Motörhead

Bambi

I was a kid the first time I heard Motorhead, thanks to watching The Young Ones. That sound blew me away as I'd never heard anything like it and I've been a fan since. It's superb to see Lemmy (RIP†) making his way onto the Atari ST thanks to Virgin Games in 1992. Yet this isn't an Atari ST game I remember playing.

The story doesn't matter for a game like this, but Motorhead band members have been captured and imprisoned. As Lemmy, we must clobber loads of enemies before attempting a rescue. Typically, they're all trapped in different musical locations, the first being Rapland. Well, if you think rap is actually music...

Anyhow, Motorhead is a beat 'em up not unlike Golden Axe. Richard Costello's name appears in the credits to explain that mystery. Additionally, the credits also show Colin Dooley, aka Fungus T. Bogeyman. He programmed two other Atari ST games I thoroughly enjoy - Masters of the Universe and H.A.T.E. Nevertheless, I remember him for very different reasons: Star Wars/Rap. An ancient demo that blew my socks off!!

In light of that personal revelation, we need a bunch of screenshots from Rapland...

Nothing better than smashing in someone's teeth!

At the end of each level, a captured friend requires rescuing.

Each level ends with us racing down the road to collect goodies!

Before the subsequent level begins, we have a (different) bonus round.

Hit 'em all, hard!

Motorhead starts with Lemmy walking onto the stage to blast out guitar riffs YM2149-style. At first, I was disappointed because I expected a short loop of Ace Of Spades! However, that works well. It's weird, the speed of this chiptune is fast and aggressive. Very much in the spirit of speed metal and I love it to bits!!

As the game begins with the bad guys walking into play, you instantly notice how great it looks. Our life's energy is displayed along the top of the screen with the number of remaining Lemmys shown as spades on your belt. To the left is the score and, to the right is the magic level (more on that later).

This beat 'em up is (cough) similar to Golden Axe because it uses the same engine. That means movements, actions, scrolling, etc feel just the same. So when the baddies walk onto the screen, you know instantly what to do and how to do it. And this means hardly any learning curve, which I like a bunch.

Six horizontally scrolling levels are much the same albeit with a different background and enemies...

Level 1 - Rapland - posers and idiots in baseball caps need leathering metal style!!

Level 2 - Nashville - my favourite level with Tex, Dolli, and an inbred mong!

Level 3 - Karaokeville - we're clobbering Japanese singers, businessmen, and sumos!

Level 4 - Scrapyard - Yet another stage of hitting bad guys.

Level 5 - Cathedral - Quite possibly the best-looking level by a mile.

Level 6 - Rave On - The worst level and the hardest. Zebedee makes an appearance!

Each level ends with a joyride that provides an opportunity to collect bonuses and recover energy and magic. Before the next level, there is another bonus round (which is always different). After level one, we have a beer-guzzler that resembles Tapper. Level 2/3 is weird and made me wish I had read the manual! Level 4 is superb because we trash a motel room! The fifth level has us toppling over stones to crush angels.

Okay, let's pause the reading to see a couple of screenshots...

This is from Nashville level 2 - checkout the inbred mong on the right lol

Karaokeville is level three and we're bashing Japanese dudes!

Joystick magic

Controlling Lemmy is fast and responsive plus it's dead easy to learn thanks to the limitations of the joystick's one button. Is that a good thing? Anyhow, movement and actions are centred around that button (whether pressed or not) whilst using a specific direction. That sounds odd? No, it's quite simple...

Without pressing - Left/Right walks Lemmy in that direction (twice to run). Pushing up/pulling down guides him vertically away/closer. Finally, the spacebar will invoke a magical spell.

Whilst pressing - Up will perform a leap (with left/right movement). Down will throw an object/spit, depending on what you have collected. Left/Right (your facing direction) is used to hit/punch. Doing the same, in reverse, Lemmy shoots a guitar cord (to vaporize enemies using magic).

