Sunday, January 17, 2016

United States Navy SEALs



Grab your big-boy pants for this game!

Here is a game with very few friends: Navy Seals is deceiving and, first impressions, are of an arcade-style platformer. However, this Ocean gem is anything but a typical run and gun 'em all. It's far more ruthless and requires stealth, tactics and advanced route planning. Extreme personal perseverance is the order of the day because this game requires a committed player willing to spend many hours mastering the levels. No spare time? Then don't bother!

Taking down scumbag terrorists is all part of the job when you're a member of the US Navy SEALS. The missing requires us to sneak into the lion's den, kill everyone and plant explosives to destroy their stockpile of missiles. Each map is a layout of cunning platforms within a maze of trigger-happy bad guys. Use covert tactics - so play slowly and carefully to learn where the enemy is located. Many practice games will be required to plan the best route from start to end, this is vital and the only way to successfully complete the mission. This is not easy and will not appeal to any casual gamer.

Okay, let's take a look at the first screenshot with gorgeous details and colour palette...



I love the layout of the first level. This is an absolutely fantastic retro gaming design!


Aesthetics

Visually, Navy Seals is a babe with gorgeous graphics that ooze a retro style that I really admire. I love the beautiful character animation as you run, leap, climb and sneak about. Each level compliments the environment and feels like something from a movie, a cheesy 80s B-Movie! Heck, even the screen showing me dead is great. Yep, I said that.

Sound effects do their job very well and the music is a cool chiptune to bop along to. Liking it a lot!!

Hey, it's time for a screenshot. How about one you will see a lot? Here you go...



Don't expect to beat this game on your first attempt. Or second. Or third. It's rather hard!


The CryptO'pinion?

This is such a difficult game but I also find myself enjoying the challenge. Each level requires the player to learn all aspects thoroughly, so don't expect a cakewalk. There are two drawbacks with Navy Seals: the time limit which I think is far too harsh but I also don't understand why Ocean didn't include a way to unlock each level with passwords?

Navy Seals won't appeal to the casual gamer as it requires lots of practice (i.e. death!) to figure out an efficient route through all levels - before the timer expires. Can you do it? I hope so because Navy Seals is such a rewarding game albeit incredibly brutal. In fact, brutal might be too namby-pamby a description for this release? Gamers were tough in the 90s...

Hard drive installable versions are available from both D-Bug and 8bitchip.
Floppy disk games can be found using Old Games Finder.
Cheating time:
             > Type in WOZZIE into the high score table to activate the cheat mode.
             > Begin a new game. Press W for weapons or RETURN to advance onto the next level.
Some tips:
             > Dawdle when learning the maps - slow and steady wins the race.
             > Play draft games and make notes of the most efficient route. Exhilarating is the word!!!
             > Practice! Practice! Practice! Practice! :-)

Saturday, January 16, 2016

WANTED



Wanted was released by Infogrames in 1988 and is basically a Gunsmoke rip-off which also feels inspired by the likes of Commando or Ikari Warriors. Ignoring the start, and its dreadful music, we begin as a budding John Wayne wannabe, strolling through the dusty wild west. The town is inhabited by lots of outlaws and we have a gun. This is every guy's dream!

Unlike Ikari Warriors, the screen will automatically scroll with the action coming thick and fast. Whack on the fire button and shoot your way through Dodge City but watch out for the enemy and their bullets! These may very well be the slowest bullets on the planet but they are also extremely precise and I somehow always managed to walk into them... Power-ups are available after shooting barrels where you'll find weapons, shields, etc.

Wanted is a good vertically scrolling shoot 'em up and fans of Gunsmoke will love it. But, be warned, this is darn difficult (and there are better games on the Atari ST) but there is something curiously likeable about it. I enjoyed it a lot, so download the hard disk version from 8BitChip with floppies available via Old Games Finder. Yeehaw!!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Cannon Fodder [Atari STe update]



Ugh, another lame Amiga port...

Yep, Cannon Fodder could have (and should have) been far better for the Atari ST. Alas, it was a rushed lame-ass port. However, cry no more tears for Peter Putnik has upgraded the game to support audio playback of 25KHz digital music - yes, during gameplay. This is making use of the DMA audio hardware lurking inside the Atari STe and (because it's a coprocessor) there is no CPU usage. Thus zero impact on the game's performance whatsoever.

Of course, storage requirements are too much for a floppy! An Ultrasatan or other hard drive device will be needed to store your chosen music - this can be anything and instructions are included in the zip file on how to use convert something from your music library. It's dead easy to do using Audacity. Click on my video, above...

