Thursday, April 06, 2017

Clod Hopper



Big feet, big... shoes!

Clod Hopper was released through the Budgie UK label back in 1992 by scener Goth, aka Gary Wheaton. It's a platformer that features a fella called Bill who's in search of his girlfriend. She foolishly wandered off into the nearby plutonium mines which are inhabited by crazy creatures, numerous whacky puzzles and dangerous hazards. Women, uh? Luckily, she left a convenient trail of footprints which we can use to track down our beloved. And save the day, of course!

Bounty Bob fans will love this game: each screen contains platforms that need walking over before we can exit and progress deeper into the mine. Anyhow, this isn't as easy as it sounds thanks to tricky level designs and cunning puzzle elements - and these often need completing in a particular order. Watch out for those slippery slides, dangerous falls, and the nasty inhabitants who seem to love getting underfoot. Thankfully, there are magical items we can collect that will render these creatures defenceless, if only for a short period of time (so think tactical before picking them up)

The third level features working machinery, necessary to operate to help you clear the level. It's a fascinating concept and that works well but I doubt I'll ever see the fourth... Sadly, as with many older games, there is a time limit so don't dawdle for too long as Bill has about five minutes of air supply. I must admit, I hate them but this time limit is decent.

I would have loved to have shown you many more screenshots but Clod Hopper is a tough cookie alright. I managed to get onto the third level - which is a killer. I know how to complete it but there are many slides and ... just ... one ... wrong ... move!! ARGHHHHH this platformer is incredibly tough. But I'm blaming my wonky joystick! Ahem.

On that note, let's see some screenshots of this Bounty Bob platformer...


Level one breaks you in gently to paint those platforms with your feet...

The second level is far trickier and needs to be completed in the correct order.

The devilish third level. I know how to complete it but my skills deny me the pleasure!


Looks and Sounds?

Graphically, I really admire Clod Hopper. The look and design are reminiscent of those early 8-bit days and this style works very well. Plus everything moves as smooth as silk with a console-like feel with awesome animations. The level designs took me right back to when I was a kid and without looking like a cheap or tacky ripoff. A superb 8-bit vibe throughout.

Along with the 8-bit feel and smooth performance, Gary uses overscan for the score/timer display!!

As for the audio, well, brace yourself. Music is absolutely beautiful using an Atari-Console quality that I loved. The effects are great, from the raspy level intro to all the other in-game sounds. A lot of effort went into how this game sounds!

Do you want more screenshots? How about a video recording and screenshots? Here ya' go then...


Check out this intro!

Can you make the hi-score table? Not on your first go, you won't lol

Would you believe it? Gary only lives up the road from me...


The CryptO'pinion?

Wow, have I enjoyed this playing this olde platformer!! Of course, it will appeal to fans of Bounty Bob and indeed any console owner from the early/mid-80s because this quality platformer is reminiscent of the era for gameplay, sounds and visuals. The effort and dedication that's gone into this game shine through, to think it wasn't commercial. Outstanding stuff.

However, there's always something to moan about, and my only gripe is the measly three lives - which aren't enough for such a challenging game. A game this tough needed many more because it's so damn difficult. I managed to reach level three but those slides are insanely tricky - one wrong move and there's no way back up again.

Having said that, this is a brilliant platformer and a freakishly outstanding old-school romp. Oh yeah, I loved it!!

- DOWNLOAD -

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Army Moves



Reliving Christmas 1987

The last time I played Army Moves was probably on my Spectrum +3 before moving onto the Atari ST. I remember this coming as part of Ocean's Live Ammo and what a great compilation that was. However, it was extremely sluggish and very hard plus I was rubbish at it too. Yep, so I never managed to beat the first level (stop laughing).

Army Moves was developed by Dinamic, the same guys who brought us After The War, and this is a scrolling shooter with many ingredients 'borrowed' from a variety of great(er) games. It begins with us happily trundling over a damaged bridge in a surprisingly well-armed jeep. Firing the infinite supply of rockets at the constant flow of enemies whilst hopping over potholes in the hope of safely reaching the other side ...cough...Moon Patrol.. cough...cough!

I think we need a screenshot of this opening level so here it is...



The jeep is brilliant with realistic handling and fantastic leaping abilities! Yeah!! ;)


When variety isn't the spice of life!

