C64

Commodore 64?!!

I'd bet money that this was the last thing you expected to see here on an Atari website? Well, I've had a C64 emulator on my drive for a while and figured it was about time to do something about it. So I started my day by trawling through Old Games Finder looking for games I remembered seeing in C&VG magazine in the early/mid-80s. I wanted to play Pitfall, Manic Miner and Staff Of Karnath but sadly, I had zero success.

However, some worked (with a caveat of displaying text instead of pixels) and some crashed the emulator. Yes, I should have read the docs first - lol. Basically, almost all games aren't supported if they use fancy scrolling, sprites, joystick control, etc. What work are applications, educational titles, etc. Including magazine Type-Ins and many text adventures (impressive, but hardly worth my hassle over the last few hours?)

BTW AtariCrypt has a section dedicated to emulation which you can access by clicking here. Anyhow, would you like to see a screenshot of my programming skills taking advantage of the virtual hardware?

I thought so! Check this out and it's a good idea to make some notes to learn from me...

B.A.S.I.C.

This is the extent of my programming knowledge. Perhaps it's best to leave that be and check out some commands instead? I'm no Commie 64 expert but these commands might help play their version of Jetpac...

   LOAD "$",10               (this loads the disk's directory into Ram)
   LIST                      (this lists that directory to screen)
   LOAD "filename.prg",10    (you've guessed it, this loads a program)
   RUN                       (go on, take a stab at what this might do!)

Please note:
     - The "10" is the device ID for my Atari ST's hard drive.
     - If you are running the emulator from floppy disk then you should instead use "8".
     - Copy the Commodore ".PRG" programs into the same directory as the Atari file: "C64.TOS".
     - C64 emulation was tested on my 8MHz Atari STe and Hatari (same spec) for the animation.

The CryptO'pinion?

I'm not sure who to credit for this emulator but he/she did a great job and the docs indicate many practical intentions. This has been fun and the Commodore 64 is a decent machine (shush don't tell anyone). However, there is no real support for anything more than tinkering. Playing games was never gonna happen. Having said that, this has been a bunch of fun to play with the C64 operating system and some programs.

Sadly, I'm not sure how much longer I can stand the pain of having C64 software stored on my Atari ST's hard drive!! So, I think I should delete this evil software and get back to using the ST properly ;)

If you fancy a dollop of Commodore fun, the best download (that I've found) is on disk LAN-0066 via Floppyshop and it includes the documentation. Additionally, Old Games Finder can link to zillions of C64 stuff in the .PRG format. What a shame I never got to play more games...

Go on, give this a playtest and let me know how you get on in the comments below.

Onslaught

Medieval Box Art?

It's time for another hardcopy trip down memory lane and I remember lifting this off the shop's shelves. At first, it was only to admire the gorgeous artwork with medieval imagery that is so captivating. I love those lush colours which are in stark contrast to the brutal warriors about to slaughter their enemy. I think this is great artwork and quite scary too, so it perfectly illustrates the savage gameplay ahead. So, if you feel brave enough, shall we open the box?

Onslaught was programmed by Chris Hinsley, he of Custodian fame, and is a horizontally-scrolling hack and club 'em to death battle. This exciting platformer has us killing everything in sight with massive explosions that beautifully light up the colourful backdrops and grungy medieval scenery. The music is perfectly suited for the theme and is accompanied by meaty sound samples for all the grunts, booms, and metallic weapon clangs. Gorgeous aesthetics!

This is a tough platformer that requires lots of practice so stick with it. Onslaught is superb with tons of colours, loud effects, and gameplay stuffed with brutal carnage!! This is one of my favourite Atari ST games albeit with a trainer! Here are a few screenshots to drool over before getting to the all-too-necessary download links...

Download the floppies - I liked FOF #51.

Monster Business

The demoscene does it again?

Monster Business is a fun-themed platformer released in 1991 by Eclipse and produced by incredibly talented people you may recognise from the ST scene. As storylines go, this one is a Christmas cracker!!

Crazed "mad meanies" have been loosed from their forest habitat and are pinching items from Bob's construction site. You are Leroy The Beast Buster who must help Bob blow up these cheeky invaders. This might sound like diarrhoea, but we should still help Bob - we are the only beast buster in Tin Town. Yep.

Fancy looking at the first screenshot? Here ya' go then...

Each level is big and uses smooth vertical scrolling to hunt down the freaky monsters!

Olde gameplay and it works!

Each level follows a familiar Bounty Bob design of platforms, slippy slopes, and chasing monsters. Be careful; they kill with one touch so I'm grateful that we carry an air pump weapon to inflate them for a bloated and cruel death. This is nothing short of hilarious; once they begin floating away, you can nudge them into oblivion, leaving behind their goodies. If you're lucky, they might drag along others for multiple killings.

The joystick controls are spritely and I like how there are two jump heights - this depends on how long you push upwards. Repeatably pressing the fire button activates the weapon to bloat the monsters - so I appreciated my autofire function. Two players are supported but not for co-op, which would have been superb.

Okay, let's view the next screenshot and this one has a fat chicken...

Blown the sucker up for a cruel, yet hilarious end to his life!

A pleasure for your eyes and ears!

Throughout, the graphics and backgrounds are nice using good colours and great decor. The scrolling is ultra-smooth, but it's the sprites that shine the most: I dare anybody not to laugh when seeing a ginormous duck waddle across the screen. I loved their expressions & bloated deaths. This is hilarious pixel art.

The audio is immensely impressive with a superlative range of lovely chiptunes by Laurens Tummers, aka Lotus! The sound effects are also great but even so, are completely overshadowed by the music!!

Yeah, it's gorgeous alright so let's see the final screenshot...

Taken from behind, check out his expression. This game is brilliant!!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Bloating animals is shockingly entertaining and I guarantee you will enjoy hunting your prey. However, it's repetitive which might reduce long-term enjoyment. I also thought the time limit was harsh. Monster Business is best with friends and I promise that everyone will be giggling like school kids. A superb game!!

Monster Business can be downloaded for floppy & hard drive.