Pacman On E's

Pac-Man? Again? Yawn... boring!!

Yes, there are already several examples of cracking Pacman games for the best 16-bit computer on the planet. This Pacman really needed to bring something extra special to the table. Well, the game has been developed specifically for the enhanced Atari STe and, unlike so many lost shareware titles, this download is actually the legit registered version! This comes with lots of cool gameplay/aesthetic extras which will impress!

The Pacman genre is timeless but this version takes the familiar theme to a new level thanks to its furious speeds. There are 100 levels, zany visuals, funky music and a range of stereo samples: like the Road Runner's "meep meep" and the buzzer from Family Fortunes. Digital Dreams utilises the STe's extra colours, Blitter and DMA Audio. Interestingly, the Function Keys can change the bass, treble, volume (and more).

Credits

Stuart Innes - Programming/Graphics

Robert Thompson - Graphics/Sfx

Alasdair Macmillan - Graphics

Come on, play the game

PacMan On E's can be fully enjoyed solo for the most hilariously challenging take on the original concept. It's tripped out, and stuffed with colourful visuals and a bucket load of whacky sound effects. The action and fast and exciting so never gets boring, which is how the original becomes. Well, after a while.

Best of all is the simultaneous two-player support especially when hunting for the power-ups. There are a variety of silly effects and my recording shows myself and my daughter playing it together in coop. Absolutely superb!! (When she lost, she decided to cheat by covering my eyes with her hands. Hmm!)

Download me!

You can grab this belting Pac-Man game from most ST websites but Peter, aka 8BitChip, has adapted the registered version which you can download from my Dropbox (while his website is currently offline as I type). My personal greetings to Stuart Innes, Robert Thomson and Alasdair Macmillan for this wonderful game!!

Wait, don't go just yet!! Let's see some screenshots before you download this fantastic game...

An iconic opening intro. Love it!!

Oh yes, lots of STe-only features that you can tweak.

Super-duper colourful graphics to jazz up boring old Pacman.

Fine design spruced up using fantastic colour work.

What? This screenshot looks kind of dull. But the action is furious!

The final screenshot is here to send your eyeballs crazy with its psychedelic design!

Central Cavern

Welcome to the caverns!

This is a short video of the Atari ST emulating the ZX Spectrum and running Matthew Smith's classic platformer. Please note, that this emulator struggles on a stock 8MHz ST when it comes to audio and scrolling the screen. Of course, this game doesn't scroll but the background tune pushes its luck, so I turned it off for better performance (it's then at the speed of the original, almost). You can find out more about Speccy Emulator by clicking here. Enjoy my video recording :)

Virus

My computer caught a virus

When playing with fractals the other week, I recalled David Braben's Virus. This a complex game I've not played since the shops stocked Atari ST games on their shelves! Now, the original is best, but that's like comparing the STFM to a Falcon! So we should stop right there because our version is a 16-bit classic.

Going for a test flight over its chequered landscape is an incredible experience. The mouse controls are tough to master but soon intuitive. Stick with it because once you've got the feel of how it handles, there's an amazing game waiting for you. Check out my animation above, I did quite well ;)

Visually, this game is a gem with an excellent style using smooth 3D that is fast. There are lots of neat touches and I've gotta say, I love the ship's exhaust as it spurts out those lovely particles of thrusting power. The audio is great with crisp sound effects that are refreshing thanks to the YM2149 doing us proud.

Virus is a fantastic 16-bit conversion of the original 32-bit masterpiece. Sure, it has a cruel learning curve (so be prepared for that) but, after beating that, you've found yourself a killer game that's gonna eat away the hours. This game rocks and I found it really enjoyable and extremely addictive. What a game!!

This infectious shooter provided me with hours of fun. Play it.

- Download Virus -

Fullscreen Construction Kit

I've a thing for overscan!

The Atari ST/e might not officially support overscan but that hasn't stopped many games, demos, and programs from making use of it. There's a lot out there with many already featured here on AtariCrypt not to mention the ability to activate overscan within GEM. The Atari ST is a versatile machine and often underrated.

