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------------------------------------------------------------------
AGA Monthly - September Edition #3 -
------------------------------------------------------------------
From the man who brought you "The Release Charts" for a year, comes
an all-purpose AGA/CD-32 Disk Mag that not only reviews games, hardware
and informs you of what is coming out. But also tells you if it is
cracked, any problems with the crack, and other information pertaining
to the scene.
If you do not feel you are ready or able to read a magazine that
includes piracy as just another piece of the scene, then hit the
abort key now...
- The Editor
------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments From The Editor
------------------------------------------------------------------
New Changes To Magazine
-----------------------
This magazine, which formerly only listed AGA and CD-32 games,
has now been expanded to include all Amiga CD's... I think that
Multimedia is something that many people are also interested in,
and there is no reason from excluding it from this magazine.
I also am working on testing as many as possible CD-32 disks on
an a1200 with a Double Speed CD-ROM drive. There are a growing
number of Amiga users who are purchasing CD-Drives, and I will try
to help them out as much as possible in figuring which games will
work. And for those games which do not, I will try to explain why
they do not work, or how to make them work.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Editor On CD-Drives
------------------------------------------------------------------
One important thing that many people have noticed when running
CD-32 games/utilities on there AGA machines is this: The great
animations seem to run slow sometimes and the sound is screwed up.
I feel the second biggest problem is them not working period,
especially on NON-BOOTABLE drives... So I am going to write up a
few tips for you guys who go out and buy the originals...
TIPS:
First thing you want to do is make a directory on your hard drive
(or format a floppy) simply for CD load scripts... This will make
your life much easier... Copy the CD's file "s/startup-sequence"
to ram: then edit it and save it as a load script...
What should you edit? First off, always use the following lines:
ASSIGN LIBS: CD0:LIBS
ASSIGN C: CD0:C
ASSIGN DEVS: CD0:DEVS
ASSIGN L: CD0:L
ASSIGN S: CD0:S
If you think it is important to also retain your Workbench assigns
then do the following commands(you should have the point by now)
ASSIGN LIBS: sys:LIBS add
.
.
etc
Next look for the CDGSXL files... The line would look something like
this(not all CD-32 games use them, but many do):
CDGSXL PIRATES.INTRO MULTIPAL XLSPEED=150 PAL X=60 Y=120
/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\
|| || ||_______||________||___||____||
CDGSXL FILENAME ANIMATION CONTROL COMMANDS
Something like that... Now what you are looking for is the following
setup(If the animations run properly for you then skip this part, but
in many cases this is the good fix) is an Animation Control Command
that reads either "SDBL" or "CDXL". If either one of these is in the
script then remove those two commands...
Wether those commands are present or not at the end of the line you
want to add the control command "DOSXL"... This should fix the problem
on most animations, or atleast downscale it.
Another problem that is common, is "HEY IT NEEDS THE GREEN OR BLUE
BUTTON, AND I DON'T HAVE ONE!". Well there are two ways out of this:
One is grab the joystick fix. That is easy enough to do, but then you
are sometimes stuck with using keys for commands, and in action games
that is impractical.
The best solution is to go out and buy a CD-32 JOYPAD or a GRAVIS
JOYPAD... That is really the only way to get all of the keys.. You can
also use a SEGA or other JOYSTICK, but that will only work for the
first two buttons(even though sega has 3 buttons or more only the
first two will work!). Yes, it's a pain, nobody likes to cough up
$25 on a joystick, but it saves you a lot of pain and trouble.
Another problem that may occur with 2 meg systems is that you will
run out of memory... Remember, you know have WB, disk drives, hard
drives as well as a CD. The easiest and best way to fix that is invest
money in a PCMCIA card, or buy some 32 bit memory and a trapdoor
expansion etc... But if you do not have either one and want games to
work then: Boot with no-startup sequence, disable all drives except
CD0: and pray that you'll have enough memory(usually you will)!
The last problem is not so easy to solve(so far there is no way).
That has to do with the AKIKO chip... Very few games use this Chip
(the only that come to mind is Microcosm and Wing Commander), but
for the one's that do, best avoid them and save you some money.
There may in the future be ways around this(CD1200 I believe is
going to have an emulator) via emulators etc... But currently the
best thing to do is avoid those titles...
- The Editor/Charts!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Dartexpert, on CD-32 Ports
------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Cd32 games on the A1200
By Dartexpert
Seen CD32 files on BBSs, but don't know what's needed to get them running?
Well, read this!
CD32 games use several library files that are not found on a stock AGA
machine. The 3 most common libraries used, and their latest versions
to date (May 31, 1994) are:
freeanim.library (Version 40.29 1.4.94) 188 bytes
lowlevel.library (Version 40.35 30.7.93) 6920 bytes
nonvolatile.library (Version 40.36 14.9.93) 3588 bytes
Once these are installed in the Sys:Libs directory, you next need to make
sure CD0: is assigned to where you place the game to play.
Example if you use the directory "Games" on DH1: then use:
Assign CD0: DH1:Games/
This is usually all that's needed for most of these games.
Some interesting notes:
Games from the software company Millennium use some or all of the following
tool types in the main file's icon:
Default_Controller (GAME-PAD MOUSE) <-Use mouse
Display (NTSC PAL ECS-PAL) <-Use NTSC normally
AGA_Sprites (YES NO) <-Use YES
Horizontal_Adjust <-I don't know what to use here.
Vertical_Adjust <-I don't know what to use here.
Audio_Filter (YES NO) <-Your preference
Fury OF The Furries uses the following tool types:
Mode:
0: PAL Workbench
1: NTSC Workbench
2: DblPAL Workbench
The foloowing CD32 games uses saves:
Diggers (Save name: ?)
Fury Of The Furries (Save name: ?)
Global Effect (Save name: GlobalEffect.HighScores)
Nick Faldo's Golf (Save name: ?)
Pirates! Gold (Save name: ?)
Fire & Ice (Save name: ?)
Pinball Fantasies (Save name: ?)
To use the save option from any CD32 game, do the following:
1. From your Startup script, use the following line:
Echo NV:NonVolatile >Gamename:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys/NV_Location
(Replace "Gamename" in that line with the name of your game directory.)
2. Make sure you have the following directories created:
Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys/ <-Place the file "NV_Location" here.
NonVolatiles/ <-Place in the game's main directory
3. Create the text file "NV_Location", which reads:
NV:NonVolatile
------------------------------------------------------------------
Top AGA/CD-32 Games(By Ratings)
------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are confused. What this does is take the average of the
reviews of various AGA/CD-32 game mags, and it will list the top
twenty-five highest rated AGA/CD-32 games on the market.
Top Twenty-Five AGA/CD-32 Games
-------------------------------
1. Brian The Lion - 92 pts
2. Robinsons Reqiuem - 91 pts
3. Microcosm - 90 pts
Jurassic Park - 90 pts
Pinball Fantasies - 90 pts
Body Blows AGA - 90 pts
7. Ultimate Body Blows - 89 pts
Banshee - 89 pts
9. Chaos Engine - 88 pts
Liberation CD-32 - 88 pts
On The Ball - 88 pts
12.Gunship 2000 - 86 pts
Brutal Sports Football - 86 pts
Labyrinth Of Time - 86 pts
15.Oscar - 85 pts
Wing Commander - 85 pts
Body Blows Galactic - 85 pts
Pierre Le Chef, Out To Lunch - 85 pts
Super Putty - 85 pts
Pirates! Gold - 85 pts
21.Fury Of The Furries - 83 pts
Star Trek 25th Anniversary - 83 pts
Morph - 83 pts
24.Nick Faldos Golf - 82 pts
Tubular Worlds - 82 pts
------------------------------------------------------------------
Top CD-32 Porters
------------------------------------------------------------------
I have decided to add this section, as sort of a motivater. This
is the area to rate the men who port CD-32 games to amiga. I think
we all appreciate those who fix the games more than those who use
direct ports. Also the groups who are known for fixing bad games
also deserve recognition. And anthrox appears to be the only
group who is interested in training these games, so they also
deserve some credit.
1. Concept - They've released 4 quality games that didn't
need no fixing. And they've touched the large ones that make
other guys fringe, because of lack of u/d space or whatnot.
I look forward to more great stuff from Concept
2. Backlash - The newest to the list of porters. Their first
Emerald Mines was not something that many wanted... But for the
cult members who did, it was cool. But by releasing CD Football
(long on my request list) a couple of days later. They have
catapulted to #2.
3. Legend - Though they haven't released any ports. Legend deserves
recognition for fixing many. They are famous for the joystick
fixes for these games for us 1 button fans. Here's a couple of
projects for you guys(or others). How about fixing the mouse
problem on Defender of The Crown II, and fix that swordfighting
scene bug as well. And also, someone needs to make Brutal Deluxe
AGA HD-Installable, or tell everyone else how, cuz it uses DOS
loaders as well as trackdisk!?!
4. Global Overdose - Though they have only released two games.
I expect much more from GOD. Purple Haze has been a great
trainer/cracker. And I expect that he will be a great porter as
well.
5. Anthrox - Though the group has lost all it's famouse trainers
(Skol, Groo, and Toxic), and most of it's flair. They deserve
credit because they are the only group who is doing trainers
for CD-32. I wish I could see more from them. And level skips
would be nice, but they deserve credit for what they've shown.
6. Shining 8 - As you notice, a steep fall(from #2)... Why is
this... Well first they have released some stuff that is the
same as the AGA version, no changes, no need to re-release.
And reason #2 is because they have released non-working stuff.
7. Access -They haven't done much but they have released
possibly the best game available for the CD-32 yet. That is
of course, Ultimate Body Blows... A GREAT game, and congrats
to Access for getting it out.
8. LSD - Though they have been ragged by many other groups, I
feel that LSD's CD-32 work is pretty good. Though I still have
not seen the fix for their Defender Of The Crown II, they have
released better quality games than PHUN for example. So I rate
them above PHUN. When they get some more releases under their
belt they can be further reviewed.
9. Bytehunter - I really am happy that he has fixed some of these
longtime non-working files.
10. Dynamix - We'll have to wait and see what else from DNX...
------------------------------------------------------------------
CD-32 Compatible Joypads
------------------------------------------------------------------
So you have a CD-32, but bad news... It only comes with one
joypad... Sure you can plug in a standard joystick, but it only
has 1 button, or use a 2 button joystick or SEGA joypad... BUt those
only allow 2 buttons(only B and C work from SEGA's joypad)... Some
game's require more...
You can order another CD-32 pad from Commodore, but it still is
the same old thing... Bad control... Or you can buy a third party
joypad... I will be including a list of all compatible joysticks(that
means the one's that access all 4 buttons) that I know work... So
far the list includes:
Gravis Joypad
Dynamics Control Pad
------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Motion Video CD's
------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been rigorously searching to give you a complete listing
of all Full Motion Video CD's available... This is the listing
as stands.
The Listings
------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Apocalypse Now
A Tour of the Universe
The Best of Baby Songs
Beverly Hills Cop
Billy Ray Cyrus - Live
Black Rain
Bob Marley - The Legend
Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith
Bryan Adams - Waking the Neighbors
Cartoon Carnival
Cream of Eric Clapton
The Cure
Dinosaurs - Myths and Reality
Fatal Attraction
The Firm
Ghost
History of Aviation
Hunt For Red October
Indecent Proposal
Indiana Jones - Temple of Doom
INXS - Live Baby Live
Lamb Chop's Play Along Songs
Lionel Ritchie - Back to Front
One Small Step
The Naked Gun 2 1/2
The Neighbors
NFL's 100 Greatest Touchdowns
Opera Imaginaire
Patriot Games
Pavoratti - Nessun Dorma
Playboy Massage
Posse
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Sliver
Star Trek I
Star Trek VI
Sting - Ten Summoners Tales
Tina Turner - Live In Rio
Top Gun
The Untouchables
Wayne's World
Witness
Full Motion Video CD's are being produced at a rapid rate. This
list should continue to grow into a huge library...
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Complete Lists Of AGA/CD Games/Multimedia Out or in Production
------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME Publisher Type AGA CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
1869 Microvalue/Flair Arcade *YES YES
1884 Millennium ??? ???? YES
4D Sports Compendium Mindscape Sports *NON YES
50 Karoake Hits Multimedia Machine Multimedia NO *YES
7th Guest Virgin Adventure NO YES
Adrenaline Factor Mirage Adventure ???? YES
Advanced Military Systems Online Multimedia ???? *YES
Adventures in Time Flair ??? ???? YES
AfterShock Elite Systems Simulation ???? YES
Agresssion Bloodhouse Action YES YES
Air Bucks v1.2 Impressions Simulation *YES NO
Akira ICE Action NO *YES
The Akrobats Catfich ??? ???? YES
Aladdin Virgin Adventure YES YES
Alfred Chicken Mindscape Platform *YES *YES
Alien Breed 3D Team 17 Action ???? YES
Alien Breed 2 Team 17 Action *YES *YES
AB2: Tower Assault Team 17 Action YES NO
Alien Breed SE & Qwak Team 17 Action *SEP *YES
Alien Incident ??? ??? ??? YES
Alien Wars Bloodhouse ??? ??? YES
Ambermoon Thallion Adventure *YES *YES
American Football CD Plattsoft Sports NO *YES
American Encyc Dictionary ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Animals In Motion Online Multimedia NO *YES
Another World II Virgin Action ???? YES
Anstoss Daze/Ascon Sports *YES NO
Arabian Nights Krisalis Platform *NON *YES
Arcade Pool & Superfrog Team 17 Sports/Platf *SEP YES
Assasin SE Team 17 Action YES YES
ATR Team 17 Racing YES YES
B-17 Flying Fortress Microprose Simulation ???? YES
Balance of Power Millennium Strategy ???? YES
Baldy Creative Edge ??? YES YES
Banshee Core Design Action *YES *YES
Bart Vs. The World Zeppelin Platform *NON *YES
Battlechess Interplay Strategy *NON *YES
Battle Island II Blue Byte Strategy YES YES
Battlestorm Titus ??? ???? *YES
Battle Toads Mindscape Action NO *YES
Bazooka Sue ??? Action ???? YES
Beastlord ??? Action *NON *YES
Beavers Grandslam Action *YES *YES
Beneath a Steel Sky Virgin Adventure *NON *YES
Benneton Racing ??? Sports ???? YES
Benjamin & The Alien Bloodhouse Adventure YES ????
Benjamin Bunny Discus Storybook NO *YES
Biosphere Bullfrog Simulation YES YES
Black Gold Krisalis Simulation YES YES
Blues Bros Titus Adventure YES ????
Body Blows Team 17 Action *YES NO
Body Blows 2 Team 17 Action YES YES
Body Blows Galactic Team 17 Action *YES *YES
Bogart Grandslam Action ???? YES
Boot ??? ??? ???? YES
Breach III Impressions Action YES ????
Brion The Lion Psygnosis Platform *YES *YES
Brutal Sports Football Millennium Sports *YES *YES
Brutal Sports Deluxe Millenium Sports *YES NO
Bubba 'n Stix Core Design Platform *NON *YES
Bubble and Squeak Audiogenic Action YES YES
Bump & Burn Grandslam Action YES YES
Burning Rubber Ocean Sports *YES *YES
Burntime Ascon Action *YES NO
Caeser Deluxe & Cohort 2 ??? Strategy *SEP *YES
Campaign II Empire Strategy *YES ????
Cannon Fodder Sensible/Virgin Action *NON *YES
Cannon Fodder II Sensible/Virgin Action NON YES
Captain Dynamo Codemasters Action ???? YES
Career Planner Riva-4DI Multimedia NO *YES
Case-o-Cautious Condor Tiger Media Adventure NO YES
Castles II Interplay Strategy NO *YES
CD Micro French LCL Multimedia NO *YES
Chaos Engine Mindscape/Renegade Action *YES *YES
Chambers of Shaolin Grandslam Action *NON *YES
Championship Manager Domark Sports *NON YES
Chuck Rock Core Design Action *NON *YES
Chuck Rock II Core Design Action *NON *YES
Christopher Kolumbus Soft 2000 Adventure *YES NO
Cinderella Discus Storybook NO *YES
Civilization Microprose Strategy *YES *YES
CJ's Elephant Antics Codemasters Action ???? YES
CJ in the USA Codemasters Action ???? YES
Claws Gremlin ??? ???? YES
Clockwiser Rasputin Puzzle NO *YES
Club Football Imagine Sports *NON *YES
The Clue Black Legend ??? ???? YES
Composer Quest Virtual Entertainment Multimedia NO *YES
Connas of Fine Art Lascelles Multimedia NO *YES
Creation Bullfrog Strategy ???? YES
Cyberwars S.C.I. Adventure NO YES
Cycle Ride Millennium Sports ???? YES
Dangerous Streets Microvalue/Flair Action *YES *YES
Darkmere Core Design Adventure *NON *YES
Darkseed Cyberdreams Adventure *NON YES
Darkstone Core Design Adventure YES YES
Daughter of Serpents Millennium Adventure ???? YES
Day of the Tentacle LucasArts Adventure YES YES
D-Day: Beg. To End Impressions Simulation YES YES
D-Day: Overlord Virgin Simulation YES YES
Deadly Racers Flair Action YES YES
Deep Core ICE Action *NON *YES
Defender of Crown II Sachs Entert. Simulation ???? *YES
D/Generation Mindscape Action *YES *YES
Dennis Ocean Platform *YES *YES
Dennis & Gnasher Alternative Soft Platform ???? YES
Der Clou(German) ??? Adventure *YES *YES
Desert Strike Electronic Arts Action *NON *YES
Detroit Impressions Simulation *YES ????
Diggers Millennium Strategy *YES *YES
Diggers II Millennium Strategy YES YES
Dino Wars Millennium ??? ???? YES
Dirt Racing Elite Systems Sports ???? YES
Discworld Teeny Weeny Games ??? YES ????
Disposable Hero Gremlin Action *NON *YES
Dizzy Collection Codemasters Platform NO *YES
Dizzys Enchanted Wood Codemasters Platform ???? YES
Dogfight Microprose Simulation YES YES
Donk special edition Supervision Action NO *YES
Dracula Psygnosis Action *NON *YES
Dream Web Empire Adventure YES YES
Dragonstone Core Design Adventure YES YES
Drive Fractalus Mindscape ??? ???? YES
Dune 2 Virgin Strategy *NON YES
Dungeon Master II Interplay Adventure YES YES
Elf Mania Renegade/Terramarque Action YES YES
Empire Soccer '94 Empire Sports NON YES
Emerald Mines 1994 Alamathera Puzzle NO *YES
England World Cup '94 Grandslam Sports ???? YES
En Marcha! YTV Multimedia NO *YES
Epic Ocean Action YES YES
Esairs XII Arcane ??? YES YES
Euro Champ. Football Hit Squad Sports YES *YES
Evasive Action Mindscape Simulation YES YES
Evil In Chayborne Psygnosis Adventure YES YES
Exile Audiogenic Adventure NO *YES
Extractors ??? ??? ???? YES
F117A Stealth Fighter Microprose Simulation *NON YES
Fantastic Voyage Centaur Action *NON *YES
Fantasy Flier ??? Platform *YES ????
Fantastic Dizzy Codemasters Platform YES YES
Fatman:Caped Consumer ??? Action *YES NO
Ferrarri System 3 Sports YES YES
FIFA: Inter Soccer Electronic Arts Sports YES YES
Fire And Ice GraftGold Platform *YES *YES
Fire Fighter Teeny Weeny Games Action YES YES
Fire Force ICE Action NO *YES
First Contact Ocean Action ???? YES
The First Encounters Gametek Adventure ???? YES
FIST Supervision Adventure ???? YES
Flashback US Gold Action YES YES
Flight of Amazon Queen Renegade Adventure YES YES
Flimbo's Quest System 3 Adventure *NON YES
Fly Harder Krisalis Action *NON *YES
Flying Circus Empire Action YES YES
Football Glory Black Legend Sports ???? YES
Formula 1 Krisalis Sports YES YES
Formula 1 GP II Microprose Simulation YES YES
Frontier - Elite II Gametek/Konami Simulation *NON *YES
Fury of the Furries Mindscape Action *NON *YES
Fuzzball ??? ??? ???? YES
Gardens of Zarg ??? Adventure NO YES
Genesia Mindscape Strategy YES YES
Genesis Microvalue/Flair Adventure NO *YES
Global Chaos Hex ??? ???? YES
Global Domination Impressions Simulation *YES NO
Global Effect Millennium Strategy *YES *YES
Gods Bitmap Brothers Action YES YES
Graham Goochs Cricket Acid Sports YES YES
Graphics Resource Lib ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Groliers Encylopedia Xiphias Multimedia NO *YES
Groliers Encylopeida 2 Xiphias Multimedia NO *YES
Guardian Acid Software Adventure YES YES
Guiness Book Records New Media Multimedia NO *YES
Gulp ICE Action NO *YES
Gunship 2000 Microprose Simulation *YES *YES
Guy Spy ??? ??? ???? YES
Harry the Hairy Hermit Rasputin ??? YES YES
Hanse - Die Expedition Ascon Adventure *YES *YES
Heathers 1st Home Run Discus Storybook NO *YES
Here with the Clues Domark Adventure NO *YES
Heroice Age SpaceFlight Trokia Multimedia NO *YES
Heimdall II Core Design Adventure *YES YES
Hired Guns Psygnosis Adventure *NON *YES
Hired Guns II Psygnosis Adventure YES YES
Humans 1 & 2 Gametek Strategy *SEP *YES
Hunt for Red October Grandslam Strategy ???? YES
Illustrated Holy Bible Online Multimedia NO *YES
Illustrated Shakespeare Online Multimedia NO *YES
Illustrated Sherl Holmes Online Multimedia NO *YES
Impossible Miss 2025 Microprose Action *YES *YES
Incoming Millennium Adventure ???? YES
Insight: Dinosaurs Optonica Multimedia NO *YES
Insight: Living Body Optonica Multimedia NO *YES
Insight: Technology Optonica Multimedia NO *YES
Insight: Until Caught Optonica Multimedia NO *YES
Indy:Fate Atlantis LucasArts/Microprse Adventure YES YES
Inferno Ocean/DID Simulation YES YES
Innocent Until Caught Psygnosis Adventure *NON *YES
International Golf Ocean Sports *NON *YES
International Karate+ System 3 Action *NON *YES
Inter. Karate Deluxe System 3 Action ???? YES
Interplay Optonica Multimedia NO *YES
Ishar Daze Adventure *YES NO
Ishar II Daze Adventure *YES NO
Ishar III Daze Adventure YES YES
James Pond: Millennium Platform *NON YES
James Pond 2: Robocod Millennium Platform *YES *YES
James Pond 3: Starfish Millennium Platform *YES *YES
James Pond 4 Millennium Platform YES YES
Jet Strike Rasputin Soft Action NO YES
John Harkes WC Soccer Grandslam Sports ???? YES
John Barnes' Football Krisalis Sports *YES *YES
John Doe Ocean ??? YES YES
Jungle Book Virgin ??? YES YES
Jungle Strike Electronic Arts Action ???? YES
Jurassic Park Ocean Action *YES *YES
K240 - Utopia II Gremlin Strategy *NON *YES
Kick Off 3 Anco Sports *YES YES
Kid Vicous ??? Action YES ????
King Of Karate ??? Action *YES NO
Kingpin Team 17 ??? YES YES
Kings Quest 6 Sierra Adventure YES YES
Klondike Reiko Cards *YES NO
Klondike II Reiko Cards *YES NO
Knights Of The Sky Microprose Simulation *YES NO
Krusty's Fun House Zeppelin Action *NON *YES
KTM Motocross Renegade Sports YES YES
Kult Of Speed Electronic Arts Sports ???? YES
Labyrinth of Time Electronic Arts Adventure NO *YES
Lamborghini Challenge Titus Sports/Action YES YES
Last Ninja 3 System 3 Action *NON *YES
The Legacy Microprose ??? YES YES
Legend Krisalis Adventure YES YES
Legend of Sorasil Gremlin Adventure NON *YES
Lemmings Trilogy Psygnosis Strategy *SEP YES
Liberation Mindscape Adventure *YES *YES
Links: The Challenge ??? Sports YES YES
Lionheart Thallion Action *NON *YES
Liverpool Football Grandslam Sports ???? *YES
Long Day At The Ranch Discus Storybook NO *YES
Lord of the Rings 2 ??? Adventure ???? YES
Lost Eden Virgin/Cryo Adventure ???? YES
The Lost Vikings Interplay Adventure *NON *YES
Lotus Turbo Trilogy Gremlin Sports *NON *YES
Lovers Guide FMV Supervision Multimedia NO YES
Magic Carpet Bullfrog Action ???? YES
Magicland Dizzy Codemasters Platform ???? YES
Manchester United 2 Krisalis Sports *NON *YES
Marvins Adventure 21st Century ??? ???? YES
Mean Arenas ICE Action NO *YES
Megaball 3.0 PDSOFT Action *YES NO
Mega Media 1 ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Megamorph Psygnosis Puzzle YES YES
MegaRace Mindscape Sports NO YES
Micro Machines Code Masters Sports YES YES
Micro Machines II Code Masters Sports YES YES
Microcosm Psygnosis Action ???? *YES
Microprose Golf Microprose Sports *YES ????
