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| « i R R E G U L A r r E V I E W » |
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| Issue #1 |
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| by |
| Spaceballs |
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| (29.08.2016) |
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_Editorial_
What the hell is this?!
_Top Of The Pile_
Charts! Gotta have 'em!
_Scrollers everywhere_
Apparently they're still a thing..
_Collections_
Demopacks & musicdisks
_Sunny prods_
from Solskogen & Sundown
_Prods galore!_
So many summer releases!
29.8.2016
Irregular Review - Issue 1
by Spaceballs
#_Irregular Review_ - Issue 1#
So, it's 2016 and we're releasing a new Amiga mag, what gives?
Well, it's late August right now and so far this year there's been released well over 60 new Amiga prods. We figured that with this amount of activity a mag focusing on demo reviews might actually be sustainable (at least as long as the rate of new issues is ... irregular enough).
Also, you who make these prods, as well as you who just watch them, should get better feedback and commentary than just "AMIGAAAAAH!" followed by random thumbs. What you *deserve* is insightful write-ups from people who watch _a lot_ of Amiga demos, know what they're talking about, and don't give a rats ass about other people's opinions. In short: you'll benefit from our help and we're happy to oblige!
This project is obviously inspired by _Nordic Scene Review_ on C64. We really liked the idea of a focused and opinionated mini-mag with a fast release cycle, something very different from the huge beasts which crumbled under the weight of endless irrelevant articles in the late 90's and early 00's.
We'll play around with it a bit and just make sure we have enough fun to release more issues. ##-Slummy##<#Menace enters the room..#
So, the latest in a long line of less than inspired decisions, was when me and Slummy decided to make what is in all respects a diskmag. In 2016. Yes, I know.
To be serious, though, when Slummy proposed the idea of a review-only magazine, it immediately seemed like a pretty good idea. I've written a few things for diskmags like Jurassic Pack and Pain in the past and was joint editor of the last issue of Zine (hey Axel!) so I do have some experience in the matter. Though the job on Zine was more of an EDITOR role, whereas here we're basically both writers and editors. But I digress. Yes, we wanted to do an opinionated little thing on the current crop of Amiga productions in the demoscene realm, and YOU! Yes YOU! All get to benefit from our substantial wit and wisdom.
We're not opposed to contributions in the future, by the way, so if you want to draw a kickass splashscreen, compose the next great diskmag tune, or you have superstrong opinions on a current production, then by all means - poke us. We do however want to be clear on the fact that we're slightly quality conscious, and may choose not to accept any submission. Just so you're not hurt in the feels or anything. :) I can be reached at ##glennlunder74@gmail.com##
Have fun!
_Credits_
Text #Menace & Slummy#
Soundtrack #Gemini#
Original font #Adam#
Code + font hack #Slummy#
Ascii artistry #H7#
Keyboard handler #Stingray#
#_Bonefish' Birthday Bon(e)anaza_#
The very active Bonefish has once more produced a bunch of birthtros in collaboration with various other folks:
_h0ffman_ by _OCS-Farts_ : (Slightly) zooming scroller and digitized photos.
_Bartman News_ by _Paradise_ & _Amiga Birthday Committee_ : Scroller, in a well-chosen classic newscast style, and digitized photos.
_Randy Recliner_ by _Insane_ : Angled scroller and a digitized photo of a gentleman enjoying the good life.
As you may have guessed they all share some common themes, including the fact that there's #nothing groundbreaking going on# in any of them. This is #perfectly ok.# However, while noone expects a birthday greeting intro to go all TBL on their asses it should still contain a tiny bit more than _just_ good intentions. Luckily these ones all do, although in varying amounts.
My favourite of the three is _Bartman News_. The voice sample is a nice touch and the rest feels like a decent mash-up of a 1992 partyslide and a 1995 intro. _Randy Recliner_ also has an opening sequence which makes it feel more worthwhile, whereas the _h0ffman_ intro is more bare-bones.
#So, should you watch them?#
If you sometimes have a craving for long scrollers, introtunes, or the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing there's someone out there producing OCS birthday cards then yes, this is for you. If you care more for big party-bangers or creative experimentation then you can probably do without them.
