Monday, January 02, 2023
SDI: Now The Odds Are Even
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Sophélie
Aesthetics?
Saturday, March 06, 2021
Frenetic
Hang on a moment, do you have a friend? Well, there is an option for two-players which is brilliant and certainly comes in handy on those harder levels. Sadly, I have no friends... Sniff... boohoo...
What I liked: the first couple of levels have well-balanced gameplay and I even reached the third stage - without cheating believe it or not! However, the best feature of all is the two-player mode which is fantastic and certainly helps to (partially) compensate for the things I am now about to moan about.What I didn't like: the power-ups are needed to defeat the bosses but these are lost after losing a life and new pick-ups are very scarce. Each level is a long slog without variety, excitement or progression and the repetative tune becomes irritating. Basically, I'm getting a nasty whiff of a cheap Amiga port.
Monday, September 28, 2020
Recovery
The Atari ST cannot scroll
Well, don't be so quick because here is Recovery, a shoot 'em up by New Deal Productions. Oddly, it's something I've not heard of until the other day! It takes us on a *Fantastic Voyage* through the lower bits of some poor soul in need of medical assistance. I assume we're trying to help him recover from something nasty as we begin at the bottom and work our way up through the liver (I think), and then onto the heart before finally smashing through the old grey matter.
Recovery is much in the vein of something like Menace or R-Type but runs at a far quicker pace with many of the patient's body parts whizzing around the screen. It's like Anarchy and just as tough - almost nigh on impossible when trying to dodge everything. But our ship is spritely and we're armed with a laser so shoot first and never ask dumb questions.
I love finding something 'new' to play and this is an exciting shoot'em up...
It's a shooter. So, shoot everything!
Each part of the body is a separate stage and also incredibly long, almost to the point where you think it will never end! However, they all feel much the same with a vast array of different "aliens" to avoid or kill. These use a variety of attack patterns but touching any reduces energy levels, so bad pilots ultimately end up losing yet another life. Strangely, there is no end-of-level boss. A beastly tumour would have been nice to destroy - a sentence I thought I would never say!
The joystick controls are excellent - very fast and responsive without any sluggishness. Our main weapon is a laser beam and quite effective too - pressing and holding fire shoots this laser and kills anything in front of you. Sadly, there are no other types of upgrades or special weapons so all we have is one laser and nothing more.
Thankfully, our sleeping patient appears to have popped many pills, which you'll see floating through his body just waiting to be collected. These can boost your weapon's rate of fire, energy and shields which are all displayed in the status bar. I never figured out what "LIGH" is for - I hit every key but nothing, nada, zip. Does anyone know?
Okay, let's take a break from reading and view another lovely screenshot...
Aesthetics?
Visually, this is a mixed-body bag that isn't quite as healthy as you would hope. Don't get me wrong, a scroller needs to scroll and each parallax layer moves very smoothly. However, the backgrounds can be quite bare-bones, but there are tons of funky sprites which only goes to prove how weirdly wonderful we are on the inside. Maybe!
Hitting F4 flips between 50/60Hz which speeds things up even more - if you can handle it?
Sonically, this is going to appeal to lovers of chip music. To be blunt, it's quite simply fantastic and foot-tappingly awesome so makes you realise just how cool your ST is. However, those insane people amongst us might wish to turn it off and hear sound effects. No problem, just hit F2/F3 but why would you ever wanna do that? I know, because you're stupid.
Okay, you've guessed it - stop reading and enjoy another gorgeous screenshot...
The CryptO'pinion?
Recovery is a damn good shoot 'em up and also technically impressive. It slaps the faces of all those lazy programmers that said the ST cannot scroll. However, gameplay could be better as each stage feels overly long with zillions of frantic 'aliens' constantly buzzing about. This static style doesn't seem to go anywhere, so it gets samey after a while. Also, our weapons cannot be upgraded which is a massive disappointment but not as much as having no bosses to fight.
Okay, I'm sure you can tell that this isn't the greatest shoot 'em up but it's far from being the worst. I've enjoyed blasting through some fella's intimate body parts all in the name of science fiction. Recovery is definitely worth booting up for a quick game or two. If only to see who can survive the longest, good luck with that because you'll need it.
Check out these screenshots before deciding whether to download for hard disk or floppy...
Friday, February 07, 2020
Zynaps
Update: you know, to this day I have never played Slayer. How odd is that!
The enemies attack in predictable formations, which kinda reminded me of Wizball oddly enough. At first, firing accuracy is difficult so hitting the bad guys feels a lot harder than it should be. This learning curve I found to be massive - it took a great number of attempts before I started to destroy an entire wave and then begin collecting the pods!
Eventually, you will reach an end-of-level boss and most are really tough so it's doubtful you will see many victories on your first go! The first boss hops around the screen like a sprite from an old skool-styled demo. Rarely did I see the end of the second level (without using a trainer) but, YMMV. Just don't give up, you wimp and keep playing!!
