If you love retro gaming, especially using the world's best 16-bit computer, then check this out. These guys are Atari 8-bit masters who also prove their knowledge of ST. Into The Vertical Blank has recently released two new compilation videos that feature a ton of Atari ST games - Photon Storm, Rainbow Islands, Stunt Car Racer, Sideways, Scooby-Doo, Fire & Ice, Oids, James Pond, Bubble Bobble, and others.
Hold your horses, there's also a hefty wedge for the overlooked Atari STe!! Stuff like Rock 'n' Roll Clams, Asteroidia, Uridium, Prince of Persia, No Buddies Land, and other (Atari STe) upgraded titles.
Both videos feature fast & fluent presentation; ie, they don't drag on with overly long clips. This means you get to watch many games within a short time. I also enjoyed the varied range of games, along with the fact that the Atari STe was used whenever possible. I hope there are more in the pipeline! Both videos are on YouTube, but don't forget to check out their excellent website with ST games, Podcasts, and much more.
My greetings to Fultonbot and 8bitrocket. Keep up the fantaSTic work, lads.
I'm often sceptical of so-called horror games because they're never gonna be that scary. In fact, the only game that has ever made me jump was the Jaguar's Alien vs Predator - it was late at night, and I jumped out of my skin when an alien shrieked. Terrifying at 3am!! Anyhow, enough of my scooby-doo adventures.
I bought it years ago, so I figured it was time to dust it off and boot it up. This is an adventure developed by H. J. Braendle and Guido Henkel of Dragonware Games in 1988. My box is quite battered with disks that no longer work! But at least I have the manual, which, for a number of reasons, is most helpful.
Helpful because I'm not a big fan of text adventures if I'm brutally honest. Though I have still enjoyed a few over the decades on my ZX Spectrum and Atari ST. And, more recently, I bought this cracker - Hibernated 1. I feel confident about Ooze and eager to discover the terrifying journey it promises.
Let's begin with a screenshot from the beginning of our adventure, at Carfax Abbey...
We begin standing outside and looking at our inheritance. Oh, how I wish this were real life!!
I love cheeseburgers!
We are a character called Ham Burger and have inherited Carfax Abbey from our late uncle, Cheez Burger (these names are killing me). Yep, this sounds more like a comedy. It appears he died under mysterious circumstances, so rather than enjoying our newly wealthy lifestyle, we investigate what's happened. Typical...!
Upon arriving, we cautiously check out our new home. Thunder is rumbling, and an old signpost details the address, 666 Rue Morgue. Nervously walking up, we see the porch and an old rocking chair, but this ain't an ordinary chair because it's haunted. That's right! In fact, almost every room is haunted by something, so it's a good idea to take it slow and ponder the environment carefully. Very carefully.
Ooze has a good sense of humour. Wait too long, and a panicky message appears asking if you're still there. Don't leave me here alone, it whimpers lol. Just try sitting on the porch chair for an eye-opening experience that I did not expect. The characters are excellent, and I laughed when rescuing Marie: "Marie EnToilet"!! However, Murx is an oddity which made me chuckle and scratch my head. Oh, and when you die, the game pranks you - by banning you from the RAM. Yes, there's a lot about this game that is simply mad!!
Also, there are lots of silly pranks and fun places to explore, so let's see more screenshots...
I cannot spoil what happened, but you can still get a glimpse of the humour!
You might not see it, but the text can be very vivid to portray the scene nicely.
More humour after a wrong decision. But look at those weird trophies. Nice graphics!
I'm rich, but haunted!
The world of Carfax Abbey is small but feels bigger because of the time spent at each location. It's tempting to rush off and explore, but that means you will miss important stuff and probably die. Getting around is done using the expected compass directions (N/S/E/W) plus U/D for up/down. It's possible to 'sit down' or 'run south' to hastily exit. A handy command called 'exits' will list all possible routes at your location.
Each area has a vivid description that is extremely long-winded, so it's possible to overlook something blatant, like the lance, which was infuriating. I know, I know, all adventures require that you read the room's description, but Ooze takes this to the extreme thanks to the amount of detail mixed with subtle hints. Thankfully, this can be changed with the 'brief' command, which I did from the moment I entered the Abbey!
The parser is good, but I fear something was lost in translation (German roots). Simple commands are often confused by a pedantic requirement for correct input. Try unlocking a door, searching a trunk or switching on the lights. Whatever you read in the description, examine that said object fully because nothing is obvious. Find the chalk if you can (agony that). Or suss out what you're supposed to do with the Parlour rope.
Surely you're interested in seeing more? I thought so, so let's view some screenshots...
We're starting to get somewhere now, but then this happened... but then a "plopp". Hmm...
Some areas really offer nothing of value other than a lovely walk to the next room.
Oh my, things are hotting up in the bedroom!
Atmosphere
Visually, Ooze is pretty darn nice and uses both Low/Medium resolution at the same time. Yep, I love how both are combined for great effect: Low is obviously used to display a range of gorgeous images, whilst the clarity of Medium is put to great use to read the text. This is superb and works extremely well. Weirdly, not every room you visit appears to have its own separate image, which I found a little confusing at first.
