I've always had a longing for the sleek Atari STM computer before it became bloated with an internal PSU and floppy disk drive (STFM). I've just bought one off eBay for a meagre £14. It's in superb condition too. Needless to say, I now require an external floppy drive and PSU. I cannot wait to get this beast working :-)
To celebrate St George’s Day, I wanted to feature an Atari ST game and thought something dragon-related would be perfect. I tried a few games but wasn’t feeling them, and sadly, nothing else really grabbed my attention. Then I remembered Double Dragon 3. Ahem. Come on, it has got the word "dragon" in the title!
Double Dragon 3 whisks us away on a global adventure, kicking off in the hardass streets of America. From the outset, we’re plunged into the chaos, facing a horde of thugs eager to ambush us. Being a hard dude, the game offers a variety of kicks and punches to unleash onto the enemy hordes. So let's do just that!
This game appears to have it all, so let's pause for some screenshots...
You don't mess with guys that look like these two!!
But I gotta laugh at the fun artwork throughout. It's great, but a little creepy!!
Kick him when he's down!
From the outset, it’s clear this game prioritises fake Hollywood action over any pseudo-realism. The villains are fantastic and can attack in groups, creating a frantic experience that’s perfect for a joystick-bashing time. At times, I felt like I was playing Golden Axe, and I thoroughly enjoyed the barrage of silly fighting.
The controls are smooth and responsive, allowing for easy execution of kicks and punches. In fact, DD3 is incredibly easy to pick up and play, giving me that arcade feeling I was hoping for. There’s no learning curve, and even a complete noob like myself gets a thrill from this arcade-style kicker! Occasionally, shops appear offering power-ups like weapons and so on (there's always someone willing to cash in on your pain!!). This adds depth and longevity to the entertainment and proves that beating people up is always incredibly fun.
The gameplay is well-balanced, neither too easy nor overbearing. I soon discovered a jumping/flying kick that’s very effective. However, repeating the same move quickly became boring, so I resorted to my joystick-waggling skills to uncover other hidden moves. Before long, I found a spinning vertical kick - yay! The enemies are a traditional bunch with predictable AI, but their slow movement reduces the overall pace.
It's like a game version of a Chuck Norris movie!! I love it, so here are more screenshots...
Come on, get up and take some more smackin'!! Yeah, I can take on anybody GRR!!
Ah, he's big. Well, they say that the bigger they are... (I hope that's true!!)
The CryptO'pinion?
Double Dragon 3 is a blast of fun with fantastic graphics. The sound effects are great, but it’s a shame there’s no in-game chip music. I loved the gritty American streets setting. I’m genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this beat 'em up, and I highly recommend it. Kick-ass action, so it scores top marks from me!
Buggy Boy is great, and the ST has a fantastic conversion with gorgeous aesthetics that suit its style perfectly. This is a no-frills arcade racer that doesn't take itself seriously - it's simple, extremely addictive, and I love it. However, there are a zillion videos scattered throughout YouTube land, so I thought I'd make something different. My video emulates it running on my 16Mhz Mega STe, which is ludicrously fast. Ie, insane!
I don't know why I made this video, but I hope you enjoy what is a silly recording!! :o)
Stardust was released late in the ST's life by Bloodhouse in 1994. It's not only one of the last commercial games, but it's a STe-only product. Developed by famous names from our demoscene (thank you, Aggression), these guys burnt the midnight oil to deliver a wicked twist on the Asteroids arcade genre.
It not only plays similarly to the old favourite but features modern aesthetics for extra zest. Such as ludicrously awesome colours and sampled sounds, all are quite stunning and complement the frantic action.
Wanna see the war plan? It's technical but translates to "kill everything and don't die!"...
A clear and accurate war plan, I'm sure you'll agree? lol
Bam! Bam! Bam! Blast the rocks!
There are a total of five levels, with each containing six missions. All are host to a variety of rocks along with the expected baddies. After each level is completed, you must travel through a wormhole-like tunnel onto the next part of the galaxy like something from Buck Rogers!! These tunnels are filled to the brim with oncoming rocks for you to dodge or destroy - no easy task, but it's a thrilling moment that I never expected to play!
Bonus levels pop up regularly and feel similar to a particular Thrust clone. These are optional, but you must be daft to ignore the fun. Of course, a game like this wouldn't feel right without End-Of-Level Bosses. Each mission has them, and these guys are tough! Much perseverance will be required during these enjoyable romps.
It's time to stop reading and enjoy the pixels! Let's take a peep at a screenshot...
Check out these outstanding and colourful visuals!! Amazing stuff.
Enhanced gaming!!
Stardust is on another level with gritty, fast-paced gameplay. The basic mechanics are what you’d expect: asteroids, and it feels more or less the same. This is great as you can jump straight in and begin playing without that learning curve. Heck, it's all about dodging and shooting. Are you tough enough?
The controls are also familiar: left and right will manoeuvre your spacecraft. Pushing upwards will thrust forwards into hell, and we have a shield that aids during those sticky moments. Finally, our ship's main weapon is more than capable of gratifying rock-blasting!! Nothing wrong here - all this is super-spacey-gun-fun!
This next screenshot does itself no justice. Seriously mind-blowing effects...
Buck Rogers' side event is absolutely exceptional. Impossible not to be impressed.
