The newest addition to my collection is Coktel Vision's Gobliins 2. The cover is cheesy; it's meant to be - look at their silly faces which are creepy too. I only wish the sticker on the left wasn't there as I can see eyes looking at me! (I hate it when they would put their stickers on boxes!!). Anyhow, superb box art.
I've never played a "Goblins" game so, this is new to me. In this sequel, a demon king has kidnapped The Prince (who's a bit of a Buffoon) but the gruesome twosome will save the day: Fingus and Winkle. This is a unique "co-op" adventure and one I'm dying to boot up later. [grab the floppy or hard drive downloads]
I wasn't sure what to expect when I booted it up. It's different and comical but also has characteristics of other point-and-click adventures like, say, Lure Of The Temptress. I wish I had been able to buy both of the Goblin games so I could play the original. I guess I download will suffice.
This looks incredible though and I'm excited to play it. Let's view some box/screenshots...
Can you imagine seeing the back of this in a shop? It's so "buy me!"
The manual is short but straight to the point with information and lots of tips to get you started.
Ah, the previous owner marked his possession!! I wonder who S Scott is?
Codes to stop crackers? Well, maybe not but definitely to annoy legit buyers!
Well, I think he's choking a chicken while a giant sleeps under a tree. Nice scene!
LOL Just look at the old dude in the window. Awesome artwork.
This game is certainly living up to my expectations. I'm having a blast playing this belter!!
I recently found a video by Sascha Springer, aka Anima, who has created a tool to convert any modern picture into the Spectrum 512 format. This can then be loaded on your Atari ST/e with astounding results!!
These 3 pictures I created for my Atari STe are now in Spectrum format (extended palette). Fantastic results, I'm sure you'll agree. Give this extraordinary tool a playtest to see what you can create/convert.
Check out the other two images below that look ace on my Atari STe. Enjoy experimenting!!
I recently read a posting by Tatu Salmela, who created Pommitus back in 1996. I contact him, we got talking and I found out he learned to program by reading ST Format and he is still patching and improving Pommitus to this day. Since then, it has been converted from Finnish into English and you can now find a download on AtariMania.
Pommitus is a multiplayer strategy game which involves using calculated tactics to bomb your opponent. At first, I wasn't too keen on the user interface because I often clicked outside the control box, thus mistakingly taking my shot. Thankfully, it soon becomes second nature and is great fun bombing your neighbour to kingdom come! Sounds are minimal but good enough and the mono graphics are sharp and detailed - that's right, you will need a monochrome monitor for the best experience. Being GEM-based, it should work on all Atari computers and even supports those lucky enough to have a maths coprocessor installed!
Oddly, an emulator like Hatari might run Pommitus slower than a real Atari computer but that is easily fixed by flipping the CPU setting to 16 or 32MHz. Nothing ever beats the real hardware...!
I am incredibly impressed with Pommitus and so grateful Tatu shared his works with AtariCrypt. Oh, and also this little tidbit of news - he is developing a new Atari ST game similar to Pommitus which will work in ST Low. It is in the early stages but I am very excited to see yet another Atari ST game in development! Watch this space, folks. :-)
Say hello to the third album by YM-Digital, Spontaneous Compression which was released yesterday and features nine tracks of awesome audio for us all to enjoy. Of course, each track was created using Atari ST computers!!
01. AdraSTea Orbit (16,61 kHz)
02. Cell Synthesis (16,40 kHz)
03. The Lost Confidence (50 kHz)
04. Aomi - The ST Version (16,40 kHz)
05. Yellow Leaves Are Falling (16,40 kHz)
06. Neutralizer II (16,40 kHz) / original composer: Rudolf Stember
07. Digiloo Digiley (50 kHz) / original composer: Kemal Ezcan
08. Draconus - The ST Cover (22,75 kHz) BONUS TRACK / original composer: Adam Gilmore
09. Aomi - The STE Version (50 kHz) BONUS TRACK
Total Time: 32:33 min.
All songs (except "Aomi - the STE version") have been recorded from an ATARI 520ST computer with YM2149 chip.