Fullscreen Construction Kit is a cool utility program developed by FMC Connexion to display high-resolution pictures using this same overscan technique. It works by piecing together four Degas images which ultimately join to generate the finishing picture. This image can be viewed on your ST using the program provided.

The process is simple but I had difficulties with the palettes because I'm not gifted in pixel art!! Hence the reason Milla is in greyscale and the dog is red, not brown. It's worth noting that I found it easier to create the blocks using my Mac but there are online tools available to split images.

Six test images are on the floppy plus you can create your own. This set of image blocks [by Killer D] should give you an understanding of what's expected from budding artists? But even those without any skills (me!!) should be fine, so why not give this program a playtest to see what overscan goodies you can create?

This is a belting program to enjoy dabbling! Let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

Michigan Mike And The Lost City Of Zorog

Michigan Mike is a scrolling platformer developed using GFA Basic by Gordon Storey. It features an Indiana Jones wannabe who's got himself into a spot of bother and now desperately needs our help to escape.

As you would expect from any platformer, each level has poisonous critters and many traps like crumbling rocks, acid pools, and spikes. However, Mike's energy levels are slowly depleting, which is really annoying because this forces you to rush. Of course, touching any of the nasties only helps to increase that energy loss - so collect food to replenish him. Having said that, it's worth watching him die just to enjoy the explosive graphics!

Michigan Mike And The Lost City Of Zorog is a no-frills platformer with great joystick controls that make it playable. Okay, he may have big feet and freaky eyes but I've actually enjoyed this. My only gripe is the energy meter because this goes down far too quickly. Not a great platformer but far from being a bad one.

Sleuth

I've been searching...

After the jaw-dropping Berzerk, I searched what might lurk inside the ST's archives. Eventually, I found Sleuth a PD game released by Larry Scholz of MajicSoft in 1993. The year is 2525 and man's existence is threatened by evil cybernetic organisms (yup, robots!) created by Dr Spirit. A simple storyline for a familiar game. Okay, it's not what you would call an authentic clone (ahem) but the premise is there for another Berzerker!

We are Inspector Sleuth and about to infiltrate the doctor's lair to show these clumps of metal who's in charge! Gone are the randomly generated screens, replaced with a map populated by six different models of the doctor's robots. These range from the Hemroid which is a low-level (wait for it) "pain in the butt" to the Hopperoids with warp technology, so don't get too close. Come on, you must love Larry's humour?

Movement and firing are performed in all eight directions using the joystick. Defend yourself using an armour-piercing gun that features a nuclear charge to incinerate all robots from the inside out. You still need to stay clear of the electrified walls and if you hang about for too long, something freaky appears after a short time to chase you across the screen. Now we're back on the familiar Berzerker ground lol.

So, is it better than Berzerk? Not on your nelly! Sleuth feels like a tacky ripoff with rubbery controls and dodgy graphics. I can imagine that shocks you? Have I just wasted your time writing this mini-review? No. Regardless, Sleuth is a good game in its own right and is nice to play something different. You may have noticed I've not mentioned the audio? The chip fx are good but, the music? Wait and see for yourself!

For what it's worth, my 8-year-old daughter loves this shooter. She played several games badly and never understood why the walls killed her. But, she loved it!! I must admit, so did I. Remember, it's not Berzerk so keep an open mind and give it a fair playtest. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Sleuth can be downloaded over at the legendary Demozoo website.

IGNORE the graphics!! Gameplay counts the most, whether it's perfect or not.

Shoot anything that looks... erm... weird. Don't think, just shoot!!

Bombs And Bugs

Another lost soul has been rescued!

Bombs And Bugs is a multiplayer Bomberman clone developed by Stefan Eilert of Awkward Software. The full version was never released but, as of today, it has been found and downloadable from the AtariMania website. Supporting two or three players, it has superb power-ups and lots of jazzy graphics. I'll be honest, I missed an option for single-player but, it's such a brilliant multiplayer. My video shows gameplay by me and our 8-year-old daughter - we both loved it!! It's fun, freaky and very silly. We loved it and so will you guys!