Sideways

An unreleased gem!

Sideways was developed by Jamie Woodhouse, but unfinished and (obviously) unreleased. Actually, it's very close to being a finished product and something of a cross between Uridium and Return To Genesis; a fast-paced shooter with graphics ripping along at 50fps! I'm saddened this was never released, as it proves that the Atari ST can perform brilliantly in the hands of a talented programmer. Yep, no lame port here.

What a shock it was booting this up for the first time. It's impossible not to be impressed by this ridiculously exciting shooter. The controls feel natural and responsive with precise turning and acceleration - better than Uridium!! Each level is stuffed with baddies and power-ups for increased firepower, shields, weapons, etc. However, not everything has been implemented, as this is an unfinished game after all.

Any shoot 'em up needs great control mechanics to deliver a thrilling experience, and Sideways has that by the bucketload. I feel Sideways is far better than either of the above-mentioned games, albeit unfinished. If you favour a shooter to be nothing less than FAST and FURIOUS, this game was made for you!!

Unfinished or not, Sideways is absolutely superb! Get it downloaded right now...

- Download Sideways -

Demoscene poster

Your mancave needs this!

The most amazing demoscene poster has been updated again. If you have never seen this before, you should take a look and download it! Clickety click to view this jaw-dropper by Gregory le Roux (HMD!!)

For those who may not know who this chap is (where have you been?), visit Demozoo...

Wasabim

FantaSTic ArtiST

It’s always a pleasure to see someone launch a new Atari ST website, and today we have one from Aurélien Vaillant, aka Wasabim (say that after a few beers.) His website showcases his diverse artworks alongside those fantastic videos. Many of them begin with the box cover coming to life, a truly impressive sight. Incredible talent!

Clickety click right now to take a gander through the Wasabim website...

Dodgy Box Art

  

Strange box art!

I thought I would sort through some of my Atari ST games to choose the ones, which had the funniest artwork. One is an odd movie spoof, whilst the other gives me goosebumps. Seriously, it does make you wonder what these two companies were thinking when they agreed to release these games. Come on, surely they were having a laugh?

• Leatherneck takes the biscuit for most camp cover art ever and what happened to his weapon? It's a relief the game is good with multiplayer support and sample sounds. The graphics are smooth and the chipmusic is downright beautiful - a timeless quality. Sadly, the one-directional shooting makes it incredibly tough. If you like Leatherneck then you might enjoy Fernandez Must Die.
• Galdregons Domain gets the award for its Conan rip-off artwork. It's a little like Dungeon Master in a land where evil has been unleashed, yet again. We've been chosen to battle the minions and recover five precious gems to save us from peril. Aesthetically gorgeous, this dungeon crawler isn't bad and once you've got over its learning curve. A much-underrated adventure.

Right then, if you're feeling creeped out by these two "works of art", then click here to remedy that. Enjoy ;-)

Beyond The Ice Palace

Brace yourself for a corker!

I think everyone has played Beyond the Ice Palace at some time, and I got mine free with my first Atari ST computer. Until then, I was a Spectrum user, so I'm sure you can imagine the look on my face when I first loaded the ST version with its colourful graphics, smooth scrolling, and jazzy sounds. It was something!!

Much like Ghosts & Goblins, this is a scrolling platformer with three monster-infested levels designed to test your dexterity, skill, and reflexes. Predictable, yet there’s also something oddly special about it, too. Everything works perfectly: superb joystick control, a generous variety of enemies, and delightfully cruel level design. Annoyingly enough, it’s a platformer that has absolutely everything to make it downright awesome.

Let's break this pointless trip down memory lane with a couple of funky screenshots...

I knew this game was gonna be great from the start but choose your weapon carefully.

Hey, I think I've found a severed head!! Hmm, what could it possibly be?

Play the game

The first level is a trip through scary woods and is the typical platformer environment with peculiar baddies and a freaky end-of-level boss. Actually, each level follows the same formula with interesting places and many monsters to shoot/avoid/run away from. The second and third levels are, more or less, the same: a vertically scrolling cavern filled with hideous creatures before eventually reaching the wicked witch.

You're not alone: a good spirit can be summoned, which helps clear the screen of the baddies. This feature is limited to a certain number of uses (check out the funny face in the status bar). So choose your moments wisely when you are most vulnerable - then watch it zig-zag down your screen, killing baddies for you.