Hang on a moment!! Those with a crisp monochrome monitor will be happy to know Ooze works in high resolution. The text looks wonderful, but the images... hmm... not so much. It's as if the low-res images have simply been converted on the fly, rather than drawn specifically for this particular display mode. Which is a shame and a massive disappointment.
The audio is superb, with plenty of eerie creaks, footsteps, ghoulish screams, and more. Sadly, the atmosphere is spoiled by the ST's keyboard clicks. It's no big deal, but I'd have preferred to disable them because they're much louder than the sampled sound effects. (and no, XControl did not work)
Looks great, sounds great. That can only mean one thing: that's right, more screenshots...
Sometimes the player can be too daft for his own good...
Think before you act, but whilst you're here, check out this artwork!
Sometimes the descriptions don't match the visuals, which is a tad annoying.
The CryptO'pinion?
Ooze is a great adventure and will undoubtedly appeal to those looking for something more horror-focused rather than a fantasy or detective theme. Sadly, I found the room descriptions overly long-winded and, at times, poorly translated into English. Also, basic exploration can sometimes be finicky - right from the moment you enter the Abbey (walking upstairs is quite the event). So, getting around is a little troublesome - if ever there was an adventure that demanded you make a map, this is definitely it.
I found it impossible to explore upstairs otherwise. There ends my one and only hint!
If you fancy a break from those fancy Level 9, Infocom, or Magnetic Scrolls, then I am sure you will love this horror game, which is totally worth your efforts. Ooze offers a sarcastic twist on the horror genre with neat puzzles. Plus, it has a fantastic sense of humour: give Marie a juicy kiss! Go on, do it...!!
Recovery is a shooter by New Deal Productions that takes us on a *Fantastic Voyage* through the lower parts of some poor soul in need of medical assistance. I presume we're trying to help him recover from something nasty as we begin at the bottom, working our way up through the liver (I think), and then onto the heart before finally smashing through the old grey matter. Yeah, we get to rock through the human body!
This game is very similar to Menace or R-Type, but at a faster pace. The whizzing body parts make dodging almost impossible. Our ship is agile and armed with a laser, so don't think - shoot first and never ask dumb questions. I love finding something 'new' to play, and this is an exciting shooter.
Let's take a break and see some screenshots...
I got AGT vibes from this screenshot, which pleased and depressed me equally.
It's a shooter, so shoot!
Each body part represents a distinct stage and is incredibly long, almost making you think it will never end. Trust me, these levels are lonnnnnng. Despite this, they all feel similar, presenting a vast array of "aliens" to avoid or eliminate. These employ various attack patterns, but touching them depletes energy levels. Consequently, poorly skilled pilots ultimately lose yet another life. Interestingly, there’s no end-of-level boss. A monstrous tumour would have been a fitting final boss - now that’s a sentence I never thought I’d say!
The joystick controls are excellent - swift and responsive without any lag. Our main weapon is an effective laser beam - pressing and holding fire shoots this laser and kills anything in front of you. It's wicked!! Sadly, there are no other types of upgrades or special weapons, so all we have is one laser and nothing more.
Thankfully, our sleeping patient has popped many pills, which you'll see floating through his body just waiting to be collected. These can boost your weapon's rate of fire, energy and shields, which are all displayed in the status bar. I never figured out what "LIGH" is for - I tried hitting every key, but nothing, nada, zip.
Let's take a break from the boring reading and view another lovely screenshot...
A menacing screenshot with the colour scheme. This game is fast, so shoot and move quick!
Aesthetics?
Visually, this is a mixed-body bag that isn't as healthy as you would hope. Don't get me wrong, a scrolling shooter needs to scroll. And this game scrolls smoothly with parallax layers. Sadly, the backgrounds are sometimes bare-bones. Although there are tons of sprites zooming around at impressive rates!
Hitting F4 flips between 50/60Hz to speed things up even more - if you can handle it?
Sonically, this is outstanding and foot-tappingly awesome - it makes you realise just how cool your Atari ST is. However, any insane people might wish to turn it off for the sound effects. No problem, just hit F2/F3, but why would you ever wanna do that? Wait, I think that I know the answer, it's because you're stupid.
Okay, you've guessed it - stop reading and enjoy another gorgeous screenshot...
Come on, you cannot deny the style of this game? It looks the business with a style I love.
The CryptO'pinion?
Recovery is technically impressive and a damn good shooter. It slaps the faces of those lazy programmers who said the ST cannot scroll. Sadly, the gameplay could be better: each stage feels excessively long, and the static style lacks progression and grows monotonous after a while. Furthermore, the inability to upgrade our weapons is a significant disappointment, but not as much as the absence of bosses to fight.
I've enjoyed blasting through some fella's intimate body parts all in the name of science fiction. Recovery is definitely worth booting up for a quick game or two - especially to see who can survive the longest!!
Check out my screenshots before deciding whether to download for hard disk or floppy...