Mighty Max Ocean Action YES YES
Mircor R&D Vol. 1 Mircor Multimedia NO *YES
Mircor R&D Vol. 2 Mircor Multimedia NO *YES
Monkey Island LucasArts/Microprose Adventure YES YES
Monkey Island 2 LucasArts/Microprose Adventure YES YES
Morph Millennium Strategy *YES *YES
Mortal Kombat Acclaim/Probe Action YES *YES
Mortal Kombat II Acclaim/Probe Action YES YES
Motor Mania Millennium Action YES YES
Moving Gives Tummy Ache Discus Storybook NO *YES
Mr. Magoo Millennium Platform YES YES
Mr. Nutz Ocean Platform *YES *YES
Mud Puddle Discus Storybook NO *YES
Mutant League: Football Ocean Sports YES YES
Mutant League: Hockey Ocean Sports YES YES
My Paint SaddleBack Multimedia NO *YES
Myth System 3 Action YES YES
NASA: Heroic Space Flight ??? Multimedia NO *YES
NASA: The 25th Year ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Naughty Ones Melon Dezign Action *YES *YES
Network Q RAC Rally Ocean Sports ???? YES
Neural World Millennium Action YES YES
New Basics Cookbook ??? Multimedia NO *YES
NHL 1995 Hockey Ocean Sports YES YES
Nick Faldo's Golf Grandslam Sports *NON *YES
Nigel Mansell Racing Gremlin Sports *YES *YES
Night Before Christmas Discus Storybook NO *YES
Ninja III System 3 Action NO *YES
No Second Prize Thallion Action NO *YES
North Polar Expedition Virgin Adventure YES *YES
Now, That's Games 1 Northwest PD PD Games NO *YES
Novastorm(Microcosm II)Psygnosis Action NO YES
One Step Beyond Ocean Action *NON *YES
On The Ball:League Daze/Ascon Sports *YES NO
On The Ball:World Cup Daze/Ascon Sports *YES NO
Oscar Microvalue/Flair Platform *YES *YES
Our Solar System Chestnut Multimedia NO *YES
Out to Lunch Mindscape Platform *YES *YES
Overdrive Team 17 Sports YES YES
Overkill & Lunar-C Mindscape Action *SEP *YES
Pacific Strike D.I.D. Simulation YES YES
Pandora's CD Optonica Multimedia NO *YES
Paranoia AGE Entertainment Action ???? YES
Paper Bag Princess Discus Storybook NO *YES
Penthouse Hot Deluxe ??? Puzzle *YES NO
Perihelion Psygnosis Action *NON *YES
Pet Care Riva-4DI Multimedia NO YES
PGA Euro Tour Golf Ocean Sports YES YES
P.I.D. Terramarque Action YES YES
Pinball Dreams 21st Century Simulation *NON YES
Pinball Fantasies 21st Century Simulation *YES *YES
Pinball Illusions 21st Century Simulation YES YES
Pinball World 21st Century Simulation YES YES
Pinkie Millenium Platform YES YES
Powerslide Elite Systems Action ???? YES
Pirates! Gold Microprose Strategy NO *YES
Planet Football Infogrammes Sports YES YES
Prehistoric Titus Action ???? YES
Premier Manager Ocean Sports *NON *YES
Premiere Core Design Action *YES *YES
Prey Almathera Action NO *YES
Prince Of Thieves Team 17 ??? YES YES
Project Gutenburg ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Project X & F17 Team 17 Action/Sports *SEP *YES
Project X II Team 17 Action YES YES
Psycho Killer OnLine Action NO *YES
Psycho Pinball Codemasters Action ???? YES
Pugsy Psygnosis Action *NON *YES
Putty 2 System 3 Strategy ???? YES
Putty Squad System 3 Strategy YES YES
Quik - Thunder Rabbit Titus Platform *NON *YES
Raiden US GOLD Action YES YES
Reach for the Gold Microvalue/Flair Sports ???? *YES
Rebel Assault LucasArts Simulator YES YES
Return to the Lost World Mirage ??? ???? YES
Reunion Grandslam Action/Strat YES YES
Rings Of Medusa Krisalis Adventure YES YES
Rise of the Robots Mirage Action YES YES
Risselheim Impressions Strategy *YES ????
Robinson's Requiem Silmarils Adventure *YES *YES
Ruff'n'Tumble Renegade Action YES YES
Ryder Cup Golf Ocean Sports *YES *YES
Sabre Team Krisalis Strategy *YES *YES
Safety In The Home Riva-4DI Multimedia NO *YES
Saurus Virgin Adventure YES YES
Scary Poems Discus Storybook NO *YES
Second Samurai Psygnosis Action *YES *YES
Seek and Destroy Mindscape Action *NON *YES
Sensible Golf Sensible Soft Sports NON YES
Sensible Soccer Sensible Soft Sports *NON *YES
Sens Soccer: Intern. Sensible Soft Sports NO *YES
Sensible World O Soc. Sensible Soft Sports NON YES
Serial III TypeColl. ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Seven Gates of Jambala Grandslam Action *NON *YES
Seventh Sword Of Mendor Grandslam Adventure YES ????
Shadows of the Wind Images Adventure ???? YES
Shaq Fu Oceon Action YES YES
Shenandoah Black Legend Strategy ???? YES
Sierra Soccer Sierra Sports ???? *YES
Silly Putty System 3 Strategy NO *YES
Sim City Mindscape/Maxis Simulation *NON *YES
Sim City 2000 Mindscape/Maxis Simulation YES YES
Sim Farm Mindscape/Maxis Simulation YES YES
Sim Life Mindscape/Maxis Simulation *YES YES
Simon the Sorcerer Adventuresoft Adventure *YES *YES
Simon the Sorcerer II Adventuresoft Adventure YES YES
Skeleton Krew Core Design Adventure YES YES
Skidmarks Acid Software Sports *YES YES
Skitching Ocean ??? YES YES
Sleepwalker Ocean Action *YES *YES
Soup Trek Krisalis Action YES YES
Sorceror ???? Adventure YES ????
Son of Zeus Aeon Design RPG ???? YES
Space Academy Mindscape Adventure YES YES
Space & Astronomy Chestnut Multimedia NO *YES
Super Space CD-Rom Chestnu Multimedia NO *YES
Space Junk Mirage ??? ???? YES
Space Simulation Gremlin Simulation ???? YES
Spectacular Journey ???? Adventure ???? YES
Speedball 2 Bitmap Brothers Sports *YES *YES
Spherical Worlds Black Legend Action ???? YES
Spud Boy Apache Action YES YES
Stamps of Frace & Monaco Seriat Multimedia NO *YES
Stardust Bloodhouse/Daze Action *YES ???
Star Trek 25th Anniv Interplay Simulation *YES *YES
STrek - Judgement Rites Interplay Action YES YES
Starlord Microprose Simulation YES YES
Stone Keep Interplay ??? ???? YES
Striker Gremlin Action ???? *YES
Subwar Microprose Simulation YES YES
Summer Olympix Microvalue/Flair Sports NO *YES
Super Frog 2 Team 17 Platform YES YES
Super Loopz Audiogenic Action ???? YES
Super Methane Brothers Apache Soft. Action ???? *YES
Super Putty System 3 Action NO *YES
Super Soccer Kid Krisalis Platform *YES *YES
Super Stardust Bloodhouse/Daze Action YES YES
Super Zocker Rasputin Arcade *YES NO
Supreme Warriors Arcane Action YES YES
Surf Ninjas Microvalue/Flair Action YES *YES
Swinging Simon System 3 Strategy ???? YES
Syndicate Bullfrog Strategy ???? *YES
Tale Of Peter Rabbit Discus Storybook NO *YES
Teeny Weeny Western Teeny Weeny Games ??? YES YES
Texture City CD 1 ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Texture City CD 2 ??? Multimedia NO *YES
Texture Heavan CD ??? Multimedia NO *YES
TT: Arts & Entertainment ??? Multimedia NO *YES
TT: Bus., Polit., Media ??? Multimedia NO *YES
TT: Science & Innovation ??? Multimedia NO *YES
T. Rex Millennium ??? ???? YES
Terminator 2 Virgin Action *NON *YES
TFX Ocean/DID Simulation YES *YES
The Cure ICE ??? ???? YES
Theatre of Death Psygnosis Action *NON *YES
Theme Park Bullfrog Simulation YES YES
Thomas Snowsuit Discus Storybook NO *YES
Thunderhawk Core Design Simulation YES YES
Tie Break Krisalis Sports ???? YES
Tinhead Microprose ??? YES YES
Tong Dynasty System 3 Action ???? YES
Toggles System 3 ??? ???? YES
Top Banana ??? ??? NO *YES
Top Gear II Gremlin Sports YES YES
Tornado Digital Integration Simulation *YES NO
Total Carnage ICE Action *YES *YES
Town With No Name Online Adventure NO *YES
Tracksuit Manager Alternative Sports ???? YES
Traps and Treasures Krisalis Action *NON *YES
TrashCan Satellite Mirage ??? ???? YES
Treasure Silver Lake Microvalue Action NO *YES
Trivial Pursuit Domark Trivial *YES *YES
Trolls Microvalue/Flair Platform *NON *YES
Troll Island Millenium Action YES YES
Tube Warriors ??? Action *YES NO
Tubular Worlds Dongelware Action *YES *YES
Turbo Trax Arcane Sports YES YES
Turrican III Rainbow Arts Action YES YES
TV Sports Duo Mindscape Sports ???? *YES
Twilight 2000 Empire ??? YES ????
UFO: Unknown Enemy Microprose Simulation YES YES
Ultimate Body Blows Team 17 Action YES *YES
Ultimate Dizzy Codemasters Platform ???? YES
Ultima Underworld Mindscape Adventure YES YES
Universe Core Design Simulation YES YES
Uridium 2 Renegade Action *YES *YES
Utopus Bloodhouse Strategy YES YES
Valhalla Vulcan Soft Adventure NON YES
Video Creator Alamathera Multimedia NO *YES
Virtual Chess ??? Strategy ???? YES
Vital Light Millenium Adventure *YES *YES
Wembley Soccer Audiogenic Sports *YES *YES
Whale's Voyage Microvalue/Flair Adventure *YES *YES
When 2 Worlds War Impressions Simulation *YES NO
Wild Cup Soccer Millenium Sports YES YES
Wing Commander Mindscape/Origin Simulation YES *YES
Wing Commander II Mindscape/Origin Simulation YES YES
Winter Super Sports Microvalue/Flair Sports *YES *YES
Women In Motion ???? Multimedia NO *YES
Woody's World Kompart Platform *NON *YES
World Circuit Grand Prix Microprose Sports YES YES
World Class Cricket ???? Sports *NON YES
World Cup '94 Grandslam Sports *NON YES
World Cup Golf US Gold Sports NO YES
World Cup Striker Rage Sports ???? YES
World Soccer '94 Flair Sports YES YES
WWF Wrestling Acclaim Sports YES YES
Z Bitmap Bros Action YES YES
Zool Gremlin Platform *YES *YES
Zool II Gremlin Platform *YES *YES
Zool III Gremlin Platform YES YES
Zonked ??? ??? ???? YES
KEY:
* = Already Released
NON = Available in Non-AGA/ECS Only
SEP = Available Seperately Only
??? = Unknown to Author
------------------------------------------------------------------
Complete List(to my knowledge) of Cracked AGA Games
------------------------------------------------------------------
Group Game
------------------------------------------------------------------
Paradox Ishar AGA
Decade Whales Voyage AGA German
King Of Karate AGA
Fairlight 1869 AGA
Fairlight Whales Voyage AGA English
Fairlight Sim-Life AGA
Faith Air Bucks v1.2 AGA German
Anthrox Air Bucks v1.2 AGA English
Delirium Overkill AGA
Robocod: James Pond II AGA
Diggers CD-32
Crystal Civilization AGA
Elevation Global Domination AGA
Heresey & Zenith Ishar II AGA
Classic D/Generation AGA
Prodigy Dynatech AGA
Classic Dennis AGA
Paradox When Two Worlds War
Paradox Diggers AGA
Fairlight Alien Breed II AGA
Fairlight Uridium II AGA
Fairlight Morph AGA
Prodigy Pinball Fantasies AGA
Fairlight Body Blows Galactic AGA
2000 A.D. Anstoss AGA German
Prodigy Burntime AGA German
Arabian Nights CD-32
DCS Knights Of The Sky AGA Enhanced
Fairlight Chaos Engine AGA
Fairlight Dangerous Streets AGA
Deep Core CD-32
Defekt & Radiance Lunar CD-32
Megaball AGA 3.0(PD, but good)
Paradox Jurassic Park AGA
Nigel Mansells Racing AGA
Classic Super Soccer Kid AGA
Crystal Burning Rubber AGA
Loons Fatman: The Caped Consumer AGA
Fairlight Skid Marks AGA
Hoodlum Mean Arenas CD-32
Hoodlum Star Trek 25th Anniversary AGA
Crystal Simon The Sorceror AGA
Radiance Alfred Chicken CD-32
Logic Wing Commander/Dangerous Streets CD-32
Fairlight Ryder Cup AGA
Progress Pirates Gold CD-32
Progress Pirates Gold CD-32 Intro(20 disks)
Paradox Tube Warriors AGA
Hoodlum Alfred Chicken AGA
Progress Liberation CD-32
Classic Penthouse Hot Numbers Deluxe AGA
Radiance Chambers Of Shaolin CD-32
Radiance Seven Gates Of Jambala CD-32
Radiance Fire Force CD-32
Paradox Naughty Ones AGA
Paradox Fantasy Flyer AGA
Legend Fly Harder CD-32
Seek & Destroy CD-32
Company John Barnes Football AGA
Sensible Soccer CD-32
Hoodlum Second Samarai AGA
Interpol Summer Olympics CD-32
King Of Kickboxing CD-32
International Karate + CD-32
Dynamix Silly Putty CD-32
Heavy Cool Crackers Bubba 'n Stix CD-32
Paradox Trolls AGA
PHUN Qwak/Alien Breed SE CD-32
PHUN Project X/F17 Challenge CD-32
Dual Crew/Shining Speedball II AGA
Global Overdose Skid Marks v1.06 AGA
Hoodlum Zool II AGA
Dynamix Global Effect CD-32
Paradox Total Carnage AGA
TRSI + Zenith Der Clou AGA German
Axis Nick Faldos Golf CD-32
Outlaws Brutal Sports Football AGA/Pre-CD
Quartex Campaign II AGA
PHUN Chaos Engine CD-32
PHUN Premiere AGA
Sentinel Lotus Trilogy CD-32
Prodigy Christopher Kolumbus AGA(German)
Comax Brion The Lion AGA
Sentinel Disposable Hero CD-32
Interpol Frontier CD-32
LSD Defender Of The Crown II CD-32
GOD Fury Of The Furries CD-32
GOD Humans CD-32
Paradox Brutal Sports Football Deluxe AGA
Quartex Tornado AGA
Concept Beavers CD-32
Concept Donk: Special Edition CD-32
Concept Lemmings CD-32
Concept Zool II CD-32
Shining 8 Gunship 2000 CD-32
LSD Fire & Ice CD-32
Shining 8 Striker CD-32
PHUN Super Putty CD-32
Apollo Surf Ninjas CD-32
Paradox Arcade Pool AGA
Radiance Trolls CD-32
Prodigy Sabre Team AGA
Hoodlum Impossible Mission 2015 AGA
Access Ultimate Body Blows CD-32
Paradox Heimdall II AGA
Paradox Wembely International Soccer AGA
Delirium James Pond III AGA
Klondike II AGA
Delirium Kick Off III AGA
Prodigy Gunship 2000 AGA
Shining 8 Der Clou CD-32
Delirium Pierre Le Chef: Out To Lunch AGA
Classic/Prodigy Tubular Worlds AGA
Prodigy Anstoss: World Cup Edition AGA
PHUN James Pond III CD-32
Bytehunter Super Putty CD-32 100% Version
Bytehunter Ultimate Body Blows CD-32 2 Meg Fix
Ooze AGA
Shining 8 Impossible Mission CD-32
Delirium Banshee AGA
Shining 8 Sensible Soccer Special Edition CD-32
Neutron Last Ninja III CD-32
Zombie Apocolypse AGA
TRSI Hanse - Die Expedition - AGA
Shining 8 Legacy Of Sorasil CD-32
Neutron Banshee CD-32
Dynamix Pinky AGA(HD-Only) Beta Version
Prestige On The Ball AGA(HD-Only)
Pirates Super Zocker AGA
Classic Bundeslinga Manager III AGA
Shining 8 Whales Voyagae CD-32 Update(German)
Paradox Speedball II AGA/CD-32 Graphics Patched
Delirium Detroit AGA
TRSI Risselheim AGA(German)
Fairlight Body Blows AGA
Backlash Emerald Mines 1994 CD-32
Backlash CD Sports Football CD-32
Paradox Robinson's Reqium AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
CD-32/AGA Game Reviews
------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the great things about video games is they are very diverse.
One of the great things about people is also our diversity. But this
arouses a problem in that many people have different tastes than
others. So one person might give a game GREAT reviews, while another
may not think very highly of the same game. As a result in all
editions of AGA Monthly I will include reviews from other people
and other disk-mags(currently Amiga Report, CD-View, CD-32 Bits,
and CD-32: The Review) if they have already reviewed a game that
I am going to review.
They use a different grading system than mine. But that will liven
up the diversity even further. And since Amiga Report uses two
seperate opinions, you will get a total of four opinions on certain
games. You can take the average of these reviews and deduce for
yourself which games you feel are worth purchasing.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Game Reviews
------------------------------------------------------------------
D/Generation(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Report *
D/Generation RRP: 29.99
Mindscape
Jukka
-----
You probably know what this is about. Guy running around
a building where strange things happen. D/Generation has
got loose! Overall the game is very much like the floppy
(AGA or not) version. In fact, it's identical. Only the
intro is a bit longer, and controls have been remapped
for CD32's joypad. Joypad isn't the best possible
thing for this game, as controlling the guy is sometimes
too inaccurate and you try to walk on walls etc.
Anyway the game is great adventuring and puzzle solving,
if you can get over the funny gfx that almost don't
have colours at all.
Alan
----
When I first slipped this disc in i thought "what the..."
the graphics really are minimalistic - harking back to
the old isometric days (though not as monochromed as "head
over heels" on the speccy). But after spending a few hours
playing i realized how indepth the game really was. Its
certainly a puzzler to contend with. Control with the
standard joypad is a real pain - but its mapped for it
so no joystick option. BTW, I remember the floppy version
wasn't a success. A matter of taste, try before you buy.
Saving: saves games at CD32's flash ram.
RATINGS
Jukka Alan
GFX: *** ***(very bare)
Sound: *** ***
Playability: *** ***
Lastability: **** ***
Overall: **** *** - an average game.
* CD-View Magazine *
D/GENERATION - A novel puzzle/maze/shoot-em-up. Unfortunately, the
graphics are on a par with the old 8-bit NES console and not a 32-bit
CD-ROM based system. The gameplay is good, but the graphics are a real
letdown. (**)
* AGA Monthly *
Considering the price of CD-32 games. I would not buy this one. Hell,
considering the price of Vic-20 games I wouldn't buy this one. The
graphics are ECS, and the gameplay is not very good. If you went out
and bought this game, I feel for you. And they say the meek shall
inherit the earth. Well, one day it will be yours... haha
[50/100]
Oscar/Diggers(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
The Two games in the original European CD32 bundle have been
released seperately by their publishers(Diggers from Millenium
and Oscar from Flair) and both bear up OK in the new context-
especially Lemmings-like mining game Diggers(B-).
And while Oscars hardly Sonic, this platformer is at least a
graphical tour-de-force(C+).
* Amiga-Report *
Diggers/Oscar RRP: 29.99
Commodore CD32 disk (Millenium/Flair)
Jukka
-----
These games come with CD32. Diggers is interesting and
good looking/sounding game of gem digging and strategy
while Oscar is basic platformer.
Oscar looks great. It uses lots of copper-colours at
background, and has very beautiful fore/background
graphics. But gameplay sucks. There's nothing that
keeps you playing and coming back time after time.
Diggers is quite good, while Oscar fails.
Alan
----
Diggers was hyped up by the press to be THE puzzle game
1993, but for me is simply does not cut the mustard (as
the expresion goes). The graphics are nice (AGA) and
the mellow sounds from the CD make for an interesting
atmosphere but the shallow (and VERY slow) gameplay
just trash the game.
Oscar is far too colourful for its own good the baddies
are hard to see but the sound IS good and a generous
amount of continues are given for a platformer. The first
of its genre for the CD32. The game had a nice idea, but
the execution of this idea failed miserably.
All I can say is thank god this Disc came with the CD32
I wouldn't like to have bought it - there again, it gives
bad impressions of CD32 capabilities..
RATINGS (Diggers/Oscar)
-----------------------
Jukka Alan
GFX: ****/**** ****/***(too many)
Sound: ****/*** ****/****
Playability: ***/*** ***/**
Lastability: ***/* **/*
Overall: ****/** ***/**
* CD-32 View *
OSCAR - nice platform game, with really good parallel scrolling. Some of
the screens are too "busy", and it's hard to see what you're doing with all
the stuff in the background. Well done, though, and just as good as Sonic
and the Mario games. (****) LATER: 80%
DIGGERS - is a game I just didn't quite get. It's a LEMMINGS clone, minus
the easy control method, the personality, and that "sit down and play
without a manual" charm.
The object is to dig into the ground and mine various objects while
avoiding other miners (seen as competitors) and various underground
dwellers.
I was never able to quite understand what was going on. The control
method used to move the diggers around was clumsy and felt very awkward.
The diggers would sometimes do what I wanted and other times acted as if
they had minds of their own. Others would accept one command and then act
as if they were deaf, never listening to another thing I asked them to do.
After several attempts to get things to work, I decided that I really
didn't care and didn't want to play the game. To me that's not the sign
of a game worth playing.
Reading the instructions was little help. The packaging is nice and well
put together, but didn't provide me with many clues on how to play the
game to get any fun out of it.
The graphics were OK. The sounds were OK. I just couldn't get much out
of the game. I know some people really enjoy the game. I asked one of
them if he could give me a clue so I could at least feel that I knew what
I was doing. His clue was "Visualize the whole play area as a grid."
That didn't help me much, but I pass it along to you. Maybe you can get
some enjoyment out of this game. I just couldn't seem to.
Ratings:
Graphics: 70% Manufacturer:
Sound: 50% Millennium Interactive, Ltd.
Gameplay: 50% Quern House, Mill Court
Control: 30% Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 SLD UK
OVERALL RATING: 45% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA MONTHLY *
OSCAR - I can't believe that Allan and Jukka thought so poorly of this
game. I think it is a great platform game. It is not quite as fast
as Zool or Sonic, it is more along the lines of the Super Mario series.
But I thought the originality was certainly there. You can select
to journey through several different worlds from westerns, to dinos,
to war flics.
The graphics on the game are very nice. And Flair took great advantage
of Dual-Playfield mode in this one. In my opinion this is the best
platform game available for CD-32 at this time.(though I am really
waiting for Brion the Lion AGA/CD-32 versions).
[85/100]
DIGGERS - This is a game that I feel it is hard to review. A lot of
people have grown addicted to this game, and say it is very fun.
Personally, I could not get very far on the game, as the gameplay
leaves something to be desired without a CD-32 Joypad. It is a puzzle
solving game like Lemmings. But of those games on the CD-32 I really
prefer Fury of the Furries and Super Putty over the others.
The graphics on this game are excellent though(except for the fact
that the sprites are a little jumpy moving). They make good use of
256 colors. So what we are left with is a good looking, probably
very addicting game, that I never quite got addicted to.
[75/100]
John Barnes European Football(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
John Barnes European Football(Buzz) doesn't even deserve to be
mentioned in the same breath as Sensible. I flout this restriction
this time because it was the first sports game for the CD32, and it's
likely to be the last this time hard-to-control and ugly soccer
game will be first at anything. (F)
* Amiga-Report *
John Barnes European Football RRP: 14.99
Krisalis Software/Buzz cheapo label
Jukka
-----
Puke flows when you play this game. Just terrible. It's
ages since I've seen football game so full of bullshit
as this. Looks bad, sounds a bit good and plays awfully.
No way I would touch this again.
Alan
----
Is this a joke? Come on, April the 1st 's not for another few
weeks bet! - seriously, I had the same vomiting problems as Jukka
when I played this title. It really is CRAP. The graphics take
me back to the old soccer days (the days we'd rather forget!!)
The graphics dont even seem to take up 1 colours, let alone 32!
The sound is the only saving grace here - some nice chants and
fx, but the control is awful! If you WANT a soccer game - but
already have Sensi or dont like Sensi, then wait for Krisalis
to release "Man. Utd. Euro. Leag. Champ." as it will e much
better - even Easy AMOS experts can beat this!
RATINGS
Jukka Alan
GFX: ** *
Sound: *** ***
Playability: ** **
Lastability: * *
Overall: ** **
* CD-32 View *
John Barnes European Football Review
Sports games are important to a videogame system. If you look at the Sega
Genesis or Super Nintendo, you'll see a load of sports games. Some are
good and some are not so good. There are a lot of them, though.
Right now, sports games are few-and-far-between on the CD32. That's what
makes this game so glaringly bad. It's got no competition, but yet it does.
If that makes no sense to you, let me explain: The CD32's first sports
game is the one that people will initially point fingers at. Since there
are few sports games on the CD32 right now, the consumer will compare
it to what is available on other systems. "The CD32 stinks at sports games"
is the comment one will expect to hear after playing this game.
I don't profess to know anything about soccer. I know the basic rules and
that's about it. One thing I do know is that soccer games have always
been a lot of fun to play. I've played soccer on videogame systems since
I owned an Atari 2600 in the early 1980's. From that, I graduated to
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER on the Commodore 64 and then moved on to SENSIBLE
SOCCER for the Amiga. However, I don't watch soccer on television and I'm
not particularly excited about thesiorld Cup coming to the United States
this year.