Forget playing Candy Crush on your phone because something better is available for the Atari STe. It's called BeGEMeD and is a twist on the Bejewelled theme by Alexander de Vries It's a new game for the Atari STe with 16 beautiful colours and DMA sound effects. Those familiar with the genre will love this version because it plays brilliantly and is challenging - without irritation or frustrating mechanics. You'll be playing for hours!
The graphics were designed by Carnivac and it's difficult to believe that he only used 16 colours. The quality is superb so it appears there are far more on-screen. This talented use of colour is impressive. Accompanying the lush visuals is music by Dma-Sc, one of my favourite musicians and is mesmerisingly awesome. We also have familiar sound effects as we play. This includes samples letting us know how awesome we are.
Very few puzzle games look exciting for screenshots, but let's look at the first anyhow...
The first screenshot... what a nice display with lovely colour and design!
ReadMe.TXT
Nice of you to visit this text, it will give you all the basic information you need to know to get started. Don’t worry it's easy so you will get the hang of it very soon!!
We are visiting Jack Bright, the castle lord of a medieval castle. He has already lived there for a lot of years and the castle needs some work. But his cash flow is a little bit on the downside so to earn some cash he has to swap gems for it.
He has lots of them hidden in his castle but it is a real mess. They are just piled on top of each other in no order at all. To swap them for cash he has to sort them out! But he can only do so if he has 3 or more of the same collection.
How does he do that? Well simple, just align 3 or more gems horizontal or vertical. For every successful swap, he earns those coins. Click the gem you van to swap with one of its neighbours and then choose the one you want to swap. Or even better just drag it over the other one by holding the mouse button, it both works...
As the coin meter reaches the top you have earned enough cash to go to the next level. The aim of the game is to reach the biggest high score of course.
The second screenshot... Well, it kinda looks the same as the first doesn't it. lol
The CryptO'pinion?
I contacted Alexander to thank him for developing a great game and... we got chatting... it was only a short time before I was beta-testing a new version - I'm thrilled to report numerous bug fixes and extra features.
This has been a blast because Alexander is a cool chap and I'm honoured to have played a (tiny) part in producing a fantastic and addictive puzzler. I'm confident with the following statement: BeGEMeD is one of the best Bejeweled games there is. A fantastic puzzler that looks and sounds as good as it plays.
Saboteur 3 was released in 2012 by Shadow Team for the Atari STe and Falcon (STfm if you have a Blitter and TOS 1.04). Okay, I'll start by saying I'm a huge fan of Saboteur 2: Avenging Angel on the ZX Spectrum. It's a game I played to death and mapped - so I'm excited to see this release. Although I'm anxious and wondering how it will compare.
It's obviously an unofficial fan game based on the original games by legends Durell Software. Incredibly, it was programmed using GFA Basic. I know nothing of programming but it seems the perfect tool for developers - to this day!
Saboteur III The Egyptian Mission takes us into an ancient world looking for fragments of a key to unlock a treasure-filled sarcophagus. However, (this might not be much of a shock), but somebody has rigged most rooms with traps! Beware of killer spikes and scary creatures like mummies, bats, and scorpions. So don't expect this quest to be easy!!
Let's pause the read for a screenshot...
Ok, let's begin the mission... Yeah, that means killing Mommies!
Authentic or worse?
Each room is a pleasure for this oldskool gamer - it's like looking at a surreal retake of the original. I like the design layout employed by most rooms and there's always something that needs to be kicked to death using my ninja skillset. Looking at the map, Saboteur 3 is smaller than the previous games on the ZX Spectrum but who cares about that.
Movements are more or less what you expect with a few changes - down/fire makes our ninja hit under the belt without using the kicking mechanic. A slight change, yet not damageable to the playability. In fact, the joystick controls are responsive and I'm impressed with the fluency of our actions, helping make it feel authentically pleasing.
I expected differences but some changes to the gameplay mechanics irk me - like falling off a ledge. That is instant death rather than simply draining you of (replenishable) strength. Yes, I miss that bar and wonder why it was dropped. Also, I fail to see the point of those large spikes that pop up to impale you each and every time. And even during mid-jump!! However, the most annoying oddity is the ladders because too many go nowhere and that's just absurd.
Quite harsh there, eh? Better calm down a bit and view another screenshot...
As you progress, things get odd and very difficult! Perhaps too difficult?
