Prehistorik

Would you Adam and Eve it?

Rub your eyes in disbelief because I've managed to find a decent STOS game! That's right, and it was released in 1991 by one of my favourite companies, Titus. Okay, I know they released a couple of dodgy games, but there's something about them that I like. Plus, they released some corkers, like this platformer!

Prehistorik is nothing less than the cutest dino-platformer using cartoon-like visuals. We're taken back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the lush countryside. We play the part of a plucky young caveman wielding a big club. Imagine something like BAMM-BAMM from The Flintstones, but older - with a beard! Add the psychotic desire to club cute prehistoric animals, and you have the perfect entertainment for any game!

Fancy a selection of screenshots? Of course, you do scroll on down...

Running leap onto a vicious dinosaur. Well, okay, hardly vicious, and he is easy to knock out, too!

Inside each cave are lots of things to nosh on.

Those angry yellow dudes are quick on the draw!

Clubbing animals is fun!

The object is to explore the lands, looking for food to feed your family. This means we have a typical platformer to run & leap our way through a 16-bit Jurassic Park. Along the way are a variety of pitfalls and exciting places to discover: caves are always interesting, as they offer goodies to consume along the way. But watch yourself because these caves aren't dark and creepy at all, plus something cute and fluffy might be inside!

Each level has unique dinos roaming, and some are huge, thus requiring several hits from your trusty club. The end of each area features a massive boss to defeat. Sadly, these are intensely difficult without a cheat for extra lives. That's about the gist of it, really: collect food, club animals to death, and find the exit.

The joystick controls are simple and perform well. I love the freedom to move during the jumps, and clubbing your prey is great fun and perfectly timed, so you never feel too close or stuck in a tight corner. Considering this is STOS, I'm impressed with the responsiveness, which makes exploring a bunch of fun.

This is possibly the best STOS game I've played. Let's celebrate that fact with some screenshots...

Did I mention there are secret hidden levels to find?

This guru dude appears now and then. Club him hard for a reward!

The boss levels are kinda lame, and this one is the worst imho.

Seven big tips

• Explore everything. Look in every cave to collect all the goodies.
• See a guru-looking dude? Club him and steal whatever he's carrying.
• I found it best to enable auto-fire for a more frantic bashing experience!
• Cave critters only emerge when you're on the same level.
• Something doesn't look quite right? Maybe there's a secret level?
• 90s games are way too tough with never enough lives. Use a trainer!
• The bonuses are pretty lame and never last too long, but if you're lucky, you will find the odd gem (usually via the Guru), like an extra life and bigger jumps. But the others suck simply because they don't last long enough!!

Watch out when near a cave entrance, you never know what might emerge from the darkness!!

Crazylegs Crane's uncle has made an appearance!

Prehistorik is full of basic puzzles. How are we going to cross this lava?

Aesthetics

The visuals are pretty and cartoony: the backgrounds are well-drawn, and each dino sprite is absolutely gorgeous. It's the characters that I love the most because they are funny and feature their own personality and silly expressions - especially when knocked unconscious. I almost feel bad clubbing them. Almost.

Music can be played throughout and reminds me of Where Time Stood Still. It's got that lovely chip feel with a style that complements the gameplay. Very nice and never overwhelming, but if you so desire, you can play without music. Pressing F2/F3 alternates between music and sound effects, but music wins for me.

It looks and sounds great, so what's my opinion? You'd better carry on scrolling to read that...

A platformer without ... platforms? Avoid the fish, always good advice!

Oh no, these are tough animals to kill and require multiple hits. Club 'em quick!

Check out that snowman. The artwork is always stunning.

The CryptO'pinion?

Prehistorik doesn't break the mould, and some might turn their nose up at that. However, stop right there because this might be a no-frills affair, but don't let that put you off. Prehistorik is really good, stuffed with hilarious moments, and extremely playable. The only thing I didn't like was the pointless timer.

It's almost like a Jurassic version of Grand Theft Auto, as clubbing animals is very satisfying. Not only that, but it's the best STOS game I've ever played. Yep, this game is cute, violent, and addictive! Hey, make sure you're wearing animal skins before deciding whether to download either the floppy or hard disk version!

Update:

I've mapped the game with each level in high resolution - click here to view/download :)

Cyber Antics!

Getting technical?

The "Cyber" packages by Antic Software were some of the most creative Atari ST applications. I remember being mesmerised by the 3D modelling often demonstrated by magazines. The work of magicians, no doubt! Much later in the ST's lifetime, these were given away on magazine cover disks, and I have such "fond memories" of pushing my mental capabilities to the limits with Cyber Studio CAD-3D. It looked so easy in their articles!

So why am I talking about something that had me bamboozled? Well, Martin Doudoroff has written an awesome article called "The Antic Cyber Graphics Software". It's certainly an interesting read with fascinating details of history - I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have. There is no denying that the Antic catalogue is rich in the ST's history. You will be impressed to know Autodesk owes its roots to these Fuji apps.

Yeah, that's right. How cool is that when you think about it? STay Atari.

