UCM25
.tHE .sIRIUS .cYBERNETICS .cORPORATION
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CHECKING A BUNCH OF D-BUG MENUS
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As I somehow fucked up with testing D-BUG compacts for UCM # 24 I will do it now
a bit later. In fact I was a bit disturbed that mOdmate just reviewed one single
menu in the end and wasn't in the right mood to start another article about the
D-BUG stuff... So here we go with a real bunch of disx...
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This disk starts again with a quite unimpressive bootblock screen but offers us
then a very well done intro by evl/DHS, showing some D-BUG logo overlayed with
some bumpmapping effect or something and a nice chiptune by 5o5.
The menu is a complete games menu this time, presenting us 3 games.
At first we have CHAOS v1.1 that is a public domain game, and somehow I have the
feeling to have seen it already some years before. CHAOS is a strategic fantasy
game where some wizards, the player and a special number of computer controlled
or even controlled by other humans are fighting against each other with their
spells. The actions are controlled by keys on the keyboard and the game runs
move by move. To put it in a nutshell, I didn't liked the game before and I do
not like it today. It is quite boring to me as I don't see it moving right and I
have problems to understand the whole meaning and working of the game at all, it
is just something for freax, that like it to be tormented with dumb samples and
the worst grafix seen over the last decade. CHAOS - zero points!
We go on with CLACKER, an old Budgie UK game, so it was licenceware and not
around for free and I have to admit, I didn't saw it before as it wasn't that
easy here in Germany to get licence games from the UK.
CLACKER starts with a much more friendly looking title screen and is quite easy
to understand and to play. CLACKER is a puzzle game a bit in the way of "Towers
of Hanoi", you get many coloured blocks and have to sort them together, if you
get a special number of blocks in a row they will be deleted from the screen,
but you have to think twice as every block you have dropped stays there untill
you put matching ones to it, you can't move them anymore.
The game design isn't that spectacular and you see on every edge that the game
is quite old, the grafix are colourful but not that stylish, animations are a
bit low, the sound consists of some chip noises, that's it. But it makes fun
anyway and is good for playing and mind tormenting some minutes or hours, esp.
as it features 1o difficulty levels for beginners up to real cracks...
At last we have now JET SET WILLY in a trained version. Arf, what to say, I had
to vomit right at the title screen as we get some Spectrum 1:1 or something
conversion of a jump'n'run game. I really don't understand to pack such crap on
a compile as this one is just a pure collectors item as it kicks the ST tech in
any point into the ass... ugliest grafix and sound with nerving factor 1oo are
the purest vomit utilities... just forget it...
So what about this disk? The intro is well done and stylish, but the presented
games are... hum, not really my taste. CLACKER is quite ok for playing a round
but the rest can be kicked into the trashcan. This compact is more or less a bit
wasted time and effort... save the intro and delete the rest...
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This disk comes along with another bootblock screen and, again a cool intro by
evl with another view on his bumpmap effect and another cool blip-blopping msx
by 5o5. Again we have a pure games disk featuring again 3 games.
At first we have BOSTON BOMB CLUB by Silmarils, so we move forwards, away from
PD shit. BOSTON BOMB CLUB reminds hard to Pipemania, you just have to build a
way for a bomb instead of water on a table. You just have to guide them savely
to the goal without letting them explode or falling from the table.
What to say more? Special blocks and money markers that bringing points to your
score are making it a bit more difficult. The grafix stuff is always excellent,
as it was always at later Silmarils games, the sound comes along in sampled way,
so overall a nice little game, but I have to admit that it doesn't hits my taste
really.
The second game is called SIEGEMASTER that is an action adventure with many RPG
elements in Zelda style where you have to solve several puzzles and quests...
but... don't ask me more about it as I wasn't in the mood to play a round on it,
just take a look by yourself. The grafix are in parts quite ok for such an old
game, the chip musix quite oldschoolish and the 3sampled sound very noisy... But
I think if you're an adventure fan and you haven't checked it out so far, just
give it a try...
For the third game we are smashed to the desk, it's ROBIN SMITH'S INTERNATIONAL
CRICKED... gosh... just forget it as I hate sport games, esp. if the guy on the
titlescreens looks more like an ape as a human being... ;)
So what at the end? BOSTON BOMB CLUB is a nice little game, I remember to have
played it on Amiga sometimes in the past, but today I don't get that a big
connection to it anymore. SIEGEMASTER needs some time to fiddle in and if I had
some more time I would check it out deeper as I didn't played and saw it so far,
the last game is just another piece for the trashcan... The nice intro not to
forget, overall a mediocre compil without special highlights.
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After the usual bootblock we get an oldschoolish intro again, scrolly + pic, you
know, featuring a nice sid tune by NoMore of Animal Mine, a track I haven't heard
so far I think.
