Cybernoid - The Fighting Machine

8-Bit conversions suck!

Cybernoid is a shooter developed by a legend - someone who rocked the 8-bit world, Raffaele Cecco. Yep, I was a Spectrum owner and it seemed everyone was crazy about him back then and rightly so. However, the 16-bitters received many dodgy conversions so I was more than a little dubious upon loading Cybernoid.

Our game is by Tony Cooper and is thankfully amazing. Offering the same level of thrills as the original, its gameplay is smooth with comfortable controls that are responsive throughout each of the spruced-up screens. Yes, graphically, this is head and shoulders above the original with eye-popping colours and lovely animations. The sound effects are a joy, accompanied by a fantastic chiptune. I really do mean fantastic!!

However, this is one tough cookie. No, it's an incredibly tough cookie with a few intense screens!! It will take many attempts to master its cruel personality. It's especially annoying when enemies can seem to fire their weapons through solid walls or objects. Stick with it because Cybernoid is awesome and ultra-addictive.

Crack the cunning learning curve and you have a wonderful and challenging shooter!

>>> UPDATE <<<

see the latest posting for Cybernoid which is mapped!

Obsession

Obsessive gaming!

Obsession was released in 1994 for the Atari STe by Unique Development Sweden. Yes, I said the Atari STe for once - rather than its older brother. UDS has made magnificent use of the enhancements -  Hardware scrolling moves the screen at 50fps for an ultra-smooth feeling. Heck, it's even utilising overscan too! The audio is a blast thanks to the DMA stereo - so crank up the volume!! This game is tremendously entertaining.

It's loud, it's fun, it's one of the best "arcade" games I've ever played. Marvellous!!

- Atari Legend has loads of Menu Disks to choose from (link)

- Atarimania has the official download and loads of information (link)

Turbo Cup

ROOAARRRRR!!!

Turbo Cup was released in 1988 by Loriciel and places us behind the wheel of a Porsche 944. First, we get to drive a practice run before moving up to the thrilling race events against computer-controlled competitors. The graphics are still great and, even though I'm no Porsche fan, I think it's one of the best-looking 16-Bit racers. Sound effects are equally nice with the roar of that engine which beats the YM buzz used in lesser titles.

What I love is the player's point of view because the perspective is quite unique and gives an illusion of a greater view. There are also some neat physics which prevent the race from being easy, so perhaps you should take the corners a little slower? It's no sim but it's still a tough cookie and one that will take a time to master.

Overall, Turbo Cup is a hard racer and will take many attempts before you've mastered the control mechanics. Stick with it and you've got yourself a great racer for a few hours of fun which looks and sounds great. Love it.

8BitChip has a hard drive installable version to download.

Old Games Finder has all the floppy disk images you could ever need.

Erik

Erik The Viking!

Erik is a peaceful Viking who happens to keep himself to himself and bothers nobody. Unfortunately, that evil god Loki isn't too pleased about Erik choosing a pacifistic lifestyle over one of pillaging so he casts a spell and turns the world rotten. Erik must travel to these infested lands and battle sadistic evil before returning home. Wow, the problems computer characters must face daily... It's just not fair, is it?

Atlantis Software released Erik in 1992. It is a vertically scrolling platformer with dozens of levels spread over four worlds. Of course, each contains a fair few baddies, cool traps, and scary end-of-level bosses. The graphics are cute and cuddly, with nice detail and super smooth scrolling, with raspy samples for sounds.

Overall, this is a really simple platformer which is entertaining and challenging. Loads of fun!!

Floppy disks can be found over on AtariMania.

Klaz has a fantastic hard disk download!

Black Tiger

Ohhh, yes!!!

Black Tiger is one of those games that I have loved since day one and today I got to play it once again after what feels like a lifetime ago! It's a good arcade conversion but sadly, my old joystick doesn't work well moving diagonally... So you will see lots of silly mistakes in my video recording. Honestly, it's the joystick!

This game is classic arcade fun - pick up that joystick and instantly you're having tons of fun leaping over the landscapes and pummelling monsters into oblivion. Each level not only looks superb but is really interesting to explore: I love the mechanics of clinging onto ledges to fire or leaping towards higher places in a dingy, creepy world. What a great adventure - arcade-style - and this is proving to be every bit as good as I remember.

However, I must say that the joystick controls are what impress me the most which is no easy task for the Atari one-button design. It is very responsive so therefore keeps the action going as fast as it should. The range of monsters is brilliant and what's better than powering up with ridiculous weapons to crush your enemy?