Your movements around the screens are fluent without lag. You can even use parts of the scenery to avoid pitfalls, like caverns. Enemies will attack in packs of 3-5 but aren't the most rapid movers. That gives us plenty of time to run around picking our own battles. I found myself using the same attack pattern - face them/fire. It works well but I would have liked to jump-kick or something else for extra variety.

Opponents suffer a knockback with each hit but only die after being clobbered a few times. I found it best to hit/knockback and turn around to do the same on the next guy before repeating these sexy moves on the first. After a few beatings, they perish leaving behind a bonus - coins (points), Motorheads (magic for guitar cord and magic spells), beer (energy), a jar of cockles, and whiskey (powers a belch aka a superpower).

Magic can also conjure three spells activated by pressing the Spacebar... 1) a dolly bird appears to distract the enemies. 2) the Motorhead logo emerges to damage the bad guys. 3) instantly kill everyone on screen.

We should have a peep at two screenshots showing some of this magical use...

Level 4 takes place in a scrapyard and here I've invoked magic (level 1)

Level 5 is within a stunning Cathedral and I'm hitting out a power cord!!

Aesthetics

Motorhead's visuals are outstanding and make this a sexy beat'em up thanks to the talent of Jason Wilson who might be familiar - HeroQuest and Horror Zombies From The Crypt. All landscapes and backgrounds are vibrant and highly detailed. Character animation is good but superbly drawn - I love that "inbred" from Nashville!! The scrolling isn't really scrolling as it's used to segment each attack wave, as in Golden Axe.

The audio is equal to the visuals in every respect. From the intro, when the chip rendition of "speed metal" began, I knew this would ROCK YM2149-style (pun intended). Each chiptune suits the action without drowning out the sound effects. Thank you Ben Daglish (RIP†) for your amazing musical talent.

Hey, do you fancy a couple more screenshots? Of course, you do...

Zebedee turns up for the final stage, Rave On.

This bonus round is brilliant and tons of fun!

The CryptO'pinion?

To say I've enjoyed this beat'em up would be an understatement. I've relished repeatedly hitting individuals in the craziest places. However, a cynic might suggest it's just Golden Axe with different graphics? Well, I'm not sure about that negativity. Many games borrow ideas or use the same engine to drive the gameplay.

So what did I appreciate about Motorhead? Easy, I appreciated how simple it is to jump straight in and begin thrashing the enemies until they're dead meat. It's amusing zipping around the screen looking to clobber people. The controls are easy to master without feeling sluggish or unresponsive. This is a no-frills game of hitting everyone and it's brilliant fun!!

Ironically, what I didn't like was that simplicity. The repetitive gameplay backfired by the fourth level. I started to tire because I wanted something more but it failed to provide any. It tried with the two bonus rounds (after each level) but more was needed. Furthermore, Lemmy needed a few more attack moves - like a kick or something more accessible without resorting to magic.

It may not have broken the mould but I've not enjoyed a beat'em up this much since Double Dragon 3. This might shock many but I thoroughly enjoyed playing through to the end (except for the final level).

So I might surprise a few people here but my rating is a golden axe hack of 85%.

D-Bug has the hard disk version, and Atari Legend has the floppies (I used Gravatics #88)

Level 2 is brilliant and I can even shout at young girls!

Level 3 got a little weird once my mother-in-law turned up!

Level 4's bike ride looks so gorgeous with that dark sky.

Level 5 is stunning. Truly gorgeous pixel art, just look at those goths and skeletons.

I played through and rescued everyone. I wonder why I'm still collecting bonuses?

The ending is Motorhead banging away on stage. Still no sampled sounds though ;)

Temptation aka Project "A" by NoExtra

NoooooExtra!!

Taking a break from gaming, let's watch a fantastic Atari STe demo by NoExtra released late for STNICCC 2015. This is a striking production with stunning pixels and DMA music by Tomchi, aka Nicolas Flandin. A particularly favourite musician of mine who later left NoExtra and is a member of YM Rockerz.