This game is an exercise in frustration from the time you boot up to the
time you turn it off. (And for me, there was not a lot of time in between.)
Passing to your teammates is nearly impossible. Scoring is even harder.
The computer didn't seem to have any trouble doing both.
The graphics and sound are adequate. They're not bad, but I was shocked
when I saw the Amiga version of the game. There is no difference between
the two versions. The CD32 verionn should have something extra. The
game doesn't cost as much as other CD32 titles, so it's not like they're
trying to sell this as a top-of-the-line release. That's honest enough.
I hate to trash the game, but it asked for it. I'm not familiar enough
with the soccer scene to know who John Barnes is, but I don't think he'd
want to play this game.
Ratings:
Graphics: 65% Manufacturer:
Sound: 70% Krisalis Software Ltd.
Gameplay: 25% Teque House, Masons Yard, Downs Row
Control: 25% Moorgate, Rotherdam
OVERALL RATING: 46% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
I don't think I even need to review this game. Let's just say that I
am in * FULL * compliance with everything that everyone else has said
about this game. I don't even think it's worth a $.49 disk to copy it
onto.
[35/100]
Pinball Fantasies(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga-Report *
Pinball Fantasies RRP: 29.99
21st Century Entertainment
Jukka
-----
THE pinball game, of all times. THE glory of 256-colour
AGA-graphics with CD-sound? Not quite. GFX look great,
though their AGA enhancement hasn't been so complete
as one could wish. Anyway the fields look very good.
Game sounds are the old ones, no CD quality here.
As far as gameplay and outlook goes, CD32 version
is 99% identical to the old one. Though compared to
OCS-version this HAS some new things, the 32-bit
maths routines are bit more efficient and gameplay
is remarkable faster - even so much that one guy who
has previously played PF on A500 couldn't get practically
any points as he was used to the "slowness" tioA500-version.
Cool. BUT, this is anyway cool. CD-soundtrack at beginning
is nice, but the great thing is that it's all so easy now!
Throw disk in, go and play. No disk swapping, or
password completion. Yes - there is no pw-protection on
CD! This makes be believe to CD-platform!
It's not worlds greatest achievment on CD-technology, but
as game it's supercool. A must to own.
Alan
----
You like pinball? Good! Well then, you should get a copy of
this game then - it'll save you a fortune on that addicionn of
yours! Seriously, though its not as good as actually playing
fields such as "indiana jones" and "dr who" - not to mention
"twilight zone" ;) it gives them a run for their money.
Graphically this version is the AGA floppy version on a disc.
Loading is extremely quick! and their is no manual protection.
The music is also better. But for CD, they could have at least
added proper pinball sounds - AND put the pinball dreams fields
on the same disc (though they had problems due to P.Dreams
not being OS friendly). This is still one helluva game to own
at any rate. But I wish the flipper controls were on the top
2 "action" buttons rather than on the joypad and red button
Saving highscores: are saved to flash ram.
RATINGS
Jukka Alan
GFX: **** ****
Sound: **** ****
Playability: ***** *****
Lastability: ***** ****
Overall: ***** ****
* CD-32 View *
PINBALL FANTASIES - not exactly the most eye-catching game, but it is
undeniably the most addictive game I've ever played. You know it's
addictive when you're hitting the start button for that "just one more
time" for about an hour. Great CD sound on this one. (*****)
* AGA Monthly *
I loved this game on the A500, and I love it even more on CD/AGA.
The only difference in the CD version and the AGA version appears
to be the CD Menu when it first loads. But the difference between
AGA/CD and ECS versions is evident.
The graphics are only slightly modified. A pattern here or there.
A better looking gremlin. Etc. But the colors are remarkable. A
much more colorful version than the original ECS game. Actually
the game is almost stunningly colorful.
If you've ever seen the IBM version of this game, you will be
surprised to see that the graphics are identical. It appears
they ported these graphics from the IBM. But the game moves
much faster on the Amiga, and that makes this a top-notch game
in my book.
Not to mention the addictiveness that pinball dreams/fantasies
has always had, and pinball illusions will hopefully continue.
[90/100]
Sensible Soccer(CD-32)
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* Amiga World *
Sensible Soccer(Renegade) is the most highly rated soccer game ever
released on the Amiga. Sensible Software didn't have to do anything
in bringing it over to the CD32, and it hasn't... For better or for
worse. (B)
* Amiga - Report *
Sensible Soccer RRP: 14.99
Sensible Software
Jukka
-----
Woah, the cool soccer game on CD? What's new? Well,
not much really. CD sound and European datadisk, but
not much more. But if you don't have this (on Amiga)
already, then SS is The soccer game to have.*
Alan
----
Well, heres Sensi on the CD, so what do we get for the
cash? Not a lot more than version 1.1 of the floppy
actually. There are LESS crowd chants and the total
atmosphere of the game is lost. This version has less
features than the latest Megadrive version - its only
saving grace is the low price. Oh yes, I almost forgot,
control on the Standard C= controller is also diabolical
- I can't wait 'til Cheater bring out their joypad range!
RATINGS
Jukka Alan
GFX: *** ***(no AGA)
Sound: **** ***
Playability: **** ** (**** with joystick)
Lastability: **** ****
Overall: **** *** - could have been better, oh yes.
* AGA Monthly *
Well. If you have ever seen the ECS version, then that's basically
what your gonna get in the CD version. The game is extremely fun.
But I've always thought the funnest part of the game was the well
developed league.
For the time being this is the #1 CD soccer game, but I hopefully
it won't be for too much longer...
[75/100]
Labyrinth of Time(CD-32)
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* Amiga World *
The tour-de-force graphics adventure "The Labyrinth" has finally
turned up as "The Labyrinth of Time"(Electronic Arts UK, about $45).
It works fine on the CD32-and naturally is faster-and all the
superlatives(and the few reservations) heaped on it in the preview
last September still apply. (A-)
* CD-32 View *
Electronic Arts has thrown it's hat into the CD³² arena with it's first
Amiga CD-ROM game. Although the game will work with the CD³², it is not
a CD³² specific release. It will also work on the Commodore CDTV as well
as any Amiga with a CD-ROM drive and at least 1 megabyte of chip memory.
As a result of this cross platform compatibility, the game does not use
the CD³²'s AGA chipset. However, this does not stop it from being the
best looking CD³² game on the market right now.
How is that possible? LABYRINTH OF TIME uses interlaced HAM mode to
display fully rendered 3D objects. HAM is capable of displaying pictures
in 4,096 colors at the same time. HAM is available on ALL Amiga models.
(It's also known as HAM6 now that the AGA machines such as the Amiga 1200
and Amiga 4000 have what is known as HAM8, which can display 262,000
simultaneous colors.)
The object of the game is to manuever your way through the Labyrinth to
break the evil grip of a wizard over the Earth and the world of the
mortals...or something like that. Along the way, you will have to
piece together puzzles and navigate through a dreamlike world full of
all sorts of interesting things: like an old movie theatre, a mirror maze,
and an old hotel. Everything looks fantastic.
Your movements are controlled via a panel at the bottom of the screen.
It features arrows to control your direction, a hand icon to pick things
up and use them, a look icon to examine objects more closely and an
inventory list (with an automatic mapper so you can't get lost too
easily.)
All that aside, the gameplay is slow. Moving from one scene to the next
is time consuming as each screen needs to be read from the CD and then
displayed. There is also no way to turn completely around in one move,
one must turn twice to the right or left to reverse direction. Also,
the CD³²'s controllar moves the pointer very slowly. Plugging an Amiga
mouse into the second port provides much speedier control.
Some of the objects are out of perspective from one scene to the next,
which can possibly cause confusion. It's possible to think something was
hidden behind another object and is suddenly visible because you moved.
When in fact, it's the same object drawn out of perspective. This leads
to unnecessary confusion for the player who is given enough to explore
without looking wt the same item and wondering if it's new or not.
The music that accompanies the game is wonderfully atmospheric, but
don't expect it to give you clues or encouragement that you're going
in the right direction. It's the best sounding music on any Amiga game
ever. It just doesn't seem appropriate sometimes.
Overall, the game is wonderful to look at and listen to, but not as fun
to play. I desperately wanted to say that this is THE CD³² game to get
right now, but it's not. It's too slow and clunky on the user interface
side of things to be fun. It's interesting to explore, but not something
that will keep you coming back again and again. It does allow you to save
games in the CD³²'s memory and the auto-mapping feature is a definite plus.
But, it just doesn't have the UMPH in the gameplay department.
Graphics: 95% Manufacturer:
Sound: 90% Electronic Arts
Gameplay: 60% 1450 Fashion Island Road
Control: 70% San Mateo, CA 94404
OVERALL RATING: 79% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
This is bar none the best looking game I have ever played... And while
I do agree with Sean I wish they had a way to turn completely around,
it did not effect my game play much... The sound effects are STUNNING,
and the game has a deep interesting plot line... I would have liked
to see more character interaction, but I honestly did not really miss
it.
You add the fact that this will run on ANY amiga with a CD drive(from
500 to 4000) and this is a must get for everybody!
[88/100]
Pirates Gold(CD-32)
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* CD-32 View *
PIRATES! GOLD is a game about a historical era. It also has a history
of it's own.
Going as far back as the Commodore 64 computer, gamers have been putting
themselves in the place of a swashbuckler on the Caribbean. Fighting,
sailing and dueling in the nat Rof gold and riches. Back then, the
game was known as PIRATES!
Now, PIRATES! has returned in a new version, PIRATES! GOLD. This new
version seems to be the same game with some slight graphics enhancements
and some other superficial tweaking. Essentially, however, it's the same
game as the one played on the Commodore 64.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. A good game is a good game
no matter what platform its played on...unless something is ruined in the
translation, thIRAis. Fortunately, IRAATES! GOLD has survived intact.
Unfortunately, this is not a game that tests the CD³²'s limits.
Now, you're probably going to hear that about a lot of games until one
comes down the pike that DOES push the envelope. In this case, we're
not going to count it against PIRATES! GOLD. It's a good solid, fun game.
It's worth the price of admission, so to speak.
The game casts you as either a young swashbuckler just acquiring his
first ship or as a famous explorer set on completing one of several
expeditions.
The main point of the game is to sail around. (Sounds like fun, huh?)
You can encounter ships on the open ocean and fight or get information
from them. The information is useful in planning treasure hunts as
well as attacks on port cities. You can also dock at some port cities
as long as the flag you're flying agrees with the particular administration
running the city. While you're there, you can get a stronger crew, buy
a bigger ship or bank your stash.
The game is involving because you never quite know how things are going
to turn out. Not that the game's unpredictable, but there is a sense of
adventure in the game. You aren't quite sure who's going to come
bounding onto your ship with sword-in-hand asking for a fight, for example.
The graphics aren't great. They're standard Amiga game-type graphics
which are, of course, just as good as something like the Genesis or
SNES machines. They don't push the envelope of performance and if
not for a rather nice 3D animation introduction, you'd never know it was
a game for a 32-bit game machine. But, like we said, we're not going to
hold that against it. The sound, however, is marvelous. The music is
wonderful. Listen for the "remix" version of the PIRATES! GOLD theme!
It's doubtful this kind of sound could be accomplished on anything less
than the CD³².
Not every game can be responsible for pushing the CD³² to its limits and
this game more than makes up for what it lacks in graphics with gameplay.
Graphics: 75% Manufacturer:
Sound: 90% MicroProse, Ltd.
Gameplay: 95% The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury
Control: 90% Avon, BS17 6AY UK
OVERALL RATING: 87.5% Video Mode: NTSC
* Amiga World *
A somewhat odd, but not unpleasant chocice for Microprose UK's first
CD32 game. Pirates! Gold was originally designed to pull the IBM
version of Pirates!(Which was released in EGA) up to the spec of the
amiga conversin(which put it to shame). So it feels a bit like
keeping up with the Joneses for MPS UK to turn around and port Pirates!
back to the Amiga. Haven't we seen this already? Shouldn't this be
something like The Legacy or Starlord instead?
Well, yea and nay, m'lad. A nifty Silicon Graphics-generated intro
adorns this new version, the interface has been made much more
adventure-like and participatory, and I didn't recognize a few other
features from the original. But the game proper is similar to
Pirates!-essentially it's a VGA rendition of the original-and you're
still the terror of the Carribean, getting into swordfights and
cannon duels(the latter are great fun), stealing, trading, and
following the winds of information.
It also inherits the limitations of its parent: Pirates! Gold is
wider than it is deep, and consequently gets dull after a while. But
given the crush of quick Amiga ports and the shortage of big new
products(which should begin to be rectified by the time you read
this), this is going to stand out for a while. (B+)
* AGA Monthly *
Pirates is one of the funnest games ever written in my opinion.
This game is addicting and very fun. I would truly recommend it
to anyone who has played the original.
But after seeing the IBM VGA version of the game, I cannot help
but wonder. Is the AGA version of this game going to be like
the CD-32 version(a more action version of the original) or will
it be like the VGA version. I honestly hope the latter(which
had much better graphics than the CD-32 version).
I guess we will have to wait and see...
[78/100]
Mean Arenas(CD-32)
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* CD-32 View *
"Yuck!"
That was my first reaction to the graphics of MEAN ARENAS. I thought to
myself, "When was this released?" Scanning the box for a copyright date, I
found that, indeed, this was a new game. So, I popped the disc into the
CD³² and prepared myself to be disappointed.
I wasn't totally disappointed. In fact, I found myself rather entertained.
That's the sign of a good game. Unfortunately, it's not all good.
The major problem with the game is that it's in PAL video mode. I played
the game on an NTSC CD³² connected to a Commodore 1084s monitor through its
composite jacks. The CD³² defaulted to an NTSC screen when it booted up.
That caused the bottom of the screen to be cut off. I had to get the
machine to boot in PAL to see the whole screen. That wasn't a problem
for me because I had a mouse that I could plug into the second game port.
Using the "hold the two mouse buttons down when the CD³² boots up" trick,
the machine boots in PAL mode. However, someone who's bought the game and
doesn't have a monitor that can display PAL or the knowledge on how to get
the machine into PAL mode in the first place is, basically, screwed.
Important information concerning gameplay appears in the area that isn't
visible to NTSC users. That's a BIG minus.
Once that was straightened out, I discovered that the game has a certain
charm. Combining the "TV show of the future" approach of SMASH-TV and the
maze chase aspect of PAC MAN, MEAN ARENAS is not going to win any
originality awards. However, it does introduce a pair of comedic
announcers who cover the action and make comments that give the game a
real atmosphere. That's a BIG plus.
So, what's the game like? Well, basically, one moves around mazes picking
stuff up while avoiding the "bad guys". MEAN ARENAS' "bad guys" come in
all shapes and sizes. Part of the fun is finding out what things in
the maze do. There are booby traps, power-ups and teleporters. There are
even switches that move the walls, revealing even more stuff.
Controlling your on-screen character is relatively easy. It's nice to be
able to get from Point A to Point B without worrying about an awkward
control system. With the high number of enemies that are after you in
MEAN ARENAS, that's a real comfort.
I don't want to ruin the game by giving away too much of it. Just be
aware that the game is not groundbreaking in concept or appearance. It IS
fun to play.
I hesitate to recommend MEAN ARENAS to everyone due to the PAL display
problem. To get the full enjoyment out of the game, one has to see the
whole screen. A regular TV set cannot display a PAL signal. Doing so
would render the game completely unplayable as well as unwatchable.
If you can display a PAL signal on your monitor then go ahead and grab
MEAN ARENAS. If you can't view PAL on your monitor or if you are using a
TV set as your display device, wait for an NTSC version of the game. If
you do get the PAL version, make sure you have an Amiga-compatible mouse
handy to put the machine in PAL mode by holding the two mouse buttons down
when the CD³² boots up and then selecting "PAL" from the Display Options
menu.
MEAN ARENAS is a game that you'll come back to again and again...as long
as you can see what you're doing.
Graphics: 55% Manufacturer:
Sound: 75% I.C.E.
Gameplay: 85% Bridgehouse, Merrywalks
Control: 85% Stoud, Glos GL5 1QA UK
OVERALL RATING: 75% Video Mode: PAL
* AGA Monthly *
I think a 75% rating is generous. The game is fun if you get
used to it. But then so is Pacman, Defender, and many older games.
But I wouldn't buy then for CD...
[69/100]
Microcosm(CD-32)
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* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
Microcosm is an incredibly difficult game to review. One problem is
that there just isn't anything to compare it to. I can't say that the
graphics are similar to Blooney Toones Shoots the Zargoids, or that
its soundtrack is remarkably close to Da De Da De Dum Dum, because
neither game exists. NO game exists which is anything remotely like
the Microcosm experience.
And yet so many games exists which emulate the gameplay element of
Microcosm. Hundreds of games have revolved around the central theme
of shooting things with a gun. Space Invaders was the first and
Microcosm certainly won't be the last. It's not even a particularly
wonderful game to play. You may be wowed by the graphics, but you
won't be wowed by the mediocre explosions, gunshots or sound FX.
Control is very tiring, too: this game shows up the worst of the
console's control panel. Your left thumb may drop off after an hour
or so.
Value is another knotty issue here. Why pay nearly fifty quid for
a shoot-em-up which, on playability levels alone, is little different
from something like Overkill? Because Psygnosis has spent a fortune
and two years of time on it? Not my problem and certainly not reason
enough when it's coming out of my wage pocket. Because there's a
remarkable, unique atmosphere created by the intro, the mini-movies
in the middle of each level, the soundtrack, the smoothly rendered
graphical backdrops? Now your getting warmer.
I've always been sceptical of games which trade solely on looks.
Gameplay is all-important to me. Nothing short of excellence will
suffice. But in this case I will make an exception. The future of the
CD32 and CD consoles will depend on games like this one. Games which
you can't buy for other standard formats. Games your Nintendo or
SEGA-owning mates can't buy a few months later(or earlier). Games
which stretch the machine and stretch the imagination of the masses.
Play Microcosm and you will easily be able to imagine what the games
of tommorrow will be about. Games which make your jaw drop and your
stomach flop. Games which are so realistic that epilepsy sufferers
will be the lucky ones. Games which will be works of art, which will
stay in your mind forever. But try it before parting with the
readies or be prepared to cry a lot if you hate it.
THE SIGHTS: 95 ;Now I know what my veins look like.
THE SOUNDS: 91 ;Undoubtedly classy and atmospheric.
JUNKINESS : 83 ;It's a shooting game.
Dosh Worsh: 70 ;Ouch Heavy.
[85/100]
* CD-32 View *
Microcosm Review
MICROCOSM is one of the most anticipated games for the CD32 system. Now,
it's finally available. We've finally managed to get our hands on it.
(Editor's note: We reviewed the PAL version of the game. At press time,
Psygnosis was indicating that an NTSC version for general release was not
planned. Commodore has indicated that MICROCOSM will be available with
the US release of the machine.)
This is a game that has been in development for a long time. It's roots
go back to the CDTV. Don't let that mislead you. Unlike LABYRINTH OF
TIME, this game will NOT run on the CDTV. It's a CD32 game.
Psygnosis have always had wonderful introduction animations in their
games. As if to flex the muscles that the new CD32 console provides,
the intro animation on MICROCOSM is the finest computer generated
animation I've seen short of the dinosaurs in the movie JURASSIC PARK.
It's stunning. The accompanying sound effects add a lot to the
atmospherh provided by the visuals.
One doesn't buy a game to watch the introduction. Does the game live up
to the expectations and claims we've heard people make about it?
Let me say that this game has "slick" written all over it. The
packaging is nice and of high quality. Although the screen shots on the
box are from the PC version of the game, they do not mislead you on what
you will see when the game boots up on your CD32.
The game, if you don't know already, revolves around a plot similar to
the that of tte movie FANTASTIC VOYAGE. The player is in charge of
manning various miniature vehicles through the inner workings of the
human body to cure an ailing man. You have to kill the viruses inside
the body and remove a computer controller device that is implanted in the
patient.
After choosing the part of the body you'd like to travel through first,
the game displays an animation of your vehicle (different vehicles for
different parts of the body) entering the bloodstream.
The game boils down to a simple shoot-'em-up. You basically try to blast
everything that comes toward you, while simultaneously avoiding collisions
with objects and the walls of the veins or arteries you're passing
through.
The graphics are stunning as you pass down the "pipes" of your patient.
The walls glisten as if reflecting the spotlights from your craft. The
action is fast, sometimes too fast, and really exhilarating. After a
while, the graphics do fade into the background and you begin to
concentrate on the game.
FANTASTIC VOYAGE was also turned into a game. It looked nice, but was
hard to control. The same problem haunts MICROCOSM, but not nearly to
the degree that it did FANTASTIC VOYAGE. The CD32's keypad type
controller is at fault here. It simply doesn't provide enough control
over the direction of your vehicle. It does get easier after repeated
plays, but it is frustrating at first.
For all it's slick packaging though, there seems to be one slight
oversight. The snazzy looking instruction book is wonderful to look at
but it is not full of details on how to play the game. More than one
person has contacted me via E-Mail to tell me that the information needed
to get from one level to another is not included in the manual. And
frankly, without their help, I wouldn't have gotten to the second level.
That's a real shame. (See our new hints column for a tip.)
Nonetheless, I couldn't stop playing MICROCOSM for very long. I'd stop
for awhile and grumble that the game was too hard, but I kept coming back
to it. The hooks were in. It's kept my attention longer than any
shoot-'em-up for the CD32 so far.
Waiting for this game has been hard for the CD32 owners who really wanted
to see what their machine can do. Well, the wait is over. MICROCOSM shows
that the CD32 CAN handle more than platform games and 16-bit type
shoot-'em-ups. It's just a shame that it didn't come with decent
instructions.
Ratings:
Graphics: 95% Manufacturer:
Sound: 95% Psygnosis Ltd.
Gameplay: 95% 675 Massachusetts Avenue
Control: 80% Cambridge, MA 02139
OVERALL RATING: 91% PICK HIT! Video Mode: PAL
* AGA Monthly *
This is the best game out for CD-32 in my opinion. The intro is
awesome. And the graphic effects during the game are incredible.
When I look at this game a few questions pop into my head.
1) How is any other game going to outdo this?
2) Is Psygnosis going to release this for AGA?
3) I can't wait to see the sequel to this great game!
4) Is anyone ever going to crack this!?!?!
As for #4, I hope someone does it very soon. There are a lot
of people who are eager to have this game for their 1200/4000's and
I am one of those people. So let's get to it guys!
(Akira can't be that hard to get by!!??!!)
[93/100]
Amiga CD Football(CD32)
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* CD32Bits *
Sports Football £30 Commodore
Heh, look, it's a CDTV title, rebadged and re-released as a CD32
game.... What a cool idea, I don't think!! The game even says CDTV in
a booming voice when you load it up. Basically, the game is TV Sports
Football (American Football that is) with interspersed action and
commentary shots!! A bit of a turkey really, and probably only worth
about five pounds in real life, but then again, C= don't live in the
real world do they??
CD32Bits Rating: *
* CD-32 View *
Amiga CD Football Review
I'm a huge football fan. As a result, I love playing football on
videogame systems. Not being much of an athlete, I can't say that I know
what actually playing the game is like. I have played a lot of football
on videogame machines and computers, so I do know what I like about those.
AMIGA CD FOOTBALL is a game I've been waiting to play ever since I knew
that it was in the works. I saw a report of the original CDTV version in
a magazine and I waited for it to be released. That was a long time ago.
Now that it's here, it doesn't look like much was changed since it was
announced for the CDTV.
Upon starting the game, the player is present with a CDXL animated
"assistant coach." He points out the three different types of play
available: Arcade, Coach and Commissioner and provides some humorous
comments about the game.
The arcade option is similar to most videogame football offerings on
other consoles. The user calls the plays and then controls the players.
The coach option allows the user to call the play, but the computer
controls the players. This gives the game a more strategy oriented feel.
The commissioner option isn't really a game. It's more like a glorified
demo mode. Simply pick the teams and then watch the game. The user
doesn't call plays and cannot control the players.
After selecting the type of game and selecting your team and opponent, a
pseudo-sportscast begins. Various commentators give their opinion about
the teams, the weather conditions and possible strategies the players
might try to use.
Then, finally, the game begins. After the kickoff, the player is
presented with the appropriate play selections. There are a wide variety
of plays available to both the offense and the defense. The plays are
color coded as to what type of play they are. Orange indicates a running
play/defense and green indicates a passing play/defense. Grey plays are
special-teams plays like punting and field goal attempts. To make the
play-calling during a two-player game, playbooks for both the offense and
defense are included. In the playbooks, each play has a number that can
be entered via the controller to keep the other player from knowing
exactly what play is being selected.
So, how does AMIGA CD FOOTBALL stack up to the competition? It's a solid
football game that does show it's age a bit. Graphically, it's on a par
with the 16-bit football games. After playing my fair share of football
on the Super Nintendo and the Genesis, there's nothing that AMIGA CD
FOOTBALL offers that beats those systems. It cannot hope to compete with
something like JOHN MADDEN on the 3DO. It's roots are firmly planted in
the 16-bit CDTV and that's not something that will sit well with those
CD32 owners looking for a game to brag about. I loved the passing game
and the large selection of plays. Unlike JOE MONTANA '94 on the Sega
Genesis, the whole play selection and execution process is something that
can be mastered in just a few downs. You can concentrate on the game
rather than fumbling with the controls.
The CDXL animation is used well and looks fairly good. It's rather
grainy in some instances though and there's some fringing on some of the
graphics. (The crowd scenes following a touchdown and the "assistant
coach" are the worst cases of this.) The voices during the game can get
annoying after a few games, but they can be switched off.
If this game had been released on the CDTV, it might have actually sold
some CDTV's. Three years ago, I'd have purchased a CDTV to play this game.
