20 more Atari ST/STE Games that are fun to play get the most out of the little 16-bit that could. After 4 videos of “games that rock” we are now digging into the ST library to find gems we have missed. Some of these rock, some are just fun or make good use of the “little 16 bit that could”.
Games Min Reviews
1. Bold (Laurent Kermel)
Type: Horizontal Shooter
Year: 2001
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 9.5
Addictiveness: 9.5
Overall: 90%
Notes: STE Enhanced GFA Basic : A fast and furious Mouse Controlled STE game with a lot of bolt on weapons. Some music during play would make it a solid 10 all around. The ST version is a little slower and choppier. play on an STE!
2. Risky Woods (Dinamic / EA)
Type: Side scrolling Platformer
Year: 1992
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 9
Addictiveness: 9
Overall: 87.5%
Notes: EA for the ST in 1992? oh, and it’s GOOOOD. These Dinamic guys from Spain seriously knew what they were doing on the ST. FAST, FUN, Lot’s of sprites everywhere, no real slow down, great music and SFX at the same time, big colorful sprites. Its a platform scrolling horizonal “shooter”, beat-em -p. Possibly the best one made on the plain ST. Oh, and it ROCKS!
3. Alien World (Pal / Hi-Tec)
Type: Shoot-em up Multi-directional
Year: 1992
Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 9
Addictiveness: 9
Overall: 86.3%
Notes: This Alien world is a well crafted Horizontal Shooter with some vertical / horizontal sections. The graphics, sounds and game play are quite nice, but it’s filled with cheap hits and the difficulty is quite high. Still, it’s pretty to look and and fun to play (use a trainer). The game scrolls very nicely and there are a lot of sprites on the screen. It doesn’t slow down much, so this is got it where it counts. With a trainer, the basting is fast and furious =)
4. Doodle Bug – Big Bash II (Core Design) (STE enhanced color)
Type: Arcade – Platformer (Scrolling)
Year: 1992
Graphics: 8
Sound:9
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8.5
Overall: 83.8%
Notes: Another Gem from Core. A colorful, 4 way scrolling platformer with great graphics, sounds and music (for the same time). Uses ST scrolling, not STE or blitter, so slightly slower than you expect, but still quite a gem in the ST library.
5. After the war (Dinamic)
Type: Scrolling Beat em up
Year: 1989
Graphics: 9
Sound: 7.5
Gameplay: 8.5
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 82.5%
Notes: What a great surprise: A playable, well crafted beat-em-up with responsive (albeit a little complicated) controls great animation, graphics and digital sound FX. You’ll need to get used to the controls -either keyboard only or Joystick and keyboard, but it’s a winning and it ROCKS!
6. Battleships (Epyx / Elite)
Type: Board Game
Year: 1987
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 7.5
Gameplay: 9
Addictiveness: 9
Overall: 82.5%
Notes: An exquisitely designed and coded version of the classic board game, 1 or two players, great atmosphere, graphics and sound.
7. Torvak The Warrior (Core Design)
Type: Arcade – Platformer (Scrolling)
Year: 1990
Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 82.5%
Notes: A very very good , fun, and well made scrolling platformer / beat-em-up / adventure. Technically very nice with smooth scrolling, nice graphics, good chip music and sounds at the same time.
8. Dan Dare III (Probe / Virgin Mastertronic)
Type: Shoot-em-up Platformer
Year: 1990
Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 81.3%
Notes: Starts with a nice set of animated comic book frames a a great digital Quartet tune. Game title screen is pretty good 3 channel tune also. Jet pack around 4-way scrolling levels, killing baddies and picking up weapons. Decent chip effects and a simple tune accompany nice scrolling, graphics and animation that do slow a bit when too much is going on. Cheap deaths occur, but you are not a single hit death machine, so it’s ok. The competition here is Turrican, and this matches up OK with big explosions and some fun game play and visual. I ran out of fuel for my weapon and had trouble finding more, but eventually did. I’d play this again for sure. The reviews were jaded but they forgot how dire some ST games were in the 80s. This stands up well to the capabilities of the machine. One problem is that you can’t fire up, so that energy bar really is needed. BALLZ difficult though.
9. Barbarian II Dungeon of Drax
Type: Arcade Beat-em-up
Year: 1989
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness:8
Overall: 80%
Notes: More colorful and more options than the first game, with new foes and story. Still a one on one fighter at its core. Hold down button for fight. Let go to move.
10. Renegade AKA Outcast (Sculptured / Mastertronic)
Type: 3D Space shooter
Year: 1987
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness:8
Overall: 80%
Notes: I’m going to have to mark this one as a hidden gem. It was realized as both Outcast and Renegade, but no matter the title, it is quite good. Don’t let the Mastertronic label fool you, this is bure early ST Brilliance from Sculptured software. If you are looking for what REALLY should be Star Raiders II, this is it. The idea is basically the same, with the map (M) hyperdrive (H) and speed using + and -, but the blasting is PURE ST zarjaz. yes there is some slowdown, but it’s a complete…BLAST to play. What an early triumph.
