Bomb Jack

Most Atari ST owners probably came into contact with the ST version of Tecmo’s Bomb Jack at one point or another.

Developed by the ever-variable Paradox Software, this is actually one of their somewhat stronger efforts compared to some of their other attempts at arcade conversions, and was certainly reasonably fondly regarded back in the day.

I’ve always enjoyed a bit of Bomb Jack, and while there are better versions available out there, this version holds a fair amount of nostalgia for me. Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more.

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Asteroids Deluxe

Will I never be free of this accursed game? Given the sheer number of versions Asteroids has enjoyed over the years, I suspect not. But it is actually quite interesting to compare all of them.

The Atari ST version of Asteroids Deluxe — one of the only ports of that specific game as opposed to the original Asteroids — was handled by Paradox Software, much like many of the other late Atari-published arcade conversions on the platform. This time around, they haven’t done an altogether bad job on the port — it looks and plays pretty well, for sure, though as always for the poor old ST, the sound leaves a little to be desired.

It’s certainly far less of a mess than certain previous Paradox ports, however — and a solid version of Asteroids for Atari’s 16-bit machine. Check it out in the video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more.

Final Legacy

Final Legacy is a great game on Atari 8-bit, as we’ve previously seen. And, as we’ll see shortly, it could have been a great game on Atari 5200, too.

On the Atari ST, meanwhile… hmm. Not so hot. The problem in this case was the outfit doing the porting: Paradox Software, who were best known for putting out fairly mediocre fare at best, but who I can only assume were cheap to hire.

Final Legacy for Atari ST isn’t atrocious by any means… but if you have access to some means of playing either the 8-bit or 5200 version, there’s little reason to bother with this. But come check it out with me anyway, and admire quite how much worse Paradox made this version over the original!

Haunted House

Sometimes you feel nostalgia for something not because it was “good”, but because you associate it with happy times.

One such example of this from among the library of Atari ST games I’ve played over the years is Eidersoft’s public domain title Haunted House, a pretty terrible platform game that is essentially a take on the Jet Set Willy formula. Explore, collect things, try not to die.

Atrocious collision detection, the worst run cycle you’ll ever see and the fact it might not even be possible to actually finish the damn thing doesn’t stop me thinking quite fondly of it, however, because I will forever associate it with pleasant memories of childhood. Ahh, simpler times…