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this demo. The 3D floor part is a belter and reminded me of Alpha Waves. The Hall of Fame screen may appear simple but that "cube" moves with an incredible shadowy effect (that's my technical knowledge for ya!!). The sine scroller part is tiny but I've a fetish for these silky movers - it's totally health, believe me. Hey, maybe I should add this demo to my list of Sine Love? <~~ Check that out!

A beautiful production. This is one of the best demos I have ever seen.

Credits

---

Atomus - Code

Hylst - Graphics

Mister A - Graphics

Tomchi - Music

Zorro2 - Code

https://demozoo.org/productions/151598/

Check out the mighty Demozoo for the download and tons more Atari ST demoscene STuff you will love. Watch my video but (you know what I'm gonna say) it's best enjoyed using a real Atari STe computer!!

Okay, static screenshots never do a demo justice but let's see a few anyways...

Carrus

Not a car

Carrus was developed in 1992 by Thilo Jantz and is something I stumbled on while browsing through Atarimania. I love platformers but this one looked rather peculiar with its black & white screenshots. They show a car attempting to drive unrealistic roads so I was intrigued because I like anything "odd" like me!

The objective is to collect the white signs on each level using a car that moves left/right without acceleration. Very odd for a car, right? Imagine that the sprite isn't a car but a person like Miner Willy or Henhouse Harry. So this "car" travels one step at a time rather than driving. There isn't a need to jump in at the deep end as there are four difficulty levels - beginners, normal, advanced, and Expert. It's best to choose beginner because the levels are simple and you are introduced to various game components one step at a time.

Collecting the white signs sounds easy but the strategy comes by knowing and mastering the level's design. For example, some roads are inaccessible without a bridge, van, or elevator to assist. Other roads dissolve after one use but there are other dangers like mines, bouncing barrels, hidden traps, and robots. Importantly, the order of collecting the white signs matters as you could end up trapped (first experienced on level B-3).

Extra features are the ability to alter the speed by pressing keys 1-9 (fast/slow). Also, if you get stuck, the Z key is used for suicide but you will lose a life. If you need a wee, pause using the P key until you return!! Also, I found the controls much more responsive using a real computer rather than an emulator (YMMV).

I won't pretend this is the greatest game because it isn't. Nevertheless, it is nice to play something unexpectedly different and Carrus fits the bill nicely. I liked the idea but later screens present too much of a massive challenge for me. I only wish there was an option to restart particular levels using a passcode.

I enjoyed this a bunch so my rating would be a wholesome 70%.

A download can be found in the Hang Loose section of the Atari FTP Archive.

Beginner levels like this are perfect for grasping the controls.

The stars are explosive mines. The jaggy road will dissolve after one use.

The third level introduces lifts and also a hidden trap (very cruel).

The fourth level is tough! The roads are impossible to reach without using lifts.

I've moved on to the "normal" difficulty here. As you can see, it's a lot harder!

The third level on "Normal". It's a killer so think before you move! Don't get squashed...

I don't mind admitting that "Advanced" is way too tough for me o_O

And you can forget about the "Expert" level. Yowzers!!

The ending screen says: The last driver was also hit (ie game over)

Not brilliant but, not a bad first attempt... Can you beat me?

BSW DCD #020

Blue SoftWare

Whenever I think of a typical menu disk, it had loads of games and was released by one of many different cracker groups. Several others did the same thing but kept it legit by packing demos, intros, freeware games, etc. Germany's Blue Software is one such group and they called them DCD, aka Demo CDs.

Now, you know I love to relive my ST years but I cannot remember seeing more than a handful of Demo CDs by Blue Software. This is odd because I was/am a geek and remember collecting the entire library of The Source, Ripped Off, Serenade, and POV. So I went digging through the Demozoo archives to see what I could find. Incredibly, they were so active, releasing 99 DCDs before migrating to The Chaos Engine.