I wouldn't say this is a game I'd buy a CD32 to play, but I'd surely buy
the game if I owned a CD32.
(Editor's Note: Putting this disc into a CDTV unit revealed some
interesting things. The game will not run on a CDTV, but it can be
browsed if you use a program lior.DirWork or Directory Opus. It reveals
how lottle the game has changed since the demo was developed for the
CDTV. The icon for the game still reads CDTV SPORTS FOOTBALL.)
Ratings:
Graphics: 70% Manufacturer:
Sound: 80% Commodore Electronics, Ltd.
Gameplay: 80% 1200 Wilson Drive
Control: 85% West Chester, PA 19380 USA
OVERALL RATING: 79% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
This is a very fun game. But it leaves room for improvement. Mainly
in the speed factor as I have always been a big fan of TV sports
football on the A500. And always waited. For it to be redone. Well,
this is not as good as it could have been, but for die hard TVS
fans, this game will suffice.
The new options, like the ton's of plays, audibles, CDXL animations,
speech, fumbles etc, make this a great enhancement over the original.
I, as the above review, only wish this game was released two years
ago... And I dearly hope that they release this game for AGA/ECS
machines, because it is a classic.
[80/100]
International Karate +(ECS/AGA/CD-32)
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* CD-32 View *
International Karate + Review
This is the type of CD32 game I'm ashamed to admit exists. INTERNATIONAL
KARATE + (aka IK+) was available on the Commodore 64. It hasn't changed at
all since then.
Now, I'll stand by a game that remains unchanged from platform to platform.
That's usually the sign of a classic game. Only a few games actually
deserve that status. This game is not one of them.
It's bad enough that the game, a simple karate beat-'em-up, has been ported
from the ECS Amiga unchanged, but the game's attract mode still tells
you to press keys like F1 and F2 to select players. The last time I looked,
a keyboard is not standard equipment for the CD32. They could have at
least cleaned up the code to show the proper buttons to push on the CD32's
controller. If you need an example of shovelware, this game is it.
All gripes aside, the actual game may have stood it's ground in 1988 (the
copyright date of the game, still proudly displayed in the attract mode),
but IK+ just doesn't cut it anymore. This is the age of STREET FIGHTER II
and MORTAL KOMBAT type beat-'em-ups. IK+ looks very much like the port of
an 8-bit Commodore 64 game that it is.
It wouldn't be that bad if you could use the CD32's control pad to at least
salvage some nostalgia from the game. As it stands, the CD32 control pad is
almost impossible to use for this game. We plugged a normal Amiga/Atari-type
joystick in and it worked much better. Unfortunately, that's not saying
much.
Save your money, avoid this game.
Ratings:
Graphics: 50% : nufacturer:
Sound: 50% System 3 Arcade Software Ltd.
Gameplay: 50% 18 Petersborough Road
Control: 30% Harrow, Middlesex HA1 2BQ UK
OVERALL RATING: 45%
* AGA Monthly *
I remember years ago, being a C=64 owner. And when I first
got my 1541 disk drive, I came back from a friends house with
a game called International Karate Champ. What a great game this
was. I wondered how technology could ever get any better than
this great game. Later the same company released International
Karate +... Wow, moving background, 3 guys fighting at once.
This was the peak.
When I first bought my amiga, IK+ was one of the first games
I got for it. The game was the same(still good). Successors soon
took its position. The street fighter/Mortal Kombat games began
spurting up all over the place. And IK+ just wasn't as fun
any more.
Well, the reason I included all versions in this review(ECS,
AGA, and CD-32) is because they are all the exact same.
The same sound, the same graphics, the same everything. This
is the kind of game that gets a system a bad rap. C=64 owners
can look at this, and say, WOW, 64 is just as good as CD-32!
I sincerely hope for System 3 than IK Deluxe is better than
this. It's hard to imagine it would be worse...
[10/100]
Sleepwalkers(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD-32 View *
SLEEPWALKER - I didn't like it on the Amiga, and I still don't like it on
the CD³². It's not my type of game at all. It's really "different", but
contrary to what some think...different isn't always good. The graphics
are not much, and.the gameplay is lousy. Good thing it's free with the
console, because it's not worth buying. (*)
* AGA Monthly *
I am not going to say that this is a top notch game. But it atleast
deserves more than one star. The game is fun if nothing else. And
as he said, it comes free with the CD-32. You can't expect miracles
for nothing. All in all, the only real difference from the disk version
is that is now uses Dual Playfield, but it is a better game IMO than
Sean gives it credit for.
[69/100]
Castles II(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD-32 View *
CASTLES II - A strategy game for those that like medieval stuff The
graphics are good and the CD sound in the intro is spectacular.
It seems like a game one could get wrapped up in, but it's hampered by the
CD³²'s controller. This was a game meant for a computer with a mouse, not
a game console with a keypad controller. I didn't try plugging in a mouse
on the 2nd port. It may help...but still... (** 1/2) LATER: 50%
* AGA Monthly *
Apparently strategy games aren't your type of games. I loved the
original ECS castles, and I love this version even more. The sound
and graphics are nice, and the gameplay is fun and easy.
In this man's opinion, this is one of the best games out for CD-32
for the sheer fun of playing.
For those of you who have never played Castles, I will give a
brief description. You design your own castle, your men build it.
And during the meantime enemy lords will attempt to overrun your
castle. You will likewise be allowed to conquer them also. The
game is very detailed and very fun.
[85/100]
Liberation(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD-32 View *
LIBERATION - A definite cool game! 3D texture mapped graphics and a large
world to roam about in make this a game worthy of the CD³² and vice versa.
It has a lot of options and is very open-ended. A lot of fun to explore
and get lost in. Not a game that one can start playing in two seconds,
but one that you grow into and don't grow out of. Really good! (*****)
LATER: 90%
* CD-32 The Review *
I originally saw the disk based versiof of this game on oneof the BBS's I
frequent and picked it up. It seemed pretty good yet wildly complex. Lots
of things to do, and little knowledge of putting it all together. I waited
forever for docs, and then eventually got a scanned set someone did in Pal
and powerpacked which made hell for printing. I eventually trashed my
version off the hard-drive. Figured I'd get it for the CD32 eventually.
Low and behold...
I got it. And this is really a great game. Although I hunted for a Pal
version of the game, (As in the Pal version the intro animation is synced
better with the voices...) It was to no avail. But I did recieve it...
Packaged in the standard card-board box, with the docs fully removable, I
sat down to the game. If you own a CD32 and havent at least heard of this
game yet, well, heres the scoop...
The intro is lengthy, the story is that police droids are killing people
and you under the command of your four androids are out to break them out.
What a great intro, and if the lips were synced, it's enough to make anyone
want a CD32... Well then the game came on. It first seems like your
typical dungeon crawl, block by block. But this game was given detail
everywhere else... No real way to describe it all, it's just that massive.
But heres the rundown on what it contains...
50,000 levels, You can walk into buldings, walk on the roofs of bulidings,
walk into the underworld, search the city, catch a cab. Take apart your
droids, add new circuitry, microchips, etc. Get bigger and better weapons,
have your stuff stolen, get it back, 6 hours of digitized speech, 25 megs
of wall mapped AGA graphics, textured mapped monsters who all talk.
Diffrent places in the city, 9 diffrent cities on the planet. And every
single character interacts with you... This is huge, if you got the
chancem you want a game of longevity, and you have been a stickler and
havent picked it up. Get it. Now the only real complaints, it might be
best to use a mouse with the controller, it seems alot easier, and better
then just a mouse alone on the A1200. The controller by itself works fine,
but is encumbered by so many options. The rest are only minor nuisances,
alot of the same. But these days, when comparing games such as Doom (which
I think has no more then 12 monsters total which dont interact with you...)
Liberation puts new meaning to first person RPG.
Rating. 95% An A
* AGA Monthly *
I liked the detail of this game. But I do not think it can compete
with Hired Guns by Psygnosis(let alone the up and coming Hired Guns II).
The game is very detailed and is aimed at players who love lots of
detail. Personally, I think it is a little hard to get used to the
gameplay. And the graphics aren't really stunning.(In a few areas the
walls look very good, but for the most parts the graphics are not
anything special).
I thought this game would be addicting, but I never could force
myself to get into it. And I finally deleted it from my Hard Drive.
[80/100]
Nigel Mansells Racing(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Nigel Mansells Racing(Gremlin Graphics), released for the CD32 in
tandem with Zool, also crawled out of the same swamp. Ick! (D+)
* CD-32 View *
NIGEL MANSELL'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACING - A solid race game. Much
improved over the A1200 version of the game in an intangible way. I
didn't enjoy the Amiga version of this game at all for some reason. The
CD³² version is good, solid fun. The game is fast, easy to control and a
lot of fun. The graphics are quite good, and the sound is fair (what do
you what from a racing game?) Solid entertainment. (*** 1/2)
LATER: 85%
* AGA Monthly *
I agree with you on this one. The AGA version of the game was jumpy
and not something you can really get into. The CD-32 version is much
better. I still couldn't get into the game very much. But it was
a very fun game(I would rather spend my time playing Oscar,
Microcosm or Pirates! Gold).
Speaking of the CD-32 version. Why hasn't anybody cracked the CD
version of this game yet!?!
[75/100]
Star Trek 25th Anniversary(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This game is really the first AGA game to use bitmapping ala
Wing Commander(besides wing commander cd-32). The game is very
well designed. The graphics are excellent, and the gameplay is
easy and well written.
Unfortunately on a stock A1200 this game is rather slow. The
speed is adequate with some 32 bit fastram. And is excellent
with an 040. I have not tried this game with an 030, but I
would say it would probably run pretty good.
Comparably the a1200 version of this is similar to the A500
version of wing commander(unaccelerated). It is jumpy on a
stock system, but the faster your system the better your game.
And on fast machines this is one of the best games available.
[83/100]
Dangerous Streets(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD-32 View *
Dangerous Streets Review
When a game has the loading instructions on the bootup screen, one tends
to question the amount of thought put into it.
I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on this game other than to say
that it is, by far, the worst game EVER released for the CD32 and is in
the running for worst game in videogaming history.
To say this game is a disappointment would be a tremendous understatement.
The advance screenshots looked wonderful. Granted, the graphics aren't
bad at all...when they're not moving. What the screenshots couldn't
convey, however, was the quality of the gameplay, which is horrible...
absolutely horrible.
This is supposed to be a beat-em-up game like Street Fighter 2 or Mortal
Kombat. Take out the personality, gameplay and fun and you have Dangerous
Streets.
What makes this game so bad? The control is horrible. The graphics are
very poor in showing what is actually happening. (They look quite
interesting when nothing is happening, but the animation is so bad you
cannot tell if you're hitting your opponent or not.) This is a beat-em-up
where you can't get your fighter to move and then can't tell if you've hit
anything when it does move. Not the stuff a good game is made of.
Please, unless you like unpleasantness, avoid this game. If you NEED a
beat-em-up for your CD32, you can get International Karate +. I realize
that we tore that game apart last issue but, compared to Dangerous
Streets, it's light years ahead of this game in the fun department.
Ratings:
Graphics: 10% Manufacturer:
Sound: 60% Flair Software
Gameplay: 0% Meadowfield House
Control: 0% Ponteland, Newcastle, England NE20 9SD
OVERALL RATING: 17.5% Video Mode: NTSC
* Amiga World *
What can you say about a game whose most prominent feature is the
nearly bare bottom of the woman on the cover? The characters and back
drops in this beat-em-up(Flair, about $35) are quite pretty, making
for some luscious back-of-the-jewel-box stills, but that impression
lasts exactly as long as it takes to touch the controller, because
the gameplay has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It's amazing
that Commodore UK included this in a bundle. Wait for Ultimate Body
Blows instead. (D-)
* AGA Monthly *
All three of these versions belong grouped together, as all
three of these versions really suck. This is one of the worse
attempts of a street fighter clone I have ever seen(see Tube
Warriors for another).
The graphics are ALRIGHT. They are not good by any margin.
And the gameplay isbeeally bad. I have seen better games than
this on the VIC-20. Luckily for Danerous Streets, it is
currently shipping with Wing Commander CD-32, so it might get
some sales. But only to play WC...
[25/100]
Prey - An Alien Encounter(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Prey-An Alien Encounter(Alamathera) has been fixed to work on CD32,
on which it runs at decidedly better speed than on the CDTV.
Unfortunately, that's all that was changed, and despite the rich
atmosphere, the basic flaws in this 3-D adventure game-which seemed
forgiveable on a platform with barely an acceptable game-fairly
overwhelm Prey on this new one. (D+)
* AGA Monthly *
Well, as this was one of the first CD-32 ports, I had a very
hard time getting a hold of it... And when I did, I was pretty much
dissapointed... It is a D&D type game, with pretty good graphics,
but not excellent. It is a decent game, but basically it is an ECS
game that has been ported over to the CD-32 to make money.
[70/100]
Wing Commander(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a truly great game. One of the all-time classics in
videotechnology. This game is basically what you seen on the
a500. But instead of 64 colors like you seen u fore(32 with EHB)
you now get 256 colors. And it truly makes a difference.
Unfortunately as on the A500, the game is not the fastest in the
world. That is why I think this game was made to be pirated.
The game woul run much better with 32 bit fastmem, and/or and 030/040.
With an 030/040 the game would be excellent, and much better than
it's PC counterpart. On a stock system, it is a little snow, but
still a game worth playing. Hopefully we can find a way to beat
this Akira chip problem.
[85/100]
Megaball 3.0(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a PD game. But it is a very fun PD game. Itame similar
to Arkanoid, but better. The AGA version is especially nice to
look at(compared to the ECS version). This is probably the best
PD game out for the amiga(other than U-Chess).
[75/100]
Tube Warriors(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is *THE* worst AGA street fighter clone out. This game is
even worse than Dangerous streets(and that is hard to do). The
best part about the game is the 3d scaling in the intro. Other
than that, this gme is absoleutely horrible!
[20/100]
Jurrassic Park(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a game you probably have to check out for yourself. I
sincerely hope somebody cracks the CD-32 version, because the
disk version is rather slow(AGA version) loading.
I had heard from somebody that this game really sucked. So I
took a long time before getting it. But wht I finally did
DL the game and run it on my a1200, I found that this was not
a budget game. It was actually pretty fun.
The graphics are good. And the sound effects are likewise.
It is a totally differnt game than the Sega version(platform).
This game is similar to Alien Syndrome. It is a semi overhead
view. You must wonder around Jurassic Park.
I finally got the passwords, and let me tell you. They make a huge
difference. It has 5 3d raptor areas. And they are HOT. It is
wha fwe have been looking for and it was right under our noses
, Yes Wolfenstien 3d/Doom simulation! Here is the codes for those
who do not already have them.
level code
--------------------
2 b5a48352
3 d5f4ab62
4 95b48b42
5 85a4834a
6 85b48b42
7 f54c6faa
8 c57c77b2
9 d56c7fba
10 a5149f5a
I give it two thumbs up!!!
[90/100]
Stardust(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
I downloaded this game without the slightest idea of what kind
of game it was. When it loaded I found that it is basically an
advanced version of asteriods/blasteroids. The graphics are
nice on the AGA version, though really no different from the ECS.
If you don't l
[ asteroids, then you won't like this. But if you
are an asteroids friek, you will LOVE this game.
[73/100]
Total Carnage(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
I don't know what came over me as I opened the case of Total Carnage. I
was actually looking forward to playing the game. An arcade conversion
for the CD³²! "This ought to be fun," I thought to myself. I had somehow
forgotten that I'd played the Amiga version of this game. If I'd have
remembered, I wouldn't have opened the case and I surely wouldn't have
been excited.
TOTAL CARNAGE is a sequel of sorts to the arcade game SMASH TV, a
brilliant shooter game with a lot of bosses and power-ups. However,
TOTAL CARNAGE lacked the addictive properties as well as the personality
of SMASH TV. It just seemed to try too hard. Nevertheless, it was fun
to play in the arcade.
As good as the original SMASH TV was, it didn't translate very well for
the Amiga when it was released in 1991. It, however, managed to be a lot
more playable than the abomination known as the CD³² version of TOTAL
CARNAGE.
TOTAL CARNAGE would really have to kick some tail in the gameplay
department to make up for its very poor graphics. Unfortunately, it
doesn't. The player character looks like someone took Hulk Hogan's torso
and put it on Pee Wee Herman's legs. The animation is jerky and the
response to controller movement is about nil.
Did someone start a trend that made it fashionable for CD³² games to
emulate 8-bit game machines in terms of graphics? TOTAL CARNAGE has some
nice looking opening screens, but the game itself is nothing that the
Nintendo Entertainment System or Sega Master System couldn't handle.
(Those were the systems BEFORE the Super Nintendo and Genesis.) Where
are the 32-bit games?
The game is no different than the Amiga version, which is really a let
down. I don't know what I expect to make it better on the CD³² other
than possibly a complete rewrite or, at the least, better controller
response.
I.C.E. is repsonsible for two other CD³² shooter games, FIRE FORCE and
DEEP CORE. I recommend buying either one of those before picking up
TOTAL CARNAGE. Actually, I recommend a lot of other games (even those for
other systems) before you even think about getting TOTAL CARNAGE.
Graphics: 65% Manufacturer:
Sound: 75% I.C.E.
Gameplay: 50% Bridgehouse, Merrywalks
Control: 20% Stoud, Glos GL5 1QA UK
OVERALL RATING: 53% Video Mode: PAL
* Amiga Action *
Original Score : 68%
Updated Score : 40%
* AGA Monthly *
This game SUX! Plain and simple. This is one of the worst games
available for CD-32. It is an Ikari Warriors/Chaos Engine type
game, but it is very poorly done. The characters move slowly, and
the graphics flicker at certain points(in both PAL and NTSC).
3 Words: DONT GET IT!
[12/100]
Dennis(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Ah Dennis the Menace. In this platform game you get to terrorize
Mr. Wilson among other things. This game has no ground-breaking
routines. It is just another platform. But the graphics and sound
are pretty good. And if you don't have any other platforms this
can be a fun game(or if you have any little kids who've seen the
movie).
[65/100]
Air-Bucks v1.2(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Well. The game is the exact same as the Non-AGA version, except
with enhanced graphics here and there. Nothing special. But if
you like the game(strategy money management) you may as well get
the better looking(AGA) version of it.
[60/100]
Civilization(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Well, this is basically the same game with different graphics.
But unlike Air-Bucks this is a much funner game. You control your
land from the time of barbarians until the time of space stations.
And if your not careful you will find yourself taken over!
The graphics are direct ports from the IBM VGA version of the
game. And basically the game is an exact replica of the VGA
version.
[75/100]
Zool II(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
The CD-32 version of this game is the exact same as the AGA
version, so it can be reviewed in the same article. haha. By now
everyone knows that Zool is the platform game that was designed
to beat up on that ridiculous little hedgehog on those sega
commercials(SONIC!).
The game is VERY colorful. And likewise is very fun. But no
funner than the ECS version of the game. It is basically the
same game with more colors. But as with others, if you have the
choice between two versions, you want to run the best looking
one as possible(AGA).
[75/100]
Global Domination(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This game is somewhat like Nuclear War. Your aim is to conquer
the world. This is however much more advanced than nuclear war, but
it doesn't have the humorous cartoons of nuclear war.
The game is in 256 color mode. But don't expect dazzling graphics
as it is basically a strategy board game with a twist. It is
evident that the game uses many colors, but not spectacular.
The gameplay is easy, and the game is somewhat addicting. If you
like action games, this won't appeal to you, but if you like
strategy games, this might be right up your alley.
[70/100]
Global Effect(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Sim-City meets Ancient Art of War with a twist is the best way
to describe this game. It features nice graphics, little sound,
and pretty good gameplay. This is not the type game that you will
become addicted to quickly, but if you give it time, you could
very well get addicted.
[70/100]
Ryder Cup Golf(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International *
Graphics : 82%
Sound : 70%
Gameplay : 12%
Overall : 15%
* Amiga Action *
Original Score : 78%
Updated Score : 70%
* AGA Monthly *
AFTER FURTHER REVIEW:
My original revi,w of this game was a bit unfair. I only played the
game for about 5 minutes, and did so while multitasking. I have had
a chance now to re-review the game. And I like it much better.
The graphics really do take advantage of AGA as I have said before.
I previously stated that the game was a little slow. That is not
correct. I had other things in memory when I ran it. The last time
I ran the program was without multi-tasking and I must say. It is
about 3 times better than Nick Faldos golf.
The graphicss of course are very good. They are very just
detailed and colorful as LINKS PRO on the IBM, which was the best
golf game I had seen before this. I still like LINKS, but I think
this has a lot to offer as well. It has all the quarks of LINKS PRO:
replays, camera angles, hole previews, a variety of courses(though
links has course data disks, where this as yet does not). And then
it added some additional quarks.
For example, you can turn on or off the grid in favor of shading.
You can use an optional way of hitting the ball, that is more
arcadish if you like also.
But all in all, I think it's biggest benefit over Links is it's
speed. Links IMO has a slight advantage in the graphics department,
but Ryders Cup has a big advantage in speed. It is pretty amazing
how fast this program writes graphics on the fly. Instead of having
to sit and wait for it to draw each tree, shrub, object one at a
time as with Links, it draws the entire picture quickly and at once.
AND THAT IS ON A STOCK A1200/CD-32! I can only imagine the speed
on an accelerated machine.
In my opinion, this and Links are pretty close, but if I had to
choose which one is greater, I think Amiga's Ryders Cup is a notch
ahead.
[91/100]
Nick Faldos Golf(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
NICK FALDO'S CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF
SYSTEM: CD³²
I don't golf in the real world, but I do enjoy a good golf videogame.
Past favorites of mine include LEADER BOARD on the Commodore 64 and the
Amiga version of LINKS. (I have an A3000, so the slow drawing times
experienced with LINKS on the slower machines never bothered me.)
NICK FALDO combines elements of those two games into a playable, but yet
somewhat disappointing CD³² golf game.
The graphics are hand-drawn, not digitized like LINKS, and are updated
rather slowly. (Although, you don't see them being updated as you did in
early versions of LINKS.)
I'm sure you all know the basics of golf, so I won't describe the object
of the game. There are several options that allow you to get the shot you
want, type of club to use and such. That's all well done.
The only real gripe I have with the game is the annoying commentary
provided by the computer. The voice grates on you after awhile. (A
friend of mine, who DOES play golf in the real world, kept yelling "Shut
up!" at the game.)
A nice touch allows the game to work on NTSC and PAL systems without
any fumbling around with boot-up options. You simply can scroll the
screen to see what you're missing. (This is used before taking a swing at
the ball.)
I was expecting a little more, so that's probably why I was disappointed
with this game. There's really nothing wrong with it...as golf games go.
With improved graphics and speed, it'd be a winner.
@{"Ratings:" link ratings}
Graphics: 70% Manufacturer:
Sound: 70% Grandslam Video Limited
Gameplay: 80% 3 Rathbone Square
Control: 80% 28 Tanfield Road
Croydon, Surrey CR0 1AL UK
OVERALL RATING: 75% Video Mode: NTSC/PAL
* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
It's all too easy to be beguiled by great graphics and above-average
sound FX. In this way, millions of 16-bit console owners part with
even more millions of pounds for sub-standard beat-em-ups and
platformers. My first motto is: playability rules. Don't let great
legs or a pair of fine buzoms cloud your better judgement(at least,
that always works in principle).
Luckily, Nick Faldo has given more than just his name to this game
(in fact, the credit really should go Grandslam's way, but it sounds
more poetic like that). There's something quite compulsive about
slogging your way around these digital courses, swearing and cursing
that damn three-click bar.
As ever with sports games and indeed golf itself, this is better
appreciated with a couple of friends than alone. Here, you won't be
able to wave a hand nonchalontly at a stand of fir trees and say
"I'll never find the ball in there!" before fishing in your bag for
another one and taking a drop. But at least you won't have to get your
ankles wet, bitten by mosquitoes and covered with sand. Nor will you
have to ditch your jeans and spend 200 pounds on an outfit which,
if you wore in the high street, would guarantee you a place in either
the funny farm or the nearest hospital.
No, Nick Faldos Golf is a classy bit of work. You can't smell the
grass, but at least you won't have to get up at three in the morning
to get started before noon. Nor will you make a fool of yourself in
front of others(unless you want to, that is). The price is a tad high
, but in this case, it's justified. An albertross of a golf game if
ever there was one. And more courses will be sold seperately later on,
to add to the lasting interest factor. You'll be hooked(groan again).
The Sights: 91 ;Beautiful courses, Faldo-ish sprites.
The Sounds: 85 ;Annoying caddy voices can be switched off.
Junkiness : 88 ;You won't want to stop until the 19th tee.
Dosh Worth: 82 ;Like other golf accessories, a bit costly.
The Verdict:
[90/100] ;The best golf game, the only golf game.
* CD-32 Review *
I dunno why I bought this game. I hate Golf, guess it was for my room
mate. He likes it. Anyhow, this is a better then average golf game with
some stylish effects. The menu's are put together well and the graphics
are really good. (Although I am pretty sure this is only around 64 colors
at most, maybe even 32... ) This is a fast and good golf game to play
with friends. Your not gonna be sitting there for ten hours while someone
aligns their trajectory up with countless conditions. It's just accurate,
swing your club and hit the ball fun. Only thing I thnt like was the
nuisance of this guy telling me things, (He speaks in a digi voice), like
saying I'm having a rough time over and over. Sure I couldnt hit the ball
so well, but did he half to keep reminding me? But a good game overall.
* AGA Monthly *
Well, the graphics aren't anything different from the ECS version.