Well, what an incredible upgrade! This is something else having real music blasting out from your Atari STe speakers. I'm only gutted it is the lame-ass Cannon Fodder getting this amazing upgrade. Why? Because it's a pile of rubbish with flick-screen horizontal scrolling. This not only gets you killed but also kills any enjoyment you might have had...

I hope Peter uses this technology again - for other Atari ST games - the possibilities are endless!!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Tomtar


Tomtar is a freeware shoot 'em up released in 1993 for the Atari STe by UTEN (NewCore, XiA, Toxic Twins & Unit 17). A "tomtar" is basically a gnome and they breed like bacteria so will eventually take over the world unless something is done! We asked the Grim Reaper for help but there are too many for him to handle so we needed divine intervention - in the form of a machine gun!! Yep, we all know where this is going so let's lock and load to help the mythical Reaper destroy all the Tomtars in what I can only describe as the craziest 5 minutes of your life.

In the right corner of the screen is an Orch - kill him to advance to the next level. Use the mouse to shoot but beware because this isn't going to be easy because these little critters can walk, run, bounce and fly their way across the screen. Controls work well with the mouse but I would have preferred the right button to perform another function like throwing a grenade, this would have been superb... The gameplay becomes frantic and more chaotic the further you progress but I must admit that it's a shame the spooky backdrop doesn't change.

A stupid game that offers nothing more than a mad few minutes blasting Tomtars and that, I loved. So if you fancy killing these little blighters yourself then grab it from Demozoo (who also have a cutdown STFM version).

My high scores are:
78,250 (under emulation)
94,740 (using my own Atari STe).
What are yours? Can you beat me?? Didn't think so...

Sunday, January 10, 2016

SNDH Players

  
  

I love listening to SNDH chiptunes on my Atari STe but it recently occurred to me that many didn't realise which player to use. So, here are four fantastic Atari ST/e GEM programs to play your favourite toons...

JAM - Quite possibly the most well-known of all the players and deservedly so because it's brilliant with a modular design to handle a wide variety of file formats. It always sounds great but looks rather a plain jane. Thankfully, there is also a version which doesn't use GEM and is far nicer! (download)

SND Player - It might look ugly in the 4-colour medium resolution but I really like this program and it sounds just dandy. I found this to be a reliable player and it looks very nice in Low/High resolutions. (download)

GEMPlay - is a "Lite" version of YesCREW's Falcon player. Some features are removed because the ST/e has no DSP Processor but it plays SNDH tunes just dandy. Again, I recommend Low/High resolution! (download)

KrapSNDH - Such simplicity. It's perfect to be set up as an Application for the .snd file format within GEM so you can double-click any sound file for instant play. No fancy interface but it's a great player! (download)

Saturday, January 09, 2016

Flip-O-Demo


I'm starting off my weekend with the gorgeous Flip-O-Demo by Oxygene/Diamond Design because it's just been updated to support hard drive installation. Originally, it was released in 1993 and contains some of the best artwork and visual fx you could imagine - all whilst playing beautiful audio by one of my favourite musicians.

A wonderful Atari ST demo and certainly one of the best out there. Grab it from Demozoo right now.

Credits
Jess - Music
Leonard - Code
MoN - Graphics
Niko - Graphics
Oxbab - Code
Scavenger - Music
Spiral - Graphics
Wilfried - Graphics

Tuesday, January 05, 2016

Goldrunner



Fuzzy speech be gone!

I've always loved Gold Runner which is a technical masterpiece by legend, Steve Bak. He proved when in the hands of a talented programmer, the Atari ST is more than capable to produce wondrous results. Other (lame) programmers would whine and complain but Mr Bak simply got the job done perfectly each and every time.

Okay, honest time, I'm actually terrible at this ultra fast-paced shoot 'em up and I was never too fond of that dreaded fuzzy speech. It was fine back in the day and is humorously entertaining but it soon wears thin and distracts me during gameplay... Perhaps I'm just old and grumpy but I've never really liked it. Sorry!

Good news - Peter Putnik has updated Goldrunner for hard drive installation and an option to disable the speech!! All you gotta do is press the F3 key so clickety-click and download this sweet update to the ST classic.

Monday, January 04, 2016

PacMania



Let's pop pills & chase ghosts!

Pac-Mania was released in 1989 by Grandslam and is based on the arcade classic which was a nice conversion and generally well-received at the time. This new "3D" game saw our pill-popper change from an overhead 2D perspective to a fancy isometric viewpoint and, because the play area was so large, it now scrolled.