Okay, I've picked DCD #20 for a few reasons but, mainly for the loading screen! This is a fantastic image of a revamped GEM desktop. The background tune is eerie and captivating, I first assumed it was ripped from Archipelagos. It's not. I know that I've heard it before but can't remember... Can anyone help?

Anyhow, hitting the spacebar takes you to GEM to access twenty intros. Most of these are by Pompey Pirates and cool screens by The Syndicate, Empire, and the Mighty Replicants. I especially liked that full-screen image by Killer D (remember that?). What a great disk; really enjoyed it. I love exploring our hiSTory!!

Demozoo links for BSW DCD [ disk download ] [ group library ]

Blue Software made many productions but it's the DCDs I loved most.

Disk Maggie Intro by The Ultra Crew. What a stunning SINE scroller.

Old school and I love it, this is Contact Foxe by Zodiac.

Delta Force Copy Party Demo-Screen by The Replicants.

Delicious Disk 003 Intro by The Syndicate.

Flying Brains - running in full overscan!!

A Small Intro by The Empire and The Fallen Angels.

Pompey Pirates Menu #059 Intro by Pompey Pirates (check this out).

Killing Impact

Glad?

Imagine a fantastic sci-fi future where we are a member of an exciting explorational team called X-Plorer. Deep space is scary and, you guessed it, something went wrong! But something always goes wrong, right? Yep, we end up stranded on an alien planet light years from home. Of course, it's an unfriendly world of vicious creatures that need killing before we can escape home. Or is it just a Joust ripoff set in the wilderness?

Killing Impact is based on the Falcon030 original by David Fournier of Rebel Vision who appears to have only produced this one game. The idea is simple and if you've played Joust, you will already know what to expect in terms of basic gameplay. Unlike the original, Glad takes place over dozens of jungle screens on an alien planet. Its wilderness is crammed with enormous plant life and crazy critters that don't like your presence. The objective is straightforward, travel the terrain killing everything whilst making your way to the exit.

Sadly, that's not possible for the unlucky ST protagonist because our conversion appears somewhat unfinished with only two levels complete. Not only that but when/if you reach the end, you're left trapped in the final room. Regardless, we still have a huge game with dozens of screens!

As a version of Joust, the controls ought to be spot-on. I'm grateful they are just that and implement the standard jousting practice - defeat the enemies by lancing them from a higher position. There are optional weapons like bombs, but these are impossible to use. In stark contrast to the main controls, they are awful and demand a combination of holding a direction whilst hitting fire - in midair!! That doesn't work.

Being Joust, this doesn't need to be a solo mission as Killing Impact supports two players. This is quite special and adds tremendous value, especially when one player can lure the enemy into the open for the other to strike. The expected restrictions apply ie, both players remain on the screen at the same time.

That's about it to Glad Killing Impact; flip-flap through every screen killing anything nasty. Forget the weaponry and concentrate on the (excellent) jousting to defeat your foe. Ultimately, you will reach a boss and these guys are always tough nuts - so beware!! This leaves only one question, what is this "Glad" thing about?

Okay, let's pause the boring reading for a couple of sexy screenshots...

Watch out for the dragonflies that are deceitfully cunning creatures.

Oh no, a dragon!! These chase well but aren't quick, so easy prey.

Aesthetics

As you can see from the screenshots, the visuals are exquisite. If I had one, I'd tip my hat to Frédéric Fournier and Christian Rey for their gorgeous jungle and underwater artwork. Equally, the sprites are a variety of nasty creatures superbly detailed and with excellent animation - I love the jellyfish and dragonflies.

The hardware scrolling/Blitter isn't used so we're disappointly stuck with single screen push-scrolling. Thankfully, it's implemented well for good effect and maintains a fluent update on each screen. Sadly, this isn't perfect and can be irritating whenever you're inconveniently near the screen's edge.

The audio is a different story with passable spot effects used for movement, killing, and other oddities like the underwater bubbles. There needed to be more but perhaps the near-silence is a good thing so you can hear the jouster's flip-flap? Hey, at least the title screen has a decent (non-DMA) digital tune - is it Quartet?

