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NARSIL - THE LOST ISSUES
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As you maybe know, it was announced that NARSIL will end up with issue 5o, but
suddenly the homepage disappeared and also the czech ftp servers didn't got the
missing issues, namely 48 - 5o. As nothing was happening over longer time I got
in contact with EMPTY HEAD, the maintainer of the NARSIL homepage to check out
what happened to the magazine, if it really died before it's announced end...
And... while I'm sitting here and thinking about the magazine's end, there were
3 more issues published, but now without beeing spreaded over the frontiers of
the Czech Republic anymore since they weren't available on the internet anymore.
Furthermore EMPTY HEAD told me that Geocities had closed down his homepage with
all its contents and it took a little bit time to save the page and set it
online again.
After all he was able to offer the missing issues and I will take a sneak look
onto them now.
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ISSUE 48
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This issue comes along with a few goodies on the disk, such as an old Atari
shareware game called "TRI HELI 2", that was already given away back in 1994 on
a ST FORMAT coverdisk and is, errr... true shit, then a REVERSI game by MC SOFT,
the czech software firm that brought us "POWER UP", but this game here is for
the PC and quite old as well (1994 again). I didn't checked it out so far but it
is containing artwork by -JS- again and could be interesting. Last but not least
the czech version of TosWin 2 (v2.6) is included too.
The magazine itself starts with a picture showing a racing car together with the
words "final lap" and it seems as they're happy about the fact to end up the
whole thing, but can it be? The menu itself shows, after the usual nice loading
sequence also some kind of motor sports touch.
This issue contains only 25 articles and animations this time, where 6 ones are
disabled and only accessable for paying readers only, remember the shareware
politics of NARSIL...
Apart from the usual contents with editorials, adverts and so on, this issue is
bringing some reviews, such as from "TRI HELI 2", "BADLANDS PETE", "SUPER
CAULDRON" (that got a big range of nice screenshots too) and "INTERCHANGE" (that
is disabled). Furthermore there is a solution for the game "SNOOPY & PEANUTS"
and again the game quiz, where you get a bunch of screenshots taken out of many
games and you can guess from which games they're taken. I have to admit that I
always know only a few, but with thousands of games around it really isn't easy.
The contents going on with a copy tool survey, including FCOPY 3, ECOPY v1.7 and
HCOPY v1.7. And article about JINNEE is disabled, while the I-CON article makes
you the use of this tool a bit understandable, if you understand czech language.
This time the PC corner is disabled, the internet news bringing again a bunch of
news snippets and later on -JS- comes along with volume 7 of his animation tut,
explaining some of his included animations (2 are disabled again). This time
there is nothing about BLOUMA'S ADVENTURE included, therefore colour cyclers and
such stuff.
That's it more or less.
Overall... A quite normal NARSIL issue, the disabled articles/animations aren't
that much this time but the language barrier is still here...
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ISSUE 49
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This issue brings us as goodies a Space Invaders game for PC and I-CONNECT in
czech. Btw... the growing ammount of PC related stuff isn't a new feature, I
just want to mention that there is a PC loader for the magazines around since
long times.
The magazine itself starts with a space picture, the another little loader ani
and a very nice drawn main menu... Check the screenshot below!
Very nice!
This issue features including all regulars, articles and animations just 27 ones
but I have to say it right here... it's one of those "fuck the normal readers"
issues... 1o items are disabled this time!
Anyway. Apart from the usual stuff, this issue is going a bit more actual with
the review of "CHU CHU ROCKET" (that scored just 65%...), it offers a review of
the beta version of "SAVIORS OF HOPE", a gauntlet style game by CYBERPUNK 3-69
of NETWORK (do you remember?), furthermore "GHOULS'N'GHOSTS", "MERCENARY" and
"TOOBIN" (that are both disabled...) and last but not least of "DONALD DUCKS
PLAYGROUND", an awfull educational game from 1986...
-JS- goes on with his animation tutorial and this time he brings again some
teasers from BLOUMA, showing a very complex intro animation (Wow!) and other
stuff (not to forget that again some stuff isn't accessable).
Apart from a "fitting colours" tutorial by -JS- again I can't tell you much more
more since nearly all of the other articles are disabled... but since the known
language barrier is still here I don't think that I have missed much.
Overall... Without any doubt for czech non paying readers a slap in the face,
for me very interesting because of the BLOUMA teasers and the nice
grafix...
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ISSUE 5o
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Yeps, and in JUNE it happened... They reached issue 5o, the last one, at least
they announced it. Later on I heard that it could be that more issues will
follow if they are motivated, but since NARSIL was published bi-monthly, they're
now without the pressure to do something, even if this could be a drawback too.
This issue is quite impressive, coming along on two disx and a wave of goodies,
such as "CHU CHU ROCKET LITE", "BANG AND BLASTMEN", a FLC animation taken from
the movie "MATRIX", a save file for "ABES EXODUS" (PC), czech resource files for
QED v4.53 and QED v5.ob, some more animations and a demo version of the game
"RESOLUTION 1o1"...
But the mag itself is beating all former issues too. The loader pic is showing a
trumpet and the word KONEC, that means "End", you know? The menu itself looks
like this...
Ugh...
Overall this issue features 39 articles and animations that is some kind of a
record... and, furthermore, all except one are enabled!
The mag starts with a "NEKROLOG" (huuuu) as editorial, brings us a very huge
reviews corner, featuring "DOUBLE JUGGLE", "GODPEY", "GLASS BUTTOCK OF THARG" (a
very ISHAR-a-like looking strategic game from Grandad Soft), "POP!" (that is a
game from Spain, you know?), "BYTEMAN", "RESOLUTION 1o1" and "DUCK DASH".
It goes on with two reports of the ATARIADA 2oo2, info files for the PLATARI and
ATARI HODY parties, there is a solution for "PRISON" including hints, tips and
maps in two parts as well as a solution for "SEVEN GATES OF JAMBALA". At next a
big cheats collection comes up, followed by a big animation part, showing intro
animations of several game developpers, such as CORE DESIGN, VIRGIN and so on.
The PC corner brings a getting started with STEEM, there are infos about ICQ and
IRC as well as about the CT 6o, followed by the usual internet news collection.
Another article starts with the german words (in bad grammar ;) "Achtung, diese
ist Volksbefragung"... sounds funny but I don't get a clue of the article itself
since it's still czech :)
Yes, and the rest is filled with the usual stuff, again adverts and so on and at
last a little animation, showing a skeleton puppet together with the years of
NARSIL's existence, 1993 - 2oo2...
Overall... Not a bad issue and in comparison with other magazines that died on
the ST/Falcon it tries to make something special out of its dead. But
we have to admit that this dead was planned while other magazines
died slowly and quite unexpected...
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And now? NARSIL was more or less the only regular lifesign of the small czech
Atari scene, because of the language barrier always a bit out of interest for
foreign readers but always a pool for fresh grafix and a few info's about the
czech Atari scene, that never matched it to step into the bright international
light but was working in its countries as good as possible, bringing a few games
on the way, own hardwares, translating tools and even a few demo snippets.
Except the ARANYM gang there isn't much left anymore now and it will be silent
around the czech Atari scene. I still hope that they'll break the rule and make
the one or other issue, maybe with english contents then, but I doubt that.
As you know BLOUMA'S ADVENTURE was abandoned now and so the last big czech game
project died, maybe it will be saved by foreign coders, but now there isn't much
left in the pipeline from the czech scene... I wont paint all things black now
but I know I will miss something now...
Farewell guys!
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UCM23
