Monday, August 17, 2020

Gameboy



Taking a break from the norm

Handheld console fans rejoice, for the "Gameboy" has arrived on the Atari ST thanks to a piece of cool public domain software by Ingo Linkweiler. Well, umm, no it hasn't really but, instead we have a program that features three games: Tetris, Pacman and Snake. It runs in GEM - any resolution - and can be installed as an ACC (which I preferred).

Open the ACC and hit any key to begin. The cursor keys can be used to control all three games: in Tetris, Left/Right moves the falling blocks, Up turns them around while Down drops 'em to the floor. Pacman uses these keys to make haste around his maze of weird 'ghosts'. Whereas Snake is quite the discrepancy but, I oddly enjoyed it. A lot!

The Atari ST has hundreds of nifty ACCs and many of which are games. That's kinda cool when you think about it and I love finding little nuggets of ST history like this. Gameboy is a fantastic ACC and I think Ingo created something of a good idea here, especially with Tetris. Sadly, Pacman's controls are quite tanky and Snake is certainly an (ahem) challenge! But, what did you expect in 20Kb? Exactly. So this program is worth checking out because I loved it and my opinion rules. Ahem.

Click here if you're dying to make GEM cool again. Let me know what you think!


Gameboy Emulator


Wait, don't go!! The fun doesn't need to stop if you're willing to reboot your Atari ST and quit its little green desktop for something different? If so, then The Untouchables have something rather neat for you. It's called the "Gameboy Emulator" and it looks the part with a version of Space Invaders and Tetris which includes a sampled background tune.

Okay, their Space Invaders is harsh and hardly complete but it's smooth and very likeable, at least for the one game. Yes, I said one game (hit ESC afterwards). Tetris is excellent and very impressive. It reminds me of what I saw on a friend's Gameboy back in the day. Yup, definitely a nice albeit fake emulator and I liked a lot.

Clickety-Click to see more and download the Nuntundu Uboy.


Nesulator


Hang on? Were you just about to leave this amazing Atari ST website? Shame on you... Okay, for those brave enough to stay, you may be interested in an emulator by Ed Cleveland? To be honest, it's very power-hungry and requires a lot of processing power - a lot more than the stock 8MHz ST can deliver. Also, it's beta and wasn't ever finished so there's a lot to be desired. However, it's fun and my Mega STe performed well but I am wondering how a Falcon or TT would be... sigh!

Take a look at NESulator and remember to check out the "Emulation" section on this cool website :)

Sunday, August 09, 2020

Party Seven!



Gary's games

I was looking back through the AtariCrypt archives and came across Alien World, a sensational shoot 'em up. Oddly, unknown to many gamers out there. It was developed by Gary Antcliffe for Hi-Tec Software in 1992 and is a bit like Blood Money or Zynaps. You know the kind - kill everything whilst trying not to die a humiliating death!

Anyhow, he's also the man behind Blazing Thunder, Bomb Fusion, Future Bike Simulator, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, T-Bird and Yogi's Great Escape. Quite a bunch... So, I began to wonder what his other games might be like.

You've guessed it! Yes, here is a quick compilation of Gary's games for the Atari ST. Take a look...




- Alien World -

Firstly, there's no need to rewrite any more of my junk! Just take a walk down AtariCrypt's memory lane and then download what is nothing less than an exciting, if brutal shoot 'em up with super-sonic visuals to boot. Yep, it's tough and takes no prisoners but a skilful and persistent player will be rewarded with a fantastic game.

Grab the floppy disk download from Stonish and the HDD from 8BitChip.






- Blazing Thunder -

Remember in Ikari Warriors when you could kill soldiers from within the relative safety of your little tank? Have you ever wondered what it might be like to permanently be inside a near-invincible tank throughout the entire game? Well, wonder no more because this arcade-inspired (aka blatant rip-off) offers exactly that.

Stop! Don't touch the keyboard because there is an incredibly cheesy intro which is hard not to love. The graphics, and sound effects, are both excellent with our hero looking like a Rambo wannabee with the mad 80s permed hair! Following this is the title screen which is worth leaving displayed just to enjoy the thumping music.

As we begin this vertically-scrolling military shooter, everything is pretty much what you'd expect with soldiers blindly offering themselves as free cannon fodder whilst others lurk in trenches, trees or operate guns. What it obviously lacks in originality is more than made up in the fun department right from the start:

Level one takes place in a jungle, of course before advancing onwards to wetter places for the next stage. These two levels are possibly the best reasons to boot up the game.
We head into the desert for the third stage which is where I found my tank starting to show its cumbersome colours. Having to navigate back 'n forth through the terrain was a pain, especially when ginormous tanks are blocking the way! The boss is impossible to beat without a cheat!
Watch out for the firey landscapes of level 4 with tougher enemies and awkward landscapes. Things are now impossible and I cannot imagine anyone playing this without a cheat!
Level 5 is a breath of fresh air, feeling somewhat like the first two levels and I got serious vibes of Fernandez Must Die. Just watch out for the trains and grenade launchers! The boss is impossibly difficult and even if you do defeat it, the robot guardian appears to kick your butt.
Completing the game rewards you with a lame well-done message. Sigh...