As conversions go, it looks better than it sounds. Let's view some more screenshots...

Later on, level one takes us underwater and is very nice.

This is just one insanely difficult screen from level two. Ugh, so tough!!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Bear in mind, I haven't played the original Falcon game, somehow the ST version feels "rushed" and certainly incomplete. Don't get me wrong the basics are ported well with great graphics and jousting controls. Level one is massive, incredibly well-designed, and a bucket load of fun. This is why I decided to map the game!!

However, the second level is incredibly difficult to be anything other than terrible because it's cramped with too many enemies. Additionally, the weaponry is overcomplicated so something I never bothered with.

Based on the first level, a thoroughly excellent Jouster I heartily recommend. My rating is 85%

The final room. I defeated the boss but then nothing happened...

Can you beat my high score?

Maps & Downloads

There are two recommended downloads, a 2-disk floppy by Elite and PP's hard drive version.

As always, the images you see are simply thumbnails and you can download the hi-res originals by clicking here. Additionally, I've mapped many other Atari ST games which you can access by clicking here!! I hope my maps persuade you to play all these great games yourself? Hey, let me know in the comments below.

The first part of level one is incredibly playable.

With a couple of new monsters and a change of style; well, it's more of the same.

The third part is mostly underwater and a great way to complete the level one journey.

This is level two and is impossible - without cheating. It's a barstool of a level!!

I have a question

What's your favourite Pompey Pirates disk?

Lately, I've been plodding through a wedge of my Pompey Pirates disks. Such excellent cracks made me fondly remember the chat/information/banter within the scrollers. They gave me access to games I would never have been able to afford. Right or wrong, a service was provided. Of course, the excitement of the postman delivering the latest Pompey disk was brilliant. Sigh, I miss those days... hence my noSTalgic website!

I enjoy asking stupidly impossible questions [1] and [2]. So, with that pointlessness in mind, what would you say is their best release? For me, disk #095 is my favourite because it features three belting games - Hunter, Lotus II, and Head Over Heels. In terms of the menu, that's another tough choice. It's probably disk #048 because of Syd B's fantastic War Of The Worlds picture. Not only that but it features a superb Mad Max tune. You gotta read the scroller for a surreal tale that is suspiciously accurate for today's absurd world.

That's what I love about awesome crackers like these, their scrollers are an unsuspecting time machine. Righto, what is your favourite Pompey Pirate disk? While you ponder over that, here are some links...

Exxos has access to the entire Pompey archive - https://exxosforum.co.uk/atari/...

Atari Legend - Pompey Pirates disk #048 - https://www.atarilegend.com/PP48...

Atari Legend - Pompey Pirates disk #095 - https://www.atarilegend.com/PP95...

Demozoo - a page dedicated to Pompey Pirates - https://demozoo.org/groups/2228/

Atarimania - Pompey Pirates Mega Muzak Demo - https://www.atarimania.com

Matt's archived website - https://www.gingerbeardman.com/archive/pompeypirates/

Gilbert's New Adventures

Indiana Jones?

While trolling through the immense archives on Atari Legend, I stumbled upon a platformer called Nowe Przygody Gilberta. I thought that name was gobbledegook until I translated the Polish text into English. Gilbert's New Adventure was developed in GFA Basic by Adamsky who supports the Blitter and DMA audio!

Whatever the storyline, we appear trapped in a labyrinth of rooms with locked doorways and treasures to collect. Think something "roughly" similar to Manic Miner, Treasure in Cave, Montezuma's Revenge...

Gilbert's New Adventure looks like an 80s old-school platformer, which immediately appealed to me. Upon loading, we're greeted with an amateur image of Indiana Jones, taken from the ZX Spectrum. Don't look at it for too long and hit the spacebar for a helpful screen depicting the items and objects within the game.