Basically it is the same game. But it is much faster and is a very
fun game to play. If you like fast golf games, this could be the
game for you. The options are all easy to access, andd te graphics
are ECS but you probably wouldn't know it by looking at them.
[80/100]
Alfred Chicken(AGA/CD-32/ECS)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32 View *
Can someone please tell somebody who can do something about it that we
don't need any more platform games on the CD32? Even if some of them are
good, we don't need so many. Half of the first wave of games released for
the machine were platform games. I think we've hawhour fill now...thank you.
That said, ALFRED CHICKEN is not a bad game. It's not particularly
noteworthy or charming, but it's a pleasant enough game. It's graphics
would look stunning on a Nintendo Entertainment System, the 8-bit one.
That should give you a clue as to what's going on here. Another mindless
SUPER MARIO type game with the cuteness-intensity level turned to 11.
The mechanics are the same as with any other platform game released after
SUPER MARIO BROS. You jump around collecting things. while avoiding
enemies and finding "secret" levels and entering bonus rounds. Definitely
not ground-breaking stuff here.
The CD32's control pad is serviceable with A.C. It provides adequate
control with the occasional non-responding tendency that is unfortunately
becoming familiar to CD32 owners. You won't find yourself wanting to
throw it through the wall with ALFRED CHICKEN though.
If you don't own OSCAR, ARABIAe NIGHTS, TROLLS, ZOOL, SUPER METH
BROTHERS, FURY OF THE FURRIES or any of the other CD32 platform games,
then you might want to take a look at this. Otherwise, let it sit on the
shelf. You wouldn't be getting anything you don't already have.
Ratings:
Graphics: 50% Manufacturer:
Sound: 70% Mindscape International, Ltd.
Gameplay: 70% Priority House, Charles Avenue
Control: 70% Maltings Park, Burggss Hill
West Sussex RH15 9PQ UK
OVERALL RATING: 65% Video Mode: PAL
* Amiga World *
Alfred Chicken(Mindscape UK) makes a nice little nest on the
CD32-as long as you can tackle a PA display. (B).
* AGA Monthly *
Well, well, well. I have finally been able to get my hands
on Alfred Chicken CD-32. And to my surprise, it looks and plays
exactly the same as Alfred Chicken ECS. It appears that the only
difference between the AGA/CD-32 version and the ECS version
is that the AGA/CD-32 version loads more into memory at one time.
This is an okay platformer. But the graphics and sound are not
top of the line(as you can imagine). I truly wouldn't recommend
it to anyone who already has a good platform game(Oscar will do
just fine for me).
[58/100]
Body Blows Galactic(AGA)
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* AGA Monthly *
This game in my opinion, is bar none, the best one on one combat
simulation available for AGA(or ECS). The original body blows(ECS)
looked great when the preview came out. Unfortunately, all of the
character that weren't on the preview were poorly done, and the
background graphics were not top of the line in many areas. Body
blows Galactic ECS is a 200% improvement. I wish I could say the
same between the ECS and AGA versions, but I cannot. The graphics
of the sprites are almost identical. Though the AGA backdrops are
truly breathtaking. Either way, this game is still a must to
get. I really am looking forward to the CD-32 version of this game.
Though they say the only difference will be the sound(graphics
will be same as AGA disk version). The main reason I look forward
to it is because the I can put the cracked version on my hard
drive. Because, alas, I cannot stand slow loading disks. When will
software publishers learn to make EVERY game the write hard
drive installable?
[85/100]
Assassin SE(ECS/CD-32)
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* AGA Monthly *
Unfortunately, all three versions are identical. This game appears
to be another one of Team-17's cash in on stupid CD-32 owners plots!
Along with Alien Breed SE, and the Qwak-F17/Project X-ABSE these
are identical to the ECS version, only on CD. Team 17 is one of my
very favorite companies, and if people want to buy these games, well
that's their problem. I only wish Team 17 would have spent a little
more time to make new graphics for these games.
[65/100]
Bubba 'n Stix(ECS/CD-32)
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* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
A cracking game. Full to bursting with humour and inventive
twists. Bubab 'n Stix is one of the best games to be converted
with some decent music created specially. The price isn't outrageous
and the game is addictive. A great blend of the finest coffe
beans, sorry a great blend of hitting and timely trigger action
with unusual puzzles and amusing solutions. And why not?
The Sights: 85 ;Eeh! It's just like being in a cartoon, Chuck!
The Sounds: 90 ;The tunes are fruity indeed.
Junkiness : 85 ;Throw the stick. Fetch boy, fetch.
Dosh Worth: 82 ;Better than spending it on platform shoes.
The Verdict:
[82/100]
* AGA Monthly *
This was another quick money scheme. The CD-32 version of this
game runs on an ECS computer. However, it is a very fun game. The
graphics are good for an ECS system(though not what you would
expect from a 32 bit game system) and the character are very
large. All in all, if you have an ECS only system, this is one
of the best platform games you will find. But if you are a CD-32
owner who is looking for a good platform game, don't buy this
one.
[70/100]
Overkill(AGA)
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* AGA Monthly *
This was one of the first AGA shoot'em up action games. It is
basically a defender clone with AGA graphics. The graphics on
the game are pretty decent, and the gameplay is okay. It is not
a flashy great game to show off to all your friends, but it is
a decent game that you can play in your spare time.
[50/100]
Sim-Life(AGA/CD-32)
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* AGA Monthly *
This is a top of the line game. I really enjoyed it. You once
again get a chance to control the aspects of life. This time you
are in control of evolution. The game is extremely fun, and
even though it is very complex, it is easy to adapt to. The only
mark on the game, is that it is slower than the IBM 486 version
of the game on a standard 2 Meg Chip-Only 1200/CD-32. I have not
tried this game yet on a 4000, but I would think it would run
much faster on that system.
[80/100]
Burning Rubber(AGA/CD-32)
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* AGA Monthly *
I have had strong opinions most of the time when it comes to
Ocean games. They are either really good or really bad. This game
is really bad. The graphics are not very good, and the gameplay
is even worse. This is definately a game that I wouldn't pay
$.50 for. I would rather save that money and beg for a quarter
so i'd have enough money to buy a pepsi. I think that is enough
said about this horrible excuse for a racing game.
[35/100]
Campaign II(AGA)
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* AGA Monthly *
I forgot about seeing the ECS version of this game. If I had
remembered it, I would have never grabbed the AGA version. This is
one of those very dull strategy games, with too many icons and
options, and not enough hook. It is all in all, a rather boring
game.
The graphics? Well, I will give it this much. Yes, the background
pics have changed to 256 colors. But it seems like they converted
them with Imagefx or ADPro. They definately did not rescan the
things, because they are extremely ugly and colorless.
My recommendation. Stay away from this ugly game...
[5/100]
Brutal Sports Football(AGA/CD-32)
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* CD-32 View *
Brutal Football Review
As a football fan, I really wasn't too keen on the idea of a football game
that wasn't really a football game. That is, I felt that way until I
played BRUTAL FOOTBALL.
BRUTAL FOOTBALL is a knock down, beat-em-up, rip-their-heads-off
combination of soccer, rugby and American football. One or two players
can face each other or play the computer in leagues or a tournament mode.
The basic premise is simple: Put the ball into the goal at one end of
the field while preventing your opponent from doing so to the goal at the
opposite end. Unlike most other sports, their are no rules on the field.
An opponent can tackle you, stab you, stomp on you, or rip your head off
and, likewise, you can do the same to him. Various powerups can help or
hinder you as you try to rack up the score (and the head count.)
The graphics are adequate. Sometimes, the field is so cluttered with
heads, players, powerups and the actual field markings, that it is hard to
see where the ball actually is. The soundtrack is provided by a CD audio
track of an Eddie Van Halen-type guitar riff that gets annoying after a
few games. Unfortunately, the "music off" option that is provided didn't
seem to work for very long. Sometimes it didn't work at all.
This is a game that cries out to be played by two players. It tends to
get a little boring playing against the computer. The computer is either
hot or cold. It will play like it's brain dead one game and then play
like it's on spese the next. Close games with the computer as an opponent
are likely to be few and far between. Against a human opponent, however,
this game is classic videogaming. It's a blast to watch your friend's
face as your rip one of his team member's heads off.
Highly recommended for those that can stomach it. As the heavy metal band
Exodus used to sing, "Good violent friendly fun in store for all."
Ratings:
Graphics: 85% Manufacturer:
Sound: 80% Millenium Interactive, Ltd.
Gameplay: 95% Queen Houn , Mill Court
Control: 90% Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 5LD, UK
OVERALL RATING: 87.5% Video Mode: NTSC
* CU Amiga *
Overall : 81%
* AGA Monthly *
Now to me, this is what a CD-32 sports game should be like. I feel
that a great job was done on this game here. They should have redone
the intro and made it more AGA(rather than 32 colors) but the game
is very nice.
This is a futuristic game that mixes American and Australian football
with Basketball and Hockey. Not only do you compete in a great fast
action paced game, but you also must worry about your opponent
lopping off your head with a sword, or getting struck by lightning
as is sometimes that case...
The graphics in this game are pretty nice once you get past the
intro, and the gameplay leaves nothing to be desired, except maybe
for 1 button joystick users. Great idea, and a well written game
to go along with it...
P.S.: Legend has released a great joystick fix for 1 button joystick
users. Since this game uses three buttons, they allow you to use
the ALT and Amiga keys for the second and third buttons(for players
one and two both). Just make sure you unplug the mouse out of port
0, or else the game mistakes it for a joystick and keeps trying to
allow it to change options...
P.S.S.: Paradox's release of Brutal Sports Football AGA Deluxe is
much nicer than the original Pre-CD release by Outlaws. The graphics
are a lot better, and the locker room now works. If you have an
opportunity grab PDX's release.
[85/100] :Pre-CD32 release
[88/100] :Deluxe AGA release
Chaos Engine(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD-32View *
The Chaos Engine Review
Ahhh! A game that can take on the big guys: Sega and Nintendo. Sega and
SNES owners can already play this game under the name SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE.
It was even picked by Sega as their third-party game of the year for the
Genesis machine.
This is a shoot-'em-up, plain and simple. It's a great one too, with
tons of power-ups, hidden levels and lots of enemies to blast.
The game revolves around the idea of a machine called The Chaos Engine
that has unleashed a "cloud of Chaos" upon the world. Animals and men
have been mutated into horrible beasts as a result. Six soldiers of
fortune (Thug, Mercenary, Preacher, Gentleman, Navvie and Brigand) are
called in to disable the Chaos Engine and make things as they once were.
The player (or players, as this can be played by two at one time) picks
the soldier of fortune to control. Each has his own special weapons and
abilities. Basically, the object is to blast through each of the 16 levels
collecting power-ups and activating nodes which allow passage to the next
level.
The game is pretty much a straight port of the Amiga AGA version, but in
this case that's not too much of a liability. The original was good and
this is a console type game. The graphics, while sparse, are quite
effective. Anything else really would have been overkill.
This is a great game to sit down and just blast away with. The manual has
the following line: "Sure, I'd waste anything I saw and I wouldn't think
twice about it either." How appropriate!
Ratings:
Graphics: 80% Manufacturer:
Sound: 95% Renegade
Gameplay: 95% C1 Metropolitan Wharf
Control: 90% Wapping Wall, London, England E1 9SS
OVERALL RATING: 90% PICK HIT! Video Mode: NTSC
* Amiga World *
Maybe I'm just burned out on The Chaos Engine after three versions,
but I don't see anything all that compelling about the CD32 incarnation
of this multidirectional arcade adventure-except that it loads more
easily than the willfully boot-resistant, disk-based AGA version. (B)
* AGA Monthly *
In my humble opinion, I feel that this is the best arcade action
2 players shoot 'em up(ikari warrior clone) game out for CD-32.
This is a GREAT game, and I would recommend it for anyone who
has a CD-32 and a love for combat/action. Graphics and sound are
wonderful and gameplay is good.
[88/100]
Lotus Turbo Trilogy(CD-32/ECS)
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* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
It's hard to rate this package as a whole, because each of the three
games is very different and represents a lot of evolution in the
16-bit Amiga games market. So i'll approach each one in turn.
Lotus Turbo Challenge is a nice, solid racing game. It's definately
looking very dated now, which is to be expected of a game this old.
However, it's still essentially playable and will take a few hours
to complete.
Lotus Turbo Challenege 2 is much better. It introduces the Elan and
more realistic weather patterns. The full screen mode is glitch free
and fast, while offering two player mode and the music is still good,
even for 8-bit sound.
Lotus 3 The Ultimate Challenge is classy. It's background images are
superb and really lift it high above the others. Weather conditions
have a more realistic effect on handling, braking, and acceleration
and the RECS system provides a novelty factor which, like most
novelty factors, wears off after a while but is welcome all the same.
The best Lotus game by far and much more playable than Nigel Mansells
World Championship.
The package for 30 pounds represents a great value for frustrated
joyriders and unrich blokes everywhere. No real improvement over the
16-bit versions, but there's no better racing games for the CD32 to
date. The scores below relate to the Ultimate Challenge. Downgrade
scores by 5% for Turbo 2 and 12% for Turbo Challenge. Doshworth
relates to the package as a whole.
The Sights: 82 ;Very atmospheric visuals.
The Sounds: 80 ;Good tunes and revvy screechy things.
Junkiness : 84 ;Playable and challenging.
Dosh Worth: 86 ;The real lotuses would cost 130,000 pounds.
The Verdict:
[84/100] ;A high-quality good value buy.
* CD-32 Review *
Well what can I really say about this one. Except that it's a good buy
if you like out run type race games. Here we have three good games all
crammed on one CD. Actually the second one is the best, it has smooth
scrolling, nice graphix, and quite a number of features. But this is
really a smooth playing fun game. Ran quite while. Although this aint
gonna WOW anyone down the block.
Overall rating 80% a good deal
* AGA Monthly *
Well, you should know what you are getting into when you buy/copy
this game. It is no different from the a500 version of these three
games, but you get all three in one. This is probably STILL the
best racing game available for amiga(arcade style racing) and I
would still recommend it to game-players.
Just be forewarned the graphics and gameplay are no different
really. It will run a little faster because of the 020(graphics
are smoother) especially in 2-player mode, and it of course will
load much faster(the biggest plus) from CD/HD. It is a great
game for those who love racing games, but don't expect the
graphics to be better than ECS.
[73/100]
Brian The Lion(CD-32/AGA)
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* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
Reflecections, Psygnosis's team of wonderboys responsible for the
great Shadow of the Beast series, have just finished this, the
latest of their developments for the Amiga's Liverpudlian
championships. Brian the Lion is a good indication of the diversity
of these guys' talents.
It seems unfair to simply describe this game as a platformer,
which I admit is what it is. Reflections have worked extensively
to include as many polished effects and ideas as they could.
The game is a blatant attempt to emulate the type of game on the
Sega Mega-Drive. It's a Sonic beater is what i'm trying to say.
There is no point in attacking Sonic;it's the type of game that
sells machines and a good imitation of this on the Amiga won't do
our beloved machine any harm at all.
Brion runs, slides, ducks, and swipes with the smoothness of a
baby's bottom. In addition, he has a limited number of special
roars, which will kill or stun most enemies. If you try this move
on someone a lot bigger than you though, you might just find the
role's reversed.
These actions, together with the multi-layered parallax scrolling
updated at fifty(50) frames a second, means that Brian the Lion is
technically excellent. Brian also attempts to mimic some of the
SNES's famous MODE7 effects, such as zoom, curved texture mapping,
warping, stretching, and rotation.
The end result of all this effort is a bright and racy platform
game that exudes its polished finish. Brian races across each
level and moves around the map, sometimes being whisked off to the
hidden levels by the friendly whirlwinds. As he collects the
crystals luing around the levels, he gets the opportunity to spend
them again int he 'Cloud Shop' where he can buy useful power ups
to wing him on his way. The shop has two possible storekeepers,
one an honest bunny and the other a rip-off merchant. Of course,
sometimes you are so desperate that you'll have to pay the exortion-
ate prices the bad guy asks in order to survive.
If you manage to complete the level within the bonus time, then
there are three bonus levels for you to attempt. Completing all
three of these will award you with maximum power-ups.
To avoid the irritation of continues, there is a password feature
that is revealed every few levels.
Brian the Lion is a platform game of which Psygnosis is rightfully
proud. The gameplay is slick and fast and the whole package is
excellently presented.
Graphics : 92%
Sound : 85%
Gameplay : 85%
Overall : 87%
[87/100]
* AGA Monthly *
Oscar has now been replaced by Brian The Lion as THE best
platformer available for AGA so far. When I first heard
Psygnosis was doing a platform game, I thought to myself
"this could turn out to be something big". When I seen the
ECS version I didn't give it much of a look. I thought that
Brion was a little too fat, and couldn't stand the coconuts.
Needless to say, I have given the AGA version a thorough look.
This game is very good. The DUAL-PLAYFIELD graphics are very
fun to look at, and the music is fun to hear. The water scenes
have a very nice realism to them that you don't find in many
games.
One of the most impressive aspect of this game is the
bonus stages. The crystal level has EXCELLENT bitmapping/morph
effects.
You will also find yourself crossing the Ocean on the wings
of a bird, and the game turns into a side scrolling shoot 'em
up for a second. And a very good shoot 'em up at that. The
playfield levels on this screen are SUPERB.
But I think the funnest and most well done is the ice stages
of this game. After you cross the ocean, and journey through
hell, something peculiar happens, it takes you to this stage
where it appears that hell has frozen over!
Right off the bat if you don't move you'll notice that Brion
begins to shiver. To make things harder, you can't just stop
you will SKID all over the place. The background has many
layers of falling snow that looks excellent, and is by far the
best snow I have ever seen in any game on any system. To make
things even funner, you wind up skidding on your butt down a
ski jump and go flying into the air and bouncing over would
be snowballers.
This game is a must get for any CD-32/AGA'ers looking to
impress their SEGA weilding, SONIC playing neighbors/friends!
Two thumbs up for BRION and PSYGNOSIS/REFLECTIONS.
[97/100]
Christopher Kolumbus(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Unfortunately the only version I found available for this
game was in German. It is hard to get into a game when you can't
understand what the text is saying. So I cannot rate this
game 100% accurately.
What I will rate is the graphics and sound, which I think
are superb. It appears that this game is in 640 x 256, 256 color
mode. The graphics are enjoyable to look at(and pretty well
detailed) and the music is catchy in a 15th century sort of
way.
From what I seen, I would love to play this game inl nglish, and
I eagerly await and nede an English fix will come out for this
excellent product.
[79/100] :This could be updated at a later date.
Frontier(ELITE II) (ECS/CD-32)
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* Amiga World *
David Braben's exquisite space-exploration game(Gametek UK, about $35)
enters CD32 orbit cleaner and at slightly better speed than the disk
based original, which was a bit of a slug on an unaccelerated A1200.
The code has been optimized for the CD32's '020 proccessor, the game
seems slightly cleaner and...er, that's about it(Don't mourn for the
absence of the IBM version's bitmapped polygons;it was sort of a
graphical version of acne.)
Frontier's still as big as creation, the police are still ultradiligent,
and you still never know what charming little vacation spot you're
going to find in the next system over. Then again, this doesn't begin to
push the system. (B+)
* CD-32 View *
Frontier: Elite II Review
FRONTIER:ELITE II was one of the most anticipated games on both the Amiga
and PC platforms. When it finally arrived last year, many marveled at how
large the game was compared to how small the actuatiprogram was. The
entire FRONTIER universe was contaied on a single disk.
The game itself is hard to describe. It's a combination
strategy/action/simulation game. You are given a ship and a small amount
of cash and it's up to you to choose what you do with it. You can join
the military, become a smuggler, run a small trade route, become a pirate,
or whatever other niche you'd like to inhabit.
When it was announced that a CD32 version was in the works, gamers drooled
at the thought that the game would be enhanced to take advantage of the
massive storage capacity of the CD-ROM format. The game could receive the
texture mapping present in the PC version. The sound could be improved.
The game was already great, any changes made would be the icing on the
cake.
Forget it.
The CD32 version of FRONTIER: ELITE II is a straight port of the Amiga
version with the only modifications being to the control system to allow
the use of the CD32 controller.
The game itself remains great. Unfortunately, this IS a computer game. I
strongly recommend that, if you choose to purchase this game, you get a
keyboard and a mouse for the CD32. The CD32's controller pads are not
made to control a game like this. Moving the ship around requires a large
dose of finesse control. The odd button combinations required to get
something done prohibit you from being anything but clumsy. (Example: To
fire your laser, you must press the top left button and the red button.
Not too bad, but try doing it while tracking an enemy ship. You have to
press the top left button, move the directional pad and press the red
button all at the same time.) At the least, get a mouse and a joystick to
control the game if you plan to buy it.
This is a game that cannot be recommended to just any CD32 owner. To get
any enjoyment out of the game, you must be able to save your progress and
control your movements a lot better than the standard setup will allow.
If you're planning on expanding your CD32 with the coming SX-1 module or
something similar, you might want to even consider buying the hard drive
installable Amiga version of the game. You wouldn't be missing anything
and it's currently cheaper than the CD32 version. The SX-1 would allow
you to connect a floppy drive to the CD32, allowing you to save more than
one game at a time. Currently, the CD32 is only capable of saving one
FRONTIER game at a time in it's memory. No matter how you slice it, the
CD32 alone isn't the ideal platform to play this game on. Some type of
accessory or another is required to really enjoy the game.
It's a shame that more enhancements wby n't added. This is a game that
couldeleve really shined on the CD32. It's a shame that you have to
expand your CD32 into a computer to get the full enjoyment out it. Once
you do expand your CD32 into a computer, why not just get the computer
version anyway? It's cheaper.
Ratings:
Graphics: 70% Manufacturer:
Sound: 50% GameTek
Gameplay: 50% 5 Bath Road
Control: 30% Slough, Berks SL1 3UA UK
OVERALL RATING: 45% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
Well, as you might have guessed bythis being ECS and CD-32 but
no AGA rrelase, the CD-32 version is a direct port from the old
ECS version. I really did not expect them to update the graphics
as this is a space SIMULATOR, which as usual simulators use 320x200
(as most games do) and it seemed to have enough colors before.
But I did however expect for them to upgrade the sound, which
was okay on Frontier(very 64ish on ELITE). All in all, this is
still one of the funnest games available for any computer, in my
mind. Something about the idea of smuggling goods, assassinating
mayors, and gaining rank for the Galactic Empire/Military, being
a wanted man if you do the wrong things, mining asteroids, etc,
has always appealed to me. But be forewarned if you have this
on a disk from the old ECS version, use that, as this is no
different(and the ECS version is loaded into ram just like this
one, so no load speed differences either).
[80/100]
Disposable Hero(ECS/CD-32)
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* AGA Monthly *
This, is the exact same as the ECS version that was previously
released. Personally, I am a fan of Gremlin Soft, but I have
never been a big fan of this game. The graphics and sound aren't
premium AGA graphics and sound, though the gameplay is
somewhat fun. All in all it's not a game I would recommend to
anyone who is looking to buy a cool CD game.
[68/100]
Bubble 'n Squek(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is another CD-32/AGA platform game. After Brion the Lion
I just don't look at these games the same. The game is a little
like Bubble Bobble, but not near as fun. The graphics are colorful
and AGA, but the DUAL PLAYFIELD background pics leave room for
improvement. The music is nice, that is probably the best part of
the game. But all in all, this is more or less a platform game
that moves on it's y axis instead of it's x. Nothing to write
home about.
[70/100]
Knights Of The Sky AGA Enhanced
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* AGA Monthly *
Well, KOTS was not a great game on the a500, and it is still
not a GREAT game on AGA. They seemed to have ported the VGA
graphics over top of the old graphics as they did with Civilization
(same company) and released it.
I enjoy the game, don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it
is not gs d either. Microprose's Gunship 2000 was an excellent
flight simulator, but they haven't seemed to master the plane
simulators as of yet. But I have faith in the guys at Microprose
(Sid Meir is great) and have since the 64. This just isn't their
best product.
The one thing I do like about this game is you can hook up and
fight someone else head to head either over modem, or by networking
two computers together. This is an added element which I like,
but I only wish the gameplay wa70a little better.
[70/100]
Defender Of The Crown II(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32 View *
Jim Sachs. The name brings back memories of the Commodore 64. When the
graphics on that machine seemed like the ultimate...until I saw the
Amiga's graphic power. The man responsible for my appreciation of the
graphics on both machines was Jim Sachs. His SAUCER ATTACK game for the
64 really had some impressive graphics, with a keen attention to detail.
His artwork on the Amiga was stunning to someone used seeing the 16 color
graphics of the Commodore 64 on a daily basis.
In these times of digitized cinematic intro animations and full motion
video, hand drawn graphics have grown to be less appreciated. That's a
shame because some of them are really indicative of the time and work
that's gone into them. The graphics of DEFENDER OF THE CROWN II may not
be state of the art, but they've got quality written all over them.
Unfortunately, they don't save the game. As a whole, DEFENDER OF THE
CROWN II is a dressed-up version of some of the EMPIRE-type games that
have been around almost as long as computer gaming. It's a good version
of those games, but it breaks no new ground.
The basic scenario requires you to capture as much land as possible in the
British Isles. You can raid nearby castles or attack the forces of your
enemies to do so. Other minor subplots are thrown in occasionally to keep
things from becoming too monotonous. You can also enlist the help ofeRobin Hood if you're a little low in experience or manpower.
After a few plays,neEFENDER OF THE CROWN II becomes quite dull. It's
never boring to look at, but it just gets too repetitive. There are
various ways to try and make it more interesting through different option
screens but, inevitably, it still gets boring to play.
