Retro Select, Videos

Retro Select: Parasol Stars

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The Atari ST version of Parasol Stars may have been perfectly competent, but if you want the true experience, you should go back to where it all began: the PC Engine version.

Yes, unlike the previous two games in the Bubble Bobble series, Parasol Stars actually originated on a home platform. And that original PC Engine version of this game — available as one of the many excellent games on the PC Engine Mini — is the best way to enjoy this wonderful game. So let’s do just that!

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari ST A to Z: Parasol Stars

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A lot of people forget that there’s a third Bubble Bobble game — or, as this port puts it, a second Rainbow Islands game.

But Parasol Stars from Taito is very much a thing that exists — and moreover, it got a very competent port to Atari ST thanks to Ocean Software. While the PC Engine original may be a bit smoother and slicker than this one, this is certainly not a bad effort considering how it’s running on general-purpose rather than gaming-specialist hardware.

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

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Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z: Vegas Jackpot

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I’ve never really seen the point of slot machine games. You don’t win anything, you don’t risk anything and the level of interaction between you and the game is minimal at best.

That didn’t stop lots of developers from putting them out in the early days of home computing, though — and in the grand scheme of things, Mastertronic and Sculptured Software’s Vegas Jackpot for Atari 8-bit is probably one of the better ones. There’s still very little reason to spend your time on this today though!

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

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Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Submarine Commander

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Submarine games seem to have fallen somewhat out of favour in recent years, but there were quite a lot of them throughout the ’80s and early ’90s.

The Atari 2600’s attempt to capture the excitement of this subgenre of naval combat came in the form of Submarine Commander, a Sears-exclusive release that cast players in the role of… well, of a submarine commander. How long can you survive against the relentless assault of ships that don’t seem to be going anywhere?

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

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Retro Select, Videos

Retro Select: Bonk’s Adventure

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Every console platform has its mascot. Sonic has Sega, Nintendo has Mario, Sony has… sad murderous lesbians, I guess.

The PC Engine’s mascot for quite some time was Bonk, also known as PC Genjin or PC Kid. He starred in a number of different games, each of which was quite different from the last. His first adventure, seen here, was a solid and creative platformer whose slightly unsettling aesthetic has been quite influential over the years!

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari ST A to Z: OutRun Europa

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As we’ve seen a fair few times on this series to date, it was quite fashionable for home computer developers to put together “unofficial” sequels to arcade classics.

Sega’s OutRun certainly wasn’t immune to this, and enjoyed several home-exclusive follow-ups over the years — including OutRun Europa by Probe. In this game, you’re on the run from the police — attempting to outrun them, you might say — and must speed your way across Europe in a variety of vehicles. And it’s not bad!

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

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Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z: Upward

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Type-in listings written in BASIC were a common sight in Atari 8-bit magazines — as were BASIC listings that were used to create executable machine code programs on disk or cassette.

The magazines Antic and ANALOG in the United States also had a strong interest in the programming language Action!, though, and published a number of listings written using this speedy, game-friendly setup. Today’s Atari 8-bit game is one such example, bringing some solid and challenging platforming action home for us to enjoy.

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

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Simmin' and Chillin', Videos

Simmin’ and Chillin’: BeamNG.drive – Utah Road Trip, Community Management and the Joy of Sims

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Do you have games that you enjoy just firing up and chilling out with? Games that don’t have any real “point” to them, but you find them enjoyable regardless?

Simulations are a great way to satisfy that particular gaming need — particularly if they err on the more freeform, unstructured side of things. So I thought they might provide a good backdrop for a nicely chilled out, irregular series where we can just chat; I can tell you what I’ve been up to of late, and you can enjoy some pleasantly relaxed, comfy action.

Check out the first installment of this occasional series in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

Atelier Mysterious

The Music of Atelier, Vol. 13: Atelier Sophie – The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book

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cropped-atelier-megafeature-header-1-8868334This post is one chapter of a MegaFeature!
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It’s time once again to enjoy the wonderful work that Gust’s sound team puts into its flagship series — this time with the excellent music from Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book.

Atelier Sophie’s soundtrack is a pretty substantial one, consisting of 94 tracks in total — and as such, there were a fair few people working on it. Series mainstays Kazuki Yanagawa and Daisuke Achiwa return as always, as does Hayato Asano, who had gradually been becoming more prominent not just in the Atelier games, but in Gust’s work in general up until this point.

They’re joined by contributions from Ryudai Abe, Yu Shimoda, Miyoko Kobayashi and RURUTIA. So let’s take a moment to go through some favourite tracks — and if you picked up the physical release of the complete Mysterious Trilogy from Play-Asia, don’t forget you can download the full soundtracks with your serial codes until April 21, 2024!

Continue reading The Music of Atelier, Vol. 13: Atelier Sophie – The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Stunt Cycle

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Back in the early days of the Atari 2600 — and indeed throughout gaming history in general — there have been plenty of games that never made it to market for one reason or another.

Stunt Cycle, an Atari 2600 version of Atari’s own home port of its own arcade game, was one such example. Its 2600 version was complete and ready to go, but never made it out the door. It also never quite became a Dukes of Hazzard game, like was considered for a while. But it did eventually see the light of day in 2003.

Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more!

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The best of overlooked and underappreciated computer and video games, from yesterday and today.