Pacman himself had an upgrade too by having the ability to jump - even though he has no legs! Sadly, the Atari ST version suffered a smaller screen because it lacked hardware scrolling and featured a status panel as a result. Don't get me wrong, something had to give but the game came with smooth scrolling and wasn't a lame port.

Here is a screenshot of the original ST game (note, I've left the top/bottom borders in for a reason) ...




Gee, I wonder how an Atari STe would have coped?

Well, I'm glad you asked! Entering into the 16-Bit arena is Samuel (aka Zamuel_A) with a new upgrade that is specifically designed to make maximum use of the Atari STe and its lovely enhanced hardware. First of all, the gameplay now takes place in overscan and flows along at 50fps thanks to the hardware scrolling.

But that's not all, the Blitter co-processor handles all the sprites and the DMA audio hardware plays the sampled sound effects with our sweet YM2149 banging out chiptunes - better than Tracker MODs any day of the week!! Technically, this is far beyond impressive and I'm sure Samuel has utilised every part of the computer?

So now, take a look at the screenshot above and then check out the Atari STe game below...




The CryptO'pinion?

PacMania was a good game and decent conversion that is both impressive and enjoyable. However, having said that Samuel has completely blown away the original with his upgrade and transformed our yellow friend for the 21st-century retro gamer. It's impossible not to be impressed by Samuel's dedication and hard work.

A fascinating revamp of the arcade favourite and more enjoyable than it ever was. Absolutely superb!!

Downloads are available on Atari-Forum! and here's another video I recorded.

Sunday, January 03, 2016

YMT Play



Let's bleep and bloop the night away!

What better way to end a great Christmas than listening to cool chiptunes using YMT Play by Peter Jørgensen (aka Bionic Nerd). This program features YM music data streaming, like the typical ST-sound playback using a sound range from 50hz -> 300hz and with very little CPU usage. The quality is outstanding and I'm sure you will find its potential interesting and an exciting concept? Go and download YMT from Demozoo.


What is YMT?
"YMT files are like the YM/AY files. Music files where you sampled data from the sound chip register (YM2149/AY8910) in a certain interval, instead of having a dedicate player.
To my knowledge, there has only been YM/AY player that could play tune/score files, that was sampled at 50HZ, but the YMT player can play files up to 300hz (there are some 50hz+ tunes/scores include in the examples)

The advantaged of AY/YM/YMT format, is that to replay these tunes/scores cost very little CPU power. So, if you need a lot power for a eg. a 3D demo, then it could be a wise choice to use it, because it leaves most of the CPU power for 3D calculations and the graphic etc.

The disadvantaged is that it uses a lot of memory, and it is nearly impossible to make a routine that can capture and use the SID sound and Samples etc. It is also why those files need to be hand made, that is the reason why YMT-Player only support pure YM2149 sound."

Saturday, January 02, 2016

Annihilator



Homebrew games suck, right?

Back in the day, I was always fascinated by what assortments of goodies I could find within the ST's public domain. I was always scouring the various PD Libraries trying to find either the next big thing or something obscure that would take me by surprise. Who remembers Goodmans, FaST Club, Democlub, LAPD, and so many other libraries?

Amazing times and the Atari ST is truly blessed with a gigantic and assorted Shareware/Public Domain library. That includes a fantastic gaming section and here is one such example, Annihilator by Robert HC Leong. This is a classy shoot 'em up that was released back in 1991 through the esteemed Budgie UK label (a company I genuinely do miss).

The oldskool gameplay feels instantly familiar with lots of baddies swarming around the screen. They're called Insectoids, not Galaxians, no matter what you think! The controls are responsive: moving left/right will dodge the attacks whilst whacking the joystick's button will fire your cannon. Killing aliens is never boring but remember to look out for power-ups that replenish your ship's shield and increase firepower. There are even end-of-level bosses, a cool idea.

Robert coded in a level skip cheat. It's easy to activate this, just pause the game using the spacebar.
Now hold down shift and press keys F1-F10 for the required level. Sweet!!

Annihilator is a tremendous blast back to the early 80s and is a brilliant ST shooter. In fact, it's almost as good as I would expect from a commercial company with exciting gameplay and smooth-as-silk visuals and fluent controls. Budgie UK has tons of great games and this is one of the best in their library. Definitely worthy of a Crash Smash rating!!