#Lastly:# We strongly suspect that Bonefish is using all these intros to secretly sharpen his skills in preparation for a _massive_ A500-demo. You heard it first in Irregular Review! ##-Slummy##<#_VOD_# by #_Void_# & #_Candle_#
Not that great. It's kinda crashy and I never got it working under OCS. This somewhat adds to the disappointment when you finally *do* get it running and are faced with a dpaint-dither-looking logo and the topaz font in all its hires- and lores-glory.
Positives:
#.# While being super-squeaky & very short the chiptune isn't bad.
#.# The vector logo and animated sparkles shows some willingness to go beyond the bare minimum.
I'm happy to see these guys back but I hope they spend a bit more time on visuals and code stability for the next one. ##-Slummy##
#_Hello ASM_# by #_Demo Vincit Omnia_#
This intro from the new French group _DvO_ isn't terribly exciting, but I'm willing to bet that _your_ first prod wasn't either. And as first prods go I've definitely seen worse. The logo is uglish (and the flickering pixels are *really* annoying) but the bouncing scroller works nicely enough and the chiptune by _Den_ ain't bad. The font and copper gradients demonstrate a bit of visual sense that makes me hope _mGGk_ will do more stuff in the future. ##-Slummy##<#_Org-asm_# by #_Fat Cat With A Top Hat_#
I like the name of this group!
This is yet another firstprod, this time from Sweden. There's nothing very exciting going on here either, but it would fit well amongst the bbstros and meetros you'd find in all the early-90's packs.
Negative points:
#.# No audio on A1200/060, wrong background color in the first part on A500.
#.# The music is quite tedious
Positive points:
#.# The logo by _Razorback_ (who's of course *not* a newbie). - It's nothing "special" but it's competently done and the warm orange "2016" adds life to the whole thing. The waving makes the dithering look a bit off though.
#.# Having an intro part, even if it's just a picture fade followed by a simple horizontal linedraw, adds to the experience and tells us that you _care_.
#In short: #Nothing special, and I might never watch it again, but well above average for a firstie. Now we'll expect to be properly entertained by the next one! ##-Slummy##<#_The Lion Sleeps Tonight_# by #_High Class Villas_#
Yet another scrolltro, but... something seems different.._This one contains an actual effect!_
The depth-waving scroller (z-sine-scroller? zinescroll? wobblezoomscroll? zinezoom!) isn't _that_ special of course, but it looks nice enough (copper gradient included). The fine gentlemen of HCV are also kind enough to play a bit with it, rather than boring us with a single motion pattern. (At least I think the members of HCV are men. Their handles sound pretty macho.)
The logo is ugly by conventional standards but I kinda like it anyway. It has a certain attitude and seems as if the creators wanted to communicate something with it, perhaps along the lines of ##"YEAAH! Graphics behind the ZineZoom bitchezz!"##.
The tune is ok (a bit of oldschool melancholy) and beyond that there's nothing. I'm not sure if I'll ever watch it again (having done so 3 times for this review) but it was a neat little surprise from the tough UK streets. ##-Slummy##
#_Zombie Pacman_# by #_Scoopex_# & #_Tulou_#
Seldom has the name of a production been more on-point than with this, a small party production from the mid-july event High Coast Hack. It's basically a huge scroller made out of blocks of stone with a zombiefied Pacman over top of it, seemingly chasing a nervous-looking ghost across the screen. I'll give it plus points for the decent graphics and actually standing out a little bit from the normal nostalgia wankfests. I'm sure it could've been even more polished in terms of the animations and taking the concept a little bit further if it wasn't put together over a weekend, but I'd rather have this than another random partyscroller. I do question what exactly this requires 1mb of memory for, though. Is the music THAT big? ##-Menace##
#_CopperSky Musicdisc_# by #_CopperSky_# (AGA)
Without much warning, this musicdisk was released to Pouet and Demozoo simultaneously in mid august. On a technical level it's a very simple affair, with an image loader for a background image, and f-keys to select the different tunes. Apart from the individual credits for the music pieces themselves, there is absolutely no credits and no clue as to who is behind this thing apart from the title. So, what this appears to be is cover versions of video game soundtracks from various semi-obscure platforms like the MSX or the X68000. Which is a fine concept in and of its own, we guess. Unfortunately the execution is not on point here in the audial department, to my ears. Maybe it's just me, but none of the included pieces of music sit just right with my ears, and coupled with a static (albeit pretty sweet looking) background, I'm afraid this is not for me. The idea had potential, but I'd like to see some actual code next time and some more attempts to communicate with your audience. ##-Menace##
#_Packdisks_#
In a bit of a surprise turn of events, no less than three PACKDISKS appeared without much fanfare in advance lately. First things first: What the actual fuck is the use of a packdisk in 2016? Good question. It has the potential to be just another useless nostalgiatrip (which is the case with one of the releases), but as this examination will show, it can also play the role of the curator and actually have a teeny bit of value.
