and it was released in 1991 by one of my favourite companies, Titus. Okay, I know they released a couple of dodgy games, but there's something about them that I like. Plus, they released some corkers, like this platformer!

Prehistorik is nothing less than the cutest dino-platformer using cartoon-like visuals. We're taken back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the lush countryside. We play the part of a plucky young caveman wielding a big club. Imagine something like BAMM-BAMM from The Flintstones, but older - with a beard! Add the psychotic desire to club cute prehistoric animals, and you have the perfect entertainment for any game!

Fancy a selection of screenshots? Of course, you do scroll on down...

Running leap onto a vicious dinosaur. Well, okay, hardly vicious, and he is easy to knock out, too!

Inside each cave are lots of things to nosh on.

Those angry yellow dudes are quick on the draw!

Clubbing animals is fun!

The object is to explore the lands, looking for food to feed your family. This means we have a typical platformer to run & leap our way through a 16-bit Jurassic Park. Along the way are a variety of pitfalls and exciting places to discover: caves are always interesting, as they offer goodies to consume along the way. But watch yourself because these caves aren't dark and creepy at all, plus something cute and fluffy might be inside!

Each level has unique dinos roaming, and some are huge, thus requiring several hits from your trusty club. The end of each area features a massive boss to defeat. Sadly, these are intensely difficult without a cheat for extra lives. That's about the gist of it, really: collect food, club animals to death, and find the exit.

The joystick controls are simple and perform well. I love the freedom to move during the jumps, and clubbing your prey is great fun and perfectly timed, so you never feel too close or stuck in a tight corner. Considering this is STOS, I'm impressed with the responsiveness, which makes exploring a bunch of fun.

This is possibly the best STOS game I've played. Let's celebrate that fact with some screenshots...

Did I mention there are secret hidden levels to find?

This guru dude appears now and then. Club him hard for a reward!

The boss levels are kinda lame, and this one is the worst imho.

Seven big tips

• Explore everything. Look in every cave to collect all the goodies.
• See a guru-looking dude? Club him and steal whatever he's carrying.
• I found it best to enable auto-fire for a more frantic bashing experience!
• Cave critters only emerge when you're on the same level.
• Something doesn't look quite right? Maybe there's a secret level?
• 90s games are way too tough with never enough lives. Use a trainer!
• The bonuses are pretty lame and never last too long, but if you're lucky, you will find the odd gem (usually via the Guru), like an extra life and bigger jumps. But the others suck simply because they don't last long enough!!

Watch out when near a cave entrance, you never know what might emerge from the darkness!!

Crazylegs Crane's uncle has made an appearance!

Prehistorik is full of basic puzzles. How are we going to cross this lava?

Aesthetics

The visuals are pretty and cartoony: the backgrounds are well-drawn, and each dino sprite is absolutely gorgeous. It's the characters that I love the most because they are funny and feature their own personality and silly expressions - especially when knocked unconscious. I almost feel bad clubbing them. Almost.

Music can be played throughout and reminds me of Where Time Stood Still. It's got that lovely chip feel with a style that complements the gameplay. Very nice and never overwhelming, but if you so desire, you can play without music. Pressing F2/F3 alternates between music and sound effects, but music wins for me.

It looks and sounds great, so what's my opinion? You'd better carry on scrolling to read that...

A platformer without ... platforms? Avoid the fish, always good advice!

Oh no, these are tough animals to kill and require multiple hits. Club 'em quick!

Check out that snowman. The artwork is always stunning.

The CryptO'pinion?

Prehistorik doesn't break the mould, and some might turn their nose up at that. However, stop right there because this might be a no-frills affair, but don't let that put you off. Prehistorik is really good, stuffed with hilarious moments, and extremely playable. The only thing I didn't like was the pointless timer.

It's almost like a Jurassic version of Grand Theft Auto, as clubbing animals is very satisfying. Not only that, but it's the best STOS game I've ever played. Yep, this game is cute, violent, and addictive! Hey, make sure you're wearing animal skins before deciding whether to download either the floppy or hard disk version!

Update:

I've mapped the game with each level in high resolution - click here to view/download :)

Cyber Antics!

Getting technical?

The "Cyber" packages by Antic Software were some of the most creative Atari ST applications. I remember being mesmerised by the 3D modelling demonstrated by magazines. The work of magicians, no doubt! Much later in the ST's lifetime, these were given away on magazine cover disks, and I have such "fond memories" of pushing my mental abilities to the limits with Cyber Studio CAD-3D. It looked so easy in their articles!

So why am I talking about something that had me bamboozled? Well, Martin Doudoroff has written an awesome article called "The Antic Cyber Graphics Software". It's certainly an interesting read with fascinating details of history - I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have. There is no denying that the Antic catalogue is rich in the ST's history. You will be impressed to learn that Autodesk has its roots in these Fuji apps.

Yeah, that's right. How cool is that when you think about it? STay Atari.