Waste no more time and get this great game download from the GamerBlitz website.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

R-Type Deluxe



R-Type for the Atari STe anyone?

An early beta of the new R-Type Deluxe has been released at STNICCC by Stephen Jones, aka Bod. It has been designed to make use of the STe hardware - Blitter co-processor, hardware scrolling and of course, DMA effects/music. It plays far better than the original game and the pictures you see here were kindly sent to me by Stephen. Thank you :)

I have really enjoyed playing R-Type Deluxe which has proven the Atari STe to be a formidable computer. The action feels smoother and much better plus the audio has a great affect at making this feel more arcade-like. This is looking to be an impressive project but please remember this is a Work In Progress. (update).


 
 

Update July 24th
I know this file is already on Atari-Forum but here is my backup of Stephen's precious R-Type Deluxe source code. I'm keeping it safe until another developer attempts to continue his hard work. <download>

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

lotharek



Thank you Lotharek

Shortly before Christmas, the hard drive inside my Mega STE died. Thankfully, I had only just backed it up the previous day (how lucky am I) but this did give me a big kick up the backside to invest in something better. After all, it was the original 47MB SCSI from 1991 so it was only a matter of time before it went BOOM!! ;-)

Lotharek is selling the Ultrasatan via their web store and I'm currently restoring everything I can. It's quite something to go from a noisy 47MB drive to a fast and silent SD card offering much more space. I must say, Lotharek are quick, as this arrived on Christmas Eve so I'm spending the holidays playing! The possibilities appear limitless because I am no longer struggling with meagre storage. Lotharek's UltraSatan is a brilliant piece of Jookie kit. Buy this!!

Why not use your UltraSatan to game or enjoy a few demos...



One of the most famous shoot 'em ups ever - Xenon II Megablast. This will always be a firm favourite of mine so it was exciting to hear Peter Putnik had doctored it back in January with his magic.

The game now streams 25Khz music directly using the Ultrasatan (sorry STFM guys - this feature requires the audio co-processor hardware of the Atari STe). What a jaw-dropping upgrade!! Such an unbelievably huge size for an ST game and worth it. I certainly hope Peter converts more games in the future!






Drone, an Atari STe demo which I would personally rank as a masterpiece. Stunning audio, artwork and presentation.... all far beyond excellent. It was released back in 2012 by the legendary Dead Hackers and is a whopping 11+MB. It was released for Sommarhack to pay special tribute to the Ultrasatan.

This is one of the best demos I've ever experienced.




Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas



Mario on the Atari ST?

Super Stario Land was released in 1995 by Top Byte and might remind you of a certain game featuring a daft Italian plumber? Yep, it's pretty darn similar but this isn't merely a cheap clone but a great game in its own right that offers fantastic entertainment. It's a delight to play with controls that are both easy and responsive so feels authentic.

The graphics scroll by at a smooth 50fps with fine attention to visual detail, if small by ST standards. Sound effects are pretty chirpy and suit the console style but, if you press F9, then music will play by Big Alec. I love this game. It's like having a Nintendo with a keyboard! It's hard but it's also a brilliant platformer which is great fun.




What? You wanted more Italian plumber fun?

Stario's Christmas was released in 1996 and is basically more of the same - but within a Christmassy winter wonderland appearance. It's equal, in every way, to the first so if you enjoyed that then you're sure to love this.

Yep, two superb platformers to play over the holidays. Merry Christmas everyone †


Download hard disk versions via 8BitChip
and the floppies via Old Games Finder.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

3D con kit

I've always been interested in 3D from my early computing years as a kid with a ZX Spectrum and games like Ant Attack, Deathchase and then the mind-boggling Knight Lore/Alien 8. Those games just blew my mind, so when I came across 3D Construction Kit for the Atari ST I was delighted.

After a little googling, I found a fantastic web resource by a Stuart Wilson which I'm hoping will prove to be useful and help me get the best from this program. They also run a FaceBook community page too.

3D Construction Kit is an old but excellent application for making your own virtual worlds. This video is the actual VHS recording that was released back in the day which is fascinating and explains many aspects of the program nicely. There are lots of projects already created on the Atari ST and many are excellent :-)

At my request, Peter Putnik has graciously adapted 3D Construction Kit so it can now be installed and ran from hard disk - so download this instead of the floppies! Plus those faster computers can make use of their power and my own 16Mhz Mega STe runs beautifully! :-)

Monday, December 21, 2015

SWIV


Sometimes you need a stress release from this strange world and today I did just that thanks to SWIV. Wow, what an exceptional shoot ‘em up this is. I blasted the living daylights out of those military bad boys using my massive chopper! Hang on... Anyhow, this game has great graphics, sounds and timeless action. Love it all.