I love rumbling through the jungle in my massive and beastly tank but what were they thinking about when creating such an enormous sprite. It's huge!! Thankfully, the controls are sweet with fast movement and level design which makes it easy to manoeuvre. Running down the soldiers is the first thing to do! Why not? I'm in control of 100 tons of steel so I'm bound to enjoy squashing the enemy into the tank's tread. Watch out for mines that will sap your energy (yep, your tank has energy!) and stay clear of hidden bombs marked with a B... for BOOM!!

Thankfully, there are power-ups that aid health and improve weaponry. Hitting Spacebar operates your own collection of bombs - this is insane and dead funny when soldiers are caught in the explosion. They turn into black-singed corpses!! In fact, the bombs are most useful against the bigger baddies and end-of-level bosses.

Graphically, this is an average looker with a poor framerate that doesn't come close to Dogs of War or War Zone. I liked the palette and the sprites are the best thing to look at. However, there is little or no animation - your tank! If you're wondering about the audio, don't. Spot effects which are well, you know...

Blazing Thunder is a good shoot 'em up but gets repetitive after the first level and is very difficult. However, fighting from the "safety" of a tank does offer an alternative spice to the genre and running over soldiers is always fun. Okay, I'm never going to delete Ikari Warriors for this but I did enjoy it. Not great but not bad either.

Grab the floppy disk download from Stonish.






- Bomb Fusion -

Like many Atari ST guys, I upgraded from an 8-bit computer which means lots of fond memories and I've always got a soft spot for anything reminiscent of that era. A good example would be the Dizzy games, Starquake, Highway Encounter, Head Over Heels and most certainly the recent and incredible Bugziacs.

Okay, here goes... in Bomb Fusion, Terrorists have sneakily planted explosives inside a nuclear station and we've come to save the day - arriving in a Sinclair C5. So it's our job to systematically defused each bomb before the radiation levels reach dangerous levels. I'm getting whiffs of Bomb Jack but there is also the additional task to collect and store any leaked fuel pods. Well, I guess that adds a little more depth to the game?

Getting around each level is easy thanks to the number of platforms used to access each remote bomb. Sometimes these are way out of reach which means using pressure pads or falling off the screen. Yep, falling off the bottom of your screen allows you to reappear at the top which is a nifty idea. Also, there is a weird ball randomly bouncing around for some reason - touching that isn't good for your health.

Graphics never make the game but, let's be honest, it's always nice to see your Atari ST looking hot!! Sadly, I can only imagine the shock on anyone's face when they first played this - did we get a direct Z80 port or something? Also, the music is irritating and possibly the worst I have ever heard from the Atari ST. Be quick and hit F10 to flip to sound effects before your ears bleed. Yes, they are still lame but a zillion times better than the music!

Once you've got over the shock of your Atari ST pretending to be a ZX Spectrum, this is quite good. Scurrying off the screen, frantically trying to defuse the next bomb is a rush. However, it doesn't really go anywhere beyond that and later levels are very difficult. Ten minutes of fun but definitely the weakest game here.

Grab the floppy disk from Stonish and the HDD from 8BitChip.






- Future Bike Simulator -

Apparently, motorbikes were banned in 1995 only to be replaced by 300mph anti-gravity Future Bikes! The highways have been converted into The Strip, which is a new track designed for speed without annoying roadworks or Sunday drivers. Each section is littered with mines, bombs and other riders who can be shot and then robbed of their loot. Use this cash to upgrade your bike with missiles, shields and other goodies.

The controls are great but, sometimes, a track would feel a little too cluttered, especially in the city. Ride, blast and kill anything that gets in your way and survive as long as you possibly can. What more could you want?

Visually, I might have been impressed around 1988 but this came later so I'm shocked it's not better - although I thought the sprites scaled nice. Interestingly, there is an option to increase the framerate by hitting the F key which is fast and excellent. You can flip back using the N key but then everything oddly feels rather sluggish. Sadly, the audio is very disappointing with mediocre sound effects but at least the title screen music is superb!
I found that the 25Hz mode was best experienced using real hardware. By far!
This is a neat game but I failed to see anything resembling a simulator so I'm renaming it to Future Bike Racer. The tracks are long and crammed with many bad guys to blast into smithereens but there's nothing mind-blowing here. However, I did find enjoy the simplicity of doing nothing more than riding my bike and killing folk!