Let's start chronologically, with Void's #Applejack Pack 1#, which appeared in june. And ... yeah. I don't normally like to put productions down, but this one unfortunately has very little to recommend it. In the audiovisual department it's just downright terrible. In the selection and execution it just seems random. It appears Void is attempting to make a little comeback in 2016, with this and VOD (reviewed elsewhere in this very magazine by my esteemed colleague), having made their last release back in 2009. So while we do applaud people getting back in the game and trying to make an impact, the old skills are clearly a little rusty here. Sorry, guys.
And then, issue 55 and 56 of #Tuff Stuff# appeared in august under the banner of #The Electronic Knights# - and where a whole different story. Not only was elkmoose (who you may know as TMB or Reebok), but coder Bifat came out of Amiga retirement for this as well! The original Tuff Stuff pack series ran in 1991 and 1992, under the groups Rebels, Surprise! Productions and TRSI. And quite unlike the Void effort, quite some effort and considerable skill went into creating this much better looking production. Curation comes into play straight away on issue 55, which is an interesting collection of Scoopex productions from recent years - some demo productions (which you have probably seen) and some cracktros (which you may not have seen). The second issue on review here, 56, is more of a "best of recent times" collection which unlike the other example of that in this article actually feels a little coherent. The overall feel of this production is pretty great, and like some of the other productions listed in this magazine, it has that overall good craftsmanship, that makes it feel fresh. I certainly would not be opposed to more of these being made. ##-Menace##
<#_Chiperia 5_# by #_The Chiperia Project_#
The phenomenom of the chiptune pack has picked up some steam recently, not least thanks to Slash's stellar efforts on the Chiperia series - 5 issues and two special editions (Gerp and Christmas) to its name so far. Chiperia has been pretty good at digging out some old chiptune heroes from the woodwoork too, which is always good to see. After sort-of iterating on their menu in recent issues, they've completely reinvented themselves this time. The menu system is very straightfoward, and looks good. A definitive A for effort to Slash on making it all come together once again. Ofcourse, with seven issues between march of 2015 and june of 2016, it's inevitable that quality varies on the contributions. I'll refrain from hanging people out to dry in that respect, but my personal favourites this time around were Dascon, Tecon and WOTW. ##-Menace##
#_SummerChip 1_# by #_Resistance_#
Another small pack of chiptunes was released at Solskogen by Resistance, featuring 5 tunes by some of the usual suspects and ... Cutcreator! That's right, the man who carefully caressed our ears in the Static Bytes years of The Official Eurochart is back with a small tune here. Welcome back to the circus, sir. The pack itself is just a splash screen and the most simple of selectors (left mouse for next tune), and a scroller at the bottom. Adorned on two sides are a pair of scantily clad females, which - let's be honest about this - look pretty drab. The proportions are all off, not to mention the subject matter is a little off. This is not the 90s, when the demoscene was 99 percent male. Anyway, I digress - to the core of the production, the tunes. Unfortunately, these are very middling efforts. None really stood out to my ears, and none was really bad either. I think overall this is a solid first effort in this hopefully upcoming series, though they'll have to get busy if they want to release another SUMMER chip in 2016. The winds are a-howling outside, and the leaves are falling... ##-Menace##
_#The Return of the Best...#_ by _#Zymosis#_
So, as this invitation intro features the best news EVER (you better believe I will be there in february!), it's hard to dislike on those grounds alone. Good thing then, that it's also very worthwhile in other aspects. It's built around an effect that grows throughout the intro, building to a crescendo towards the end as the equalizers grow and grow and eventually multiply. And it's just fucking feelgood. I was a little torn on Yelm's tune at the beginning, but the more I listen to it, the more I get into the groove. It's got some x-factor, that undefinable little bit of kick in the arpeggios that makes it stand out and keep my head bobbing.