Aesthetics
Visually, it's superb albeit overly colourful with too much yellow? Or is that how Egypt looks! However, I'm glad they didn't try replicating the original look and style (can you imagine the horror of mostly monochrome graphics?). The characters and their animations are great which makes kicking the baddies to death - an absolute joy!
The in-game music is by Dma-Sc and thus a beautiful example of his extraordinary chiptune talent. I still would have liked an option for (DMA) sound effects to play alongside the music. But I'm now being rather picky I guess?
I think we've got time for one more screenshot? How about one of me, dead...
Sooner or later, I usually end all my games looking this good! ;o)
The CryptO'pinion?
Saboteur 3 is a good platformer beat 'em up but, far from perfect. Sadly, I fear hardcore fans will enjoy picking at it as many official Saboteur characteristics are altered or missing. However, this is still a great game in its own right and I think that even Clive Townsend would enjoy playing this alternative take on his classic Saboteur. I sure did!!
A highly challenging platformer; admiringly recommended for both Saboteur fans and new Ninja wannabees.
Grab the download if you think you're tough enough!
Somewhere in the far reaches of the universe is a planet called Blot. Much like Eden, this is a wonderful place; everything is perfect and everyone is happy. The inhabitants are creatures called the Blotians. However, for some peculiar reason, these guys got bored with their paradise and wanted something better so came up with the daft notion of a brand new identity - on a different planet. They're now called Fuzzy Wuzzies!!
Creatures was released in 1992 by Thalamus and programmed by Philip Watts of WJS Design. Yes, he of Leander and Ork, two decent scrolling games you should check out.
What these sad creatures didn't realise was that evil demons already lived on this new planet. And are a bad-tempered bunch too! Needless to say, they should have been happy where they were because everyone has been captured and awaited a cruel and bloody fate. You are Clyde Radcliffe, your breath stinks terribly but it is your job to rescue all of your simple-minded friends from these fiends! So good luck - you'll need it.
What an insane story, so let's view an authentic screenshot taken with my phone...
Actually, this is quite sadistic!
Clyde is the cutest thing and is equipped with a rapid-firing weapon, which is handy because many of the baddies annoyingly take numerous hits. Power-ups are available, I love the 'wriggler' but there are many others to choose from. However, your superpower is the funniest weapon of all, press and hold the fire button to breathe bad breath over anything that gets too close. A bad-breathed hero must surely be a first?
A good tip for Creatures is to not rush. The enemies can take more than a few hits which is a little weird and can often feel a little OTT. Try to kill what's already on the screen before moving on and being overrun by evil cute critters. That's a simple and obvious tip, but there ya' go. Take it or leave it!
Controlling Clyde is a cinch thanks to great joystick controls and fantastic level designs which are fun to navigate. The monsters come in all sorts and manage to bring a smile to this ugly mug of mine thanks to great attention to detail and cruel personalities. End-of-level scenes are particularly cruel (but funny) but employ a harsh time limit before a fellow Fuzzy Wuzzy meets their bloody death at the hands of a sadistic demon!
Wait! It's not screenshot time. Oh, no let's jazz this up with a video recording...
Sexy Pixels & Smooth Audio?
I love the lush aesthetics with beautiful colours and artwork - the attention to detail is amazing. Wow, the sprites are as cute as they are evil and never fail to impress. However, everything might look nice, but is spoiled by rubbish push-scrolling! Sure, that method works fine for games like Rick Dangerous, but not here.
The audio is excellent with a theme tune that has you bobbing away to its funky beats. I love it. The sound effects are making use of the DMA hardware - if you're lucky enough to own an Atari STe? They are ace!!!
Let's break up the silence! The shock of that push scrolling means we have another screenshot...
The CryptO'pinion?
Creatures is enjoyable with well-balanced gameplay and a fantastic (sadistic) sense of humour. However, it was originally designed as a scrolling platformer and a scrolling platformer needs to SCROLL. It sadly falls short of the mark compared to other versions and appears a rushed port. Maybe I'm too fussy? Tell me!
Don't get me wrong, Creatures is worth downloading because it is a good game with a superb theme, humour, controls, and audio. However, it's a shame they didn't make full use of the Atari STe. Or even push the STfm like so many other companies did with their platformers already out by 1992. Disappointed, Thalamus.