Grab the floppy disk from Stonish and the HDD from 8BitChip.






- Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo -

I'm a bit of a fanboy for platformers and this Scooby snack helps to prove why I love the genre. It's bright, colourful, and detailed with excellent controls. However, it's based on Scrappy-Doo, that annoying pup who ruined what was once a fantastic cartoon. Anyhow, Shaggy and Scooby have been kidnapped by the evil Baron Von Drak which means we are (groan) Scrappy-Doo who must attempt the rescue. We begin on a ship, heading to a desert island with later levels taking us through caves and forests before a battle with the Baron himself.

Each stage is superbly designed and fun to explore with the chance to enter hidden secret levels for tons of bonuses. The enemies are varied and run around like crazy fools with some hopping to and from the different ledges, which was most unexpected. There are several items to collect for health or power-ups and Scrappy can throw a mean couple of punches, even if his reach isn't that great. Collecting Scooby snacks will eventually reward you with an extra life and you will need that for the desert stage and onwards when things get a lot trickier.

Visually, this is an excellent treat alright!! Scrolling is smooth, sprites are cartoon perfect and the levels are utterly gorgeous with a great design using bundles of colour. Audio is probably the best of all the games mentioned here thanks to funky chiptunes. You can switch to sound effects but I wouldn't bother if I were you.

Overall, this is a tie with Alien World for the best of Gary's games. They're very different of course but I cannot decide between the two. Good old Scrappy has delivered a killer punch with something that looks, sounds and plays brilliantly. I personally think this is one of the best platformers for the Atari ST. Yep, I said that.

Grab the floppy disk from Stonish and the HDD from 8BitChip.





- T Bird -

It's time to put on your Buck Rogers big-boy pants for a blaster similar to Space Harrier or Galactic Conqueror. It's easier than the Sega conversion, so nowhere near as difficult as I originally feared thanks to its casual mechanics and fantastic controls. Graphically, there is a serious lack of colour and flair so things look incredibly bland. I don't get it, it's not like they sacrificed any glam for that (ahem) extra speed... Audio fairs a little better with chip music playing in the background and there is the option to hear sound effects instead. Don't bother.

T-Bird isn't a bad shooter but the above-mentioned games are miles better so I'm sensing that this was a port with little dedicated ST love. That is a massive shame because the ST rocks with 3D games like this. Ignore what I said about Bomb Fusion because this is definitely the weakest of the bunch and I'm gutted about that.

Grab the floppy disk from Stonish and the HDD from 8BitChip.





- Yogi's Great Escape -

Jellystone Park is going to close and all the animals are to be transported to the zoo so Yogi decides to escape before it shuts down. I imagine the local council sold the land to a housing property developer... Anyhow, I had high hopes for this platformer after seeing the screenshots full of colour and gorgeous cartoon sprites.

The main objective is to dash through to the end of each level avoiding any nasties along the way. There are picnic baskets and items to collect but your main objective is to escape before the timer expires. Each level follows the same basic principle and there are lots of enemies, moving platforms, rolling platforms, long jumps and other stuff to ruin his day. Most of them feel fiddly and unfair, especially those irritating rolling platforms!!

The controls are responsive but Yogi's movements feel somewhat wooden and unrealistic. Plus he's too big for the environment which makes some jumps rather awkward. In fact, it doesn't feel like he can jump - it's more like floating? Very similar to something like Ghost Battle, rather than what you would actually hope for.

Visually, I love its cartoon appeal. Lots of care must have gone into going that extra mile - smooth scrolling, tons of colours and gorgeous sprites. Okay, the animation is lacking but this is one gorgeous looker! The audio is terrible with no in-game music only meagre spot-effects! Plus I didn't care for the fuzzy title music whatsoever.

Overall, Yogi felt flawed with weird mechanics and limited content which is a shame because it looks the business and certainly had potential. There's just something that puts me off and doing little more than rushing through each level. Sadly, it looks like Yogi isn't smarter than the average bear, after all and you're better off with Potsworth & Co, Rolling Ronny, Stario, Magic Boy, Magic Pockets, Terry's Big Adventure, etc/etc/etc...

Grab the floppy disk from Stonish and the HDD from D-Bug.





- The CryptO'pinion -

Well, that was a peculiar and mixed bunch of arcade-inspired games. It's obvious there is a couple of direct ports here, which is a shame but understandable, I guess. It's also obvious that Gary's skill in getting the best out of the Atari ST improved considerably over the years and he certainly ended on two huge highs with Alien World and Scooby-Doo & Scrappy-Doo. In fact, these two are Christmas crackers and blew me away in terms of quality programming and gameplay.

I often wonder what it must have been like for people developers back in the day working against the constraints they were under. Anyhow, I personally enjoyed doing this compilation and found it incredibly interesting. So who knows what I'll do next? Hey, have you played any of these games? What did you think? I'm interested to hear your thoughts...