And GODDAMN, I can't wait until february! I'll see the elite there. ##-Menace##
#_Kaimana_# by #_Insane_#
It's nice to see Insane do something a little more challenging again - there's been perhaps one too many of those logo-and-scroller ones, yeah? :) It's the amount of polish that stands out the most to me, with solid transitions and great graphics work combining to something that actually feels coherent and well put together. As the first bars of the soundtrack started up, I was kind of remined of Moby's classic Arte soundtrack with the funky guitars. I guess that's a compliment, you guys. I particularly loved the greetings/endpart with the slowly waving picture that in the end revealed the return of the octopus from the beginning. It's the little things. More like this! ##-Menace##
#_Neonsky_# by #_Ephidrena_# (AGA/060)
After five years of silence... they're back!!
We hadn't heard anything from them since their humiliating 2nd prize at Datastorm 2011 and a lot of people doubted if they'd ever return. But at this year's Solskogen they were back with a bang and won the oldschool demo competition.
So, what's the demo like? Well... it's a bit all over the place, really... There's definitely some good stuff in there, and it's absolutely a demo you should check out, but it also feels quite rushed (which it apparently was).
Anyway, let's start with some of the good stuff first, before tear into it's weaknesses like a hungry tiger culling the sick and old from the herd of gazelles that is Ephidrena's new demo.
##Nice soundtrack##, probably some of the best I've heard from Frequent in a demo. It's tough enough and provides a nice drive for the demo.
##HDR copper bars## - Now, we've seen that kind of stuff before on A500 (in _HDR Raymarching_, _Copperophilia_ and _Candyfart_), but Loaderror's AGA implementation is top notch. Not the most complicated thing in the world but veeery goodlooking!
Actually, most of the effects are running quite smoothly and the code in Neonsky is interesting for the simple reason that Ephidrena are actually using the Amiga HW now, rather than just doing chunky-buffer stuff. Loady did a write-up on Pouet about his new code and it's worth checking out. While there's nothing groundbreaking going on here I'm really keen on seeing where he'll go next.
And most importantly: ##this feels like "big" - like a major release##, you know, one of those prods that smell of compo winner potential.
Even if it feels a bit disconnected at times it has a nice flow and very few of the parts feel like they're dragging on.
#So, what's shit?#
Well, some parts just don't look very impressive - in some cases they might be more interesting technically than what they actually show on screen. For instance: the colorcycling table effects are fast and highres and whatever, but they still look very much like the generic tunnels of the late 90's.
Likewise, the 3D voxel bumpmapper looks like colorcycling on a picture where a bitplane is missing. and the voxel scape (in addition to not really fitting in) appears low-res and jumpy.
There's also some glitches and minor bugs which I'll put down to lack of time and deadline-rush. It'll be fixed in the final.
And finally: ##That Precalc## - it takes a while to start, to say the least.
#Conclusion:# Not perfect and style-wise nowhere near their best releases, but a serious comeback and a very interesting new direction for the nicest boys in the class.
_If you don't watch this then you probably hate_ _Amiga_. ##-Slummy##
#_B0k iNTR0_# by #_Jumalauta_#
The legendary Jumalauta contributed to Sundown with this 64k intro, that is certainly not going to make anyone go wild with excitement. But then we expect that was never the intent either. It's actually hard to review productions like these, because to my mind you never really can be entirely sure whether they are actually being serious, or if it's all tongue in cheek. So you end up writing something pointedly about an effect, when there is an in-joke in there that you just don't get. I expect I miss most of them. But anyway, this has a pounding soundtrack in parts - by amusingly named Top Swedish Schlager Producer, mind you - and two actual effects. The first is a nifty looking twister that probably could have looked a bit better with some different textures, but I guess that's what you get when you're doing size-limited coding. And the second is a bunch of bobs. Not unlimited, but just a bunch of them. So there you have it. I'm probably missing the point. ##-Menace##
#_Everyway_# by #_h0ffman, featuring Blueberry_#
When I heard that h0ffman was doing an intro for Sundown I was excited. Not because I was expecting hot & sexy new effects (I wasn't) and not even because of the promise of a cool new introtune (although, much like his lifeguard namesake, the h0ff usually delivers the musical goods).