Ice Palace isn't complex, but it can be tricky due to awkward mechanics. For example, the blue demon is irritating as he cunningly appears just as you begin to use the elevating platforms. My advice: leap off at the moment he appears, as it's easier to kill. Otherwise, you are stranded on the platforms and vulnerable.

Hey, I think that we need two more screenshots of our hero with his flowing blonde locks...

Argh, you've blown it by staying on that life. Now the battle is much harder!

Oh no, here is the end-of-level green worm guardian!

A 16-bit jaw dropper

I've always felt the graphics are extraordinary and demonstrate our superiority over the 8-bit computers. The 1980s were an era of no-lame Amiga ports, so this game has been programmed well (thank you, Time Moore). The scrolling is smooth, the landscapes are great, and we have gorgeous sprites. Heck, even dying is a beautiful moment, and I'll never tire of its flicky death effect as my soul ascends into heaven!

The sounds are ravishing, with a sharp arcade-like style throughout. David Whittaker's music plays alongside these using a technique we saw in Xenon (ie, one channel is replaced as and when for the sound effects). After all, there are only 3 channels, so blame Yamaha. Look, the music is awesome. Nuff said.

So, it plays brilliantly while looking and sounding superb. What a game, eh? Screenshot time...

Level two ramps up the difficulty with weird wolfmen roaming the labyrinth!

Let's leap for joy, for we have collected another severed head!!

The CryptO'pinion?

After all these years, it’s still incredibly fun and utterly addictive. The great joystick controls, smooth scrolling, and gameplay make it a joy. The only downside is the small size of each level; I wish they were bigger. Yes, I want more!! :) Hey, he might wear cute green boots, but I guarantee you will love this platformer.

Get this downloaded and experience a platformer that’s nothing short of legendary.

A Midi tune of the awesome game music.

Maps for the ZX Spectrum game aren't needed, but nice to have.

Downloads are available for hard drive installation or floppies.

My Hi-Score. Can you beat me????? No, you cannot! ;p

Popstars by YM Rockerz

Living the dream

Yesterday I had a demoscene night! Reliving the old glory days when we eagerly awaited the postman's delivery of floppy disks from Demo Club and other PD libraries. Fun times with beauties like Anomaly, European, Punish Your Machine, Antiques, and Rising Force. Also, I re-enjoyed some cool animations like Rippler, Newton's Cradle and Walker. I then finished off listening to Popstars by the awesome YM Rockerz. Brilliant!!

This is my rock and roll lifestyle... Well, when the wife and kids are out! :^)

Credits

Popstars by YM Rockerz :

505 - Music

Crazy Q - Music, Text

Dma-Sc - Music

Dubmood - Music, Text

Exocet - Graphics

Frazer - Music, Text

Frequent - Music

Lotek Style - Graphics (ASCII), Music, Text

Nemo - Music, Text

Tao - Code, Music

gwEm - Music, Text

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Atari ST demos :)

Thrust

Reliving my college days!

The thumping chiptune of the day is awarded to Thrust!! Let me explain... Earlier, I enjoyed a couple of plays and now must suffer the reward of having its funky music booming through my tiny mind. Yep, I just can't get it out of my head lol. Well, it's a good job then that it's one of my favourite Rob Hubbard masterpieces.

I love Thrust, but I don't recall there being many rave reviews. Probably because it didn't appear to be much of a technical improvement over the 8-bit originals? For me, that's good because it's perfect, and any cosmetic changes would have been a huge mistake. Remember Chuckie Egg 2, a shocking 16-bit disaster.

Thankfully, Thrust isn't like that. It's still a great game with tough mechanics and hugely addictive gameplay. I love it and so will you because it's a cracking game. It's as good today as it was back then. I should know, I spent most of my college years in the 'library' playing Thrust on a BBC Micro instead of studying!

It looks funky, sounds boomtastic and plays great, so it's a timeless classic for the Atari ST!!

• D-Bug has a version of Thrust that you can install onto a hard drive/ultrasatan.
• Those who need the floppy disk can check out Atari Legend.
• SNDH Record is the place if you fancy driving yourself crazy with this gorgeous chiptune?
• Masochists can download it to play later, courtesy of the SNDH Archive. All good fun :-)