Team

Jumpers For Goalposts

Team is a soccer game released in 1995 by a dedicated company called Impact Software. Specifically developed by Ralph Lovesy on the Atari STe, it makes full use of the enhanced hardware often ignored by commercial companies: extra colours, 50fps hardware scrolling, Blitter and DMA audio. Wow!! O_o

Disclaimer... If I'm brutally honest, I feel unqualified to review Team as I'm not a soccer fan. However, from what I have played, I was impressed. I'm hardly a convert but I enjoyed running around the pitch and having a good kick about! But not knowing the game's technicalities stopped me from progressing further. Interestingly, there is a friendly mode that displays much of the game's styles and playability, like passing, tactics, and tackles. Hmm, sounds like fun?

Well, it is! Surprisingly, I've enjoyed playing this pointless game of runaround. The tactics and strategy elements are limited, with little beyond picking your team and conditions to endure, like a muddy pitch or windy weather. That's good, right? Who would wanna play any kind of Football Manager? Erm, forget I said that!

As an arcade/sports game, it's impressive. I genuinely enjoyed a few games - the control of each player is responsive with accuracy and precision. That means it's quick to move around the pitch and the ball was easy to control - it went where I wanted! Look, if you're a footy fan, then I'm sure you'll love it. I did.

It's now that I end my chitter-chatter with screenshots. How about a video instead...

Remember, I'm not a fan, but I have managed to record a little video. Note the overscan!

Graphics!

Check out the two images below that display just what Team has hidden up its sleeve. Yep, overscan is used to drastically increase the playable area. Oddly, the footballer's sprites are small, but their movements are fast, and the screen is fluently moving at a smooth 50fps. But, from what I've seen of most other footy games, this is normal. I suppose it wouldn't work very well if they had giants on the pitch!

The animations are great for the tiny players. The pitch colours are deep and strong, and I liked the subtle use of colourful styles in the menus. But, come on, having the gameplay in overscan is simply amazing. Once again, the underrated Atari STe proves itself. Kudos to the skill and commitment of Ralph Lovesy.

Let's see what I mean. Two images below, the first normal and the second with overscan...

    

The left image is captured at the standard resolution of 320x200, whereas gameplay uses overscan!

Plink Plonk Sounds?

Sound effects are good - when you hear them. Perhaps that's the norm in these types of games, but I found the stadiums eerily lacking in atmosphere and ambience. Okay, there are kicking effects and the odd Ref whistle blow, but it's pretty lame, and a lot more was needed. Like the roar of the crowd being heard frequently. Perhaps I'm wrong, but hearing the fans in the background feels like the weakest part of the entire game.

Thankfully, the music is excellent with cheesy MOD tunes throughout the menus. It's tacky but in stereo with the tracker routines developed by a familiar name from the Atari ST demoscene - GRIFF. How cool is that?!!

I couldn't stomach another grassy screenshot, so how about another pic of the box art (rear)...

The front cover was... different... and the back of the box isn't much better ;-)

The CryptO'pinion?

Look, I was never gonna be blown away, but I had lots of fun, which shocked me, seeing as I hate soccer! Whether it's better than Kick Off, Sensible Soccer, or even Speedball, I couldn't say. I will say this, as a hater of a boring sport, Team was seriously entertaining. So take it for a kickabout and try it for yourself?

Hey, if I can enjoy footy, then I reckon anyone can, so let me know what you think in the comments.

Download from 8bitchip, which is adapted for HDD!

Old Games Finder has access to floppy disks.

Ralph Lovesy was interviewed in Maggie #16.

Prophecy I - The Viking Child

Brian the Viking!

Viking Child is the tale of a young boy thrown into an adventure through several medieval lands in search of his friends. He needs to rescue them from the clutches of the evil demigod, Loki. Now, it might look spookily familiar to a console gamer, but don't be put off; this is a great Atari ST game in its own right.

There are a humongous 16 levels to plunder, with 8 bosses to battle long before you reach Loki. Walk and leap over obstacles and use your weapon to kill anything that looks likely to hurt you. After a monster is slain, coins are dropped. Use them as currency in the local store, which offers better weapons and the usual assortment of goodies. I love the fire weapon, but I advise upgrading your weapon from a short dagger.

Graphics are exceptional, with super-smooth scrolling proving yet again that the STFM is more than capable when in the hands of talented people. I love the gorgeous cartoon-like scenery, and the sprites are well-detailed, even if the animation is humble. The music and sound effects are great, with the choice being yours.

Viking Child is a creative and technical masterpiece. What it lacks in originality is more than made up for in playability. Interesting and challenging gameplay with aesthetics to drool over! This is a cracking game, and you soon realise why it's one of my favourite platformers on the Atari ST. I highly recommend this!!

• Download for hard drive at 8BitChip.
• Floppy disk can be grabbed at Atari Legend.
• The level codes to skip deeper into the adventure:

 Forest level: DENIS<E>

 Landbridge: THE BLIZ

 Labyrinth: SHARKMAN

 The Desert: NYMHARSW