What I was hoping for, something that's unfortunately far too rare in todays Amiga scene, was #a well-rounded _package_#. Now, this doesn't mean I have any specific info on the man's tackle, but rather that he seems like someone who understands the importance of a well-composed demo where stuff fits nicely together and has a bit of style. I'm not sure how I've deduced this based just on a bunch of pouet comments and his one previous Amiga codework (the musicdisk #8-Bit Jungle#, released under the #Unstable Label#-label), but luckily I was not wrong: ##_Everyway_ is cool.##
Visually it's reminiscent of the kind of hipster (#numedia!#) motion graphics you'll find all over the internet, with the key difference that Everyway contains a soundtrack you'll actually want to hear again, fits in 64k and runs on A500.
It's based on Blueberry's #Rose# engine which means that you kind of know what you're gonna get - a lot of circles and rectangles. The point of the engine isn't crazy impressive visuals but rather being able to create content and motion easily, and in my opinion Everyway utilizes this better than any previous Rose prods.
It's all about music sync and it obviously pays of that the same guy did both music and visuals.
The #soundtrack# is phat. It's suitably dark, starts off with a John Carpenter'ish intro and could easily have been fitted a full OCS demo.
The tech behind it also seems interesting and the write-up h0ffman did for one of his earlier exemusic releases is well worth checking out.
##So, it's clearly awesome. Let's find shit to complain about!##
- Some of the scenes are a bit too simple and just feel smaller than they could have been.
- Could perhaps been a wee bit shorter. While there's a decent amount of content it doesn't last all the way.
- Others have complained about codercolors but in some way I think the soundtrack helps create a mood where the colors work ok.
That said; things might have looked much neater with some dynamic fades between palettes and other color tricks.
##Conclusion:## One of the best prods reviewed in this issue and one of the best amiga intros (and OCS releases overall) in quite a while. ##-Slummy##
#_Subside_# by #_Unique_# (AGA / 060)
Yeah, so this one was actually released at Revision back in March, where it ended up 2nd in the compo (and was my clear favourite). As the _final_ version didn't arrive until June I decided to sneak it in here.
Subside was created by _Dodke_, _Chemic_ and _Duo_, and as with most of Dodke's Amiga releases you end up thinking that it's damn nice when the coder actually has some visual sense. While not being all that novel (it's basically an object show / fly-by) each part looks good on its own and even the most colorful stuff avoids falling into Dutch colorschemes.<The demo feels like a deep dive into 1997-style, e.g. the kind of effects and visuals that were popularized in TBL's 18bit truecolor prods and further seen from, for instance, Mellow Chips and in tons of Polish intros. (Fly-bys, particles and grid expanders are of course things the scene never really seems to get rid of, but back then they were cool on their own account, and the motion blurs were way smudgier!)
Subside gets away with this not (only) because the audience are a bunch of nostalgic farts, but because it implements it all so well. It's fast, higher resolution than it's predecessors, has good-looking (and yet late-90's authentic) colors, and the music and pacing works well.<However, while Subside is very good (amongst the best of all the releases reviewed this time) I do still feel that it's a little bit flat and unengaging at times. Sure, the tech is solid, the content feels pro (for what it is) and I *will* come back to watch it again, but I'm still missing some sort of take-off, twist or "WTF!"-moment. I don't demand brand new effects or a technological breakthrough, just a little something (script-, syncro- or effect-wise) that stands out from the rest and says ##"I'm the part you'll remember best"##.
I kinda hoped that the fish scene would take on this task and morph into something really trippy, but I do see that this could've gotten been taken as too blatant a tribute to Kewlers' old masterpiece.