The following level has us flying a helicopter over enemy territory that is protected by planes - who blindly shoot whether you're in their sights or not. The controls are agonisingly lethargic and it makes avoiding the enemy rather difficult. Oh, and don't forget to manually land on the helipad at the end - otherwise, you suffer a suckers death!

The next part is more of the same theme, ie nothing-you-haven't-seen-before. The final levels take us through the jungle avoiding grenades and silly buzzards before it flips into something resembling Joe Blade. Oh all the levels, I oddly enjoyed the first the most whereas others are far too tough with too many enemies.

Wanna see another screenshot? How about one that feels wrong as it scrolls in the wrong direction...



Reversed scrolling is pretty weird and doesn't feel right so makes stage two quite frustrating!!


Speccy aesthetics?

Visually, I quite liked Army Moves but that's probably because I'm fondly reminded of my colour-clash days on the old 128K Speccy? The graphics are barebones for the Atari ST but, I must admit, everything scrolls along nicely and I do like the detail in the sprites. The helicopter levels feature parallax scrolling, which is a neat touch I appreciated.

David Whittaker's music plays throughout and isn't his best work but is still good. Nuff said.



Honestly, I swear that jeep doesn't fly all the time!


The CryptO'pinion?

I like some of Dinamic's ideas here but it tries too much so doesn't seem to be great at anything. Plus they spoiled it with ludicrously-long levels which is made worse by being sent back to the start after losing a life!! Ignoring the nearly-fun Jeep stage, I find it difficult to recommend this game - just play Moon Patrol, Silkworm or Joe Blade instead.

Army Moves could very easily have been great but feels like a rushed 8-Bit conversion offering little fun and a massive fist full of frustration. Unlike the Spectrum game, our conversion feels like a glammed-up quick port and one that lost much playability thanks to faster mechanics; scrolling, enemies, etc. I don't get it, what was Dinamic thinking?

Overall, the first level is the best but the rest of the game is far too difficult to be entertaining.

Wear camo and grab the floppies or hard disk version!

Monday, April 03, 2017

Jinks



This looks sucky!

Jinks appears as a horizontally scrolling 'Breakout' but is technically one of the worst Atari ST games ever released. A shameful port by Rainbow Arts with incredibly jerky scrolling that is enough to make your eyes bleed after only a few minutes of horrendous gameplay. Honestly, it's that bad and I pity whoever spent their cash on this!

Thankfully, Peter Putnik has begun work on an Atari STe version that makes use of the enhanced hardware for far better results, which you can see in the video above. However, as with Son Shu Shi and After The War, all current copies of Jinks contain bad data so Peter is looking for somebody to supply an image of the original floppy disk. Then he is able to repair this piece of hiSTory for the enhanced STe version. Can you help?

* This work-in-progress is available for both floppy and hard drive installation (Atari STe / TT / Falcon)
* If you want to torture your eyeballs then the original game can be found via Old Games Finder.
Trusteft has a humorous recording of the original jerky game...

Sunday, April 02, 2017

Collaboration Two




Oh no, not another disk?

Following on from last year's success, Collaboration #2 has just been released. The STatariART gang have been very busy and created even more funky pixel art - by many different people who kindly submitted their Degas dabbles. Heck, you will even see a few images from yours truly - brace yourself and don't get your hopes up :o)

A lot of hard work went into this production and it's always fantastic to see so many people coming together like this. People, like us, aren't often associated with the "scene" so let's hope we see many more disks. Any ideas? Contributions? Get in touch. Until then, Clickety-Click and download Collaboration #2 via Demozoo.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments below... Enjoy!!


- SAMPLE IMAGES -





Monday, March 27, 2017

r0x



Asteroids?

Set within deep space, you are Commander Perez who humorously finds himself alone in uncharted space during a meteor storm. R0x was designed and released in 2009 by NoExtra / RGCD and is an Atari STe game that requires quick reactions to pilot your spacecraft through a continuously hectic (and colourful) asteroid field.
Before you load it up - make sure you read the storyline within the 'Readme' file included in the download. What a brilliant read and it had me laughing at loud. It's truely superb!!



Hang on, this isn't Asteroids!

Okay, this isn't the arcade shooter that I first imagined. Instead, it's an avoid 'em that requires skill and careful timing to skim past hundreds of rocks that are about to zoom down your screen. It may sound simple but the rocks are flying furiously at great speeds and range from iddy-biddy stones to huge planet killers. There is a distance counter in the top/right of the screen and this indicates how long you need to survive before the level ends.