Graphically, this is a stunner and considering no STe hardware scrolling is (sigh) utilised, the old STf keeps up with the pace just fine. Sure, it's not as zippy as the arcade but it works, so I'm impressed with how good it moves considering what's going on. The sprites are ace - I love those wonky old skeletons the most. Overall, the design is something I adore because it works perfectly, so feels like a belting arcade experience.

Yep, this is pretty faithful to the original and I feel US Gold did us proud, especially considering they ignored the STe hardware... sigh... That would have been a huge deal with a little help from the Blitter. Still, as is, Black Tiger is fantastic and one of my favourite arcade conversions. This means it scores top marks from me!!

Grab the floppies via Old Games Finder or HDD by Klaz!

Leap your way through the labyrinth, killing anything and everything that moves. Perfect!!


Clinging onto anything sturdy helps you get to those areas other beers cannot reach!.

Oh no, skeleton monsters!!! They look awesome but it's best to KILL THEM!!


Hang on, there's a little old man here. Let's kill him... wait... no, maybe not?

Killing Spree

TLB made a game!

I always loved The Lost Boys, they started as England's answer to the Carebears! Their demos are outstanding and I still remember my jaw dropping to the floor when I saw Ooh Crikey Wot a Scorcher - a masterpiece!!

And that "main menu" system used to access each demo screen? Impressive, to say the least? Hmm, but what would happen if it was adapted into a game? Would it be good enough? Why not take a look for yourself at Killing Spree because I think its potential is absolutely insane. Like an early Cybermorph... sigh... what might have been?

Finally, Demozoo features a massive page dedicated to The Lost Boys and their fantastic ST catalogue.

H-Mec II

H Mec II appears to be a version of Pac-Man for the Atari STe. However, it's very different thanks to the monster AI which makes this more of a game of chase. Like a mix of Lode Runner and Pacman. The graphics are excellent and make use of the hardware scrolling, Blitter, and all those extra colours. Music is by a whole host of famous people like Tao, Big Alec, Count Zero and more. Timeless and utterly stunning tunes.

I could say this is one of the better PacMan games out there but it's not. Sure, H-Mec 2 looks like PacMan and there are pills to nosh, but it plays differently when being chased around a maze by angry monsters. It really is more like Lode Runner and darn addictive. You will love every second - it's a Christmas Cracker!!

So waste no more idle time and get it downloaded from Atari Legend.

War Zone

Corr, another shooter!

War Zone is Core's attempt to take on the Commando genre by releasing a frantic shooter Rambo would be proud of. Sadly, it doesn't work because of its extreme difficulty - it's too darn easy to die thanks to poor mechanics. This is one of those moments when something looks and sounds better than it actually is.

What we have is nothing more than an average shooter which is disappointing because it looked great from the screenshots I saw before playing. The problem is the horrendous difficulty and I'm sure nobody tested before releasing it - what a shame. I'd stick with the likes of Fernandez Must Die, Ikari Warriors, and Commando.

Starball

Flippers and balls

I always liked playing Pinball in the arcades, but I doubt you'd ever call me a serious addict. Fun, but nothing more than that for a game or two. Not a great start, uh? Well, the ST seemed to have received several Pinball games back in the day, and it's only now that I realise I've played so few of them!

Starball is different from the competition because it was made by a couple of Lancashire lads who probably had desires to become bedroom millionaires. Now, I doubt that ever happened, as many ST gamers had given up following the Atari ST scene by 1994. This is a shame because this game is blummin brilliant.

Starball doesn't have the polish of a certain commercial offering, which is understandable. It has its own style and oozes its own brand of character with such distinct tables. The graphics and sounds are gorgeous, and everything scrolls down your SC1224 fast. I'm often unsure about the physics behind all that glam, because sometimes things don't seem to go as expected. But it's shareware, so I must give it a break.

If you love Pinball, this is worth downloading, and I'm sure you'll love it to bits. To think £5 was the asking price - shockingly good value. What a superb game and possibly one of the best within the ST's library.

   
I love the dark tones, and each table is different from what I expected, with many cool fx.

   
Check out these awesome graphics, and who expected to see these guys in pinball?!!

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AtariCrypt website

Hello to each and every Atari ST gamer! I've decided to start a website to help promote the fun I'm having making videos of games, demos, musicdisks and other crazy stuff - like Utopos!! This is fun reliving the 80s/90s so I decided to start a blog - because it's free. Yeah, I'm a cheapskate but, let's see what happens with AtariCrypt...

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