Double Dragon 3 - Rosetta Stone

Yie Ar Kung-Fu!

I wanted to feature an Atari ST game to celebrate St George's Day so I figured something dragon-related would be great? Anyhow, I tried a few games but I wasn't in the mood for those and sadly, nothing else really caught my attention. Then I remembered Double Dragon 3 ... ahem ... come on, it has "dragon" in its title!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 For all those wondering what England's St. George's Day is about 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Double Dragon 3 takes us on a trip around the world and begins on the streets of America. From the first stage, we're thrown into the thick of it as these streets are filled with thugs - all intent on giving you a good hiding!! There are lots of kicks and punches which can be acted out - drawn well with cool animation.

Controls are smooth & responsive with each type of kick or punch easily performed. In fact, DD3 is actually very easy to pick up and play so I got that "arcade feeling" I hoped for. We need no learning curve. I must say that, immediately, even a beat 'em up noob like myself gets a thrill from this arcade-styled kicker!

Let's pause the read for some screenshots...

You don't mess with guys that look like these two!!

But I gotta laugh at the fun artwork throughout. It's great, but a little creepy!!

Kick him when he's down!

Immediately, it's obvious this game was designed with fake Hollywood-style action over any pseudo-realism. The baddies are awesome and can attack in groups making for a frantic, full-of-laughs, joystick-bashing time. At times, I got a Golden Axe vibe and, throughout, I enjoyed the barrage of silly fighting.

The gameplay is well-balanced, without being too easy or overbearing. I soon discovered a jumping/flying kick which is very effective!! However, repeating the same move soon bored me, so out came my joystick-waggling skills to uncover other hidden moves and before long I found a spinning vertical kick. Yeah!!

The enemies are a traditional lot with predictable AI but they all move slowly so the overall pace is reduced. Occasionally, shops are available to offer you power-ups like weapons, etc/etc. This adds a little more depth and longevity to your entertainment and proves that beating people up will always be incredible fun.

It's like a gaming version of a Chuck Norris movie and I love it. Screenshots incoming...

Come on, get up and take some more smackin'!! Yeah, I can take on anybody GRR!!

Ah, he's big. Well, they say that the bigger they are... (I hope that's true!!)

The CryptO'pinion?

Double Dragon 3 is a bucket load of fun with great graphics to boot. The sound effects are neat but it's a shame there's no in-game chip music. I loved the initial location set in the grungy streets of America. I am genuinely shocked by how much I relished this beat 'em-up and I cannot recommend it enough.

Double Dragon 3 offers kick-ass action and scores top marks from me. I enjoyed this game a bunch!!

Kick & punch your way using either
floppy disk or your hard drive

Buggy Boy

A 16-MHz Buggy!

Buggy Boy is great and the ST has a fantastic conversion with gorgeous aesthetics that suit its style perfectly. This is a no-frills arcade racer that doesn't take itself seriously - it's simple, extremely addictive, and I love it. However, there are a zillion videos scattered throughout YouTube land so I thought I'd make something different. My video emulates it running on my 16Mhz Mega STe which is ludicrously fast and rather insane.

I don't know why I made this video but I hope you enjoy what is nothing but a silly recording!! :o)

Stardust

Meh, another Asteroids?

Stardust was released late in the ST's life by Bloodhouse in 1994 and it's not only one of the last commercial games released but is actually an STe-only product. Developed by several famous names from our great demoscene (thank you Aggression) these guys burnt the midnight oil to deliver a wicked twist on the original Asteroids arcade genre.

It not only plays similarly to that old favourite but also features modern aesthetics for extra zest. Such as ludicrously awesome colours and sampled sound effects; all are quite stunning and complement the frantic action.

Wanna see the war plan? It's technical but translates to "kill everything and don't die!". Check this out...

A clear and accurate war plan, I'm sure you'll agree? lol

Bam! Bam! Bam! Blast the rocks!

There are a total of five levels with each containing six missions. All are host to a variety of rocks along with the expected dangerous baddies. After each level is completed, you must travel through a wormhole-like tunnel onto the next part of the galaxy like something from Buck Rogers or Starwars!! These tunnels are filled to the brim with oncoming rocks for you to dodge or destroy - no easy task but it's a thrilling moment that I never expected to play!

Bonus levels pop up regularly and feel similar to a particular Thrust clone. Note, these are optional but you must be daft to ignore the fun. So don't be daft!! Of course, a game like this wouldn't feel right without End-Of-Level Bosses. Each mission has them and these guys are tough! Much perseverance will be required during these enjoyable romps.

It's time to stop reading and enjoy some pixels! Let's take a peep at another screenshot...

Check out these outstanding and colourful visuals!! Amazing stuff.

Enhanced gaming!!

Stardust is something else. It's on another level with gritty, fast-paced gameplay. The basic mechanics are what you would expect - Asteroids - so it also feels more or less as you would expect. This is awesome because you can jump straight in and begin playing without that learning curve. Heck, it's all about dodging and shooting. Are you tough enough?

The controls are also familiar: left and right will manoeuvre your spacecraft around. Pushing upwards will thrust you forward into hell. Don't worry, we have a shield that aids you during those sticky moments. Finally, our ship's main weapon is more than capable - perfect for gratifying rock-blasting!! Nothing wrong here, folks. This is all super-spacey-gun-fun!

This next screenshot does itself no justice. Seriously cool stage with mind-blowing fx...

Buck Roger's side event is absolutely exceptional. Impossible not to be impressed.

Enhanced Aesthetics

Graphically, Stardust is utterly glorious. Everything is bold and colourful with stunningly smooth animations. The rocks are also something else with jaw-dropping 3D renditions that look beautiful. Not only that but the display is running in overscan!! Yep, it looks so HOT and everything is in overscan which means lots of extra pixels to blast.

Equally impressive; is the audio with beautiful examples of thumping stereo tunes, accompanied by BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! DMA sound effects. This is one shooter that's gonna blow your socks off. If I can offer one piece of advice: crank up the volume!! Yes, I guarantee you will love everything Stardust delivers so turn it up high. No, even higher! :-)

This is one of the best-looking/sounding Atari STe games ever released. Let's have another screenshot...

Look out! Move quick and keep on firing - are your reactions good enough?

The CryptO'pinion?

This is a spectacular showcase of what the Atari STe is capable of when in the hands of people with talent and commitment. These guys didn't simply rehash an old idea or produce a weak Amiga port. No, they unleashed a product that feels fresh and exciting. The effort that everyone put into the gameplay, visuals, and audio is far beyond praiseworthy.

Stardust is a joyride of rock-blasting thrills and a perfect shoot 'em-up. One of the best games I have played.

Download for floppy or hard drive.