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Mr. Do! Run Run




4-bitplane sex appeal

It's been a long time since I added something cool to our Pixel Art section so let's fix that with what I personally consider to be a visual feast. Also, a fantastic arcade conversion with utterly gorrrrrgeous gameplay. Yep, it's Mr Do! Run Run which was released in 1990 by Time Soldier dudes, Electrocoin. (actually, I quite liked that quirky shooter).

Yep, I love the graphics and the sweet pixels were created by Gary Felix who was responsible for Exolon and Future Sports. Now, ignoring the rather lame animated intro (sorry Gary), the title screen that follows demonstrates what to expect. And that means peculiar and freaky pixels - especially if you hate clowns? Meh, I don't see what all the fuss is about.

It's the in-game graphics that score the most points because they are authentic to the arcade original using a rich, bold style with cutesy sprites. Lovers of Mr Do and PacMan are instantly going to feel at home in this world of colour. In fact, it almost makes Rainbow Island look drab. Well, no it doesn't, but this game is every bit as glam.

What, you don't believe me? Okay, check out the title screen and a couple of in-game screenshots...



This is the campest title screen I've ever seen. It's absurd but very colourful.


The overhead display is superb for a clear view of the task ahead.


Check out those melon monsters! But look, I can see logs just waiting to be knocked.



Shockingly awesome conversion!

In this top-down runaround, we play the part of a clown who dashes around the screen collecting fruit whilst trying to avoid various nasties that are chasing and getting in our way. We're armed with one ball used to defend ourselves but this can be replaced by picking up several smaller balls off the floor. Heavy logs have been precariously propped and require only one well-timed nudge to see them roll down squashing anything in their path. Just don't get in the way!

This gameplay is fairly similar to PacMan but Mr Do is also writing a line as he moves (think Qix). Use this to draw a box and turn the pills into fruits: repeat the process to flip them into oranges, lemons and eventually pineapples for extra points. Yes, it is 'familiar' but the gameplay mechanics are excellent and provide a frantic adrenalin rush as you busily race around the screen. The level is completed once all the balls are collected or the baddies are dead.

Basically, this game looks and plays as old-school as it can get but, it works. In fact, it works brilliantly with zany gameplay that's as crafty to master as it is stunning to look at. Yes, I am shocked by how much I enjoyed this game but what shocks me even more is never playing it back in the day. What was I thinking? Where was I? How did I miss this game?

We're here for the pixels so I think it's time for some more sexy screenshots...



Oh, I love the design of each level and how colours are used to enhance that.


Lots to do and many monsters to kill. This game is an action fest and I love it!


Another level of pixel beauty which honours the arcade game perfectly.



Hang on, do we have more?

Now, although this is a Pixel Art feature, I feel I cannot continue without mentioning the music by Wally Beben. I'm often amazed at what the YM can produce but I feel he knocked the ball out of the park with truly outstanding arcade-style sounds. His chip music truly does suit the gameplay and sounds ace. Check it out and click on the green arrow below...




The CryptO'pinion?

Mr Do! Run Run is a challenging game with the first level being an absolute butt-kicker!!! Stick with it. The joy I felt when reaching the second level was an ecstatic moment indeed. My advice: ignore the Qix elements and concentrate on the controls and then how to kill the monsters. Once comfortable, learn how to farm fruits and collect the bonuses.

Personally, I think this is one of the most overlooked arcade conversions for the Atari ST. And it looks superb too!!


FLOPPY  |  HDD

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is one of my favourite musicians who I've enjoyed listening to over the decades. However, that's quite an odd statement when you consider his name is credited on only three Atari ST games (chip). Well, I don't care about quantity because I could never forget my first Atari ST Christmas when I booted up Zynaps and Rana Rama. What a magical moment in time it was hearing these tunes!!

So, with only three chiptunes under his belt, how could I possibly say that Dave Rogers holds this accolade? Easy, because quality reigns over quantity and I've never stopped enjoying his work for over 3 decades. So he must have done something right?

Okay, back when I was running with the Super Pack feature, I got the notion to contact Dave after reviewing the *legend* that is Zynaps - a fantastic and underrated shooter with a massive learning curve. Yep, it takes no prisoners but the rewards are great if you put the time into beating its cruel nature. Which is just what I did - check out my video (which features all Super Pack games).

Well, knock me sideways because Dave replied and kindly took the time to answer a few questions. It was interesting chatting with the guy I've admired for decades and, like me, he's a northern lad. Talk about win-win! My sincere thanks to Dave for taking the time to be interviewed and I'll try my best to forgive your Mac hatred ;-)


DAVE ROGERS - THE INTERVIEW


Tell us about yourself...