Enhanced Aesthetics
Stardust is utterly glorious. Everything is bold and colourful with stunningly smooth animations. The rocks are also something else, with jaw-dropping 3D renditions that look beautiful. Not only that, but the display is running in overscan!! Yep, it looks so HOT in overscan, which means lots of extra pixels to blast.
Equally impressive is the audio with thumping stereo tunes, accompanied by BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! DMA sound effects. This is one shooter that's gonna blow your socks off. If I can offer one piece of advice: crank up the volume!! Yes, I guarantee you will love everything Stardust delivers, so turn it up high.
This is one of the best-looking/sounding Atari STe games released. Let's have another screenshot...
Look out! Move quick and keep on firing - are your reactions good enough?
The CryptO'pinion?
A spectacular showcase of what the Atari STe is capable of when in the hands of talented people. These guys didn't rehash an old idea or produce a weak Amiga port. No, they unleashed a product that feels fresh and exciting. The effort put into the gameplay, visuals, and audio is far beyond praiseworthy.
Stardust is a joyride of rock-blasting thrills and a perfect shooter. One of the best games I've played.
As you may have read in my previous article, I've bought the NetUSBee. This is a gorgeous slab of hardware available from Lotharek. It has an Ethernet socket to connect to the outside world easily.
It's possible to connect your ST to a Mac/PC thanks to Mariusz Buras, who has developed a program called uIP Tool. This will transform your Atari ST into a file server without any configuration. Just load it up, and it will automatically assign itself an IP, which you will use in Google Chrome on your Mac/PC. It's no different from accessing any website. Now you can access the Atari ST and begin transferring files.
NetUSBee with uIP-tool makes transferring files to/from your Atari ST a cinch...
In fact, you don't need to use a web browser at all. Load up uIP-Tool and then copy a file over to your Atari ST using the command line. It's geeky but it works very well so is lots of fun! Here is the example command to copy 'myfile.zip' over to the D-Drive on my Atari ST...
curl -0T myfile.zip 192.168.2.2/d/myfile.zip
uIP-Tool makes the process of getting files onto your Atari ST very easy. It's simple to use, with a great interface, and it gets the job done. Yep, NetUSBee is a fantastic piece of kit, and uIP-Tool marries up well.
This is excellent software!
Help for those using WiFi
If your router is in a different room to your Atari ST then you might think uIP-tool isn't compatible with your setup unless you have a mega-long ethernet cable? Not so. My router is located downstairs so I bought myself a very short ethernet cable to physically connect the Mac to my Atari STe.
To provide uIP-Tool with a working IP address - just enable the Mac's Internet Sharing. Sorry, I don't own Windows or Linux, but I expect a similar function exists? Just follow this:
1) load up System Preference (via the Apple menu)
2) click on Internet Sharing (view me)
3) choose WiFi in the dropdown menu & tick the ethernet box (view me)
4) lastly, tick the box left of "Internet Sharing" to activate this service.
5) now quit System Preferences.
6) load up uIP-Tool on the Atari ST and note the IP it displays for you.
7) enter that IP into Google Chrome so you can now access your Atari ST. Job done!
Billed as "old in style but brilliant in design" is Micro-Value's 1987 platformer, Mouse Trap (originally for Acorn Electron). I love platformers, but not the Mario/Sonic kind, the ZX Spectrum kind I grew up with: Chuckie Egg II, Manic Miner, JSW, Monty Mole, Saboteur II, etc. As you can imagine, I was eager to give this a go!
We are Marvin the Mouse, who wants to win back the heart of his ex-girlfriend who left him for another. She must be quite the materialistic female, when you think about the plan he's come up with to win her back: scrounge dozens of lethal rooms looking for precious items that are gonna impress her. Women, eh?
This is a cruel and unforgiving platformer: make a mistake, and it's often impossible to go back and try again, which means a life lost as you replay. Each screen needs every item collected before you can progress. Finishing them is a matter of working out the best route rather than what appears the quickest.
There is a time limit, so hit the 'F' key to pause - now study the layout to figure out the route.
No, he's not floating but simply in mid-fall. And that aspect took me a while to fully master...
Wow! Those colours... This game is incredibly different from the norm, and I love that.
Some levels are pretty simple. Not only to look at but complete very quickly. Like this one!
Input & Outputs
The controls are excellent, but I initially found them fiddly and quite perplexing. For example, if you're facing left and then tap "right" (to turn around), Marvin will not only do that, BUT he also walks a couple of steps in that direction. This frustrating mechanic took me some time to master. But I did, so can you!
Mouse Trap looks like an 8-bit platformer, but with the extra pixels and colours. It's weird and features the oddest sprites: check out the old man with the big nose who appears on level two!! A strange game with sprites that are either excellent or plain crud: like the terrible floating skulls. Yet somehow it always works.
Music is eerily enjoyable, but it will get annoying, so press M to turn it off when your ears ache.
This baffled me at first, but it's actually a lot easier than you realise. Love the sinking ledges!
Some of the levels are far simpler than you first think. Just take your time...
There is the odd dodgy screen, but then it redeems itself with this blue beauty!
The CryptO'pinion?
Mouse Trap is a charming platformer with an incredible variety of screens. All are as difficult as they are quirky, and you will be drawn back for that one-more-go! The only negative aspect is the lack of passwords or a save-game feature. Baffling, because there are many levels to plunder (IE, you are forced to replay).
I've enjoyed Mouse Trap. It's a blimmin' excellent platformer, so (nearly) top marks from me!!