The longer you last, the faster the rocks move - many zooming diagonally - and all intent on squashing you into pieces. Your ship is equipped with a limited number of smart bombs to zap the local area when things get too hair-raising. This also offers a brief moment to rest from the rocky onslaught but it's not long before they're back!





This is different. I like different!

A range of bonuses are available for daring pilots to collect - bonus letters that spell out "EXTRA" for another life but watch out for the fakes, especially the blue one which inverts your controls! You shall also see Treasure Rocks, these look different to the rest and offer up points should you bump into them. There are even teeny cosmonauts floating helplessly in space just itching to be rescued - which is a lot harder than you will ever imagine!

Skilled pilots can scrape their ship alongside any rock for a massive hike in bonus points but the risk of being obliterated makes this a dangerous job. Interestingly, co-op is supported for those lucky enough to have friends or, like me, a gullible 7-year opponent who is eager to be my next victim!! This game mode also involves dodging more of those space rocks but with the added incentive to rescue 20 astronauts for the win.
For such a humble game the graphics are fantastic with beautiful colours and smooth movements by C-Rem, Heavy Stylus, and Templeton. Audio is the bee's knees with utterly fantastic chiptunes to drool over by Crazy_Q, TomChi, and DMA-SC. I will fight anybody that dares to disagree with me!!




The CryptO'pinion?

Shoot 'em up fans might initially be disappointed that R0X isn't ... well ... a shoot 'em up! Sure, it's a straightforward game at heart that is easy to pick up and play but very tough to master. Each level becomes progressively very challenging and I guarantee it's nowhere near as easy as you first imagined. The addition of mechanics like rock-scraping only adds to the appeal and longevity. R0x is unexpectedly different and tremendously addictive!

The latest version is available from RGCD along with everything else you need to know. Also, a secret menu is unlocked when your high score betters 800,000. Easy, right? Send in your screenshots!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Peter Putnik

Here is an interview that I am extremely excited to publish because Peter Putnik is a name paramount with Atari ST gaming mainly because of his hard disk adaptations. This means no more running games from an unreliable floppy disk!

I have been using his warez for a long time and ST gaming wouldn't be nearly as much fun without his efforts. The adaptations offer us the ability to install games onto our "hard drives" instead of the sluggish and failing floppies.

The experience is therefore far superior and usually comes with a trainer to help bad players (like me). Each game often comes with support for faster Atari computers which is incredible when booting up something like Frontier on my Mega STe. What's even more interesting is his 'Gamex' a method of snapshotting your progress instantaneously - kinda like an old Multiface!

I was particularly surprised to hear about his past with regards to not only the Atari ST but also ZX Spectrum. Two great computers also form my own computing history. I hope you all enjoy this interview of the man responsible for hundreds of adaptations along with several outstanding Atari STe enhanced upgrades. I don't think there is anybody so active on the Atari ST scene. My sincere gratitude to Peter for taking the time out for a good chat.


- The PP Interview -

What is your Atari hiSTory?

My history started in 1987 when I decided to upgrade from a ZX Spectrum to something much stronger and the Atari ST was my first thought. However, the Amiga had just arrived in the shops so I was in dilemma, but not for long, the Atari ST had far better quality of software and the prices were almost equal. Also, the Atari seemed a better platform for some serious activity. I soon upgraded the RAM to 1MB and also added another floppy driver and made an EPROM programmer (a must for anyone dealing with hardware mods).

I already had some experience with ASM programming with the Z80 so I soon started on the Atari ST. 68000 ASM is really nice to work with, especially with a good assembler like Devpac. I wrote utilities for my own needs with help from Atari Profibuch book and created a floppy copier combined with a RAMdisk. Most learnings was via books and magazines, unlike today with easy software availability. Pirates were pretty much active in these days, even during 1988's PCW Show in London. :-) In Eastern Europe, they were the only source for computer software, I must say. I also wrote some articles for Yugoslav computer magazines during these early years.





What setup are you using these days?

Currently, I have one Mega ST, one STe and a Mega STe. The truth is, I don't use them much because they are very old and fragile and I've needed to repair them a few times, except the Mega STe which is indeed best built. The extra speed is welcome, even for games, although Mega STe was never intended for gaming. I bought this some 9 years ago, and I've since replaced the hard drive. Now used mostly with UltraSatan - much easier data exchange, less noise...