The first computer I wrote music for was the Amstrad, using the basic sound command in Locomotive Basic and later I used my own compilers and drivers. For Spectrum and Atari ST games, the music and sound were not written on the machines themselves but were written on the Amstrad and the data was ported across. So, for example, the ST version of Zynaps uses the same sound data as the Amstrad version with a different driver.

I worked entirely from home (I had no choice really, due to some health problems at the time). I never met any other programmers, or anyone in the software industry, apart from two local guys here in Liverpool - Colin Hogg, who later founded The Code Monkeys software house, and Paul Kenny, who worked with me on the Sega.


What hardware was used?

This is quite the list: ZX81 and extras, Amstrad CPC 464, Amstrad disc drive, Dragon32, Spectrum 48k, Spectrum +3, Atari ST, Atari monochrome monitor, Atari disc drive, Sega Megadrive, Gameboy, custom electronics to interface the latter two, PC. I have never owned or used a Commodore 64.

The music compilers, editors and sound drivers for the Amstrad and Spectrum were my own. The driver for the ST was a line-by-line conversion of the Spectrum driver, done by a programmer at Hewson because I was new to the Atari ST and the 68000 (I never found out who did the conversion). The first time I used MIDI was with Cubase on the ST. I very much enjoyed using that setup. The Atari monochrome monitor was very clear, and that early version of Cubase was very simple and intuitive, unlike the cluttered mess that it has evolved into today.





Hang on, did I hear you say MIDI?

I used that Atari setup for doing the Megadrive and Gameboy music (Universal Soldier, Centipede, etc). Everything was written on the Atari ST and tracks were auditioned using sounds from a Korg DW8000 keyboard and a Roland D110 rack module put through a home-made mixer. Then the MIDI stream was converted to data for the Megadrive or Gameboy. Voicings for the Sega's FM sound chip and the Gameboy's sound chip were also done on the ST, using editors and drivers designed by Colin Hogg and myself.


Living the rockstar lifestyle, eh?

Almost everything was composed on guitar, a Gibson SG, but not through an amp. I just played it in a very quiet living room, usually in the small hours of the night when I could think clearly. As the music gradually took shape on the guitar I typed in the notes and durations in the form of plain text into my compiler program.

One note at a time. On a 1 to 10 scale of tediousness, it was an 11.

In your interview with Jason C. Brooke, he describes what sounds like a similar method: giving each note a text label, like "c3" to mean C at the third octave. I think many of us came up with similar methods.





Who inspired you back then?

I can find something to like in almost all genres of music, and from all eras, but particular favourites include XTC, Genesis, Police, It Bites, and Nik Kershaw. I'm always looking around for new stuff, and I'm constantly amazed by the brilliant musicians that can be found on YouTube if you look a bit outside of the mainstream.

However, the music that I always go back to, time and again, is by Tony Banks, both within Genesis and his solo work. Such epic, elegant tracks as Afterglow, Burning Rope, Mad Man Moon. Coincidentally, one of Banks' lesser-known tracks, "Charm", appears to be a nod towards early chip music, including the distinctive sound of fast trills. "Tony Banks - The Fugitive - Charm" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGS9xzyp9go

Trills were often used by chip musicians to try and compensate for the severe limitation of having only 3 channels to play with. So if, for example, you had a melody line on channel 1 and wanted to accompany it with a 4 note chord, say Cm7, you could trill between C and G on channel 2, and between Eb and Bb on channel 3. It wasn't a proper chord of course, but by trilling rapidly, at say 25 Hz, it gave a reasonable impression of one.

The only musician I worked with was a friend, Paul Kenny, on the Sega titles. But maybe cross-platform conversions could be thought of as "working with" other musicians? In Ranarama for example, Steve Turner had written an excellent melody line for the Spectrum version of the game, so when I did the ST conversion I followed his melody closely, added an intro, added bass and harmonies, then made a completely new section to lengthen it.


Why only three Atari ST chiptunes?

Well, the ST work only started towards the end of my stint with Hewson. Before that, it was all Spectrum and Amstrad, and after that, it was Sega and Gameboy. So my time writing for the ST was pretty short. Another reason is that I tried to aim for originality. Anything that sounded too much like existing music was thrown away.

Also, there are three tunes that were never used. One of them was my first attempt at the title music for Stormlord, which Raffaele Cecco didn't like, so I had to write another. And I'm glad because the first one was awful!





Looking back...

I'm quite happy with maybe about 70% of my work. Some of it has aged well with me, some has not. I'm still fond of Zynaps. However, a slight annoyance is that some YouTube videos contain glitches and spurious sounds. In this recording, for example, there's a horrible high pitched screech from 1:52 that wasn't in the original. The clean version for comparison can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkMe4vH7Zug


What's Dave Rogers doing these days?