With that said, you should definitely watch this. #_Unique_# is one of the more interesting groups around (on both OCS and AGA/060) and this could very well end up being one of the best AGA demos released this year. ##-Slummy##
_#I Would Rather#_ by #_Saksalainen Laatu_#
The multi-talented Mercury coder and Meteoriks organizer Urs threw a 32Kb Amiga tantrum about Assembly not having a 64k intro competition. Which really is the best way to throw one of those - just go make a demo about it. He is the sole contributor here, creating every audiovisual element on his own. And I must admit, while I did not fully LOL, I did chuckle at the text and how it was sort-of but not-quite karaoke in that it appeared to be somewhat synced to the music. Not too shabby this, then, if you're looking for a good little fun thing. Here's to hoping Urs doesn't let his newfound Amiga skills rust! ##-Menace##
#_Kramdjur och Kritor_# by #_Genesis Project_#
THIS. In the hands of anyone else but these three, this would've been just another "I long for 1993" intro, of which - let's be clear - there are way too fucking many. But then you take amazing people who are just super solid at what they do, and hey presto - you get a result that looks and sounds way fresher than 99% of the rest out there. In his ongoing quest to make a demo for every single computer and console system in existence, Shadow always delivers solid work in my opinion. It's seldom groundbreaking or even particularly clever technically, but he has a keen eye for low-res design, and his stuff always looks fresh to me. And then you get the amazing Mermaid in on graphics, and a real superhappy chippy from Mr. Death that actually has a whistle-able melody and this is top notch all round for me. While I usually like to see demomakers challenge themselves and originality and new ideas always beat out nostalgia in my book, I'm gonna go ahead an make an exception here. This reminds me a whole lot of Essence's Toyz-Are-Us in terms of feelgood. ##-Menace##
#_You Must Obey_# by #_Nukleus_#
##Oldschool!## Not as in copperbars and starfields but rather like a small techno demo from '92. It's got gunshots, pseudo-techno, large text flickering by, an ill-fitting credits & greets part, and a crappy interference effect that goes on for waaay too long. What's not to like?!
Well, in all honesty, if there was one of these released every few weeks it'd get old pretty quickly. But right now I just want _Nukleus_ to show up at a party with a much bigger version of the same concept. Let's say 5-6 minutes, but with a lot more variation in the visual department. Come on people!
##I'll probably rewatch the first minute of this one from time to time, just to immerse myself in its shamelessness.## ##-Slummy##
#_Omnimetatheorem_# by #_Software Failure_#
Ham is one of those individuals who just seems like he has amazing perserverance - releasing Amiga productions every year at the large Euskal Encounter LAN event in Spain. For those that's not aware, Euskal is a lot like The Gathering in Norway, Dreamhack in Sweden or Assembly in Finland - originally started in the early 90s as a demoscene event, but slowly transcending into a gaming event with a tiny demoscene contingent in the corner.
Anyway, this thing is a 64k intro that's ... blue. The effects are mostly texturemapped vectors spinnning atop design elements from the early 2000s. It's not that it's badly made or it's not competently put together, it just does not have anything particularly new or exciting to offer. Ham made everything in this production - the code, the graphics and the music, and it's not a stretch to say that perhaps he might benefit from some outside meddling in the visuals to make it a little more exciting. Overall, it's decent, but not.. exciting. ##-Menace##
While I agree with Menace here I'd like to say that this is definitely one of the nicest variations of the demo-style Ham represents. But I have to admit I'm missing the insects this time around! ##-Slummy##
#_Karl_# by #_AttentionWhore_#
An OCS 4k intro with a german face that sings karaoke?
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! ##-Slummy##<#_e255_# by #_Dreamdealers_#, #_Sanity_# & #_Bomb_#
(Party version)
##Exciting comeback!## Big names, much wow.
##Such music!!## Really cool tune from _Moby_, although it feels quite disconnected from the demo itself.
##Cool-looking effects!## Well, for the most part. It also contains a _really ugly rotozoomer_ and an uninspired table-tunnel-thing. While the 3D parts are likely to be heavily precalced they still look damn nice and that's no small feat in itself. _Pulling off a good fake is always_ _worthy of respect_.
##Graphics! Design!## And ##flow## that doesn't really go anywhere.
Parts are nice on their own, and there is a (mostly) consistent style but the demo still feels like we're just cycling through scenes at random.
The colors, backgrounds, design gfx and the full-screen image are all of high quality though (as one would expect from these guys).
#Requiring 2 megs of RAM and a hard drive for an "A500 demo" feels somewhat wrong# - but the final will hopefully fix that. (Also, it's still nice enough even if you consider it a vanilla A1200 prod ;) #Definitely worth watching.# ##-Slummy##
#_Psychosis_# by #_BooZombies_# (AGA)
Fairly standard 2x2 chunky effects that'll remind you of run-of-the-mill AGA/030 intros from the late 90's and early 00's. A nice, melancholic soundtrack (which apparently takes up most of the file size). Dedicated to a friend who has passed away - with text that feels sincere and avoids becoming awkward or strange.