I mostly use the Atari computers to test and to play but my main tool for adaptations is using Steem Debugger and, without this, development would be much slower and harder. This emulator, equipped with a complete overview of emulated computer status, may see all hardware at any moment and following the program flow (even with history). Steem is a very good emulator, and luckily, a couple years ago they released sources so I was able to do some modifications for my needs. On the real hardware, there are limited possibilities of tracing, especially with some software working in very low RAM. Older computers have too low a resolution with a small screen area but there are some things I can not do with my PC: GAL and EPROM programming - where I still use Atari and old programs.


History of your famous game adaptations?

Adapting games started during my Spectrum years actually. However, there was not much to adapt but POKE was popular to exploit the code which decreases a player's life count and the like. I also made a snapshot saving program which was in fact very-very simple and only needed to save the RAM and CPU registers to then restore from where we wanted to play. I did it with faster routines, so loading only took some 2 minutes instead 5. :-) Next step was when I added a floppy interface to the Spectrum and then I wanted to transfer all good games onto floppies. So, basically same thing as the Atari ST with game adapting, except that this was way easier because Spectrum software was singleparted in 99% cases and that means no further loading was required after starting the game. I transferred hundreds of games onto floppies very quickly - one disk could store over 20 games, using compression. Next step was adding hard disk like with Atari ST and I designed my own IDE adapter...

In case of Atari ST games, it was more time consuming, some 60% do not directly access the hardware but instead TOS functions for floppy access. This means it was sometimes simple but other problems might arise, like TOS version incompatibilities, RAM usage, etc. Again, it was easiest with singleparted games, so my first hard disk adaptations were with such games that didn't have any disk access after loading - like Stunt Car Racer and Sentinel. Afterwards, I made adaptations using a RAMdisk for faster loading before the later adaptations, like Formula 1 GP.




Incredible results achieved but why did you begin this?

I started all this because I wanted to get rid of unreliable and slow floppies. The real leap was probably the arrival of Flash cards, so we can now have small, silent, fast, cheap storage. I started to deal with them right at beginning - first one was 8MB Smart Media card in 2004. :-) I certainly did not plan, or expect, that it would reach a count of over 1000 adapted games!


What are your favourite games?

I first played Flight Simulator II which I bought together with Atari ST. Then I was playing Dungeon Master, Carrier Command, Millennium 2.2, Formula One Grand Prix and not forgetting Potsworth & Co.


What other stuff have you created?

My first serious software was MC Tracer, a debugger, for the ZX Spectrum. It could run any software, step by step, and there was a circular buffer feature to store the last 100 executed instructions. What's interesting is that I made almost the same relocating system (it must working at any RAM area) as what is used in TOS executables :-) Also worth a mention is my Spectrum modded ROM - for floppy and hard disk (all available at zx48.8bitchip.info).

For the Atari ST, I first made some floppy utilities and then a hard disk driver, which is still under development. I did some Windows utilities for accessing and transferring data with Atari ST formatted floppies and also hard disks. Soon after the Internet became accessible in our area, I started a website for my Spectrum and Atari ST projects. The site moved couple times during years, I hope that current place will stand for a long time.




Any current hardware projects?

I have many plans but things are moving slowly, especially with hardware. Mostly I would like to finish old projects, like the cartridge port IDE adapter and ACSI port CF adapter. No specific STE projects currently, but the cartridge adapter works better on STE and movies look much better. :-)


What's your favourite hardware creation?

My personal favourite ... hmm it could be the IDE hard disk adapter for Sinclair Spectrum because that was good exercise with GAL programming. For the Atari ST it would be the cartridge IDE adapter.


As a programmer, who inspires you?

I don't think that I was particularly inspired by a particular programmer but there are certain names I associate with high quality. Games by Costa Panayi, Andy Pennell for Devpac ASM and Geoff Crammond for his good simulations.




What about the Atari ST/e future?

My concern is that real Ataris will not last much long. More and more people will use emulators or clones like Mist. Still, adaptations can make playing a lot easier on both. I think doing STe-improved versions of games seems the right choice now. However, this can be very time consuming, I started Uridium couple years ago and simply disassembling it properly took a couple days. I then had to put it on ice because of a lack of time but, luckily, I was finally able to finish this recently.

