Sometimes I need a break from the norm... So, over the last few days, I've been having a 'fumble' through my entire collection of Menu Disks. Whilst I've got the usual run-of-the-mill stuff like Automation, Pompey Pirates, etc... I also found a few disks which I'd never seen before. Or possibly my old man memory had just been forgotten?
Anyhow, here's the menu from one such disk - Menu #01 by The Conceptors. I genuinely haven't heard of this group but I must admit, this is one sexy intro using overscan and the music is outstanding. Oddly, I never hit a key to play any of the games. Which is peculiar for a guy running an Atari ST gaming website lol
YouTube is nice but nothing beats seeing this on a real Atari ST... [Demozoo download]
TecnoballZ was published in 1991 by TLK Game and is a Breakout conversion developed by Pierre Denis. Oddly, I had never heard of this game until a good friend happened to mention it a few weeks ago (thanks Paul). Sadly, I have no idea whether it was ever officially released over here in the UK. Does anyone know?
Okay, we all love a quick blast of Breakout/Arkanoid now and then; olde classics have stood the test of time for a reason. I would say Arkanoid is the most well-known, unless you're an ST guy then it's perhaps Bolo. I'm always open to an alternative, especially when it's an Atari ST game I have never played before!!
Okay, let's take a look at a screenshot with its strange colour scheme and... erm... something else...
Here, I held onto the ball whilst blasting the bricks with a weird laser weapon. Sweet!!
It's 1976 all over again?
The first thing that struck me was the overscan for a larger display. The brick-busting gameplay remains much the same. Each screen has a different collection of blocks that must be cleared using your bat and ball and, with each hit, points are earned with a chance of spawning cash, power-ups and sometimes enemies.
The mouse controls are great; precise and accurate as you would hope. However, it isn't long until you realise the physics is 'different' as the ball often doesn't react as expected. Manipulating strikes using the different parts of the bat doesn't work and might even force the ball to bounce in a different direction! That means it's tough finishing a level when only a few blocks remain! (there's a power-up in the shop to help with this)
Yep, a shop pops up after each level to offer goodies like extra lives, a bigger bat, weaponry, etc. It's possible to install extra bats on the remaining three sides of your screen! I like surprises like this plus that silly idea reminded me of the chaos I suffered in Wacko Software's Video Games I. Innovation like this keeps the player interested which is how I managed to clear several levels and defeated a couple of bosses!
Check out my power-up pads on all 4-sides of the play area. It's mental!
Over-what?
Graphically, I like Tecnoball as it's futuristic in style and different from the original our Dads used to play ;-) Overscan has been used to great effect and provides a better experience, more arcade-like because of the extra screen space? The use of colour is good and everything feels smooth but I thought the blocks themselves lacked a bit of pizzazz? Sometimes I did wonder what they were thinking with the choice of colours.
Hey, see how I've not mentioned the guy in the status panel who freaks me out. Darn, I just did...
The effects are great with samples for the 'dinks' but there is no in-game chip music so it's almost as quiet as the original. Even worse, there's no theme tune for the title screen which I found very disappointing.
This is the first boss screen and oddly, it features no blocks!
The CryptO'pinion?
This is a fun take on the original but the physics are peculiar which acts as a "bug". At one stage, the ball hits an enemy (at the top of the screen) which then ricochets it sideways. The call began bouncing from left-to-right, in a perfectly straight line. Weirdly, that continued for about 30 seconds!! Luckily, it hit a wandering enemy that changed its trajectory so I could carry on playing. Not very good, I'm sure you'll agree?
Having said that, this is still a good game and I enjoyed ploughing through the levels. The addition of a shop works well to provide a variety of extra features that helped improve the game massively. Give it and try and see how it compares to your favourite version of Breakout? Let me know in the comments below.
Download the Cobra #27 menu disc from Atari Legend.
Gotta love the artwork and even this Game Over screen is in overscan.
Somebody once said that the Atari ST died during the 1990s yet here we are (again) with another new game! Okay, raising the cash to buy this adventure may have taken me a little longer than I originally planned, but I've finally received what is a brand new Atari ST adventure game - Athanor II The Legend Of The Birdmen by Safar Games. Very excited!!
Credits Design and Programing - Eric Safar Graphics - Vincent Jambut, François Gutherz, Angel Bautista Musician - Mathieu Stempell [DMA-SC]
What is it?
Athanor II is a point-and-click adventure sequel to the original 8-Bit game. Our adventure continues through four different worlds with new interactive characters and an abundance of puzzles. All Atari computers are supported with 1MB+ RAM and the Atari STe will use its extra colours, Blitter Chip and the DMA for clean audio sounds. Excitingly, this is the second title of what will eventually be a trilogy - oh yeah, this is something else to look forward to!!
I believe the elusive TT and Falcon are also supported but, that's something I'm unable to test unless someone fancies donating their hardware to AtariCrypt? Yeah, I thought so... O_o
Design and programming were done using GFA Basic and Devpac by Eric Safar (yes, he of Ranx!!) who was also interviewed a couple of years ago by Atari Legend. I must say, this is a quality product and I feel Eric went that extra mile with a product that looks and feels great. The build is strong and well-designed plus comes with a bunch of goodies inside the box. One of the best purchases I've ever made and something I'm very eager to play.
The CryptO'pinion?
Okay, I'll say it again just to get this point across, this is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Athanor 2 is a quality product. The box art is weirdly fantastic and there are many trinkets inside along with the disks and manual. It's fun to open up a box to see such goodies, something kids today miss out on with their digital downloads.
I genuinely cannot wait to begin this adventure and I'm excited to see what wonders lay ahead. I only hope the family gives me enough quiet time to play it properly (I can but hope). Let me know, in the comments below, if any of you have bought and are playing Athanor II. I'd love to hear about your progress and thoughts on the game. Enjoy!
Athanor II - The Legend Of The Birdmen can be purchased using Eric's website.
Let's take a look at the goodies inside the box...
Look at all the goodies that come inside the box. I absolutely love this!
The hands of Eric and his gleamingly clean Atari ST. I should dust mine more...