Graphics
Zynaps is a gorgeous shoot 'em up, it really is. Sure, I know games like Xenon 2, Magic Boy, Gods, Deathbringer, and others blow it out of the water but, this old shooter (from 1988) holds its own thanks to the efforts of Pete Lyon!! The title screen is wonderful - pure art - and many of the levels feature a Menacing array of beautiful environments.
Sounds
Zynaps theme tune is outstanding thanks to the talent of one of my favourite musicians, Dave Rogers: a man responsible for many of my ZX Spectrum memories, not to mention ST beauties like Ranarama and Cybernoid.
The Crypto'pinion
Zynaps is one of those games which appears to have it all but, many give up after a few goes because of its learning curve. The action is relentless so you're always on the edge of your seat wondering what's coming next. The method of using power-ups might be flawed but these are essential to enhance the Scorpion with better firepower and manoeuvrability.
Hewson rarely disappoints and Zynaps is yet another corker from their incredible library. Sure, I've had a moan about a few things but nothing is perfect so I can forgive - because of the Can-I-have-one-more-go. Very addictive!! What an extraordinary shoot 'em up and it's a great feeling to end my Super Pack series on a massive high. You need to play this game.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Xenon
I can still remember loading up Xenon for the first time on Christmas morning. Once the graphics appeared, I was so impressed - when compared to my 8-Bit experiences. However, my jaw didn't drop to the floor like a weighty anvil until that music kicked in, just as the visuals raced down my TV screen. What a simple yet, brilliant intro. Timeless
The first level is iconic. It looks great. Sounds great. Plays great. Then you meet the boss...
Very few times I beat this sucker. It's a lot harder than anyone admits!
Plane And Tank!
We start in our little tank which is fast and manoeuvrable, but it's not long until you realise that you can't hit anything up high. Waggle that joystick (or hit the spacebar) to transform into a jet aircraft!! This is ace but, unlike the tank, cannot hit those critters crawling the floor... So, once again, get waggling to morph back into the tank. This method of flipping between the two vehicles is genius and can be done anytime during normal play one level 1/3.
The second level proves just how cruel and sadistic those Bitmap Brothers truly were!!
Having said that, I think the boss is slightly easier than on level one.
- W = This is probably my second favourite power-up. Instant extra firepower!
- A = Stay protected and stronger in your ship.
- S = Side shots is a pretty cool upgrade, especially on the harder levels.
- H = Homing missiles help to make things so much easier.
- B = Balls, which can be stacked up to three. Great...
- L = This is so fantastic and possibly my fave - and picking up "G" reverts back.
- Z = Surely every game needs a smart-bomb?
Of course, there's always an end-of-level guardian and Xenon is no different. In fact, the Sentinels also appear halfway through each level. That's right, four levels so eight times you're having to battle these guys. They can only be killed by carefully aligning firepower at their weakest point. It's now that you die only to reload with a trainer enabled.
However, if you manage to win, then you're allowed to play the remainder of the level before another boss battle at the end. Beating him (for that second time) will whisk you off to the next level to fight against another massive array of new foes. And it's always tougher so I doubt you'll last very long - and that's the main issue I have against Xenon. It's just too hard after level one. How many ST players have seen the later levels without resorting to a cheat? I thought so.
Don't adjust your monitor... Yep, level three sure does look familiar albeit in pink. Ugh!
The toughest boss in the game. This one is a killer and I have never beaten it (without a cheat!)
Sprites are stunning, even those peculiar pink-brain things on level 4! Scrolling is always smooth and perfectly paced for the gameplay. Overall, Xenon epitomises that mind-blowing late 80s era when we upgraded from older machines like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum or Commodore 64 to the glorious 16-Bit world. Yes, this game is nothing less than a visual feast!
Level four is insane and there are enough enemies to strike down an Asgard mothership!!
I wonder how many got that Stargate reference? Does anybody read my website?
However, having said that it's the music that is just... Mmm, timeless. Level one has possibly one of the best and most brilliant chiptunes ever? So turn up the volume because the YM2149 is about to rock your house!!
Saturday, November 09, 2019
Return To Genesis
RTG is basically a funky take on Defender where Mechanauts have forced scientists into slavery. We've gotta rescue each of these guys which means jumping into a spaceship to skim the surface of 50 psychedelic worlds. At great speed!!
A scanner shows the location of each scientist but this sadly falls short of detailing the level layout. I don't know why, but this doesn't work well for me. Sigh... how many more times must I be rebounded back and forth like a yoyo. Yes, this is one incredibly FAST shoot 'em up that has you on the edge of your seat. Blink and you're dead!!
This is an incredible idea that uses who you rescue in a positive way for the next level. It's superb!
Audio is such a treat. Dave Whittaker sure knew how to get the best heard from our computer - his work proves "chip" will last forever. Okay, it does sound <cough> familiar but it suits the gameplay perfectly. Heck, our ST talks to us which is a zillion times better than Gold Runner. Dave certainly gets the YM processor rocking in ways only he could achieve!
Return To Genesis is an iconic shoot 'em up for most Atari ST gamers! But, it's way too furious for me and thus another Anarchy. Sorry, but give me Xenon or Menace any day of the week. Overall, I like it but, I don't love it.