World Championship Boxing Manager

Do not talk about fight club

Okay, outside of stock car racing, I can't say that I'm a big sports fan and Boxing is something that has never appealed to me in the slightest. However, in the interest of keeping things as varied as possible, I'm always looking to try new stuff. So, I downloaded World Championship Boxing Manager by Krisalis which they released in 1991.

Now, I admit to being dubious about anything with "manager" in the name because it usually means boring and just for the uber-geeks. But then I noticed AtariMania had this listed as STe Enhanced which certainly whet my appetite. Well, what can I say, I'm a sucker for anything STe enhanced!! Let's just hope I don't die of boredom. Ha!

Okay, let's take a peep at some screens that push the ST to its limits... ahem...

  
Here's the place to get things organised and to ensure the care of your fighters. Gripping stuff!

Silly faces you can punch!

We're first greeted by a range of dodgy blokes, who are all after a contract, so pick who you fancy before heading out to the office for a hard day's graft. It's here you can arrange a fight, train, view contracts, and even watch a fighter receive his physio. The actual fights are watched from behind the commentators - who will describe everything that is going on for each round. However, I soon felt the life force drain from me, so hit the fast-forward button!!

I can't say I was converted to the sport, or even hooked on this style of game, but I continued on and headed back to my office to see what other wonders awaited me. It was now that I noticed hands on the right side of the office, but clicking did nothing so I figured it was just part of the background... Well, until I clicked the filing cabinet...

I almost spat my coffee out when I began to watch my assistant walk across the office - for an eye-popping moment in 16-bit sex appeal. Okay, walking in those heels obviously looks tough, but she certainly excelled at handing over my documents!! Come on folks, I'm sure better use of the STe palette could have been made? lol

  
The car animation is cool as are the opening scenes within the stadium. Very exciting!

The CryptO'pinion?

Boxing Manager isn't a bad game whatsoever and I imagine it will appeal to sports and strategy fans. Sadly, it wasn't something that I personally found particularly entertaining. Except for the girl strutting her stuff and flashing those long legs and boobs. Yep, I can imagine the folk at Goliath Games had themselves a right laugh making this? Brilliant stuff.

Overall, this is strictly one ideally suited for Boxing enthusiasts with lots of spare time on their hands.

Floppy disks can be found using Old Games Finder

or on Mantronix #6 thanks to Stonish.

Dark Mode

FTL!

Finally, Amazon delivered a new ST book - Faster Than Light. It's a cracking read and I couldn't help but giggle when reading about ST Writer's dark mode. This line hit home with me about Dark Mode, "The ST had that in 1985". Today's companies would rave about a feature like that. As if it was brand new.

Absolutely superb STuff!! Get this book, it's brilliant!!

Blob Race

Worms. Gambling. Death!!

It's not often a parent introduces their young child to gambling! But, I figured racing blobs was going to be worth the risk of the cops knocking on my door. Yep, you heard correctly, today we are going to be betting on green blobs which is something similar to the horse racing machines at the seaside amusement arcades (and this one won't cost you a penny!)

Developed by Kev Davis back in 1991, Blob was never released for some insane reason.

Well, not until 1994 after he saw an unreleased beta on a Menu Disk... Yikes!

You know me, folks, I love Atari ST games but our PD/Homebrew scene is something else. There is so much out there just waiting to be re/played. It's often the place to find hidden gems bursting with innovative ideas from people that loved to experiment. Well, I think Blob Race is just that and I've gotta say Kev has a fantastic sense of humour!

What am I waffling on about? Let's take a look at a screenshot before you should read on...

Ricky D. would be proud of that boulder... until it squashed a blob to death!

Wacky Races

All games are a gamble and we begin with £100 in the kitty. Racing a blob is just like the games from the arcades: pick yourself a likely winner from a selection of six candidates. Each has a name and its own individual characteristics for speed, reactions (how well they can maintain that speed) and the number of tricks they're able to perform.

Oh yes, a blob can possess a bunch of tricks used against competitors such as throwing bombs, riding a bike, and sprouting helicopter wings. If all this wasn't enough, you might see one teleport or explode. Love it!!

The betting system is simple but not like you might expect: come first and you get your winnings at the specified odds. Coming in second allows half of that, whilst third place gets you your money back. Finish worse than that and you receive a big-fat-nothing. This system actually works really well and helps keep everyone playing for longer.

It's time for another glorious screenshot of technically amazing graphics. Well, no, but at least it's a funny one...

One gets crushed by a ton weight and another develops helicopter hair.

High Roller Racing!

That's about all there is to this belting game: pick a blob and watch it squelch across the screen. It's great fun but what makes it extra awesome is its simplicity and superb humour: I loved the falling ton weights, bombs, and lots of other worm-like incidents. Also, the news headlines are funny: avoid cliches like the plague. My only criticism would be the length of each race which is too short otherwise Blob is ace and gets a thumbs-up from both of us here. You'll love it!!

Come on, grab the download and give this stupid game a run for its money. Let me know what you think.