Yup, this is a cracking shoot 'em up so I decided to record a video. Please subscribe to my channel - it appears 95% aren't :( Oddly, I felt the emulator was a little slower compared to my real Atari STe and the sound effects not quite as loud. Perhaps it's just me but I sure felt a difference? Then again, nothing ever beats the real hardware...

Klaz has a fantastic download that can even be installed onto a hard drive!

Just for giggles... Moments ago, my hard drive started to make strange whirring noises, almost like it was trying to spin-up, but couldn't. You know, I think SWIV killed it!! I shouldn't complain because it was the original drive and therefore about 24 years old. Now that's value for money!





Sunday, December 20, 2015

We Were @

Note - the video was recorded using an emulator and YouTube itself suffers the quality somewhat.
If you can watch it on a real Atari computer - the way it was meant to be enjoyed :-)


This is a brand new demo for the Atari STe and was only released 2 days ago by the mighty Leonard, of Oxygene. Yes, he has always been one of the most uniquely talented programmers but this production blew me away. Check out that Roto Zoomer! Do watch the end credits which feature many interesting details about the coding.

Truly amazing STuff. Beautiful production and certainly one of the best 16-Bit demos, ever!! [download]

Full credits: 
Clawz - Music
Leonard - Code
MoN - Graphics

Friday, December 18, 2015

Trans D-Bug Express



Save our floppy!

D-Bug's TDE is a program used to convert old floppies into MSA disk images. I know there are excellent apps already out like Jay MSA and Magic Shadow Archiver but TDE works at a technically lower level and therefore has more success with those crusty old floppies. In fact, even if TDE fails with a dead part of a disk, it still offers you the option to save a good image thus you're able to rescue the remainder. Such an excellent and essential utility!

Update October 2020
Version v1.05 is now out and with lots of changes: low RAM reqs, low-level FDC code, faster code, Drive B support and is compatible with all Atari computers. See the readme file within the download.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Fernandez Must Die



Let's kill everyone!!

ImageWorks released what is nothing less than a cool shoot 'em up in 1988 and is pretty much another Commando/Ikari Warriors clone designed to unleash our inner combat soldier. Every time I play, I'm reminded of those A-Team episodes taking place in a dodgy part of South America. Just like the tv show, an evil dictator is causing havoc but B.A. Baracus refuses to get on the plane! We're on our own so grab a weapon and head out to the killing fields, soldier!

The war zone is stuffed with enemy soldiers and their slow-flying bullets that we can easily dodge. Our weapon of choice is a machine gun with unlimited ammo but we have a rocket launcher for extra firepower. Some buildings can be plundered by blowing off the door with dynamite which is especially useful on ammunition depots! We're not only on foot as vehicles can be utilised very easily. And what's better than the option of mowing down a few soldiers?

The visuals are very 1980s using a clean cartoon-like style with nice details for the soldiers and buildings. It's always colourful and interesting to explore the terrain looking for enemies to blast. Not only that but ImageWorks didn't wimp out and employ smooth scrolling. The audio is great with nice sampled sounds used for the sound effects. No complaints from me.

This is one of those games I'm glad I bought because it's excellent - fantastic fun and highly addictive without ever taking itself seriously. Fernandez Must Die might have zero originality but it makes up for that with bucketloads of gun-love action. This is an awesome Commando shooter and possibly one of my favourites for the Atari ST!!

Get out on that battlefield using either a floppy or hard disk!


Bullets flying and armouries to loot. This is just like being part of the A-Team!!


Watch out for sneaky soldiers hiding in the trees and also those operating gun turrets.


The action comes thick and fast and the onslaught of soldiers never ceases. Oops, I died!!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters



When gaming meets B-movie!

Oh no, evil Reptilons are hell-bent on destroying us and have taken hold of Planet X. They've enslaved the human population and forced them to build a robot army for an invasion. Jake and Duke are two heroes with a simple plan: destroy as many robots as possible, trash the computers, rescue every cute girl and save the day.

Robot Monsters is played in a fashion similar to other 3D isometric games; imagine a pinch Buck Rogers mixed with a dollop of Gauntlet and you get the idea. The goal is to rescue the humans, without forgetting those held in stasis pods! Along the way are traps designed for us soft fleshy humans: sharp spikes, rotating chunks of metal, and electric floor panels.