I've never stopped writing music, but hardly any has been published, just these few on Soundcloud.

I'm currently using a PC (I hate MACs, sorry) running Cubase SX. I know that is out of date, but I'm comfortable with it. The software synths I'm using are similarly outdated, favourites being the Wavestation, Edirol Orchestra and some FM emulators. Inputs are from a Casio MG-510 Midi guitar, and occasionally an Edirol keyboard.

I think it's amazing that there is still so much interest in old computers and the games. Although maybe it's not all that surprising really, because they were a part of people's lives as they were growing up, and those sort of memories do tend to stick around. Anyway, I loved being involved in it, and contributing in some small way to the memories, and I really do appreciate the kind reviews and comments I've received over the years.

Cheers,
Dave Rogers, July 2020, Liverpool

Friday, June 26, 2020

War In Middle Earth



Bought yet never played. . .

I've had this golden oldie gathering dust for over 4 years now and I've never once booted it up. Yup, I've no idea why, but the three floppy disks have never seen the inside of my ST's drive! Heck, I've never even tried it in emulation... I'm now wondering why I'm so lazy and stupidly wasted cash to rescue a game I didn't really want?

I imagine it was going cheap on eBay but I've loved anything by Melbourne House, since my Speccy days so it was bound to happen!! Hang on, did you think that I was going to say "Tolkien" instead back there?? Anyhow, this 30-year-old treasure is in nice condition, even though the paper (for the map and manual) smells a little musty.


Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-Lords in their halls of Stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.


Well, that sounds rather interesting!! But, for those who might not know, Tolkien's War in Middle Earth is a strategy adventure based around little creatures called Hobbits. You can't miss them - annoying fellas with big feet! This adaptation is loosely based on the books but, I believe, there is always the option to veer from the storyline to venture forth your own way separate from the novel. How far that might get me is anyone's guess.

So, umm, I've got little to say about this RPG but I did notice that the screenshots display the Speccy and Amstrad versions - not exactly a positive sign!! Maybe I should stop yapping and boot it up? Has anyone played it? What can I expect? Should I watch the movies first or (gulp) make an effort to read the books? Surely not!!

Okay, I thought this would make a cool feature for our Box Art section and I hope you like the photographs of this golden oldie? Right then, enough talk because I've got free weekends coming up, so let's see what happens.

 DISK  <  DOWNLOADS  >  HDD

Ignoring the side with yellowing, the map is in good condition (click it). I wonder how accurate it is?

The little book inside the box is the manual, I wanted a bigger book but I'm awkward...

Three disks. Yes, three!! I've not checked, but I guess they're single-sided. Doh!

I love that the box is actually a sleeve and that logo always reminds me of The Hobbit.

Friday, June 19, 2020

Serenade #78



I really enjoyed the STAX #90 feature so figured I would do another one! This time we delve into the Serenade archives to see what's lurking on one of their amazing 85 "PD" disks - nothing quite like keeping it legit? Anyhow, menu #78 appeared to stand out from the crowd with lots of cool games crammed onto one disk.

This is quite a simple menu compared to others from their catalogue but there is stereo music for those lucky enough to own an Atari STe. In fact, it's one of few mods which hasn't aged badly at all, so it's a massive thumbs up from this chiptune guy. Also, the scroller is very interesting - apparently, Man Utd did well against their arch-rivals!

The entire Serenade library can be downloaded from Stonish with credits/etc on Demozoo.



- DEADLAND -

A platoon of little stickmen have crash-landed on the planet Ursula Minor and this place is crawling with Ursulan Soldiers who are eager to kill you without mercy! Also, there are dangerous natural disasters to avoid so it's best we don't hang about and quickly repair our spaceship to escape this hellhole. This means piecing that together (JetPac-style!) before anyone can be safely evacuated. Sounds very easy, right?

Deadland first feels similar to Rebellion or Cannon Fodder: control the direction of your active soldiers using the mouse and a right-click turns them into trigger-happy Rambos. The planet is crawling with enemies and constantly frantic so it's tough learning to battle whilst planning construction work - that might also leave some vulnerable? It's easy to lose your bearings and, just when you're getting to grips, your men drown in a mud pool!!

The enemy is relentless so you cannot expect to wander about easily killing anything without taking a more strategic approach. Each member of your team is listed on the right-hand side of the screen for a health condition and other abilities. Don't forget to look after these guys - green is never good outside of the GEM desktop. There is a lot to master whilst here, especially whilst defending against enemies, incoming rockets, mines /etc.

I really enjoyed Deadland and the concept is great but this isn't something you can easily pick up and play. It takes time and a map would have been nice as would using the cursor keys to scroll. Yep, I have struggled to get to grips with Deadland but it's an excellent strategy and potentially rewarding. If you're brave enough?




