'Unnamed Intro' is a remarkable screen created by The Fingerbobs and used by Ripped Off for their 87th disk. This is one of those intros I have always loved because it's one of the most bewitching things I have ever seen. An astounding animated journey for dozens of little men, each one running around their whacky world is simply fascinating. It's different and I love that, so this makes for a mesmerising and entertaining treat.
Go on, pick any guy and follow him throughout his journey. Brilliant STuff, I'm sure you will agree!! :-)
Today is a great day - I've just been given the honour of playtesting a
preview of Jonathon Thomas' enhanced Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge for the
Atari STe. He's been working on this project for a while, on and off, to
improve the original racer in different ways using the often idle
enhancements of the Atari STe.
After "mulling it over", he's returned to this project with fresh ideas and
assistance from our (fantastic) community over on Atari-Forum. In fact, he
came back stronger and managed to develop a playable release after only weeks!! Oh, and for those wondering yes, he is the same racing fella behind
Pole Position.
Let's stop and take a deep breath. Do you feel better now? Good.
Let's view some screenshots...
The practice track. I need this more than you realise...
We begin in Italy and Mmm look at that sky!
In fact, Italy is looking a little better these days all thanks to the
Atari STe palette.
Put the pedal to the metal!
Yes, everyone loved and still loves Lotus Esprit. It's a frantic racer
with fast graphics, cool music, great driving mechanics, and even allows
another player to join in. Those collisions might lose precious speed
and I hate the person who decided to leave dangerous rocks on the road but,
this is a thrilling racer alright. Who doesn't enjoy zooming passed cars or
sliding around each of the curvy and hilly corners?
However, there are a few limitations in the ST game that aren't immediately
obvious during the frantic racing. These have obviously bugged Jonathan
enough for him to take on the challenge of fixing them...
"It wasn't until recently that I realised how much of a massive difference
there is between the Amiga and ST versions - the magazines of the time
didn't seem to make much of this difference in their reviews
of the time. I've been meaning to take a closer look at the Lotus code on
the ST for a number of years now, but it was upon realising the degree of
difference between the two versions (along with a relatively quiet period
at work) that I decided something needed to be done!"
There is no excuse for a lame port. Is this that? I'll let you decide while
you view these screenshots...
Mexico now has a skyline quite apt to the feel of this country.
Okay, let's try not to crash into any objects when trying to grab a
screenshot!
Oh, bummer!! Playing and capturing screenshots is a tough job.
Judder be gone!
It's funny, but I hadn't paid much attention to these issues myself. It wasn't until I returned to the original I could tell what had been going
through Jons' mind. For me, the nicest improvements are to the sky and how the
cars move across the track. This game feels fresh and is far better
than I ever imagined.
1) The tracks are quite barren and devoid of much detail so the Blitter will
now render the road and pit lanes with extra details to lane markings and
widened rumble strips.
2) The sky was one solid colour which was okay but that has now been
replaced by a 16-step gradient that makes full use of the enhanced STE
palette.
3) Cars and scenery move smoothly without the old judder of side to side in
16-pixel blocks.
4) The already zippy framerate has been improved with more tweaks on the
way!
5) Thankfully, the Ben Daglish chiptunes are staying but the effects are
going to be replaced with samples pumped through the DMA hardware. (with a
possibility of DMA sounds and YM music together!)
Also, minor improvements are being considered to the rev counter, fuel
indicator and player two will soon have the new sky gradient. There is also
the possibility of new and extra trackside scenery being added. Heck, he's
even mentioned that there might be a few new tracks on the way too - oh
yes!!
Okdoke, it's time for the last run of screenshots of this wonderful new
version. Try not to drool...
Iceland and everything looks rather chilly.
Ahem, there was ice on the road. Honest.
Check out those widened
rumble strips!
The CryptO'pinion?
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge was originally programmed by Shaun Southern and
Andrew Morris and is an excellent racer. However, Jon has improved it to the
level Lotus should have been all along for the Atari STe. I cannot express how exciting it's been to see this project develop, especially over
recent weeks.
The new colours, speed, and smoothness all help give this racer a new coat of
paint. Bring on the extra framerate and sampled DMA sound effects! Yes, it's
shocking how renewed it feels running on the Atari STe so I'm looking forward to what comes next. My greetings to Jon. Watch this space for
the next release.
Jim Power In Mutant Planet was released by Loriciel in 1992 where we play as a member of the Special Warfare Unit. These are in charge of the President's personal security and (of course) his daughter was kidnapped by evil beings who infest a Mutant Planet. So it is our mission to kill everything, rescue the girl, and save the day!!