All this is going on whilst Planet X constantly spawns new enemy robots. Yes, the alien hoard is relentless so you better be quick on the trigger otherwise you will be overrun. It's insane, so let's check out some screenshots of the intro...







Grab a raygun and fight back!

We have a weapon which is a great tool for quick kills. But, refrain from overuse otherwise, it is less effective... Thankfully, it can be charged by collecting the green blobs that a dead robot might leave behind. There are also bombs - hit the shift key and they detonate killing anything within your vicinity. Even the captives so, be careful.

A canal stage appears after a few levels which offer extra bonuses but aren't essential to your overall progress and I wasn't too eager about it anyhow. The big Reptilon boss will first seem an impossible opponent but there is a cunning way to avoid it by using a few bombs and a little joystick waggling!! Just ask me if you need any help.

I know, I know, you wanna see some more screenshots from the intro. Well, you're in luck...






Next-Gen aesthetics!

Well, yes and no. Back in the day, I remember being blown away by the comical artwork, which still looks great. In-game, I love the isometric 3D styles which I think is perfect, and the entire environment has superb attention to detail. The alien hoard is varied and looks excellent - my favourite being the biscuit-looking lot. They're not biscuits of course, but I think they're cute! And that's this game to a tea, it's different and loves to be different. It works perfectly.

The audio is a blast with cool, zappy effects and gorgeous chip music. Click the arrow and listen for yourself...


Don't run away. Come back, there are girls to be rescued and robots to destroy!


The CryptO'pinion?

You know folks, I have really enjoyed playing this great game again after all these years. This is one of those shooters that is stuffed to the brim with originality and frantic metallic mayhem. Running around shooting everything is totally demented and all done with a comical personality using great characters. This is superb gameplay at its finest.

It's just as much fun to play today as it was back in 1990. An iconic 16-Bit shooter and I love it to bits!!


DOWNLOAD for hard disk and floppy

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Lupo Alberto



Stop the press!

Late last night I came across an interesting post on AtariAge by Philsan concerning an unreleased game called Lupo Alberto. This is a platformer that (I think) is based on a European comic or a TV show? Well, after 25 years of lurking in unreleased hell, the ST version finally gets to see the light of day (now listed on AtariMania)

First impressions are pretty good with cartoon visuals and cute sprites roaming about - just look at those chickens!! However, it's push-scrolling which is a severe shame because the game's mechanics demand proper scrolling. Well, it is unfinished so I shouldn't complain too much and the push technique is fast and zippy...

Gameplay is tricky for such a cute-looking platformer so I imagine lots of frustration ahead of me but I'm delighted we have a game rescued and I'm looking forward to giving Lupo a proper run for its money tonight!

Update: during a game press CTRL and type: otrebla. Thanks to Luca Stradiotto!!

Monday, December 07, 2015

Pegasus



Swords, guns and flying a horse

Satan has been a bad boy and turned the world on its head so it's our job to reverse his dastardly deeds before it's too late. Developed by Optimus Software for Gremlin, we are Percius and fly on the mythical horse, Pegasus. Our adventure is split into two parts: Firstly, a shoot 'em up which has us riding Pegasus and it flips into a platformer where Percius is free to unleash his wrath using a large sword (it flips between these two throughout).

The shoot 'em up parts are quite good - just imagine something like R-Type, but on horseback, and you have the idea. The baddies appear in the expected patterns so bang on that fire button and collect the crystals that they leave behind. These enhance weaponry and there are lots of power-ups that help brighten up this dull affair...

The platform parts are much better - run, jump and leap your way through, collecting crystals and killing baddies... Yup, hardly riveting stuff but I liked it the most. In fact, the mechanics are superb, so controlling little Percius is a cinch. I wish more platformers had great controls and fluent movement like this. This game had the potential to be great!

The graphics are bland and I fear a lame port because as each game is sparsely populated so feels a little too empty. Plus that blue background could have been better. However, the scrolling is nice and smooth so at least that's something? The audio is feeble and it's only the firing that stops this game from being as silent as a ZX81!! Yawn...

Okay, let's not kid ourselves, this is lame Amiga port and a terrible one at that. It could have/should have been better so it's embarrassing to think Gremlin released this. However, I gotta admit that the platform stages are enjoyable with much potential. Overall, there are far better (shoot 'em ups and platformers) to play on your Atari ST.



The platform part is actually not bad and could have been made into something really good...


Collect those power-ups otherwise it's Zzzzzz!! Play R-Type instead.