Yes, I said helpful and here is a screenshot to prove that fact... Ahem...

Never have I known so many words to contain a 'Z'!! Let's translate...

Polskie Klucze

Polish might be completely alien, but that key is quite obvious. Starting at the top/left and moving sideways: wall, hammer, red key, loose stones, treasure, blue key, another type of wall, parachute, green key, spikes, a red-key door, ladder, fire, a blue-key door, teleporter, energy drink, and finally, a green-key door.

As you can see, it's simple stuff with walls, ladders, and tools. The rest is basically colour keys for corresponding doors plus a few dangers. However, there is a teleport pad too... but... more on that one later!

Let's step back in time and take a look at the opening screen from this game...

The status bar shows energy, cash, and also any collected items.

Gameplay

Immediately beginning my first game - I was hooked. I don't mind sounding like an old man reliving his youth but, that's exactly what happened. The appearance is terribly bare, so unspoilt by pointless glam. This innocent structure uses small blocks and feels like it was dragged kicking and screaming out of 1982.

The controls are dead easy: left/right to walk, up/down to jump and use ladders, and the spacebar will activate a teleporter. However, this simplicity wasn't good enough for Adamsky who decided to alter things. To diagonally jump, use the Insert key (to jump left) and the Clr Home key (to jump right).

Gilbert's task is to collect treasure whilst scouring the rooms for items that could help him along the way. We are free to explore all rooms but watch out for tricky routes and blatant pitfalls - like fire pools and deadly spikes. Dangers like these instantly kill our intrepid hero. Oddly, there are no monsters but the emphasis is on treasure hunting so having baddies aimlessly wandering might have gotten in the way?

Every screen has rudimentary puzzles like a hammer to bash through loose rock, differently-coloured keys for specific doors, and parachutes to prevent falling to our death. A few screens have a teleport pad but the destination is cycled between several screens. Blindly exploring could leave you stranded without a necessary item. Transporters made exploration quite confusing and felt unnecessarily disjointed.

Are you ready to guide Gilbert through the rooms to fill his pockets with treasure and escape?

Hey, this room looks familiar yet I can't think why heh.

Graphics and Sounds

Nowe Przygody Gilberta is a simple platformer without zany aesthetics. In fact, back in the 80s, I'm sure it would still have looked as dull as dishwater compared to others. However, many homebrew games are made by someone who couldn't draw, so it's perfectly understandable and also suits the aged theme.

I've played games like this on the ZX Spectrum, simple screens made of 8x8 bricks and nothing close to the graphical quality we're used to seeing in Fire & Brimstone or Ghouls & Ghosts. I can imagine how disheartened you feel by the screenshots? Don't be, this is a platformer for gamers who care nothing for glam.

The audio features DMA sound effects but, not many which is odd considering the effort already made. You shall hear something when landing on your feet, an "ugh" after falling but, little else. Sadly, there's no background music which is a shame because a chiptune would have compensated for the lack of effects.

I know, it's like a near-silent ZX Spectrum platformer but without the colour clash...

Using a parachute is the only way to go down in this room.

The CryptO'pinion?

Adamsky has created a platformer with all the aspects of a wonderful old-school treasure hunt. Ignoring the modest appearance, each room is superbly designed and requires thought before blinding running off. This humble puzzle aspect adds much to the exploration and is thus addictive and enjoyable.

However, the game is hampered by having one life thus forcing you to restart from the beginning each time. As you know, I did not like the transporters which increased my frustration, especially with only having one life. Plus there are minor niggles like using ladders which is too slow compared to our other movements.

Moaning aside, believe it or not, I have tremendously enjoyed Nowe Przygody Gilberta. It's far from perfect and that's a shame because it could have been great with more thought. I'd say 70% - close but no cigar.

Greetings to PP for adapting a new version that features unlimited energy!!

As you can see, this map is incomplete because of the dreaded transporters.
One day I'll return and finish this if there's enough interest.
This is a thumbnail, click here to download the high-resolution image!