This title is another of those caught in the pipeline when the CDTV was
discontinued. Although unlike CD FOOTBALL, which was altered so as not to
run on the CDTV now, this one doss run on that machine. It's exactly the
same on that machi y, which goes to show you how little of the CD32's
power it uses.
A nostalgic game, but one with with little longevity. Might be fun for
younger kids. Die-hard gamers may want to pass this one over.
Ratings:
Graphics: 85% Manufacturer:
Sound: 80% Commodore Electronics, Ltd.
Gameplay: 45% 1200 Wilson Drive
Control: 75% West Chester, PA 19380 USA
OVERALL RATING: 71% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *L
I remember when this game first came out, I had it on my C=64.
Graphics could never get better than this I thought. Then when I
got my amiga, I seen better graphics, but the game seemed funner on
the 64. The amiga version was never HDInstallable, and the music
slowed down while it was loading. It became one of the dusty disks
in my old disk stack.
I remember when I heard Defender of The Crown was out on CD-32,
I couldn't wait for someone to crack it. Well, it has taken a
long time, better finally SD has cracked the game. And other than
a small problem in the raid system, it was a good port.
We already know what the game is about, so the question is I
guess, what's new, and is it better. Well, the graphics are still
great, though they appear to be 64 colors instead of 256. This
is probably due to the game originally being designed for the
CDTV rather than CD-32. But they still cannot be done on a CDTV
without a scale fix of somesort as many are in HIRES 64 color
mode, which is unavailable on a standard ECS machine.
The game has some interesting new options and twists. For example
if you do not save the imprisoned(wasn't he dead in the orignal)
King Richard within two years, he will die, and you will be banned
from England!
The thing I really like about this game is the digitized speech.
Not only is it of high quality, but the narrator is really good.
It keeps with the spirit of our beloved but deceised Cinemaware,
in that it really feels like a movie.
I really enjoy the game, and it runs so much faster and better
on a CD or hard drive than it did on disks(not to mention the
new enhancements). If you loved the old one, you'll love this
one more, and it is a great game to have in your collection.
Now, with Commodore having Defender II and CD Sports Football
from Cinemaware exclusive, I wonder... Wouldn't it be great
to have a remake of Wings, or It Came From The Desert. With
enhanced AGA graphics and new better sounds... Perhaps i'm
dreaming, but it would be great...
[84/100]
Summer Olympics(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD-View *
Summer Olympix Review
Billed as a humorous sports simulation, SUMMER OLYMPIX allows gamers to
compete in eight events: Boxing, Long Jump, Swimming, Javelin, Kayaking,
Skeet Shooting, Archery, and the 100 Meter Sprint.
Each player (up to four can play) begins the game by entering their name
and picking a country to represent. The events can be played in a
constant order (the same every game) or can be shuffled so as to keep the
players on their toes.
The archery event is one of the best parts of the game. The player must
press the red button on the CD32's controller to stop the archer's arm
when the bow is drawn to the desired power setting. The shot must then be
aimed to compensate for wind direction. By "one of the best parts," I'm
saying it's one of the events that's actually fun to play. Some are not.
One of those is the swimming event. The 200 meter dash requires
the player to tap the top left and right buttons as fast as possible while
trying to keep the onscreen swimmer oxygenated by pressing the red button
when required. Sound confusing? It's not that hard to do, it's just very
hard to do it well enough to qualify. The game has very high difficulty
levels and no way to set them lower for new players to get the hang of
each event.
The javelin event is another that requires the tapping of the top left and
right buttons. While doing that, you must also hold the red button until
the onscreen graph shows the desired angle of your throw. Releasing the
button is supposed to make you throw the javelin. Sometimes you do,
sometimes you don't. It's actually possible to qualify in this event,
just not consistently.
The long jump is quite similar to the javelin event. This time you pick
the angle of your jump. It's even less consistent and much more
frustrating.
The kayaking event requires you to manuever your kayak through 10 marker
buoys while trying to beat the clock. You view this from an overhead
perspective. There's not a whole lot to do in this event except to steer
the kayak in the right direction. Pressing up on the directional pad
makes you speed up, pressing down makes you go slower. This one takes
some practice and isn't aggrivating.
The 100 meter sprint is another left/right button smacking contest. Just
hit the buttons as fast as possible and you've got the hang of it. It's
possible to qualify at this event too.
Boxing is the absolute worst event in the whole bunch. The instructions
tell you to watch for your opponent's reach or your chances of victory
could be slim. This, roughly translated, means the computer can beat the
hell out of you, but you can't hit him. You'll get knocked out in less
than thirty seconds.
Skeet shooting is the second most frustrating event. The clay targets fly
toward the horizon while the player must aim the cursor to blast them.
Since only one shot is allocated for each target and the control is
hampered by really shoddy programming, this event is likely to be
hazardous to any gamers with high blood pressure.
If some effort had been put into this game, it could have been a lot of
fun. Some of the best times I ever had while playing videogames was
playing the Epyx SUMMER GAMES series on the old Commodore 64. This game
has some (but not much) of the chemistry from that series of games. The
archery event is a joy to play. It's fun and funny. (Miss the target
once, if you get a chance to play it.)
Unfortunately, much of the game is too hard to control. That's partly the
fault of bad programming and partly because of the CD32's controller not
being built to be held in a position to be slammed on.
An example of the bad programming is the slowdown that occurs when a
second clay target appears during the skeet shooting. It's only one
additional object on the screen! It can't possibly slow the cursor
movement down like that for any other reason but poor programming. Also,
at several times during different events, the screen would slowly start to
break up. It never caused the game to fail, but it was annoying and
shouldn't happen in the first place.
SUMMER OLYMPIX is a game that had the potential to be a great game, but
fell on it's face.
Ratings:
Graphics: 70% Manufacturer:
Sound: 70% Flair Software
Gameplay: 45% Meadowfield House
Control: 30% Ponteland, Newcastle, England NE20 95D
OVERALL RATING: 54% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
Well, the graphics on these game are ECS looking, and the gameplay
isn't good either. The only event's that are fun is archery, skeet
shooting, and kayaking. All of the others are very poorly done, and
impossible to use on a normal 2 button joystick, for those who
run it off an a1200/4000. Not a game you want to waste money or
credits on.
[40/100]
Humans(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
I still have not quite figured this game out and docs would be
appreciated. But all in all, it is a fun game. It is similar to
lemmings. You are a tribe of humans, trying to advance your race.
You must figure out problems(easy at first, harder after a while)
to get by each stage. The graphics are decent, and the CD sound
is good(Cracked versions have sound effects only). There are
supposedly 160 new levels from the disk version, and I have no
idea how many levels it had. So expect a long fun game in this
one.
[78/100]
Fury Of The Furries(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Report *
The manual tells the story of a race of small furball creatures
called Tinies. Tinies look like tennis balls with eyes, and according to
the manual, they have a horrid sense of humour. The Tiny King has
apparently been taken prisoner and been imprisoned in his own castle by a
Tiny with a particularly wicked sense of humour. Yes, this is where you
come in. :-)
When the game boots, you're shown a glitchy animated sequence
portraying all this, accompanied by some decent CD audio. Once you're at
the tmtle screen, you can start a new game or restart one of four saved
games.
The object of the game is simple: take control of a Tiny and find
your way to the exit of each level. Your Tiny can walk, run, and jump
three different heights. As if that isn't enough, your Tiny is also able
to transform into any of 4 colours, each one having a special ability:
Red - eats through walls
Yellow - shoots fireballs to kill nasties
Green - swings and climbs on rope
Blue - dives underwater
Green is y favourite. It's great fun swinging the little critter
back and forth on the rope, then letting go and watching him fly across
the screen and do a couple of somersaults before landing on the ground!
Not all of the abilities are available all the time. On some
levels, you may only have one ability, and on others, you might get all 4.
To make it harder, there are force-field type things which enable or
disable an ability when you pass through them.
You view the action from the standard platform perspective (side
on), and the levels scroll in all directions. The game takes place over
8 areas, with each area having 10 levels based on the same theme. The
levels are full of all sorts of obstacles designed to reduce your Tiny to
an ex-furball before reaching the exit. There's trees, water, spikes and
loads more, and of course the usual array of NASTIES. You must make use
of the various abilities of your Tiny to negotiate these obstacles.
As you progress into the game, the puzzle element starts rearing
its head. As well as avoiding (or shooting) all the nasties, you also
have to start solving problems in order to reach the exit. These puzzles
range from simple things, like finding and using keys, to more complex
ones, like moving blocks and finding secret entrances. The puzzles rely
on the correct choice of abilities in most cases, and also require some
pretty nifty joypad skills on some of the later levels.
Every 5 levels, your position is saved in Non-Volatile RAM.
Great fun. It's playable, cute, and best of all: totally silly!
There's something distinctly warped about a 10-pixel high ball of fluff
letting fly with a Streetfighter-style fireball. :-)
The game-saving feature means you can restart where you left off
instead of playing through all the levels again. This adds a lot to the
longevity of any game in my opinion; if I can restart where I left off,
I'll keep coming back until I finish it (or go insane).
The difficulty curve is just about right. There's plenty of easy
levels before the brain mangling begins.
The CD tracks on the intro and title screens are really good.
In-game music is only Amiga based, but the tunes are great.
Although he's very small and not very colourful, your Tiny is
nicely animated and moves well.
The in-game graphics are pretty dull; they'd look perfectly at
home in a 512K A500 game 5 years ago. It doesn't look like any more than
about 16 colours, definitely not 32bit CDROM stuff. Static title and
between-level screens are more colourful though.
The game doesn't use the full PAL screen. If you force it into
NTSC using the boot-menu, it runs too fast.
If you liked The Lost Vikings, you'll like this.
I've found a couple of graphic glitches here and there, but they
don't affect gameplay at all.
If you're looking to be blown off your seat with stunning visuals
and audio, don't buy this game, because there aren't any. But do buy it
if you want a game to *PLAY*, because it's got more playability and
lastability than a lot of other stuff around. An enjoyable blend of
platforms, puzzles and general silliness.
My rating : 80%
* AGA Monthly *
Lemmings meets mario brothers. That's the best I can describe
this one. Excellent 256 color pictures at the beginning of each
level, and an original idea, makes Furries one of my favorite
game animals. Catchy sound and music(no CD music though) team up
with okay graphics(lemmings quality) and fun gameplay to keep
you hooked on this one.
You have 4 different types of Furries. Each has it's own
special abilities. You must change between these to make use of
all their different skills to figure out how to get back each
world. The puzzle solving, along with fun joystick action play
teams up for a great mix, and a fun game.
[86/100]
Tornado(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
On an accelerated machine, this is the best flight simulator
available for the amiga. On a stock a1200 though, even with all
options set to low, the game is pretty unplayable. This game is
recommended to anyone who loves flight simulators and has a fast
computer. On an 030, this game is awesome. On an a1200 with a
couple megs of fast memory it runs good with visibility set to
low.
[80/100]
Donk Special Edition(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Wow, the cracked copy takes up 22 megs. I bet you would have never
guessed that if you owned the CD! This game is pretty good,
especially the two player simulataneous mode. In that mode both
players play off a split screen, and the game scales the picks to
fit into the dual scren mode.
What type of game is this? A standard platform game with DUAL
PLAYFIELD mode and pretty colorful graphics. This is not the best
or funnest platform available on CD, but it is a worthwhile game
if you have the money to spend, or the HD space to waste...
[77/100]
Beavers(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Action *
Original Score : 83%
Updated Score : 84%
* AGA Monthly *
While the graphics are not superb, the sound effects and music
of this game are very catchy, and the gameplay will keep you
playing. This is still not the platformer to beat Brion The
Lion or Oscar, but it is a fun, albeit very hard version of your
standard platform. It is VERY hard, and if you like a challenge,
you will probably enjoy this game very much.
[76/100]
Ultimate Body Blows(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
ULTIMATE BODY BLOWS
SYSTEM: CD³²
BODY BLOWS was _the_ beat-em-up on the Amiga. It annihilated the lame
Amiga version of STREET FIGHTER II and grabbed the fighting game crown.
It went unchallenged until the Amiga version of MORTAL KOMBAT appeared.
Team 17 tried to recapture the crown with BODY BLOWS GALACTIC, a
disappointing update/sequel that featured an AGA version but hopelessly
goofy characters with ridiculous powers and hard to control moves.
Now, Team 17 attempts to capture the CD³² fighting game crown with
ULTIMATE BODY BLOWS, a combination of the two original games' characters
and backgrounds. A whopping 22 characters are available for the player to
choose from. All the characters from the original BODY BLOWS are back,
along with the entire goofy cast from BODY BLOWS GALACTIC.
Since the only other beat-em-up games available for the CD³² are
INTERNATIONAL KARATE + and DANGEROUS STREETS, both of which are horrible,
ULTIMATE BODY BLOWS wins hands down in terms of being the one to get.
The game improves on the first two in two main ways. The first is that it
is PAL/NTSC switchable through a menu option. The second is that the
horrible disk swapping that was really a pain on the first two games
is gone.
I do have some gripes though. The GALACTIC characters are still too hard
to control and the computer is still too hard to beat even on the easiest
difficulty setting. No manual comes with the game, so there are no
diagrams of even the most basic moves. Most of the basic moves are the
same with each character, but it would be convenient to know what they
were to start with.
Overall, though, Team 17 has produced a winner. It squashes the other
beat-em-ups into the ground and gives the CD³² a game that is easily just
as good as those available on the other console systems. However, if the
CD³² version of MORTAL KOMBAT appears, ULTIMATE BODY BLOWS may fade from
memory.
@{"Ratings:" link RATINGS}
Graphics: 85% Manufacturer:
Sound: 90% Team 17
Gameplay: 80% Marwood House, Garden Street
Control: 80% Wakefield, West Yorks, England
OVERALL RATING: 84% Video Mode: PAL/NTSC switchable
* AGA Monthly *
You know what would be nice. If Team 17 made a game that had
spectacular AGA backgrounds, and let us use all the characters from
both Body Blows original, and Galactic. Maybe even speed it up
a little. Did you ever think that?
Well if you did, then you will love this game. It does just what
I stated above, and the backdrops are the best i've seen yet. Even
as another twist, you and a friend can play head to head or against
the computer in a tag team match-up!
Dangerous streets fell on it's face, Mortal Kombat is still in
production, but Ultimate body blows get's rave reviews from this
editor!
[94/100]
Lemmings(CD-32/ECS)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Lemmings for CD32(Psygnosis) is grimly identical to Lemmings for
CDTV, right down to the demo of the vanishing Planetside. No AGA
enhancements, no new levels or extra one's from the two sequels
or Lemmings II. Nothing special at all, really-except that it's
Lemmings, and that's not enough anymore. (C).
* AGA Monthly *
Well, Lemmings CD... You where probably expecting something that
is good graphically and fun to play. Well, you got lemmings with
new levels. Same ole, same ole... Great game when it came out,
but now outdated, and I was hoping for an update...
[70/100]
Gunship 2000(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32 View *
I don't want to sound like a broken record, but these straight ports from
the Amiga versions of games to the CD32 really have got to stop. Here,
with GUNSHIP 2000, we have an excellent Amiga game ported to the CD32 with
some nice packaging and a fancy 3D rendered intro. This has been pretty
much the extent of software development for the CD32.
Yes, GUNSHIP 2000 is a good, solid playable game. The CD32 is up to its
ears in platform games and a flight simulator with a lot of shooting and
destruction is more than overdue. Is this all that the CD32 is capable
of? No. Until TFX arrives, this looks like all we're gonna get though.
For those unfamiliar with the game, GUNSHIP 2000 allows you to strap into
one of several helicopters to carry out missions against an unnamed enemy.
You can choose missions in the Persian Gulf or in Europe. As you move up
in ranks by completing missions, you are able to fly stronger and more
agile helicopters.
GUNSHIP 2000 was fairly speedy on an unaccelerated Amiga 500. On the
CD32, it moves a long at a good, comfortable pace. It never seems too
slow. The graphics, the intro animation not included, are nothing
fantastic and don't seem to use the AGA chipset at all. They serve their
purpose and everything's laid out well on the cockpit screen.
I was really expecting more from the CD32 version of the game, but I guess
that's going to have to stop. The companies making CD32 games just don't
seem to want to put anything else into the games after they make the intro
animations. It's a real let down to see these brilliant animations and
then be offered the same game I played on my Amiga 500 last summer. I
want more than that.
I can't count anything against the actual game. It's good. The controls
are slightly confusing, but never awkward. The graphics aren't pretty but
they're acceptable. GUNSHIP 2000 is a game that fills a niche in the CD32
line-up, but will be overshadowed if something more glamorous and fun arrives.
Ratings:
Graphics: 75% Manufacturer:
Sound: 85% Microprose Ltd.
Gameplay: 85% The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury
Control: 85% Avon BS17 6AY UK
OVERALL RATING: 82.5% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
This has been edited in response to Sean Czsatts review of the
game. Only this Paragraph has been added. I just wanted to make
sure that everyone knew this is not a direct port from the a500
version, that it does use 256 color graphics. The may not look
a whole lot different from the older graphics, but believe me
they are there, I have tested them. Other than that, I think
that Sean gave a fair review of the game.
This is gunship 2000 with AGA graphics, and a great animation
at the beginning. Don't expect all kinds of dazzling gameplay
updates, there isn't. What there is is better graphics, a better
intro, faster gameplay, and better digitized speech. What this
makes for is a great helicopter flight simulator. If you liked
Gunship 2000 ECS, you can only like this one more. It would have
been nice if they would have added some more campaigns though.
[88/100]
Fire & Ice(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Does anyone remember Fire & Ice back on ECS machines. I had never
seen the game before I thought. Then when I loaded it, I remembered.
Oh, yeah this game. But they have enhanced it to AGA with DUAL
PLAYFIELD mode, and some graphic enhancements. All in all, it is
the same game but it looks a lot better, and it let's you play with
Joypad, Mouse, Joystick, or Keyboard.
So what type of game is this. It's another platform game. Again,
it falls short of Brion The Lion, but that's not saying anything
bad about it! This game is actually pretty good. I would rate it
just below Oscar quality. Fun gameplay, though a little hard to get
far. But isn't that what we want in a platform game!?!
I would recommend it to anyone who has conquered Brion The Lion,
and Oscar, and is looking for something different.
[80/100]
Striker(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a arcade style soccer game. It lacks the league and depth
of Sensible Soccer, but it is much nicer to look at, and is somewhat
fun to play.
The game has a lot of rough edges, but it is an enjoyable soccer
game to play. Though I might not recommend anyone to buy this game,
if you love soccer, maybe you might enjoy it.
[73/100]
Arcade Pool(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGAMonnthly *
Team 17 doing a Pool simulation? I bet it's gonna have 3d rotation
views, texture mapped graphics, and excellent sound...
Well, it's an overhead view. But it is still the funnest pool game
I have played to date. It's not exactly what I expected, but it
is still a good game.
[75/100]
Super Methane Bros(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a mean Mario Bros(original not platform) rip. But it does
feature pretty nice graphics, and different monsters... If you were
a Mario Bros devotee this is a great game to get. If not it is still
interesting. I have only played the cracked version, and
unfortunately it has no music(CD music), but I am sure if you had
the CD it would be very fun. Without music however it is a little
bland.
[75/100]
Surf Ninjas(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
SURF NINJAS
SYSTEM: CD³²
Games based on movies are notorious for usually being a way to disguise a
poor game by using a highly desireable character or situation from a
movie. Ever since E.T. appeared on the screen of Atari 2600 game systems,
the track record of movie licensed games has been poor. (Notable
exceptions being Ocean's ROBOCOP 3D and LucasArts' INDIANA JONES AND THE
FATE OF ATLANTIS, which isn't based on a movie per se, but a movie
character.)
SURF NINJAS, a movie I didn't see, did not strike me as a game waiting to
be made. Since I didn't see the movie, I can't tell you how faithful the
game is to the spirit of the movie. However, I can tell you that if it IS
faithful to the movie, I advise you to avoid the movie without hesitation.
SURF NINJAS, the game that is, requires you to fight off ninja warriors
while trying to collect various objects to complete each stage. The
screen scrolls from right to left as you try to do this. I say "try"
because this would be a fairly simple task if the game hadn't been
programmed in what seems to be BASIC. As soon as more than two characters
appear on the screen at the same time, the game goes into what appears to
be slow-motion. (A jump and kick move will take approximately 2-3 SECONDS
to execute completely from start to finish when three or more characters
are on the screen. This is opposed to less than a second with one or two
characters are on the screen.)
Collision detection between characters is dreadfully slow and inaccurate.
You can only kick someone while jumping up, not on your way down.
Sometimes your character will act as if he has one of the ninjas in a
headlock...but he doesn't. It hard enough to control a game in slow
motion, but when you can't even be sure that you're hitting someone when
you clearly should be is enough to make you feel like screaming.
Enough about the control of the game. The graphics and music are also in
the same quality vein: Crap. The music would sound appropriate on a
Commodore 64 game. The graphics reminded me of the 8-bit Nintendo game
N.A.R.C.
I found it interesting that there was no warranty card in the box nor any
address on the packaging. Whoever is responsible for this mess doesn't
seem to want to answer for it. Flair's name appears when the game boots
up, but their name appears nowhere on the packaging. MicroValue is the
company named on the packaging. Neither lists an address on the box.
Whoever's responsible can step forward to accept this month's (and the
first ever) @{"LAME GAME OF THE MONTH" link LGTM} award.
@{"Ratings:" link ratings}
Graphics: 10% Manufacturer:
Sound: 10% MicroValue/Flair
Gameplay: 10% (No address listed on box)
Control: 10%
OVERALL RATING: 10% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *
What do you expect from a company who's subsidiary is MICROVALUE.
So Oscar, was good, what do you expect out of this?
Well it is a Double Dragon/Golden Axe type game. But i'd rather
play the ECS versions of those games anyday. The graphics do not
look very good, and the gameplays, worse... You can compare this
to a p mu SEGA double dragon type game, as it iz of about that
quality, but not good by what we should expect out of CD-32
releases.
Microvalue is a good name for this company...
[63/100]
Trolls(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
The platformer Trolls(Flair) has most of the qualities of it's
younger brother, Oscar - except maybe a sympathetic character.
Play's a bit thing, but gotta love the backdropps,and the jaunty
let's-go-rollerskatingg msic has been punched up signifigantly.(B-)
* AGA Monthly *
Well, this game was good when it was designed, but it was not
really needed on CD-32... Oscar is basically an upgrade to Trolls
with OSCARS instead of TROLLS, and different scene areas...
The sound effects are the exact same as Oscar, and the graphics
are not as good. The game also lacks some of the interesting aspects
of Oscar, such as the water scenes...
It's still an okay platform game, but it is useless to get this
if you have Oscar, because it is the same game, only really an
earlier version...
P.S. If you are going to get this game, grab the AGA version, and
do not download the CD-32 version of the game, as it has no music!
[70/100]
Sabre Team(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32Bits *
Sabre Team £30 Krisalis
Hmmmm, heres a strange one!! Sabre Team, is a game in a similar style
to Blue Bytes releases, Battle Isle and Historyline. You control a team
of four soldiers whose task it is to wipe out all of the baddies and
save mankind. You control each of your four men independantly, and once
each has made a move, the computer makes the bad guy's moves.
The graphics are nothing special, although they are AGA, but the games
distinguishing feature is that it has loads of sampled speech. This
always adds a much more involved feel to any game, so I don't know why
more programmers do not use it at the moment!
The game action can be very boring at time, the controls are bad with
the CD32 controller, and the game is quite buggy!! As with most games,
half the price and a couple might sell, this is far too expensive for
what it is...
CD32Bits Rating: **
* AGA Monthly *
Sounds kind of like a flight simulator don't it? Well, instead
it is a strategy covert action game with good(AGA) graphics and
sound. It takes a bit of time to get used to the gameplay, but
it is nonetheless a fun game.
My only major gripe with the game, is that even though it is
hard disk installable, you must save your games to a floppy. This
kind of erks me. But it is worth saving the game, as each level
is a difficult challenge, and the next level is always worth
seeing.
If you like strategic games with graphics, then you will like this
game. If you like fast action games, this might be a bit too slow
for your liking...
[77/100]
Impossible Mission 2=25(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
IMPOSSIBLE MISSION 2025
AGA Version - Amiga 1200 or Amiga 4000 only
CD³²
HARD DRIVE INSTALLABLE: Yes
MEMORY REQUIRED: 1 MB or higher
CONTROLLER: Joystick or Keyboard
Workbench 1.3/2.x/3.x compatible
Elvin Atombender is back! The evil S.O.B. that tormented gamer's minds
and reflexes in the eighties has returned in a new game that combines
elements of the first two (Impossible Mission I and II) while adding some
new twists of its own.
You are given the task of getting through 15 levels to stop Elvin's latest
plot to destroy the world. You can choose one of three different
characters to attempt this mission: RAM, a robot; Tasha, a gymnast; or
Felix Fly, a soldier.
Each level is full of obstacles, platforms, power-ups, sub-games and
killer robots. The object is to find puzzle pieces (in the form of
circuit boards), assemble them in the correct manner and then move to the
next level. To make things more difficult, you have to beat a running
clock.
If you're familiar with the original IMPOSSIBLE MISSION games, then you'll
have a fairly good idea o` what's expected of you. If you're not, that's
OK, because Microprose has generously decided to port the original game to
the Amiga and include it in the package. You're actually getting two
games for the price of one.
The CD³² version of the game includes some nifty intro animations, but
basically is not much different than either Amiga version. The AGA
version looks nicer than the ECS version, but plays the same. (The
original Impossible Mission looks the same on all three versions, but bogs
down on.the CD³² when more than a few robots are onscreen.)