Download and play Pegasus using a hard drive thanks to both D-Bug and 8BitChip. But those wanting the floppies can find 'em on Old Games Finder.
If the game is too hard (or boring) then here are some nifty cheats: press P on the title screen and type in this code: FRUITBAT
Now use the arrow keys to select your starting level.
F1 for extra lives.
F2 to select a power-up.
F3 for an extra special weapon shot.
F5 advance a level.
F7 for a nifty shield. 
 To view the greetings, enter this code as a password on the title screen: CATFOOD.

Sunday, December 06, 2015

The Ultimate Captive Guide


I recently bought Captive and anyone with half a brain (like me) knows this is an awesome RPG by Mindscape. We have been held prisoner for a couple of hundred years from a crime we did not commit - and the A-Team thought they had it bad! After such a long time, your freedom from the unjust hell is your only goal.

This RPG uses a unique user interface to configure and control droids - it's a briefcase. Why a prisoner has this I cannot tell you but operating it is like something from Mission Impossible! The graphics are excellent with stunning monsters but I was a little disappointed by the sparse audio. Which is made worse when finding out that the original released used DMA of the Atari STe whereas that was dropped for the v1.2 update!

Fans of this RPG should take a look at a website by Pierre Fournier called The Ultimate Captive Guide.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Sleeping Gods Lie



Sticks and stones

Empire Software released this adventure game in 1989 and it's quite unlike anything I initially expected. I'd seen screenshots and was half-expecting something like Drakkhen with a typical dungeon-crawler storyline. Well, it is similar in some regards and with monsters and apt weapons including stones. I know, I know, stones? Yep, just read on!

We begin on Tessera, a world once rich and prosperous but now suffering famine, disease, and a crime wave that only Robocop could fix. Their god, N'Gnir, strangely seems to be in slumber so it's your mission to find him, wake him up, and put an end to all the madness. It won't be easy because you must battle your way through the numerous different lands and each has eight kingdoms. This game is huge so pack butties because it's unlikely you will be home for tea.

Our adventure starts from the comfort of our castle. From the outside, it's impressive but is rather sparsely decorated within. This is situated in a strange, chaotic world with most of its populace being completely barmy. All early encounters aren't welcoming but instead, a brawl without any provocation. They love to throw pebbles without any reason lol.

Okay, let's take a look at my grand castle and the second screenshot is from a peek inside...



From the outside, your home looks awesome.


But on the inside it's a bit bare, so obviously furnished by a guy!


However, the lands outside are populated by weirdos who seem to hate me?!


A game with character

Thankfully, some people are normal rather than fanatic psychopaths so, take time to talk for information. As the box says, this isn't just an adventure game, it's full to the brim with action and puzzles all set within a curious new world. In fact, there are many puzzles to be completed - such as feeding a giant mouse with mouldy cheese. These aren't brain-blasting puzzles, the information you acquire will soon fall into place for these rather odd-level guardians.

The gameplay uses a smooth first-person engine with simple controls. Use the mouse to guide the pointer: push that upwards and you walk. Push it downwards and you backtrack. As you can imagine, moving it to either side of the screen turns you around. You can use the joystick but I wasn't too keen on that. Also, if walking is too slow and you wanna run about then hit the F3 key. This isn't really "run" but speeds up time a little - not only for you but the entire game.

Exploring is a cinch thus making it very easy to get around and find helpful items, weapons, people, and enjoy a good fight. From the start, you will realise people aren't nice so practice and master your skills at throwing stones! Well, until you find something better like a sling or crossbow! I advise taking time to investigate your surroundings properly because there are many objects that you may think aren't important. Collect pebbles and why not check out those trees for fruit?

Sleeping Gods Lie attempts (very well too, I might add) to be an open-world adventure game. It kinda is with each area having full freedom to roam within each segment. Limited exits make it possible to leave and begin exploring the next area. However, it's worth looking everywhere to find helpful items or better weapons.

As you gain better weapons, you will note that each skirmish is easier but this is compensated for tougher enemies as you wander forth. The biggest tips are: rest regularly, explore thoroughly, and save your game like a paranoid madman!

Okay, it's time for some screenshots from this bizarre, yet enthralling, adventure game...



This ain't a peaceful land and most love to start fights by throwing pebbles at you!!

That pixelated mess is the first guardian. The graphics are better when you get closer!