Other problems are a lack of sources for better sound effects and corrupt or missing original disks. We need flawless images to work with for so many games, like Son Shu Shi, Jinks and others. Thankfully, we recently got Giana Sisters, the internet is a great thing and we need to work together. :-)

Links...

 - I always try and link to Peter's 8BitChip adapted games and all are listed right here!
 - There is also an 8BitChip Forum you should join and a YouTube Channel with lots of adapted game videos.
 - Have you ever seen Peter's Atari STe versions of Xenon 2, Cannon Fodder, Dungeon Master, etc, etc??

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Sideways



Another unreleased gem!

Sideways was developed by Jamie Woodhouse but wasn't released. It's a cross between Uridium and Return To Genesis so 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 when in the hands of a talented and committed programmer. Yep, no lame port!

What a shock it was booting this up for the first time. It's impossible not to be impressed by what is a ridiculously exciting shooter. The controls feel natural and responsive with precise turning and acceleration - possibly better than Uridium!! Each level is stuffed full of baddies and there are power-ups for increased firepower, shields, weapons, etc. However, not everything has been implemented so learn the landscapes and you'll be playing for hours.

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

This is a superb shoot 'em up. Unfinished or not, it's absolutely superb so get it downloaded right now.






Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Demoscene poster


The most amazing demoscene poster has just been updated again. If you have never seen this before then you really should take a look and get it downloaded now! Clickety click to view this jaw-dropper by Gregory le Roux.

And for those who may not know who this chap is (where have you been?) then visit Demozoo...

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Wasabim



FantaSTic ArtiST

It's always great to see somebody start up a new Atari ST site and today we have one by Aurélien Vaillant, aka Wasabim (I dare you to say that after a few beers). His website will feature each of his various artworks along with those awesome videos, many of which begin with the box cover coming to life - that never fails to impress. Incredible talent!

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

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Dodgy Box Art

 


Strange box art!

Today I thought that I'd go through some of my Atari ST games and pick out the ones which are just... well... wrong. Thankfully, I found only two! 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!!

  • Leatherneck takes the biscuit for most camp cover art ever so it's a relief that the game is far better. We have ace multiplayer support and sample sounds but the one-directional shooting only helps to make it incredibly tough. The graphics are smooth and look great, and the chipmusic is downright beautiful - a timeless quality. Oh btw, if you like Leatherneck then you will love Fernandez Must Die.
  • Galdregons Domain gets the award with 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, there's a much-underrated adventure. Highly recommended!

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

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Beyond The Ice Palace



Brace yourself for a corker!

I think everyone has played Beyond The Ice Palace at some time in their life and I got mine free with my first Atari ST. Until then, I'd been a Spectrum owner, so I'm sure you can imagine the look on my face when loading this!

Much like Ghosts & Goblins, this is a scrolling platformer that involves three large monster-infested levels. But there is something special about this platformer that Elite got spot-on perfect from the controls to the variety of enemies and the tricky levels. It's always interesting and so playable so why couldn't every platformer by this good?



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!! But what could it mean?


Ultimate platforming, play the game!

The first level is a trip through the scary woods and is pretty much your typical environment with lots of peculiar baddies to encounter with a freaky end-of-level boss. Each level follows the same winning formula with interesting places and lots of monsters and the joystick controls are excellent. The second and third levels are, more or less, the same: a vertically scrolling cavern filled with hideous creatures before eventually reaching a wicked witch.

You're not alone: a good spirit can be summoned to help clear the screen of baddies. There are only so many times you're allowed to do this and a funny face is displayed in the status bar when one is ready to use. So choose your moments wisely when you are most vulnerable - then watch him zig-zag down your screen-killing baddies.

Ice Palace isn't complex but can sometimes be tricky due to awkward mechanics. For example, the blue demon, who cunningly appears just as you begin to use the elevating platforms, is frustrating. My advice is to leap off just at the moment he appears. It's easier to kill him this way rather than be stranded on those platforms. Just think!



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 were quite extraordinary and perfectly demonstrated our superiority over the 8-bit computers. The 80s were an era of no-lame-Amiga-ports so this game has been programmed well. The scrolling is smooth, the backgrounds are basic but look great and use detailed sprites that look gorgeous. Heck, even dying is a beautiful moment and I'll never tire of the flicky death effect as my soul ascends into heaven. An amazing effect.