- TRAPPED II -

I couldn't get this to work on my Atari STe - blank screen! So I switched to emulation to discover a nifty Tron game. I've never been much of a fan of the genre but I gotta admit that it's good and features different game styles, screen layouts and even a few power-ups (which I didn't expect). There's not much to look at (shock) and I imagined the sound effects would grate, but they didn't. After all these decades, I actually enjoyed a Tron game!




- MANIC MINEFIELD -

Minesweeper was another fad that I have always failed to appreciate and Manic Minefield appears faithful to what I remember with gameplay that's about as enjoyable as I expected. Anyhow, after a few games I enjoyed this crude imitator even though I never won a single game! Actually, I would often feel robbed of a win because I'm sure the ST cheats!! Then it rubs salt into your wounds using a fuzzy sound sample to mock your lack of success. Interestingly, the board size, wallpaper, /etc can all be altered in the Options screen, which is kinda cool.

Manic Minefield is okay and I imagine fans will enjoy it? But I doubt it's something I will play again...




- FRANK & THE LOST AUBERGINE -

Never would I have imagined loving a game's title more than "Hector vs The Mutant Vampire Tomatoes From Hell" yet here is Frank And The Lost Aubergine which is superb!! It's a fast-paced platformer developed using the STOS Missing Link extension and has us frantically running around screens crammed with monsters and gems.

Collect every gem to proceed onto the next level but watch out for the baddies. These can be killed by dropping a well-timed bomb directly in their path - difficult but doable. Or you could just slam into them albeit at the expense of losing one of your 50 lives. Yep, 50 and you'll need them all because there are lots of monsters!

Movement is very fast - too fast!! It's extremely difficult to position just where to stand when you wish to leap off a ledge. In fact, leaping over the wider gaps is close to impossible and it takes too many attempts. I love a platformer that tests your patience, skills and dexterity but it simply doesn't work here. A good idea poorly executed.




- DELUXE INVADERS -

I love Space Invaders and I'm confident nothing will ever beat Sinister Developments' fantastic conversion which is arcade-perfect using authentic effects!! However, this is a conversion of Roklan's 8-Bit Deluxe Invaders by one of the biggest ST legends. I've never played the Roklan game so was hoping for something different.

There are two game modes: slow and fast. The slower game looks superb with colourful aliens invading your screen and can be sped up by flicking over to 60Hz - something you should consider. The faster version is better to play but appears boring in comparison, so I went looking for green cellophane to wrap around my monitor!

Sadly, I didn't feel it with Deluxe Invaders and much preferred the original if I'm brutally honest. Okay, it's a good game but, there are better "Invader" games for the Atari ST. Sigh, I'm also a bit deflated about that fact if I'm honest.




- NIBE -

This is a great snake game I featured this a couple of years ago so I'll copy and paste it:

NIBE is a Nibbler/Snake game by Marc Bourlon that features an ever-greedy snake who wants to chomp his way through lots of apples. However, this gluttony makes him grow longer with each bite so it becomes harder protecting him from bumping into walls or even his own tail. It's our job to help him eat his way through lots of screens - and many are pretty cruel in their design. You can even change the game's speed (if you dare!!)

Graphics are humble and suit the retro theme plus I love its title screen - which is actually a good intro. Sadly, there are no sound effects so Mad Max music plays throughout - never a bad thing!! Overall, Nibe is pretty straightforward and also extremely challenging thanks to a sinister design. Stick with it because the basic mechanics are spot-on and Nibe will certainly test your reactions, patience and concentration so prepare thyself to be tormented!!

I really enjoyed this olde game but beware, it's tough. Probably too tough for you!!!




- MULTRIX -

Groan, another Tetris game? Yup, and it's not that good I'm sorry to say so play BLAT or Teserae instead.





- The CryptO'pinion -

Well, that wasn't the awesome ride through the Atari ST history books that I first imagined. In fact, it was a little bit of a letdown if I'm honest! Not only did I have compatibility problems with a couple of games (Atari STe) but this was a true mixed bag of joy, disappointment and even a few stinkers thrown in for good measure!

It all depends on what you like but, for me, Deadland and Nibe are the best reasons to click download.

Saturday, June 13, 2020

River Raid



Let's play with Carol

For those living under a rock for the last few decades, River Raid was developed by Carol Shaw for the Atari 2600 and is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up. It was ported to other machines like the C64, Intellivision and ZX Spectrum (the latter being what I played throughout the 80s). I thought this game rocked and it's only now, thanks to using OpenEmu, that I've had my eyes opened by the original. Wow, the differences are staggering!

Okay, we're flying up the River Of No Return which is endless so split into handy sections, divided by bridges. Viewed from a top-down perspective, we fly under the radar and shoot anything that gets in our way - but stay over the water because the land results in our humiliating destruction!! (Really?). The controls are superb and dead easy: we can alter our speed by pushing up to go faster and pulling back to slow down. Left/Right skims over the water using an awesome level of inertia and allows us to dodge the enemies we foolishly left alive.