The second guardian is freakishly cute (and hungry)



Aesthetics

Visually, I have mixed feelings. The 3D engine is quite superb and allows full exploration of each landscape. However, sprites are a different matter - unless you get close to something, they are nothing more than a wobbly mess of a few pixels. Walk up and get closer for great scaling - this is something I really admired about this old engine.
Sadly, getting close to a guardian isn't a good idea because they are mean creatures and can slay you with extreme accuracy! So, stay back and use a range weapon - unless you're mad like me and want a better screenshot. I tired my best lol... Scroll on to see an image...
Each landscape features full freedom to roam but is sparsely populated and thus feels quite barren. I'd have liked more to "look at". Having said that, this is a great first-person engine and is very smooth and easy to explore.

The audio isn't as good as it should be simply because there's hardly anything to hear in-game. I'm sure something could have been done, even if it were footsteps! Anything would have been nice - even a delicate background chiptune. Talking of that, the title screen introduction has a fantastic tune which is nothing less than gorgeous!



I later returned to try and get a better screenshot but it's a vicious beast - this is the best I got!


Then it wasn't long before the stone-throw started again lol.


A wise old man restores my faith in humanity.



The CryptO'pinion?

Sleeping Gods Lie has some interesting ideas but it's not perfect. The character integration should have been more inclusive with more depth. This aspect is nothing more than a way to pass on information rather than any kind of interaction. Also, the weird pebble-throwing battles are initially amusing but soon wear thin. Thankfully, progression comes thick and fast therefore very rewarding because the game gets better once you've found better weaponry.

There's no denying that this is an enthralling adventure and I loved exploring the lands wondering what I may find. If you have lots of time to set aside, this is definitely something to dig your heels into over a weekend. A fast-paced adventure that's perfect for explorers who are looking for something different in a weird, new world.

I enjoyed this game a lot so don't forget your pebble stock and prepare yourself for lots of mindless squabbles!

Download HDD and FLOPPY.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

YOPAZ IceStar



A brand new GEM game!

Yopaz is a new Sokoban-themed puzzler by Cedric Bourse that stars a happy chap who loves to collect stars. It's a GEM program but slick, very smooth and even features ambient sounds on 4MB Atari STe computers.

Taking place within the vacuum of space, all movement follows the laws of physics: once Yopaz begins travelling, he is committed to that direction until hitting an object. So think and take your time because you will need to use the ice blocks to manoeuvre and collect all the stars. There are other oddities, like blocks that aren't ice but will instead teleport you to a different place entirely. It always pays to study the screen before taking action. Think before you move.

Also, there is an advanced mode for those with a sadistic desire to punish their brains even more on levels that are incideously cunning. This is a brain-killing choice (I'm too scared!!). You have been warned!!

Cedric Bourse, aka Orion_ (not Orion), has a website where you can download a playable demo and he is only asking for $4 to purchase the full game. An incredibly cheap asking price for such a brilliant puzzler! A puzzler which is fun - love it.

Monday, November 09, 2015

Bootsie



A boot sector program that's useful

Bootsie, a utility by Stefan Krey that writes a boot sector on a floppy to perform nifty system init functions. These are useful for Atari's with a hard drive or those fortunate to own a MSTE, TT or Falcon. By default, my Mega STe boots up in an 8MHz "compatibility mode" which is great for gaming but pretty lame for everything else. After all, the entire boot process from start to end will be a lot slower than it could be if it was running at 16MHz.

Enter Bootsie that can set the processor speed to steroid mode and it will also do lots more cool stuff, such as CPU caching, activate the Blitter chip, 60Hz display, and much more. What a fantastic utility that helps make a computer as zippy as is possible. Download it right now from Atari ST Essential Software List.

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Ballerburg



Artillery gaming!

Whilst enjoying my cuppa joe this morning (in my cool Atari ST mug) I stumbled upon a tweet about Ballerburg, an old turn-based artillery game by Eckhard Kruse. This is an ST classic and offers addictive and strategical gameplay to blast our enemy to smithereens and all using basic maths to calculate speed and direction.

However, Ballerburg requires the ability to read German and a monochrome hi-res monitor. But let's be honest, as ST users, we are familiar with translating on the fly plus there are programs that fudge the ST's high-resolution mode. As I type, my Atari STe is running Ballerburg and I'm (trying) to teach our 6-year-old daughter the basics... Sadly, that ain't going well and I know she will be an easy victim, so I'm going to destroy her. Muwhahaha!!

 * A download is available via Eckhard Kruse's website and also Ballerburg has a wiki page!
 * I use MonoPack to enable ST High Res on my colour monitor.
 * So, you didn't believe me about my Atari ST mug, uh?