Sound effects are beautiful with a sharp arcade-like quality throughout. However, it is, of course, the music that not only plays alongside the effects but is absolutely stunning. All thanks to the legend David Whittaker.



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?

I've sometimes found that Beyond The Ice Palace is a much-underrated platformer. This is odd to me because it holds a special place in my retro-gaming heart. Why? Well, because it was one of the first games I booted up on Christmas morning so imagine how I felt seeing its graphics and hearing that music - they blew me away.

This is an enjoyable game - so easy to pick up and play - thanks to great joystick controls, smooth scrolling and a nice variety in gameplay. After all these years, it's still addictive as it ever was. If I had anything negative to say, it would be the size of the levels. Not only are there only three, but they aren't large levels if I'm brutally honest.

Give the blonde in his little green boots a chance, I guarantee that you will love this cracking platformer!!

Midi tune of the awesome game music.
Maps for the ZX Spectrum game, aren't needed but are nice to have.
Game downloads are available for hard drive installation or floppies.


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

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Atari ST demos



Living the dream!

Yesterday I had a demoscene night and relived the old glory days. When we would eagerly await the postman's delivery of floppy disks - from Demo Club and other Atari ST 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. Which you can see for yourself, is ace!!

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


Subscribe to our YouTube channel for lots of Atari ST demos :)








Thursday, March 09, 2017

Thrust



It's time to relive my college days!

The thumping chiptune of the day is awarded to Thrust!! Let me explain... Earlier, I enjoyed a couple of games but now I must suffer the reward of having its funky music booming through my tiny little 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 many rave magazine reviews? Probably because it didn't appear that much of a technical improvement over the 8-bit games? Well, for me, that is a good thing because it's perfect and any cosmetic changes would have been a huge mistake. Remember Chuckie Egg 2, a shockingly "enhanced" 16-Bit disaster!

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

It looks funky, sounds boomtastic and plays great so is a timeless classic for the Atari ST. Love it!!

D-Bug has a version of Thrust that you can install onto a hard drive/ultrasatan.
Those that need the floppy disk can check out Old Games Finder.
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 :-)

Monday, March 06, 2017

Wreckers



It's time once again to save... the ship!

Wreckers is an isometric adventure onboard the interestingly named space station, Beacon 04523N, located in the loneliest part of deep space. With a crew of three, held in cryogenic stasis, automated robots look after the day-to-day care and maintenance of the station. However, the computer has decided to wake you when it detected the threat of Plasmodians, a lifeform that wants nothing more than to frantically consume the ship and everything in it.

In some respects, I'm reminded of the brilliant Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters but there is far more to this game than simply running around shooting green blobs of plasma, albeit great fun! From the very start, you discover that the alien attack is happening and, once they make physical contact with the outer hull, it's only a matter of time before they begin creating havoc with the computer's systems.

The station has its own style of defence capabilities in the form of a hoover which can suck up the aliens in space - before they can get on board. Also, the droids can be controlled to help, and another option is to suit up and head outside to play Jetman with a can of bug spray. Yep, Beacon 04523N is hardly Babylon 5 but at least all these options are available. Oh, do remember to use the Zippway Shuttles and elevators to travel the Beacon but don't dawdle because the main computer has decided one hour is enough to eradicate the threat before self-destruct is activated!!

Control is handled via keyboard and joystick but it's the latter which might disappoint some because I actually found myself holding that in a sideways-on manner, which was a little weird! Also, the user interface might take a little time to get to grips with, I found it quite unusual and sometimes a little awkward in the heat of the moment.

  
I love the title screen's gorgeous pastel palette before these three dodgy characters pop up!

Graphically, I love the 80s feel of Wreckers and, whilst it doesn't look like it came out of 1991, it has a certain retro charm which I really like. Scrolling is adequate but I sure love the station's attention to detail, along with the colourful sprites. The title music is just awesome and the box loves to gloat about who made it, Warren Cann of Ultravox!

Wreckers will certainly keep you on your toes as it requires an urgent attitude with the ability to juggle tasks and think ahead whilst suffering a constant onslaught of baddies. Running around zapping aliens is one aspect of the game but, because there is so much going on, it's sometimes extremely hard just to keep up with the panic. Now, don't get me wrong, Wreckers is a very good game but one which requires a lot of time and commitment. Brace yourself!

