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 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. But 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 know I did.
It's now, that I usually end my chitter-chatter with some 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 overscan enabled...
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 below.
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 humungous 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 you to upgrade your weapon - 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!!
Overscan Invaders was released in 1994 by Janet Dean under the esteemed Budgie UK licenceware label. This is a Space Invaders clone but one with a rather unexpected twist not normally exploited. Yes, I think you've guessed it? It's running in overscan so uses lots of extra pixels and also breaks the 16-colour limit.
It's a great twist on the original Space Invaders and plays well and is very addictive. Ironically, it's the sound effects which I love the most - yes, even more than the overscan! They are superb and so authentic. Just listen to the video recording for all those childhood memories to come flooding back.
Overscan Invaders is definitely one of the better clones and I’m sure any Invader fan will love it. I did.
Thalion games always oozed a superior visual and audio style that few others could match. However, I don't think I ever played Ghost Battle which is very odd as I'm a fan of platformers and Thalion. So, let's play...
We are the stereotypical muscle-bound hero who needs to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend who was recently whisked away by a giant hand. Yeah, that's right, a giant hand!! At least you get to travel to some of the most beautiful places trying to find her and along the way, you should kill everything in your wake! However, I fear the control and basic gameplay mechanics are a little awkward and affect your movement which feels stiff, so will take some getting used to.
The initial weapon isn't exactly great because of its poor firing rate, which isn't nearly enough to match the demands of a quick kill. So, no matter how many times you try to rapidly hit that fire button, most monsters will manage to survive just long enough to zap your precious energy. It's frustrating and spoils what might have been.
This is a lot like the Ghouls And Ghosts with similar level designs and a few puzzles. The action is predictable but very hard and will surely torment the most discerning gamers. Did Thalion employ beta testers? It's very difficult...
Okay, what's up with those freaky eyes!! That's drugs for ya, kids!
What a cute intro... Well, until a giant hand appears and whisks away your dolly bird!
- Graphics & Sounds -
The graphics are astounding with stunning artwork by Henk Nieborg. The scrolling is silky-smooth and is best viewed on the Atari STe (and older STs that might have a Blitter). It reminds me of a mix of Ghouls And Ghosts, Risky Woods, Stormlord and maybe even a tickle of Shadow Of The Beast? It's hard to imagine a prettier platformer but this is!
Like the visuals, the audio is outstanding and matches the pixels for their quality in equal measure. I think you'll guess who's behind the music and it's nothing less than fabulous! Mad Max helps prove that chip music will last forever.
The opening level is stunning and scrolls beautifully smooth. Now, master those controls!!
There are lots of enemies and they look gorgeous. Watch out for that chainsaw guy!
- The CryptO'pinion -
Ghost Battle could so easily have been a crackerjack platformer as it's got so much going for it and is aesthetically one of the best 16-bit games on the planet. However, it suffers from its own stupid design flaws thanks to some of the most awkward control mechanics I've ever seen. Argh, so frustrating because its potential is immense but you'll see very little unless you spend years mastering the cruel learning curve. Okay, you could just cheat and use a trainer?
Ghost Battle looks and sounds incredible but it's going to need lots of time otherwise don't bother. However, once you've mastered that and progressed beyond the confusing open levels, there's a good game here - nothing beats seeing a zombie on a pogo stick! Overall, quite good but the unbalanced gameplay and controls let it down.
Sadly, there are better games to play on the Atari ST although I doubt they'll look or sound as good!
Have you ever spent time trying to learn a game only to walk away completely baffled and wondering why you bothered? Well, here is Dragon Lord, an extremely unusual multi-screen platformer released in 1990 by 16-32 Diffusion. We are playing the part of a huge dragon who appears to be living in a whole wide world of weird! The objective is to become the new dragon lord which means plundering through over a hundred screens looking for artefacts, killing some fascinating creatures and ultimately battling an evil guardian.
The gameplay is simplistic thus easy to pick up and it's fun breathing fire to scorch enemies. I found the map design laborious and would often end up getting lost so I spent my time burning down the bad guys!! However, the controls are clumsy because we are a massive dragon sprite moving around tight places.
The visuals are quite (ahem) unique. Pretty amateur artwork that looks like it was created by somebody with colour blindness. Ignoring that graphical nightmare, Dragon Lord’s sprites are massive and of a great and humorous variety! Sadly the sound effects are pretty much a joke; the less said the better!
I am disappointed with Dragonlord as I can see the potential but it doesn’t gel together. It has poor mechanics and the eye-bleeding graphics spoil what could have been an interesting idea. Having said that, I found myself having “just one more go” yet I cannot for the life of me think why. Perhaps I'm going mad?
Fancy plucking out your eyeballs in horror? Then get the download at Atari Legend.