I must admit, I don't recall seeing this advertised or reviewed back in the day. Did it ever make it across the channel to UK shores? I find it quite flabbergasting that such a platformer is unheard of back in the day (well, to me). I think the 1992 version of myself would have slobbered an Olympic swimming pool's worth of drool over this?
Ah well, let's crack on and take a gander at a cool screenshot with a skeleton...
Check out that skeleton artwork. This game is a looker alright and never fails to impress me!!
I think I love Mr Power!
We begin in a rather funky environment that reminded me a little of Enchanted Land and Flimbo's Quest. It's a strange world of whacky colours, creepy vegetation and lots of enemies out looking for blood. At first, I thought this was going to be an easy platformer, but it soon picks up the pace to become quite a challenge. Yes, I struggled many times!!
There are a total of five levels with two being shooters and even a few peculiar boss screens:
The platformer parts are easily the best with a cruel design that feature many pitfalls and near-countless enemies like mutated animals, birds, zombies, spiders and even spitting plants. Each level is absolutely huge with mini-bosses halfway through (dead easy to defeat) and then a mega-boss at the end.
The shoot 'em up levels are far weaker by comparison and they basically involve nothing more than trying to stay alive as you dodge or shoot anything that appears in your line of sight. The scrolling is fast, and the enemies are faster but I feel they often took far too many shots to be killed, which meant it felt unbalanced. However, I did enjoy the flappy bird-style part towards the end of level 4 which was a surprise!
He's gone green! He's angry!! Look out The Hulk for Jim Power is here with another cool screenshot...
Press and hold that fire button to unleash your fury and zap everything on-screen!
Gimme a gun and a spare hour
The controls always feel spritely and suit the game style. I love the way you can easily hop from platforms without ever feeling the uncertainty of plummeting to your death because of stodgy mechanics or a sluggish display. Dying allows you to restart from the nearest checkpoint which is a great idea that grants a few seconds of invincibility - this comes in handy for running past a difficult scene. Trust me, you will love this feature which is needed more than you know!
Thankfully, we're equipped with a gun that can be upgraded along the way by collecting the power-ups. We also have the limited option of using a smart bomb by pressing down the fire button but these are best left for the bosses or perhaps later trickier scenes that you're struggling with? This smart bomb has a fantastic feature - the ability to carry it. Yes, you can carry what is nothing less than a nuclear weapon and release it at the right moment you choose. A devastating skill.
Along with the power-ups, there are bonuses to collect which help provide a little help. These can be earned by shooting a weird floating object or a hidden part of the background. The clock gives extra time, a shield should be obvious and 1Ups are always a relief to find. Never leave a key behind unless you enjoy the fun of backtracking...
Fancy another screenshot? Of course, you do so here's one that reminds me of Strider...
The first level is varied and full of traps - it really is a dangerous world out there!
Aesthetics
Loriciel mocks the supposed hardware limitations with ease for a smooth-scrolling colour-galore platformer. Each level looks superb with stunning landscapes and super-duper sprites - some reminded me of a Strider-style. Throughout, the gameplay is fast and very smooth so it puts to shame Psygnosis and their lame excuses. The bosses are ginormous beasts, taking up the entire screen, and sometimes more, so it's impressive how well it constantly performs.
Sadly, I'm a bit miffed that the might Loriciel didn't bother to use the Atari STe enhancements :/
The audio will not dishearten thanks to the amazing talents of Chris Hülsbeck who provides a thumping title tune and stunning in-game chip music. There is the option to hear sound effects only, but I really wouldn't bother with that afterthought. I personally thought they weren't anything close to the boppin' chip music!
Okay, that's the unimportant stuff out of the way and we've just enough time for one more screenshot...
The second level's colours might look odd in a screenshot but it's much better when playing!
The CryptO'pinion?
Jim Power is excellent but it's not perfect. Whilst the first level is absolutely fantastic, later levels suffer some infuriating mechanics which make them impossible - without a trainer for extra lives. However, the shoot 'em up stages are a bit rubbish and felt nothing more than a stocking filler. Also, there is no support for the enhanced hardware lurking unused inside the Atari STe which is a shame because this would have been a great opportunity to really shine.
As a platformer, it's quite unoriginal yet a hugely immense bundle of fun. Personally, it blows me away how much effort Loriciel devoted to making this platformer as good as possible - this ain't no lame port. Ultimately, ask yourself this - do you want a platformer that is fast, fun and addictive? Guess what, you've got it right here. And a shooter too ;)