* Floppy disks can be found via Old Games Finder with a hard disk version by 8BitChip.
* Hall Of Light has a superb map of the space station which sure comes in handy!!

Saturday, March 04, 2017

Uridium



C64 rules!??

Do you remember the embarrassment of Uridium? Those cruel C64 gamers would laugh their socks off at our "superior" computer? Rightly so because we have a terrible port with sluggish controls and lifeless scrolling. Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Atari STe because Peter Putnik has re-programmed the dodgy parts with faster controls and an option to stream music using the DMA coprocessor (hard drive or ultrasatan obviously required).

At last, a version of Uridium we can be proud of. It's totally transformed so play this shooter right now!!

Talk about a transformation - download it right now!!

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Prince Of Persia



A 16-bit classic gets updated!

Prince Of Persia is incredible but today receives an audio upgrade which uses the DMA coprocessor to play the effects better. They sound a lot cleaner and without any slowdown because the DMA is a coprocessor, working independently of the main CPU. This means that the gameplay is actually smoother than the original release. Which is pretty cool :)

Download right now. Yes, now!!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Adventurer's Box Art



Check out my new games!!

You all know that I love sharing my Atari ST collection with you guys. If you didn't then click here right away because that link contains lots of games I've managed to save from soulless eBay sellers! Okay, today is an extra special day because I'm not sharing one... or two... or even three Atari ST games. No sir, I'm sharing four of my latest fuji purchases!

All four games are (hmm) sorta new to me if I'm honest. Don't get me wrong, I've played them all at some point in my life but, not for long. Either I was confused (no instructions with menu disks haha) or I probably just died all the time. And if you scroll down, I'm sure you can guess which French RPG game that was in! (Such a cruel and unfair game!!!)

Okay, do start the downward scrolling now to see what games I bought. Are any players out there with these games? Tips, help, and advice are always welcome so let me know in the comments below......... ttfn




- HEIMDALL -

First up, is Heimdall with its excellent cartoon-style visuals and a funny storyline depicting life as a Viking demi-god on a brave mission. Three silly tasks need to be mastered before you can choose a decent crew of dodgy-looking characters - I dare you not to giggle during that axe-throwing contest! This is absolutely insane, like a Monty Python sketch!

Sadly, this feels like a lame Amiga port that was rushed. I feel a lot more could have been done - especially considering the Ram requirements. So it makes no sense about the lacking sampled sounds and poor scrolling... However, this doesn't distract from what is ultimately a humorous and crazy adventure through Norse mythology.

A cheap Amiga port but, I think I'm gonna enjoy it.






- DRAKKHEN -

Drakkhen was a Christmas present from my wife and is in beautiful condition. The box I mean, not the wife! ;-) Okay, there are a few scuffs on the rear but I shouldn't complain because it's pretty neat and with all contents too!

This is a real-time RPG which involves four chosen characters and much dragon slaying. Most certainly one of my prized possessions and something I strongly recommend. However, it's damn hard due to incredibly unfair mechanics that sometimes make no sense. I hope to take on board the challenge and play it properly one day very soon!






- XENOMORPH -

Now, this is a game that could so easily be overlooked as a meagre Dungeon Master ripoff set in space. But it's far more than that and offers a great real-time RPG set onboard the Atargis, an abandoned space station.

The dude on the cover makes me think of Speedball... Can anybody see that? Okay, ignoring that amazing tidbit, this should be an engrossing game in its own right. Regardless of being verrrrry similar to a typical Dungeon Master. I am quite excited to play this someday soon....... (I really need to retire to have more spare time!!)






- OOZE -

Finally, we have an illustrated text adventure which is something old school and very popular pre-Atari ST when resources were obviously limited. This has a creepy cover but oddly one of the silliest of storylines I've ever heard: you are (wait for it) "Ham Burger" and Mr Cheez has given you a house in Salom's Lot which is rumoured to be haunted by lots of scary things going bump in the night. How freaky is this? I'm Ham Burger LOL!!

I must admit to being a little disappointed with my copy because the condition isn't great at all. In fact, it's a bit of a wreck with lots of dents, breaks and scuffs. But this is a rarity and something special to me so one day I'll find a mint copy, I'm sure of it. (Yeah, Yeah). Until then, I am proud to own this weird adventure.

Update:
I've since played this excellent adventure and featured it
here. Click to read!!