Testing your skills and dexterity are many enemies: helicopters, planes, tanks and more (depending on the conversion). Kill everything using missiles and clear the way for a smooth flight up the river. Fuel can be replenished from neglected tankers or you could blast 'em to smithereens for lots of extra points? Yup, that's about as complex as this shooter gets - survive as long as you can whilst killing anything dumb enough to get in your way!

River Raid appears to have its fair share of lovers and haters but I love it. It's such a thrilling blast without complicated mechanics or pointless objectives. However, others feel this simplistic approach can become tedious - but they're weirdos. Enjoy what is nothing less than a fantastic and timeless shoot 'em up. Okay, let's play...



- ATARI 2600 -

As this is the original, I was expecting a fascinating blaster beyond anything I'd previously experienced and that's exactly what I got. Visually, it's a typical 2600 with bland backgrounds and enemies made from Lego. Okay, I'm forgetting how ahead of its time this wooden slab of late 70s technology is because everything moves fast and smoothly. The sound effects are grungy and raspy which is perfect for the engines and explosions.

Wow, this is so incredibly playable with well-balanced gameplay and great controls. It just feels right and obliterates the ZX Spectrum game that I grew up playing - so I'm now looking into time-travel technology. Sigh...

This is the best version of River Raid that I have ever played. Simple as that.




- ATARI 5200 -

I had high hopes for Atari's SuperSystem but there is very little to separate this conversion from the original. Sure, the graphics have been improved using rugged landscapes so the river is more interesting thanks to the contours of the shoreline. This design works well and helps pilots like me to survive longer, which is great because there are now lots of extra enemies. Plus what's better than blasting a bridge just as a tank is crossing over?

Sadly, I preferred the controls of the original but I'm not entirely sure why. The 5200 lacked something and God only knows how I'd cope using the machine's analogue stick! Don't get me wrong, this is a great conversion but something about the original kept dragging me back and I cannot say the same for the 5200. Close, but no cigar.




- ATARI ST -

It's sad that River Raid never graced the Atari ST. However, there might be light at the end of this tunnel of disappointment, thanks to a game by REIsoft called (wait for it) River Of No Return. It was developed by Jürgen Reichenwallner using SEUCK and is described as a rescue mission with a military theme. Hmm...

Unlike the original, this river is littered with stranded soldiers eager to be rescued otherwise the idea remains basically the same. Controls are fine but the plane could have had a nip more speed and agility. I failed to understand the mechanics behind our weaponry which appeared to speed up to a rapid level and thus made the game easy. Weirdly, we're not restricted to water but some buildings can destroy you, whilst mountains won't. Ahem.

Visually, it's okay to look at, with nice landscapes and sprites that aren't too shabby. However, the scrolling is poor using a low framerate which is incredibly embarrassing. Sound effects are equally humiliating for our powerful 16-bit beast - which should have annihilated those "lesser" consoles! oh, and the firing will drive you insane!

Remembering that this was developed using SEUCK, it's not bad and I did get a level of enjoyment. However, those expecting a River Raid clone will be extremely disappointed by this shambles (the ST has zillions of better shoot 'em ups). I did play about a few games and eventually reached the boss - but it beat me (twice) so I never bothered trying again. Play the Xenons, SWIV or Flying Shark instead (all searchable here)

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Coffee, Beer & Gifts



Thank you, friends!!

Hello fellow ST Nutters. As you might have guessed, AtariCrypt has a Patreon page for those who wish to support me in my endeavour to continue this Atari ST website. At first, it wasn't something I was particularly comfortable with doing. But I've been blown away by the kind members of our ST community and having their support means a lot!!

So, I wanted to arrange a selection of gifts for these folk: mouse mats, keyrings, coasters and coffee mugs. The first package has already been sent to a guy from Finland who we all know for his brilliant work over at Atari Mania. Of course, one of the mugs is staying here with me - I'm drinking coffee out of it right now. Mmm, lovely.

These are quality made products, and I'd like to thank Rhayader Computers for their friendly service. There are still several gifts left in stock - waiting for new supporters - so come on board and help the best Atari ST website on the planet. (What? A bit much? lol). My sincere gratitude to all our backers past, present and future. Thank you so much :-)


Update Jan 2022

I've dropped Patreon as I felt I wasn't updating the website enough (due to personal reasons) so I later started an account on 'Buy Me A Coffee'. I'm more comfortable using that as it feels better and more casual, so less of a permanent commitment. Oh, and if you are wondering - all the goodies are available to our supporters using this platform.

Click here if you are interested in supporting AtariCrypt... https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtariCrypt