You thought we were done with the Shu campaign, but it was I, Lu Bu– hold on, I’m getting confused somewhere, I think.
Anyway, yes, as with all the other campaigns, the Shu missions play host to a “Chapter 8-X” which allows you to square up against Orochi once again… and perhaps give a certain little overconfident jackass with a silly hat the kicking he so deserves.
Let us take to the field once again, warriors, and this time, we shall be the ones to pursue Lu Bu!
How do you make Asteroids better in a more substantial way than just adding “Deluxe” to the name and making it look a bit nicer? Start by chaining two ships together and work from there.
Atari’s Space Duel was designed as another successor to Asteroids after the aforementioned Asteroids Deluxe regrettably failed to replicate the success and popularity of its influential predecessor. Featuring several ways to play — including both cooperative and competitive two-player modes — it’s a more obvious step forward than Deluxe was.
Don’t let the name fool you as it did me for many years, however; this game can very much be enjoyed single-player, and in one of its modes in particular provides an absolutely unique shooter experience that is well worth giving a go for yourself.
Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.
Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me? Some mouse, I think.
Yes, it’s time for the official computer game adaptation of one of Disney’s most beloved properties: one Michael Mouse. This game was produced by Gremlin Graphics, and was noteworthy at the time for being a licensed game that eschewed the usual platform game formula. (Granted, Mickey Mouse and friends had several very good platform games throughout the 8- and 16-bit eras, but it was cool to see something a bit different!)
This is a pretty cool game with a couple of aspects that are inordinately frustrating… most notable of which is the fact that actually completing a level is next to impossible thanks to a monstrously difficult boss encounter! Oh well. At least it looks nice.
Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official website.
Tired of blasting aliens? Fed up of shooting soldiers? Punched enough gang members in the face to last a lifetime? Then surely it’s time you faced the ultimate evil!
Yes, indeed, in Satan’s Hollow, you are going after the Big D (not that kind of Big D) himself, ol’ Satan of the Hollow, Esq. And you’ve brought yourself a natty little bridge-building spaceship that seems just tailor-made for the task of crossing the pit of fire to where Satan hangs out.
But wait! It seems Satan has friends, and they’re not particularly pleased to see you. Can you fend off Beelzebub’s Hoover attack for long enough to even catch a glimpse of the lord of all devils himself? Only one way to find out — in an unreleased Atari 8-bit port of an elderly Midway arcade game!
Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.
We’re closing in on the end of the Shu campaign of Warriors Orochi now, with only two more side missions and one more story mission to go.
Today, Zhurong and friends decide to turn their attention to the peasants who are suffering under the yoke of Orochi’s oppression. She helps them escape in her own inimitable fashion — and is very keen to make sure we’re aware of her accomplishments at the conclusion of the battle.
I’m going to be sorry to leave this particular gang of misfits behind — they’ve been a lot of fun to play as!
Chocks away, tally-ho and all that! It’s time for Red Baron!
A contemporary of the rather more well-known and successful Battlezone, Red Baron sees players taking to the skies in a World War I biplane and challenging an endless variety of enemy pilots, blimps and ground targets to aerial combat.
This is an underappreciated gem from Atari’s back catalogue, so while it may not have been a bit success back in the day, it’s well worth playing today!
Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.
It’s time for the grand finale of our Atelier Rorona DX playthrough!
My “ambition” for this particular run has been to achieve the Adventurer ending, which requires you to get Rorona and Cordelia to level 50, then defeat the Iron Giant superboss in the depths of the Orthogalaxen dungeon.
Did I pull it off? Well, you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?
’80s and ’90s MicroProse was most well-known for its jet fighter sims, but now and again they branched out into something a bit different.
Knights of the Sky was an ambitious attempt to simulate rickety old World War I biplanes rather than high-tech jet fighters — something that only became possible due to improving technology and mastery over the available hardware.
It’s a cool game, for sure — but be prepared to live without a bunch of modern conveniences you might have come to take for granted in more recent aircraft!
Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.
Orochi’s armies are growing in strength in an attempt to counter the growing confidence of the Shu forces.
Zhao Yun can practically smell his master Liu Bei now — not literally, ’cause that’d be weird — and his friends are relieved to know that victory is within sight.
There are still a few challenges left to overcome, though… and as we’ve seen numerous times up until now, complacency can be a Warrior’s worst enemy!
It might be hard to imagine now, but there was a time in gaming history when it was considered to be a seriously impressive technical achievement to get more than two or three things moving simultaneously on a screen.
Atari’s 1977 release Pool Shark is an early example of the company continuing to push the fledgling medium of video games forward. Not only was it a game that demonstrated the power of microprocessor-based hardware rather than the earlier transistor-to-transistor logic technology, but it also had, like, a whole mess of balls flying everywhere.
And like many of these early Atari arcade games, it’s simplistic… but really rather addictive! Be sure to give it a try.