Just to games to examine this time, GODPEY and WALLS OF ILLUSION. So not much to
say about GODPEY as it was hyped like hell over the last year, just one of the
best puzzlers released at all on the ST, well done RES GODS...
WALLS OF ILLUSION is a special thing, as it is the full version that comes from
the german POOL series and was some kind of licenceware/shareware before and
overall, formerly released just in german language! Not the best move for a role
player, no? So it was brought to english now, even tough I didn't had problems
with the german version, hehe.
It is a mouse controlled DM style roleplayer with very good grafix and stuff,
could kick several commercial games in the ass if you ask me. The control is very
easy and completely solved over mouse and apart from the quite outstanding grafix
it offers a few sampled sounds, comfortable save functions, automapping and such
stuff. So if you are tired from DUNGEON MASTER and alikes, take this one for some
further adventures.
What about the disk itself? Hum, not a bad one, but the release of GODPEY on a
compact after all have played it to death isn't the killer idea. The other game
is quite cool and I played the PD version many times in the past, today I have to
admit, I lost the connection to such games. So overall not a bad disk, but no
kicking one as well...
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Other bootblock, new luck? Yeps, a nice plasma intro and 3 games included.
We start with UNDER PRESSURE, a horizontal shot'em'up, where you're running
around with a big mechwarrior to fight against quite strange nasties.
The game offers tracked music, a bunch of fx in the game itself, in parts quite
well drawn grafix and may be good for a round when you're in the mood to destroy
something. Not a killergame but not that bad at all, we saw more bad stuff on
previous disx.
At next there is HERO, but not the quite ok game from the middle nineties that
was called to be FLASHBACK for the ST, nope, this one is some kind of overhead
dungeon game with slightly roleplaying elements. You can load or create your own
charackter and start to explore the dungeons, but I doubt you will step that deep
into the game, the visuals are horrible, audio nearly not available and the
control a pervert mix out of keyboard and mouse. The whole thing is just a laugh
and I fastly pressed the reset button...
The last one is PACIFIC ASSAULT in trained version and guess what, it is a SEUK
game, so made with the shot'em'up construction kit. You surely remember my test
of ASM Softwares MEGASTAR back in UCM 23? Here we have a little better colleague,
the grafix are worked out much better, but... the sound stays the same and the
gameplay is still damn boring... Nothing more than a diskfiller and surely from
the PD...
Overall this compact leaves just the taste to be a number between many others,
only UNDER PRESSURE looks slightly better then the rest... Get it, test it and
store it in a diskbox, if you're collector... The rest surely will reuse the disk
for other purposes...
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This compact comes on two disx, bringing us with colourful raster intros the
football simulation PREMIER MANAGER 2 and as diskfillers two more games, DOUBLE
JUGGLE VEGETABOBLE by the RES GODS and BRIDES OF DRACULA on disk two.
Maybe it is interesting to know that PREMIER MANAGER 2 was one of the last games
by GREMLIN GRAPHICS for the ST, released in 1993...
So what to say, have to make it short, as I don't like football simulations, the
juggling game is an old hat already and I didn't got BRIDES OF DRACULA to run, as
the actions ended at the joystick screen... hu?
And as I just don't want to start further examinations here I just shut up ;)
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Ok, here we have the last disk for today and I have to admit that I am somehow
tired of checking more compacts now. The intro is quite stunning, gives us some
kind of GOLDRUNNER feeling with scrolling background, spacefighter sprites and
the usual scrollers and some more little things.
This disk brings us TRASH HEAP that, bombs away at the title screen so that I
couldn't check it out further... and at second STARBALL, the glorious PD flipper
from VOLUME 11 DEVELOPMENTS, that was the first real stunning and playable
pinball game on the ST with gorgious grafix and effects, maybe one of the best
PD games of the nineties on the ST if you ask me, as it offers apart from the
flipper game a 3 screens high table, many bonus games and stuff, a must seen and
a must have. But have I mentioned that my old crew THE NAUGHTY BYTES has released
a compact disk containing Starball nearly 1o years back, too? And have I also
mentioned that I packed this disk together? Grin... :)
About this disk, not much to say, nice intro, a stunning game that unfortunately
was spreaded like hell in the past but may find some interested gamblers 1o years
later now. Not a bad disk if the first game would run properly...
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After all, don't take the reviews too serious, as games are a matter of taste and
a matter or the taste of the emulation that obviously didn't liked the one or
other game, or am I wrong? Shame on me to torture STEEM instead of the real hard
ware... but I'm not in the mood to copy disx and search for a place for my ST at
the moment... maybe next year? :)
__________________________________________________________________moondog_1o/2k3_
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