The graphics on all three versions of the new game are nice and rather
atmospheric. The rotoscoped animations that depict your character's
movements are well done. (They're not quite as good as those in OUT OF
THIS WORLD (Another World) or FLASHBACK, but they're good nonetheless.)
Actually, of the two games, I prefer the older version of the game. Aside
from the "poor by today's standard" graphics, the gameplay holds up pretty
well for a game that's over ten years old. The new version's flashier,
but I like the older one better. That's not to say the newer game isn't
any good, it just looks a little bloated next to the lean and mean
IMPOSSIBLE MISSION.
@{"Ratings:" link RATINGS}
Impossible Mission 2025 Impossible Mission
Graphics: 85% Graphics: 70%
Gameplay: 80% Gameplay: 95%
Control: 80% Control: 85%
Sound: 80% Sound: 80%
RATINGS: 81% 82.5%
OVERALL RATING: 82% Manufacturer:
Microprose, Ltd.
The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury
Avon, BS17 6AY UK
* CD32Bits *
Impossible Mission £30 Microprose
At long last comes the sequel to the C64 classic.. Impossible Mission
was a 1986 smash, and now Microprose try to repeat the success with a
revamped 90's edition!!! But, doessit succeed?
In @{"Impossible Mission 2025" system "vt imposs.jpg"} you play a man whose mission it is to escape
from a planet inhabited by killer robots!! You must travel around the
huge platform levels, solving puzzles which allow you to leave a level
and access the next. The backgrounds and sound are great, although the
sprite is rather badly drawn and animated. The puzzle element is hard
enough to keep players thinking, but not so hard that you end up
throwing the disk in the corner after a few hourr of not getting
anywhere. You can pick from three characters to control, each with
specific abilities to help you complete levels.
All in all the game is a well polished effort which will keep you hooked
for a long while. Unfortunately, it is a direct port from the 1200
version, but with such a game, that doesn't really matter. As an added
bonus, you also get the original C64 version included, and the only
problem I could really find was the dissapointing introduction. If
Microcosm and Impossible Mission 2025 were combined, we would have a
sure fire hit on our hands!!
CD32Bits Rating: ****
* AGA Monthly *
I have great memories of Impossible Mission the the 64 and Amiga.
Good graphics, and speech, difficult levels, and overall fun game.
Unfortunately Impossible Mission 2025 had to go and include the
original Impossible Mission inside their package. When I look at
it now, I realize the speech and sound effect are horrible by todays
standards, and the graphics are really, really bad. Boy have video
games come a long way since then.
Impossible Mission 2025 on the other hand has pretty good graphics
and sound, coupled with an updated gameplan which only can add to
the classic(by Epyx). You have several different terminals with
fun little games in each, not to mention the main game.
My only gripe with this game is the scrolling. Microprose of course
has never been known for releasing Action games, their are rulers
of in depth simulations that we have been playing for years. It shows
in this case. The scrolling is not smooth. Sometimes itPis, and some
times it is not. I can only fault it to microprose's lack of experience
in programming Action/Platform gameimdThough that is still no
excuse.
However, getting by that aspect of the game, the rest is very
fun and I think it is a very enjoyable game.
And here are all levelcodes for Impossible Mission 2025
typed by LTD./Backlash
-Liststart-
ROCKYI
ROCKYV
ROCKYX
CHAIRI
CHAIRV
CHAIRX
ROBBYI
ROBBYV
ROBBYX
MICROI
MICROV
MICROX
FINALI
FINALV
FINALX
EMPTYI
IROCKY
VROCKY
XROCKY
ICHAIR
CHAIR
XCHAIR
IROBBY
VROBBY
XROBBY
IMICRO
VMICRO
XMICRO
IFINAL
VFINAL
XFINAL
IEMPTY
-Listend-
[77/100]
Heimdall II(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
HEIMDALL 2 - (CD³²)
A cartoon-style adventure game with puzzles that are sure to give even
the most dedicated adventurers headaches. This is the kind of game the
CD³² really needed, but I hesitate to say this title is the best of its
kind. It's not for everyone. The control is sometimes clumsy and the
puzzles are sometimes TOO hard. Overall, it's engaging but mostly
frustrating.
OVERALL RATING: 75% Video Mode: PAL
* CD32Bits *
Heimdall 2 Core Design £30
As a simultaneous release with the normal floppy versions, Core Design
have released Heimdall 2. The original Heimdall, released two years ago
was an incredible success due to it's combined use of action and
strategy elements. Does Heimdall 2 live up to the original? Well, the
short answer is yes. The same elements are then, but far more polished
than in the original.
For those of you who do not know what Heimdalme s all about, well he is
a Viking, and it is his mission to rid his land of evil. The game takes
on a 3D grahical approach, and uses both a joystick and a mouse for
control. If you donot have a mouse, the CD32 controller can be used,
but it is far more awkward.
You have the choice of controlling one of two characters. One of the
problems with the original was that there were far too many characters
to have to juggle with whilst playing. Thankfully this problem has been
solved.
The game does have soe ddissapointing aspects. Core had promised anjintro, but there is no evidence of one. It is just a straight port of
the A1200 version, with some music. It would have been nice if some
speech had been added because in game SFX are very lacking. There is
plenty of room on the CD afterall, considering the floppy version comes
on seven disks... The final point is that it comes in a double CD case,
which is a pain if you stack your CD's in a rack.... Apart from those
few points, Heimdall 2 is a good choice for your collection!!
CD32Bits Rating: ****
* CU Amiga *
Graphics : 85%
Sound : 84%
Lastability : 91%
Playability : 90%
Overall : 89%
* AGA Monthly *
This appears to be a greatly designed game, with excellent graphics
and sound. It is an adventure in the spirites of AD&D. Yet I could
not really figure it out. I can not give it a review really on the
plot etc because I didn't get very far. But I will review the game
play and graphics.
The graphics are from a view similar to Powermonger or Populus.
But they are larger and nicely detailed. The gameplay uses joystick
and mouse both. You use the joystick to move around your character
and the mouse to select from your many options(which are used via
icons on top of the screen). The sound is likewise pretty good, though
I thought the graphics and gameplay were the funnest part of the game.
[81/100]
Wembley International Soccer(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32Bits *
Wembley International Soccer £30 Audiogenic
Now here's what we need, another football game. As if we hadn't got
enough of them already, along comes yet another, that claims to be the
best one that you have ever seen. But is it??
Well, it's certainly the best one on the CD32 so far, although a bit
difficult. It features a number of international teams, and all of the
sprites are large and colourful. The game makes use of the extra buttons
on the CD32 controller and, all in all,the control method is quite good.
Now, most people would say that Sensi has to be the best Football Sim
available, but the CD version has crap sound. In comparison, WIS's
sound would seem like actually being there.
I am not a fan of football games, but of the one's available for the
CD32 at the moment, this is by far the best.
CD32Bits Rating: ***
* CU Amiga *
Graphics : 81%
Sound : 65%
Lastability : 71%
Playability : 79%
Overall : 78%
* AGA Monthly *
Oh Wembely soccer. Well, this game is okay looking, and it sounds
okay. The gameplay is not the greatest i've played on a soccer game.
But the league play is good and it leaves a lot of nice options.
The replays are particularly nice if you use tge side view. Yet I
could not eet the game to run in a side view, and I do not think
that option is available(which would have made the game funner).
This is a good soccer game, but not a great one. I have still
yet to see that GREAT soccer game that we all know will come out for
CD-32/AGA, and this game is no exception.
[74/100]
James Pond III(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32Bits *
James Pond 3 £36 Millenium
If you,liked James Pond two, you'll love this. In a style very similar
to Mario, James Pond 3 continues where number two left off! It, like
many others before it is a sometimes puzzle solving platform romp.
Where it stands out though is the playability. This is not one of the
platform type games that you get bored of very quickly, James Pond 3 is
sheer enjoyment. It has all of the elements that have made Mario one of
the most popular games in history.
It has cutesy graphics, dull backdrops, nice sound and loads of leve o.
The gameplay is not too hard, but with a difficulty level that will keep
you coming back for mole. The control method is even good, when using
the supplied CD32 controller, which comes as a welcome suprise.
Now. There @{b}are@{ub} minus points, and two major ones at that!! Firstly, it
is ridiculously expensive. Secondly, there are no enhancements over the
floppy version. The only difference between the two is the CDXL anim at
the beginning, and even that is identical to thersne seen on the CD
version... The price is just far too high. Had it been a more
reasonable ten pounds cheaper, it wouud have scored another mark, but at
that rediculous price, it has to be penalised.
CD32Bits Rating: ***
* AGA Monthly *
James Pond III... Another AGA/CD-32 Platformer... This is a very
difficult game... But it is well designed. I would not group it
in the same category as Brion The Lion or Oscar, because it lacks
the great Dual-Playfield graphics. But it is still a good platform
game. I would rather play this than Trolls or Fire & Ice.
The graphics are okay, and the sound effects are pretty decent.
All in all, an average platform game, on the system that's beginning
to be known for it's platform games!
[78/100]
Kick Off III(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CU Amiga *
Graphics : 87%
Sound : 62%
Lastability : 71%
Playability : 70%
Overall : 68%
* AGA Monthly *
How does this game fair with the mass lump of soccer games that
are being released because of the World Cup? League wise, it's
nothing great. I much prefer the league in sensible soccer. Graphic
wise, much better than any of the other one's at time of release.
Gameplay? Much nicer... I like the side-scroll option. It is much
nicer looking than sensible soccer, with better gameplay than
Wembely International...
If you enjoy soccer games this could be your best buy. I rate it
above Striker, John Barnes, Wembely International, and Sensible
Soccer.
[80/100]
Morph(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Odd that Morph-a nice arcade-puzzler from Millenium built around
so many changes in elemental states-should itself go through so
few changes en route from the original. This has the twelve extra
levels included from the a1200 version, and I suppose the music's
a bit better. (B)
* AGA Monthly *
This game haouescaped me until recettly. I must say, it is one of
the funner games available for the Aut/CD-32 platforms. It is a
game similar to Fury of the Furries(you have 4 morph characters here)
in which you can interchange characters to solve your way through
mazes. The graphics are pretty good, and the sound effects are
Flair standard(pretty good, but has that Flair sound to it, that
you know it was done by them(though it was distributed by
Millenium I. In playing it now, I only wish I wy ld have had this
very addicting game a litlle bit sooner.
[83/100]
Pierre Le Chef Out To Lunch(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Though this is not the type of game that I expected, Pierre Le
Chef's Out To Lunch is a very fun game... In the tradition of such
classics as Bubble Bobble and Parasol Stars(Bubble Bobble III) this
is a platformer collect the thingy's game... It has very nice
(and extremely smooth scrolling) Dual Playfield AGA graphics. And
quick and exciting gameplay...
You are Pierre Le Chef and you must capture all the runaway food
throughout various countries... You have a pretty picture to look
at, and catchy and simple music to listen to. You have various
baddies/goodies throughout the course of your game, and you will
find each level twice as hard as the last.
This is a game that kept me coming back for more...
[85/100]
Tubular Worlds(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
When I first heard the name Tubular Worlds, I pictured a game
similar to Microcosm... Or maybe an adventure... The last thing
I pictured it was being a side scrolling shoot 'em up...
But I will say that I was not dissapointed with this game. It
appears to be the first shoot 'em up that really takes advantage
of the AGA chipset... It has dazzling colorful graphics and lot's
of fun yet difficult levels for one or two player(simultaneously).
It is different in that it is an overhead side-scrolling ga e..
Usually the side-scrolls upu sid, views, and vertical scrolls have
overhead views... Not in this one... It uses full screen overhead
side scroll view, which is Zomething different! haha
All in all, a fun and enjoyable game with nice graphics and sound.
[82/100]
Arabian Nights(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Arabian Nights for CD-32(Buzz) has barely changed from its original
Amiga release, and a good thing, too. The original platform/puzzler
was brilliant in it's simplicity, and why mess with a good thing?
(B+)
* AGA Monthly *
Well, nothing too stunning about this one... Another platform
game, yet this one has less than stellar graphics. Though I didllike
the ofzzle solving nature of it $the graphics needed too much
improvement for me to really enjoy this one much.
[68/100]
Battle Chess(CD-32/ECS)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
BATTLE CHESS - (CD³²)
The CDTV version of this game gets a bit of a facelift in terms of
packaging and some slight changes in the controls. Other than that, it's
the same game. If you find the CDTV version cheaper and can live without
the slightly fancier packaging, you'll be OK with that one. Otherwise,
this is a fairly good chess game with some humorous animation. It's a
little on the slow side, but it's a solid, if rather old, game.
OVERALL RATING: 80% Video Mode: NTSC
* CD32 Bits *
BattleChess £26 Interplay
The alltime best chess game for the Amiga finally makes it's way onto
the the CD32. Unfortunately, it seems to be the original version that
was released for the CDTV a couple of years ago! For innovation, the
most that can be said about this game is that it has a very long demo
which introduces you to all of the pieces in a chess game. The pieces
possible moves and strategic uses are fully explained with a voice over
from the piece in question, and without a doubt, if you had never played
chess before, this demo mode would be enough to teach you the ins and
outs of the game to a satisfactory standard to actually play.
The major problem with this game is naturally going to be the price.
Battlechess is a very dated game, and consequently does not really
warrant the conversion to CD32. The original floppy disk version was no
more than 400K, so there is a lot of space left, and you may well feel
slightly put off at the thought of paying so much for so little.
If you have the money to burn and you are also a fan of chess, then
BattleChess is a worthy title for your money. However, if like most
people once you have seen all of the pieces animations you get bored,
this would be a definate title to avoid!!
CD32Bits Rating: ***
* AGA Monthly *
Direct ports don't bid too well in this day and age. There is no
excuse for that.
[60/100]
Battle Toads(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32Bits *
BattleToads Mindscape £30
Imagine the sort of game that you used to see on the original NES, and
you have BattleToads. It comprises awful, uncontrolable sprites with
awful backdrops and awful sound. It even has a game plot to match!
Battletoads is absolutely terrible. It ranks alongside Seven Gates Of
Jambala for the worst CD32 game. Theres nothing else I can say about it
appart from DON'T BUY IT!!
CD32Bits Rating: *
* Amiga Action *
The kindest thing to say about Battletoads is simply that we've seen
it all before. There is nothing new, original, or remotely exciting
about cynically churning out a game like this. It was good in its
day, but unfortunately that was ten years ago. What really makes
this game a crime is that the other versions of it weren't that bad
at all. I don't know, perhaps it's just me and the rest of the world
will absoleutely love it, but as far as I'm concerned this is dire.
Don't buy it unless you are desperate to waste twinty quid on any
old rubbish.
Graphics : 36%
Sound : 50%
Playability : 24%
Difficulty : Tricky
Overall : 40%
* AGA Monthly *
Junk, avoid this... No other comment neccesary.
[1/100]
The Lost Vikings(CD-32/ECS)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CD32Bits *
The Lost Vikings £26 Interplay
This is the second offering from Interplay this month. Once again, it
is a direct port of the floppy version. Same intro, same sound, and
same non-AGA graphics. You could question why this was not released
very early on in the CD32's life, because there is no excuse for non-AGA
games to appear anymore. They have had plenty of time to convert it, so
why haven't they??
In The Lost Vikings, you control three vikings, all with specific
abilities whose task it is to make their way through the puzzle ridden
platform levels to try and return to their home. There are tasks along
the way which you have to complete to procede any further, and to do
these, you have to combine the Vikings various skills.
The Lost Vikings is pretty standard in all departments. It really has
no distinguishing features which would lead me to recomend it above any
other CD32 platformer. As i've said before. If you are a fan of the
genre, you'll probably be happy with the game, however, if you're not,
you will hate it.
CD32Bits Rating: **
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
THE LOST VIKINGS - (CD³²)
A direct ECS port from the Amiga version. Virtually nothing has been done
to the game to set it apart from its computer incarnation. Although it's
not a bad game, it's got two things going against it. 1) It's another
platform game (albeit a more action oriented one) and 2) It's just as good
as it's Amiga version, not better. It's still a lot better than some
"CD³²" games, so it's worth a look if you don't have the Amiga version.
OVERALL RATING: 75% Video Mode: NTSC
* AGA Monthly *-
Again there is no room for direct ports in this day and age.
Especially on a game that was never that great to begin with such
as this platformer.
[60/100]
Banshee(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International *
Had Core made any effort at all to hide the fact that Banshee is
an update of the old arcade game 1942, it might have been possible
to criticize them for it. However, the game even contains the same
type of sprites, at least at the very early levels.
For those who missed 1942, Banshee is a vertical scrolling shoot
'em up. As the screen moves you along, enemy planes dive at you from
all angles and it's up to you to deal with wave after wave. The
planes differ in size, strength and attack capability and some
release the inevitable and much sought after power ups.
.
.
.
Banshee is a great shoot'em up and the best of it's kind so far on
the Amiga. At last, I can leave Xenon 2 alone.
Graphics : 84%
Sound : 73%
Gameplay : 90%
Overall : 88%
* AGA Monthly *
Banshee, sounds like a bubble ghost clone... But no this is probably
the last thing you would think of when you hear the name. But believe
me, I am not complaining... No more than I was complaining about
Chaos Engine... haha...
This is a 1942 clone... The graphics are spectacular, and there are
many perks as you fly through level after level of pure gaming fun
and challenges... Of course there are the standard perks such as
two player simultaneous mode, with lot's of bigger than normal planes
after you fight lot's of regular dudes in between... Actually it's
a lot more than just planes, there's tanks, soldiers, subs, ships,
buildings, and lot's of other nice things...
I am impressed more by the attention to detail in this game than
any other aspect... As with Brion the Lion they it contains the little
perks that makes it a more rounded game... The flames when you are
ready to crash with a few more hits... The rain, fog or other weather
conditions you will experience, falling down on your screen while
you are in heavy combat... These are the things that make this game
a surefire success...
[89/100]
Last Ninja III(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Do you remember a long time ago, the last ninja trilogy? Last
ninja III was the ultimate during that time... Well that time has
passed... It might have been a good game if they took some time to
make an AGA version... But the didn't...
This is a direct port from disk... LAME
[40/100]
Zombie Apocalypse II(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Well, this is a PD game... But a pretty good one... Not a game that
will keep you coming back, but as far as PD games go, this is one of
the best... It is an Operation Wolf/Thunderbolt type game, and is
very gorry... The graphics are decent...
[55/100]
On The Ball(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CU Amiga *
Graphics : 96%
Sound : 85%
Lastability : 94%
Playability : 93%
Overall : 94%
* AGA Monthly *
This is another AGA soccer game... This is the English version
of Anstoss: World Cup Edition... It is AGA & requires a hard drive
(there is a seperate ECS version also available). The graphics are
very nice, and the gameplay in this game is not half bad... Though
I must let you know that this is only a management game. Don't
expect to go around playing arcade style.
I honestly did not divert too much time to this game, but that is
not to say it isn't a good game... I have played so many different
soccer games in the past month(World Cup and all) that I was burnt
out by the time this one came around.
[82/100]
Legacy Of Sorasil(CD-32/ECS)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a disk-conversion... The graphics are mediocre, but the
gameplay is too slow... You have to wander around in a very hard
world, and unfortunately it does not have the "umph" of a Heimdall
II...
I quickly lost interest in this game, though I believe a die-hard
AD&D player, might enjoy it, it just isn't my type of game.
[75/100]
Super Zocker(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Though this is only a tune-up game, and not a seller, it still
deserves some ragging... The graphics are not much of anything,
and it is in German... The gameplay is the same as the ECS
version that came out a year and a half ago.
What is it? A slot machine type game, but when money isn't at
steak, it isn't all that fun...
[50/100]
Deep Core(CD-32/ECS)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
When I first loaded this game, it virtually screamed "GODS!" at
me and that is certainly what this one will most remind you of.
Many people were hooked on the Bitmap Brothers' platform game,
and while I was not overly impressed, I could see why.
Deep Core is not quite up to that game's high standards of
graphics and sound. But it is very and quite addictive. It's not
going to win any awards for originality, for sure. The main
character even grunts and yells in a similar way. But GODS is not
yet available for CD32, so a whole new generation of console
owners can enjoy a similar game.
The game will take some considerable time to complete, largely
because the character takes so damn long to get anywhere and
because he's only granted three lives to lose. Extras can be
picked up along the way, which will extend your life expectancy
a little, but the monsters are tough to kill(and sometimes even
tough to spot on the screen). Contact with them drains your life
very quickly and, before you know it, GAME OVER looms large again.
This constant get-a-little-further-than-before-but-then-die
process can get annoying and the first few levels will soon bore
you. But such is the nature of platform games. Fans of the genre
will have to make up their own minds, but no converts on the run
and jumps will be won by this title.
The Sights: 74 ;Very blue.
The Sounds: 65 ;I was dissapointed, Say no more...
Junkiness : 74 ;Quite a Challenge.
Dosh Worth: 70 ;Won't enthrall you forever.
The Verdict:
[69/100] ;A bit uninspiring.
* Amiga World *
Shame that the big-sprite platormer Deep Core(ICE)-the disk
version of which was semi-panned a couple of issues back-didn't
turn up in this format first, as it's much more on target
playwise. (B)
* CD-32 View *
80%
* AGA Monthly *
If you have the ECS disk version, you have the Deep Core CD-32
version... These games are identical... I could not find the better
playability that was spoken about by Amiga World... All I found to
be different was the music...
[65/100]
Premiere(CD-32/AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
It would have been great to see a couple of games bundles onto one
CD for, say, twenty quid, but I suppose the risk is not selling to
people who want on of the games but not the other. As it is,
Premiere is still a good game and Core's graphics have always been
so good that this game isn't emberassed by the CD32's other titles.
At this budget price, it's certainly better than a lot of the full
price games that are being released on CD.
The Sights: 80 ;The best sixteen bit has to offer.
The Sounds: 76 ;The tunes will anoy you eventually.
Junkiness : 75 ;Fun, but less adictive than illegal narcotics.
Dosh Worth: 85 ;Won't break the bank.
THE VERDICT:
[82/100]
* AGA Monthly *
This is a decent platformer... But be warned, if you get the cracked
copy, you must get the fix. The game will not work without it.
Decent graphics, and decent sound... The word is DECENT, not very
good.
[70/100]
Chuck Rock(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
I can't say much about it really. Chuck Rock is a reasonable
platform game at a reasonable price, which is better than a crap
game at a extortionate price as some companies are doing. Have
a look at it before you buy it, but I wouldn't be surprised if
you don't end up handing over the dosh. Of course, the last thing
that surprised me was Elvis turning up at my door and asking for
some help with this ditty he'd thought up, especially since I
thought he emigrated to the moon.
The Sights: 74 ;Dig that groovy dinosaur gut.
The Sounds: 72 ;Dig that groovy dinosaur rythm.
Junkiness : 73 ;Dig that groovy dinosaur, man.
Dosh Worth: 70 ;Dig that groovy dinosuar, maybe.
The Verdict:
[82/100]
* Amiga Action *
Original Sore : 90%
Updated Score : 91%
* AGA Monthly *
I thought I had reviewed this before, but apparently I had not...
This is a 16-bit game, so don't expect anything else out of it...
It was a good game when it came out, and you will probably have
fun playing it now... If you are broke and just want to add to your
collection, this could be a good buy... But don't expect an AGA
game.
[71/100]
Trivial Pursuit(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Trivial Pursuit was such a production number on the CDTV that
Domark barely had to change it for the CD32-speech and animations
all over the place, a great booming die-rolling sequence, and a
general feeling of fun that only rarely accompanies board-game
conversinos. But it's not really for US gamers. Far too many of
the questions are written with only Europe in Mind. (C+).
* Amiga User International(Amiga CD!) *
Let's get one thing straight from the off. TP is not a game which
can be enjoyed by one player. Nor will two do it justice. When
three or more people come together, things start improving fast.
Sniggers escape, titters abound. If Russell starts getting on your
nerves he can be shut up. There are a lot of user-friendly
features which will improve the long-term playability. But the
main problem is the lack of new questions. What made the board
game so exciting was the ease with which a new set of questions
could be turned out. I may be wrong, but I don't see any way of
doing that here, unless a new version is designed for each new
edition. Which means that this game has about ten plays in it
before you get serious repetition. But the CD32 edition of Trivial
Pursuit is a fun game. It's slickly presented, amusing and a good
value. And it is selling to adults, which makes a pleasant change.
Sooner or later, the software industry will realise that more and
more over 20s will be playing games, and start catering for them.
The Sights: 82 ;Nice animations and static screens.
The Sounds: 81 ;Some great puns and quips.
Junkiness : 80 ;Only any good if you're popular.
Dosh Worth: 84 ;Great value.
The Verdict:
[80/100] ;We want Monopoly!
* AGA Monthly *
I have never been much for Trivial Pursuit... I haven't played it
since high school, and then only in art class, because it was worth
credit...
The CD-32 version of this game, is however, done pretty well... I
was surprised, as I had not seen a computer version since the one
on the Apple, which was thoroughly ugly... The CD-32 version makes
for fun if you like the game.
Even I, who is not one for these type of games, though it was made
nicely(though I still didn't spend much time with it).
[75/100]
Super Putty(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Entertainment Monthly *
SUPER PUTTY
SYSTEM: CD³²
Super Putty is a platform game with a unique central character. You
control a blue lump of putty (no, really!) as you bounce around
platforms absorbing or punching enemies. On each level you must absorb
a certain number of confused robots and bring them to safety. Each level
has a time limit and the levels are broken up into several graphical
styles. Punching some enemies turns them into screaming babies which can
then be absorbed for points. Absorbing enemies also keeps your energy
level high.
The main character (Putty) has various abilites. He can walk, jump,
stretch between platforms and absorb various characters. If you flatten
Putty , he cannot be hurt (keep in mind the clock does not stop when you
do this). Putty can even morph into certain other characters in the game
(the manual is not entirely clear on this.)
The backgrounds are colorful and there is a lot happening on each screen.
Using the composite output on the CD³² the quality was pretty good. S-VHS
would be better. There are a lot of original characters such as samurai
spacemen, Mr. Hotdog etc. (check out the psychotic terminator carrots!)
Sound is limited to an introductory tune and some very nice in-game sound
effects (psychotic carrots screaming "Uzi nine millimeter!", wailing
babies, "Banzai" spacemen etc.). There is no in-game tune , but I don't
miss one.
This game is not nearly as fast as Zool, but I like it much better. It
holds my interest longer than Zool does; There is some strategy involved
in saving the robots (In early levels the robots are stationary, later
levels they may walk off a platform and die.)
I own a disk version of the game and use a suction-cup joystick. I like
the CD³² pad controller better. This may be due to the joystick I have
though.
DISLIKES :
I could not put my name on the high-score table, perhaps a keyboard is
needed. there are no level passwords! The game is fairly short, 4 or 5
worlds with 3 levels each. A password after each world would have been
nice.
Supposedly the CD³² version has more levels but I have not been able to
confirm this (I did not get far enough!)
@{"Ratings:" link RATINGS}
Graphics: 80% Manufacturer:
Sound: 80% System 3 Arcade Software
Gameplay: 90% 18 Petersborough Road
Control: 85% Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2BQ
OVERALL RATING: 84% Video Mode: PAL
* AGA Monthly *
This is a superbly coded Putty game... It follows along the lines
of Morph, Lemmings, Bill's Tomatoe Game, and Fury of the Furries.
You are a piece of Silly Putty... You can mold yourself into a fist
to pounce enemies, you can suck enemies up whole, you can stretch
and do other things that Putties do.
The graphics are superb, and the sound is also entertaining. (though
that Cat can get on your nerves, haha)... Lot's of brilliant levels
places this one above Morph and Lemmings, and nearly equal to Fury...
[85/100]
Video Creator(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga World *
Video Creator, by Almathera, is a CD title for the Amiga-aimed at the
CD32 crowd, but presumably runnable on any AGA Amiga and CD-ROM
drive. The concept is simple: Create videos to go with your favorite CD
titles. Tape them if you like, save them to RAM or disk if you have it,
or just watch it for fun.
But how does it work, you ask?
Well, first let's talk about HOW it works.
The Interface
-------------
The interface looks like Scala. A lot.
That said, I'll point out that it's not a direct ripoff, but it IS still
easy to use. Videos are tracked down to the millisecond, and effects can
be inserted using the editor at any point desired.
How many effects?
Well, tons are available, from the usual assortment of screen wipes and
fades, to animations and plasmas, to "psychoflicker." There's no
shortage, and the animation feature is in particular impressive, allowing
you to tile it on the screen in various combinations, including upside
down and opposing. Effects can be overlaid for extra depth. FMV,
providing you have the module and a disc to pull the FMV from, can be
used in your video as well.
Of course, since it's geared for a CD32, and not everybody has drives
hooked up to theirs, it might be a bit useless without some included
goodies, and Almathera has done exactly that. From stop signs to
animations of houses to German phrases to pictures of exploding aircraft,
there's a LOT of eye candy pre-installed. I haven't looked at all the
pictures yet, but I spent a good half-hour trying.
Loading is supported using AmigaDOS paths, meaning that you can
pull whatever you like off of any valid device.
You can test the outcome of effects while you're in the editor,
incidentally.
The setup ensures you'll never run out of possibilities and combinations.
After all, an editor's work is never done.
Random Raves
--------------
Just in case concocting your own video from scratch and painstakingly
making it look right isn't for you, Almathera has included a Random Raves
feature. This only calls on you to pick the track or tracks you want to
hear and the intensity level of the videos. Basically, "intensity" means
"how fast the effects will move and how often they'll change." The
results are always fun to watch, and sometimes downright impressive, as
transitions or pictures come up in a way that "fits" the tune. Of course,
the tune had nothing to do with it, but you can always pretend...
If you're a truly lazy individual, you can just pick "Random Play" for
the disc, meaning you do NO work and have almost NO say in the outcome
at all. Your preference.
The Finished Product
---------------------
Well, this is easy. All you do is sit back and watch, and your creation
warps and moves along as your favorite tunes play. Can't beat that.
If it's the Random Play Random Rave, there will be some pauses as the
CD32 tries to come up with something else to entertain you. Not too
much, though.
Limitations
-----------
VC is highly limited by the amount of RAM in your machine. The standard
CD32 2 megs IS enough for quite a lot of videos, but if you load a bunch
of 64+ color pictures and do several dozen separate types of effects, you
run into problems really quickly. Expansion memory should available for
much of the information...in fact, I would think all of it, since the
pictures don't HAVE to be in chip until you view them.
The Random Raves feature, to my knowledge and understanding, can
only pull from its own database of pictures and anims, so if you add any
to your collection, too bad, you'll have to create your own videos to
see them.
Those are fairly minor and surmountable. This one isn't.
PAL ONLY!
Ok, ok, North Americans have relied on programs like Nico Francois' PAL
and Chris Hames' Degrader to shift them to PAL for years now, and usually
do it without too much complaint. But it's just not very practical to put
a CD32 into PAL.
Oh, sure, you can view it on a composite monitor in PAL, or if you have an
expansion with an RGB out, PAL will be just fine, but try telling an NTSC
TV to go into PAL. It gives the display equivelant of "Screw you!" and
rolls terribly. And, after all, half of the point of this thing is to
tape your videos. Unless you've got a very nice VCR, it's just not going
to like it.
What happens if you try running the program in NTSC, then?
Most menus put their options at the bottom of the screen. On the main
editor screen, half of them are buried below the viewable area. This
means a LOT of guessing. Difficult guessing.
The videos look...well, they look ok, but you can't shake the feeling
that they should be a bit more centered and those things below the bottom
really WERE meant to be seen...
Ok, even if you can get past this...too bad, you can't see your entire
video anyway. Why not? Because VC internally tries to time in PAL
(25ths of a second, in fact, for the effects) and ends when PAL-timing
tells it to. On an NTSC CD32, though, time doesn't move like that,
so you wind up seeing 5/6ths of your video before it ends. Yes, you
can boot in PAL, but you're back to not being able to use it on a TV...
Special Niceties
----------------
Almathera plans to come out with VC updates, with more effects and
pictures. You can mail them anything you'd like and, if they like it too,
they'll scan it in and include it on the next disc. If you want to get a
head start, here's the address:
Dan the Scan
Almathera
Southerton House
Boundary Business Court
92-94 Church Rd
Mitcham, Surrey
CR4 3TD
ENGLAND
Label EVERYTHING you send them if you want it back. They say they'll
give you discounts on VC and other Almathera stuff...and if your pictures
are REALLY, REALLY good, you might get something for free.
Almathera's letter to me said they were considering doing an NTSC
version of VC. After using the program for 20 minutes, I wrote them
E-Mail telling them that if they wanted it to sell at ALL, it was
IMPERATIVE that they do an NTSC version. The PAL version will
be sold in the US anyway, at this point.
Almathera also apparently will be putting out fairly regular newsletters
for VC owners...tips, tricks, upgrades, and the like. The first one,
included with VC, told the history and evolution of the program, from a
68000 AMOS program designed to run on the CDTV to what it is now.
What is it? Read below...
The Sum-Up
------------
Video Creator is a load of fun. There are notes in the newsletter
suggesting using the Random Rave feature for parties...instant, effortless
visual effects that will really fit the mood and might even impress some
people technically. It's flexible, fairly powerful, and fun.
Oh, sure, you can't do simultaneous HAM8 animations while realtime
rendering objects, and there IS some slowdown when you run multiple
effects, but in all it's a terrific presentation program packaged as a
video factory-or Creator, if you will.
Its price of 35 British pounds, just a bit more than US$50, sounds like
a lot for a slideshow program. This isn't a slideshow, though. It's an
exceptional product, IF you're a PAL user.
If at any point in this review you felt interested in the product, it's
worth a serious checking-out. It makes CDs much more fun to listen to.
If you're an NTSC user and interested, I suggest you call, write, or
E-Mail Almathera and express your displeasure.
Almathera's information can be found at the top (alphabetically!) of
Amiga Report's Dealer Directory, elsewhere in the magazine.
Video Creator does what it says. Good job, Almathera.
* AGA Monthly *
This is a very fine product, for those who live in the MTV generation!
It allows you to create your own mini-video to CD soundtracks... And
if you aren't feeling very creative, they have a whole list of canned
effects which you can use...
Ever wanted to make your own Spaceballs demo? This is the package to
do it with... I have had some problems getting the sound on this
program to work correctly off an a1200 with SCSI CD-ROM attachment.
But the sound works great on the CD-32, and I am sure this sound
problem can be wrinkled out... If I find out a way, I will add that
to the description in the future.
All in all a great product, for those who want to design their own
video's, or to show off their machine to their friends... But for
the gamers of the world, this probably won't hold your interest for
too long.
[81/100]
Detroit(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Impressions gets two thumbs up on this one(though it hasn't been
that way with all of their games)... For those who do not know who
Impressions are, they are the simulations writers who have brought
us such productions as Air Bucks(the Airline Simulator) and Global
Domination(The Nuke'Em board type game, where you attempt to take
over the world)...
Basically Detroit is a automobile version of Air Bucks, but I think
this one is much funner... The AGA graphics are pretty good, and
the Simulation is excellent.
You must Research and Develop different car parts and designs...
Then you design your own vehicles, paint them in shades of colors,
equip them with luxuries, engine parts, etc which you design and
market them to the rest of the world...
I think there is a nice niche for this game during this time of
many platformers... And if you enjoyed Air Bucks(I didn't enjoy
it all that much) then you are sure to love this.
[81/100]
Interplay(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International *
I have used many types of authoring software on various platforms
and I can genuinely say that Interplay is a somewhat restricted but
effective tool for the Amiga for creating simple multimedia projects.
Click on this and it plays a tune, clikc on that it it plays and
animation, click on this and it does that. If only all computing
were that easy...
It's an absolutely perfect instrument for creating information CD
titles but because it's not a programming tool you may not be able
to include any kind of intelligence into your production. You can
only use tools which Optonica have provided for you, unlike
programming packages(C, assembler etc,) which though more demanding,
probably offer you increased customising possibilities.
For 999 pounds you get a tool which lets you create CD titles with
the greatest of eaes and with the very min-imum technical knowledge.
But if your budget is substantially less you might con-sider CanDo
which allows a similar ease of use, though needs rather greater
technical knoledge and expertise, to create titles which might
however prove to be more complex than Interplay could achieve. CanDo
doesn't possess many of the features that Interplay has, such as
built in MPEG, CDXL and spooling but it might launch external
programs to them for you.
Bearing in mind the uncomplicated style of CD titles you'll
possibly be at least initially, likely to produce you should look
at all alternatives before investing in this rather expensive
but undoubtedly very solid authoring product. However for sheer
speed, ease of use(and particularly if you want to produce an
information type CD) then Interplay will probably be your only
and certainly a highly user friendley choice for Amiga CD
production.
Features : 72%
Performance : 80%
Ease Of Use : 90%
Documentation : 88%
Value for Money : 65%
Overall Rating : 80%
Insight: Dinosaurs(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga User International *
There is no doubt that if you want to know about dinosaurs the
British Natural Hisory Museum is the place to go. Short of a
visit or perhaps in additino to a trip to Kensington this disc
will not only give you all you would want to know but make you
want to come back to it again and again to find out more.
The only slight fault is the scarcity of video material which
would have made it moe exciting but I suppose that Optonica would
say, with some justification, there's not a lot of original video
material of dinosaurs about.
"Dinosaurs" would make an ideal, lighthearted present for anyone,
especially of early school age becuase of all the variety there is
and the ease of its interface. The use too of very large windows
to show the pictures also makes it impressive.
As they used to say about presents-hours and hours of fun; the
best kind of education you can get. If you like dinosaurs that is.
And who doesn't?
Features : 90%
Ease of Use : 92%
Performance : 95%
Value for Money : 84%
Overall Rating : 88%
Putty Squad(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CU Amiga *
Graphics : 95%
Sound : 93%
Lastability : 91%
Playability : 93%
Overall : 94%
Ishar III(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CU Amiga *
Graphics : 96%
Sound : 85%
Lastability : 92%
Playability : 93%
Overall : 92%
* AGA Monthly *
Ishar III, the third adventure in the famous series... Unfortunately
I have been unable to get a copy of an English version of the AGA
release... So I will review the ECS release and can enhance this
review in the future when an AGA version becomes available...
If you have enjoyed the Ishar series, then the third in the series
will not be dissapointing to you... It mantains all the depth of
the first two releases...
If you are not an Ishar fan, however, as I am not, you might not like
the Roughly Appearing pictures(ala Myst on the PC). You may have
become sproiled by free scrolling adventures like Legends of Valor
or Amber Star.
If you can get buy the lack of free-scrolling however, Ishar III
is a great adventure, and is sure to keep you occupied for hours on
end(if you are an adventure gamer).
[79/100]
Clockwiser(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* CU Amiga *
Overall : 82%
Body Blows(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
I know what your thinking... Why release Body Blows for AGA when
the Galactic version has already been out for nearly a year.
And you would be right...
But Body Blows AGA is more than just a new version of the original
with AGA backdrops... Yes, it does have the MAGNIFICENT AGA back
drops... But it also has many new features that were previously only
available on Ultimate Body Blows(for the CD-32)....
The game is now HD-Installable... Team 17 has finally begun to cater
to the needs of us Hard-Drive users... But most importantly is that
it still reads of track-disk.. So non-HD users still mantain full
speed compatibility rather than losing it by a DOS disk loading
format.
That there would be enough, but Team 17 doesn't stop there...
We now gain the great Tag Team option that was present in Ultimate
Body Blows on the CD! This is a great enhancement that AGA users
will welcome gladly... Is that it? No, Team 17 has also given us
AGA users another great perk... The Turbo option that also was
present in the CD-32 version(Ultimate Body Blows).
All in all, this is Team 17's best AGA release to date... I
welcome it whole-heartedly to my collection.
[90/100]
Pinkie(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Action *
If you ignore the hype for a moment, there is no getting away
from the fact that Millenium have managed to make Pinkie into a
very entertaining game. The main character is a loveable hero
who is fully entitled to hold his head up in the exalted
company of already established heroes like James Pond, and there
will, and there will doubt be follow-ups in the pipeline. I
admit that some people will see Pinkie as simply a platform game
with knobs on, but these are the sort of people you should beat
repeatedly over the head with a large stick.
Graphics : 85%
Sound : 84%
Playability : 82%
Difficulty : Tricky
Overall : 84%
Theme Park(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Amiga Action *
Theme Park is one of those games where you have to keep glancing
up at the clock for fear that'll forget to go to bed. It all seems
tricky to get into when you start playing but the hefty manual will
get into when you first start playing but the hefty manual will
see off most of your problems and is nice to see and easy to read.
The learning curve is just right and as soon as soon as some of the
more spectacular rides arrive then you're locked in there in Theme
Park heaven for ever. The Amiga version is no poor cousin to the
PC versino either and Bullfrog deserve due credit for not holding
back. This is a classic waiting to happen.
Graphics : 87%
Sound : 81%
Playability : 88%
Difficulty : Tricky
Overall : 91%
Emerald Mines(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
This is a compilation of thousands of levels of Emerald Mines.
This is ECS and does not take any advantage of AGA... The game
is similar to boulder dash for those of you who do not know. It is
very fun and addicting... And for avid Emerald Mine fans this is a
must get...
But for those looking for a show of CD-32 power, this is definately
not the game you want.
[70/100]
Robinsons Requiem(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
I have been eagerly awaiting this game for some time... But I
must admit, I really had no idea what the game was like or about.
I must say, I am impressed with this game... For all the talk on
the NETS about DOOM and such, here comes a much deeper game that
employs the same techniques(but in a different way)...
The graphics are very configurable: You can adjust the screen
size to be small or large, and you can also increase difficulty
to be LOW or HIGH. It's time's like this when I wish I had an
040... But don't get me wrong, the game is very playable on a stock
or FASTMEM equipped a1200... Just not as smooth and detailed(because
you'll probably want LOW RES)...
The game uses the much vaunted effect as in Doom of having pictures
behind the graphics(Doom uses mountains, RR uses skies and clouds
among other things). The graphics are a mixture of bitmapped(DOOM)
and Polygon/Bitmapped graphics... You can move around in 4 dimensions
(you can actually climb mountains and such) and you can swim across
rivers and lakes...
Yes, you can punch, stab, shoot, and blast other people or monsters
in this game... But this is no Doom style shoot 'em up... This is
and in-depth Adventure game, that just also happened to add those
fun perks...
And those aren't the only perks it added... The intro appears to
be in HAM8 mode, and is very nice(though a bit on the short side).
And the game employs nice shading routines... You can see the sun
rise as the game changes from night to day and back again... There
are adverse weather effects, that you can ACTUALLY see... Such as
rain, where you see it falling, and you can even see lightning
strike...
Another nice perk, is when you get injured, it shows your injuries.
You then treat yourself with medicine and such, and if you choose to
use bandages, it shows them on you as well...
This is one of the first truly nice pieces of work on the Amiga
that takes place from a 3d through your eyes, free scrolling perspec-
tive... Silmarils did it first I believe in Legend of Valour, it was
also done in Jurassic Park and Amberstar, and the p/d 2 player game
trick or treat... This is not the same style of graphics as you see
in most of those bitmapped games, but they are really nice, and is
a must get for AGA or ECS...
[91/100]
No Second Prize(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
* AGA Monthly *
Is there anything better on this racing game than the disk version.
Well... No, not really... It does run smoother because of the 020,
and it also loads faster because of the CD-ROM... But I don't know
if that's reason enough to buy the CD-ROM version, when your friend
can have an 030 in his a500 and run the game better than you... But
if you don't have the floppy version, this is a very good polygon
fill racing game, and you might want to grab it...
[75/100]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Cracked Version Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the section where I will explain any problems or fixes
you may need t get for CD-32 ports and/or(but less often) AGA
games. This may prove to be very useful to people who do not
wish to DL a game that does not work for them.
Chaos Engine CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
Make sure you grab the 2 meg or the 2 meg + fastmem fixes for this
game, depending on the config of your system to get this to work.
Summer Olympics CD-32
------------------------------------------------- ----------------
This game will work on ECS machines. Also be warned that there
is a joystick problem in the game, and certain events will not
be able to control without a 3 b---on joystick.
ACCESS CRACK: Well ACCESS released this game about 3 months late,
but they fixed the joystick problems, so I guess that's alrigrab
I would have rather just seen a fix for it though...
Christopher Kolumbus AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
This appears to be a good game,bbut it is in 100% german. So
know what you are eetting into if you DL it.
Super Putty CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
Th1 only working version is the one from Byte Hunter.
Brutal Football Pre CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
Gab my fix for this game, or if yspocan't find it then do the
follwngg.. Edit the file 'Brutal_Football'--- include a line
that says the following.
aasign cd0: ""
This will get it to work properly. Also there is a joystic bfix relea-dd by Leg nd that ---ows 3ou to run this game with
a n button joyrtick. If you do not get the fix, yo
e yll need
to have one with 3 buttons.
Lotus Turbo Trilogy
------------------------------------------------------------------
This game is 100% ECS. Also be warned that Lotus Esprit III
needs 3 meg /ff memory to run.
Fly Harder CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
This gmme is also 100% ECS.
Pirates Gold CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
Make sure mou get the 100% version, o else you will not behable to exit the map/save game. Also be warned this game uses
3 buttons, so with a 1 button joystick you will miss out on
certain options(raising sails etc). (NOTE: There is now a joystick
fix that allows you to use a 1 button joystick, you use the . or
, keys as the third button, and tab acts as the second).
Further note. For this to run properlymonoNTSC computers edit
the CDGSXL file in the load sequence(the data fo2 it) to read
NTSC rather than PAL. This will prevent the lock-up problems.
Wing Commander CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
To my knowledge, toth versions of this game atheunworking.
Premiere AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
Make sure you get the fix for this game if yo- want to run it.
The fix is done by Anthr x. And you also uust boot----h no startup
sequence, and run it from CLI if you have only megs of memory.
Brutal Sports Football Deluxe AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this is a better version than gh Pre-CD release, but be
warned. I is not hD-installable. Though it is a DOS disk, it has
trackdos routines in the program which will make you f-inge!
Ultimate Body Blows CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
You may obtain the bytehunter fix to allow you to run this game
with only 2 megs of ram.
Kick Off III AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
Be warned thls game is not H-Innstallable! Americans/Caadiians
be sure to d I the NTSC fix available from Backlash...
James Pond III AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
BEWARE!!!! This is not HD-Installable...
Gunship 2000(Both)
------------------------------------------------------------------
If I were you, I would rather use the smaller and more efficient
AGA version than the CD-32 version. The Joystick works in conjunct-
ion with the keyboard, and no fixes required...
Brion The Lion(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Be warned, Brion the Lion does not run properly off a hard drive
if you have an FPU/accelerator. It will work fine from disk, but
will not run from hard drive.
Out To Lunch(AGA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Beware, this game is not HD-Installable! NTSC users make sure to
use LMB at startup to skip by Delirium's intro.
Arabian Nights(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Make sure to get the fix by Mystic(joy fix) to play the game.
Even with that it kind of sux, you must use the TAB key to jump
and other keys for inventory and stuff...
Anstoss(AGA/CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Be warned, this game is in german...
Impossible Mission(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the EXACT same... So why did Shining 8 release it?
Legacy Of Sorasil CD-32
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmm, another Shining 8 release.... Yet I could not get this to
even run...
Bundeslinga Manager 3 AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
This program is in German!
Speedball II AGA/CD-32 Graphics Patched
------------------------------------------------------------------
It appears here what Paradox did was take the graphics from the
CD-32 version and patch them onto the ECS version... Thus you keep
all of the sound, and 1 button play... Pretty crafty if you ask
me, but be warned it is not HD-Installable.
Robinsons Requiem AGA
------------------------------------------------------------------
Make sure to either grab the fix by Prestige(the first one out)
or by Paradox to get this game to work properly... If not you'll
get to a certain point, and surprise: Password Check...
------------------------------------------------------------------
Original CD Games Running Instructions
------------------------------------------------------------------
This is for those of you who went out and bought a CD, and for
some strange reason, it won't work right... If you tried the above
things I told you earlier(assign C: LIBS: DEVS: FONTS: L: and S:
to the CD0: drive, and edit CDGSXL to end with DOSXL, remove CDXL
or SDBL commands) and it still don't work, I may already have notes
here for you...
IBM and MAC Disks
------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, you should by now know that you cannot run their software,
but you can view there files... If you have the right PIC or MOD
players(Viewtek is great) you can view all the files on the CD...
There are also animation players for different anim types... You
can also run their programs on the CD if you have a good emulator.
Have fun...
Castles II(CD-32)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Whatever you are running it off, make a hd-directory or format
a load disk for this game... Make it do the standard stuff(assign
functions over) in the load file... There is one problem here
though it still won't load correctly.. It gives a task error...
So what do we do... Make a directory called devs in your load
directory(on HD or floppy) and copy all the devs from the CD into
that directory... Then delete the file from that directory(on your
disk or hd-partition) called spooly.device...
Now, be warned, you will not be able to view the excellent intro
now... I am sorry... I believe this has to do with the game wanting
to use WB3.1 command or something... I am not sure, if anyone does
know please releaes a file or contact me with the information. You
may be able to get this to work if you ZKICK the 3.1 kickstart or
something...
Now in the script file assign DEVS: to your devs directory on your
load directory...
You may also want to redirect the save game... It has it saving to
DF0:... You can make it save on your HD by editing the following line
into the startup-sequence
ASSIGN DF0: DISMOUNT
ASSIGN DF0: "" ;or hd area where to save
For ECS users you will have to do one more thing... Edit the tooltype
on the icon to say GRAPHICS=ECS instead of GRAPHICS=BEST...
Have fun enjoy this great game!
Labyrinth Of Time
------------------------------------------------------------------
Easy as can be... Pop it into your drive... Click the icon from
WB and it works... Too bad they couldn't all be this simple.
CD Sports Football
------------------------------------------------------------------
Simply assign all the stuff over to the CD and execute the
startup-sequence... Be warned, with ASIM filesystem, you will not
be able to view the great CDXL animations... Other file systems
work fine though.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Closing Comments
------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's it for this months edition. I hope you enjoyed this
diskmag. And I hope that some of the pirates take heed to what has
been said in here(about CD-32 cracks). Let's get the rest of these
games cracked.
If you are wondering why a lot of the text from the previous editions
are also included in this months issue, well the answer is simple. For
one, many users may have missed out on the first issues. And for two
a lot of the things in the previous issue have been updated or
modified and thus should be included. And number three reason is
because we are aiming to give people out there a complete list
and reference for upcoming/released CD-32/AGA games. I hope you
enjoy the magazine, and keep the comments coming.
- The Editor
@BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ AGA MONTHLY ISSUE #19
Great AGA/CD-32 magazine. With reviews of
all the cracks and soon to be releases on
AGA/CD-32. Also with articles pertaining
to the scene, tips/codes for games, CD
Drives for a1200, FMV, and much more!
- The Editor/Charts!
@END_FILE_ID.DIZ
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