Acorn Gaming: January 2001 News

[NEWS]

january 2001

Don't forget the Emulation news

7/1/01

Skullsoft have released a new top-down 2D puzzle game called Plig 2, distributed as shareware. It's actually pretty nicely presented with some pleasant graphics and nicely rotating collectables pus a nice frontend, and it comes complete with a level designer and over 50 levels. It's free to give it a try, anyway (and £5 to register if you like it). Beware, though, because it's a 3.5MB download and the current release is a beta-test version - some of the levels I tried seem to have corrupt level data.

ProAction got their CD containing "all" 32-bit Superior Software games (see story dated 29/12/00) out and to customers before Christmas. In their rush to meet the Christmas post, though, they didn't actually finish preparing the CD so they're sending out a second CD sometime this month, and new customers will get this. The CD contains Air Supremacy (runs too fast on modern machines), Hostages (also too fast), a demo of The Last Ninja (crashes modern machines completely), Master Break (dies on modern machines), Ravenskull (nice version of 8-bit BBC game), Repton 1 (port of an 8-bit game that locked up my Risc PC totally a minute into the game when I tried it - it's StrongARM patched... maybe the patch kills earlier machines!), and also Repton 2 and Repton 3 (including extra levels Repton Through Time, Around the World in 40 screens, and The Life of Repton). There's also a demo of Ego: Repton 4 (which again runs far too fast), a copy of Speech for both English and German (which doesn't seem to work), plus Superior Golf (works fine) and Technodream (plays fine but you have to reset your computer afterwards unless you know how to repair your mode file). The games all run fine from the CD. A bit of a problem though is that for some games no instructions are supplied, so you need to be slightly psychic!

The update CD will "fix a number of small compatability [sic] issues" plus add some extra games: Letrouve, Top Banana, Zelanites, ArcPinball, Rotor, No Excuses, Repton 4 (full version) and Last Ninja (full version), plus possibly some unpublished games. The CD isn't going to include either Zarch or Conqueror - ProAction haven't said why, but they'll send them to you on floppy disc if you request them when you order. Let's hope they do something to address the speed issues, or at least include a framerate-altering tool with the CD!

ProAction aren't the only people bringing out a compilation games CD. Potentially containing far more major hits is the Krisalis CD being prepared by R-Comp, who are working hard to ensure that their CD comes with the machine compatibility and instructions mainly currently lacking from the ProAction Superior compilation. Hopefully this CD will contain all Krisalis releases, in which case it will probably be the definitive collection of many of the best Acorn games (ironically, of course, virtually all ports from the Amiga or PC!).

december 2000 news

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