The key point of this prod is not the effects but rather the mood and flow of it all, something it handles well.
The blurred line vector is the obvious weak spot, whereas the hands / heart overlay is the definitive highlight: simple, but beautiful.
I'm unlikely to rewatch it much but I'll remember it for sure. ##-Slummy##
#_Back To Basics 5_# by #_Insane_#
Back To Basics is Insane's Party Like It's 1992 series of intros, which basically seems to mimick the typical partyscroller from that era. This one was put out at Edison in Stockholm, Sweden in july. The intro starts off with a few of the familiar name-of-group presents screens, before the screen where we will spend the rest of our journey lands with a logo in the same style as the prefacing title screens down the left hand side. The remaining two thirds of the middle and right hand have a box with a wavy effect in the background, over which resides a text plotter. ... and that's about it. And while there is nothing wrong with a production like this, I would very much like Insane applying themselves to setting out larger challenges for themselves. Remaking the same old intros is probably lots of fun, and tickles that nostalgia muscle in the most lovely of ways, but I would much rather see you going forwards than sideways. Just saying. Don't be mad, I still love you. ;) ##-Menace##
#_Most Persistent Peeps_#
##1. Bonefish## "party like it's your birthday"
##2. Ham## "as regular as clockwork"
##3. Alien## "stone-carving man"
Adding 3 birthtros + a new issue of Chiperia to his list made _Bonefish_ unbeatable this time around.
_Ham_ climbed to 2nd on account of rock solid dedication to his own demostyle, and for releasing at _every_ Euskal party since 1997, with the exception of 2005.
_Alien/Pdx_ might not be that active on Amiga, but we suspect it's not for lack of willingness, so take note democoders! He's the largest supplier of stone logos since _Airwalk_ and his appearance in a recent birthtro lets us give him the 3rd place.
#Honorable mentions:# _Vedder_ for staying at it, and _mGGk_ and _zChris_ for getting their respective first prods out.
##Mr. "I heard you like volume"## - the reigning world champion of persistence - was sadly quiet this time around. We suspect he's busy trolling Atarians or posing for new glamour shots but expect _Britelite_ to return in full force in the near future.
<#_Comeback Kids_#
##1. Ephidrena## "Big in Shanghai"
##2. DRD / SNT / Bomb## "French Surprise"
##3. The Electronic Knights## "Pro Package"
Having secretly planned their comeback from _Loaderror_'s hideout in China _Ephidrena_ hit hard at Solskogen and won the oldschool compo. While opinions about their new demo are divided it's widely believed that their return will bring balance to the force.
_Dreamdealers, Sanity and Bomb_ came out of left field and won the oldschool compo at Evoke with a serious piece of OCS demo. While the HW requirements and lack of finish are a bit off-putting they clearly deserve this spot in the comeback chart.
The 3rd place wasn't as obvious as the other two but the excellent pack menu by _Bifat/TEK_ just makes us all fuzzy, so here goes!
#Honorable mentions:# _Urs_ (although it's more of a "what the hell are you doing here?"-prize), _Mermaid_ for visiting us from Planet 64 for the first time in 12 years, _Adam_ for his new Zymosis logo, and finally: _Zombie_ _Pacman_ for returning from the grave.
#Wanted:# Oldies returning with new prods. (Cries of ##"Not as good as stuff-you-did-pre- 94"## should be expected but can safely be ignored.)<#_Most Bestest Releases_#
##1. Everyway## by h0ffman, feat. Blueberry
##2. Neonsky## by Ephidrena
##3. Chiperia 5## by The Chiperia Project
_Everyway_ is the coolest thing reviewed in this issue, especially considering that it's a 64K on A500. Case closed.
_Neonsky_ is far from perfect but it's definitely a Proper Demo and an interesting new direction for Ephidrena. Cool soundtrack, pwetty colors.
The _Chiperia_ series has been consistently good and the fifth installment is the best so far. Clearly the most polished of the releases in the chart - and with a ton of music for people who enjoy the beauty of bleeps.
#Honorable mentions:#
_Subside_ by _Unique_ - If only you had been released during summer...
_e255_ by _DRD / SNT / Bomb_ - A final version might've made it.
##Want to be in the charts?
Make a demo about it !##