11. Crazy Cars 3 (Titus)
Type: Racing
Year: 1992
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 80%
Notes: One of the best Racing games on the ST. Oh how far Tutus improved from the original Crazy Cars. They are not even close. This engine improved throughout all of the their first person driving / racers into a glorious physics-based but arcade fun racing engine.
12. Indy Heat (Strom / Sales Curve)
Type: Racing (top down)
Year: 1992
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 80%
Notes: A very well made single screen top down racer. A lot of great music in the in-between screens and spot effects in game. One problem is that the mouse defaults to controlling the first player. I had to Use player 2 and and it was much easier to control. The good thing about this is that there is one less opponent to race against a player one just sits there in the way. It has all of the upgrades and arcade fun you’d expect from a Super Sprint Clone. Note. In the video I was able to use the Joystick for Player 1, so it works fine. Many more Sales Curve games to go through for future veins of ST gaming gold and gems.
13. Kid Kong (Munsie)
Type: Arcade – Donkey Kong)
Year: 1993
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 80%
Notes: Except for a few minor difference in sounds and graphics, this is Donkey Kong from the arcade. It’s also very difficult, but still fun. Many more Munsie gems to get to in future videos.
14. Steg the Slug (Big Red / Codemasters )
Type: Arcade Scrolling Platformer
Year: 1992
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 7
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 77.5%
Notes: A cute vertical scrolling platform game that is a little bit a combination of Lemmings, Bubble Bobble, and Crazy Climber? Great graphics, sound, animation, and unique game play make this a winner. Guide the grubs to you waiting babies at the top of the level by trapping them in bubbles and guiding them up the scrolling level. The only quibble I have is with the controls being a little tight and needing a little extra getting used to. A winner.
15. Alien Syndrome (ACED / Softek / SEGA)
Type: Gauntlet in space
Year: 1988
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 6.5
Gameplay: 8.5
Addictiveness: 9
Overall: 78.8%
Notes: A Sega arcade port. This one is just a blasting good time. Run around each 4-way scrolling space ship, rescuing your buddies who have been captured by the aliens. Pick up extra weapons and view maps by checking out the items in the walls and blast all the aliens you can. One of my all time favorite Master System and ST ports. Good sounds, fun graphics. Speedy and an arcade feel .Play this one. You might need a cheat though.
16. Spitting Image (Domark)
Type: Beat-em up
Year: 1989
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 7.5
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 78.8 %
Notes: Hmm. It’s a Steve Bak / David Whitaker game so you know the graphics, sound, gameplay and animation will all be solid, fluid and the game will be playable. It passes all of that. It’s a TV show related game that takes IK+ and pits two world leaders form the 80’s against one another in a street fight. The tunes are bouncy, the sprites big, and the action…well let’s just say it fits the bill nicely. I found the controls a little off, but possibly that’s because the selection of moves (like spiting, etc) are not easy to pull off. It’s pretty classic though.
17. Adrenalynn (Exponentia / Loriciel)
Type: Future Sports
Year: 1991
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 7
Overall: 77.5%
Notes: Good title digitized music. This is basically two on two futuristic team hand ball with weapons’ couldn’t find any instructions, but really none are needed to jump in and play. It is very similar to speed ball but with many more colors on the screen and a 4-way scrolling playfield. The closest match the game play comes to is Ball Blazer on a 2d field with two players per team…and guns. You Start in a lower division and try to work your way up by playing and wining matches. Graphics, animation, gameplay and in-game SFX are all very good quality. It’s not easy and takes practice!
18. Bignose the caveman (Optimus / Codemasters)
Type: Arcade Scrolling Platfromer
Year: 1993
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 7.5
Gameplay: 8
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 77.5%
Notes: Great opening tune. What a fun little platform scroller. Nice graphics, really good sounds (no in-game music with sounds), the right kind of jumping for this type of game. No traditionally UK programmer floaty physics. This could show up on a TG-16 or SNES as is and it wouldn’t look out of place.
19. Big Run (Storm / Sales Curve)
Type: Arcade Style Racing
Year: 1992
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 7.5
Gameplay: 7.5
Addictiveness: 8
Overall: 76.3%
Notes: Good Opening tune. This is Jaleco Arcade Port. Contrary to some of the reviews, I find this to be a very fun arcade-style race game. It Has nice sound effects and an arcade racing engine, that while not as sophisticated as an F1 game, is very run to play. The graphics are very colorful and a little “cartoon-like”. Play it for yourself and see!
20. Cabal (Ocean)
Type: Arcade Gun Shoot-em-Up
Year: 1990
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 7
Gameplay: 7.5
Addictiveness: 7.5
Overall: 73.8%
Notes: Good Arcade Conversion. Starts with a nice chip tune in the title screen. The game has both a two voice music track and game sounds. The graphics, animation and game play are nice. I had to play with an unlimited lives cheat because its pretty difficult. A fun diversion. and a good effort from the dev team and ocean. Needs a big explosion sound for destroying a tank.
Previous Atari ST / STE Gems: