..this game reminds me when i was a child..with a lot of dreams. I'm very happy to spend time looking at this..and at the same time..dreaming about the past. Thank you!
@pairovtitsanafanny Yes, ZZap! 64 gave this game 97%. The graphics got 98%, and not surprisingly either. I too thought it was the best looking game on the C64.
Having grabbed the battery powerup at that point, I had a couple of seconds of invulnerability, which let me zip through the background with impunity. : )
No sign of any Super CPU update, but there is that remake coming out for Windows soon. It'll be interesting to see how closely it recreates the original.
As for advice about Super CPU - no idea, I'm afraid. Might be worthwhile asking on the Lemon64 forums. Some of the posters on there are bound to be able to offer some advice.
yes I think this one of the better games made for the 64. hah, the C64 was one of the better 8 bit machines. NES I would say still has a little edge on graphics though not a lot. ON sound and music though the C64 spanks the NES.
Yeah, the thing that first struck me about the graphics back in the day was the total lack of sprite flicker.
I mean, most c64 games ran at a good framerate, usually 50fps for PAL games (apart from the 3d ones, obviously), but we were used to seeing a touch of sprite flicker when things got really hectic. But Armalyte was so tightly programmed that even with all those sprites whizzing around it stayed rock solid. That impressed me a lot.
Same year as I got my Amiga, (xmas `89) then it was Amiga Format for me. Zzap! 64 was an excellent magazine up until around late `88, after which, sadly it just became a comic.
Julian Rignall had left Zzap64 by then. His last issue was July `88. Armalyte was reviewed in Nov `88. I still got loads ofdog eared copies of Zzap!(and Commodore User) laying around LOL
I agree, it is quite a bit more involved. Even though I don't fully utilise it in these vids, being able to position your drone ship in a fixed spot on the screen with a tap of the space bar gives it a more strategic edge in my view.
yeah I know, but in 1 player it more or less just floats around of its own accord when detached. It's fairly useful in regards to 'throwing' it at enemies and then calling it back, R-Type style, but I think Armalyte's trick of letting you lock the satellite in any spot on the screen has a greater strategic element in the way it lets you place it somewhere where it will take out a whole bunch of enemies/turrets while you tackle something else.
That secondary weapon I occassionally fire relies on your store of batteries and generators. Sounds confusing, but it just means that the more batteries you have, the more charges you can hold for your 2ndary weapon; the more generators you have, the quicker the batteries will recharge.
I think people sometimes try this game and get frustrated by the slow recharge on the 2ndary weapon, not realising they can upgrade their batteries and generators.
As you can see, you cycle through the powerups by shooting them. In this vid I start by collecting forward shot, then side shot, and the 3rd thing I collect is a battery. Next I grabbed a powerup that adds a slightly wider spread to my forward fire, and the 5th thing I grabbed is a generator.
The generators are added as dark grey bars on the top of your status display. The batteries are added as little white dots (when charged).
Oh, one last thing. You toggle between the three different secondary wepaons with the 'commodore' key, which is usually mapped to Ctrl in emulators.
All up, the battery/generator mechanic means the game strikes an interesting balance between focussing on powering up your primary weapons (which you'll also need to do), and increasing the availability of your secondary weapons.
You are not crazy at the busstop....but i might be if i dont get this game again!!! How do you get it?I have been pleading on utube for this game to be shown for a looooong time now so thank you very much! I used to love this on my c64 but it kept crashing and i wasnt that good anyway.Please tell how to get this game?
Same here. At a time when the usual way to get a new game was to take a blank disk to school, I actually ordered this one by mail order from England. When it finally arrived and I loaded it up in the old commy, I knew straight away that it was worth the wait and the money.
Nearly 20 years later, I think it's safe to say I've got my money's worth many times over!
I never had the luxury of a disk drive (like most C64 kids over here) I had to make do with C90 cassettes crammed full of "Action-Replay" copied games LOL.
The Thalamus games were quality tho and I didn`t mind parting with £9.99 of pocket money to have the original.
very good game. Could of done with some sid tunes though, that would of made it perfect
trydowave 1 month ago
The best shoot'em'up on c64 !! brings back memories....
sid6581 1 month ago
..this game reminds me when i was a child..with a lot of dreams. I'm very happy to spend time looking at this..and at the same time..dreaming about the past. Thank you!
blueinme 7 months ago
@blueinme
What a nice comment. I'm glad you enjoyed this little slice of nostalgia. :)
pressfiretostart 7 months ago
@pressfiretostart
You're welcome! And thank YOU for this nice and nostalgic video!
blueinme 6 months ago
This got great reviews by ZZap 64 back in the day!
pairovtitsanafanny 1 year ago
@pairovtitsanafanny Yes, ZZap! 64 gave this game 97%. The graphics got 98%, and not surprisingly either. I too thought it was the best looking game on the C64.
TeesterX 3 months ago
How did they squeeze this out of a 64 ?
RomeoKGT 1 year ago
A MASTERPIECE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dynamitarian 1 year ago 2
they obviously learnt how to get the max out of the c64 by the time they programmed this game.
looks good even today
CulturalMyths 1 year ago
Love this game, 2 bad the blaster-sound gets messed up in Vice.. Luckely I still got a disk or 2 with the game for my real C64, if those still work..
edzzzwin 1 year ago
@edzzzwin has got the sound better now.. SID adjusted in settings menu, enable reSID.. Sounds perfect now hehe, now let's shoot em!
edzzzwin 1 year ago
wasn't expecting 2:06 through the background to be possible...
matthewdoucette 2 years ago
Having grabbed the battery powerup at that point, I had a couple of seconds of invulnerability, which let me zip through the background with impunity. : )
pressfiretostart 2 years ago
ahhh
matthewdoucette 2 years ago
How about a Super CPU update for this? BTW, if I do decide to buy a Super CPU, which config would be the best one for me?
VectorOmega 2 years ago
No sign of any Super CPU update, but there is that remake coming out for Windows soon. It'll be interesting to see how closely it recreates the original.
As for advice about Super CPU - no idea, I'm afraid. Might be worthwhile asking on the Lemon64 forums. Some of the posters on there are bound to be able to offer some advice.
pressfiretostart 2 years ago
@pressfiretostart No need for a Super CPU version in my opinion, this game was programmed to visual perfection! :)
blade004 2 months ago
I don't own a Commodore 64 but this game makes me want to purchase one.
The sound have a nice kind of metallic touch.
JeDorsBeaucoupTrop 2 years ago
yes I think this one of the better games made for the 64. hah, the C64 was one of the better 8 bit machines. NES I would say still has a little edge on graphics though not a lot. ON sound and music though the C64 spanks the NES.
jkeelsnc 2 years ago
damn i loved playing this game when i got home from school
808573R 3 years ago
you know what, this game would be awesome with the Delta music xD
VoidKeeper 3 years ago
I remember loading up one level of this game and just playing that level!! Game was awesome, loading times were a head doer.
jmak316 3 years ago
just made my day!
10elbow 3 years ago
It was good what programmers could squeeze into a measly 64k. I remember reading the review in ZZap 64 and Julian Rignall saying, "The graphics
will knock your socks off!" It was pretty impressive for the day.
mrkallen 4 years ago
Yeah, the thing that first struck me about the graphics back in the day was the total lack of sprite flicker.
I mean, most c64 games ran at a good framerate, usually 50fps for PAL games (apart from the 3d ones, obviously), but we were used to seeing a touch of sprite flicker when things got really hectic. But Armalyte was so tightly programmed that even with all those sprites whizzing around it stayed rock solid. That impressed me a lot.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
Zzap64 is for losers.
Commodore User 4 life!
SD78 4 years ago
Haha ur having a laugh! CU dropped the C64 like a lead weight after about 1989 - i remember being so let down by Commodore User - the WANKERS!!
Armalyte75 2 years ago
Yeah, it morphed into CU Amiga.
I upgraded to an Amiga in 1990, so I only had to endure a few months of Zzapp64.
SD78 2 years ago
Same year as I got my Amiga, (xmas `89) then it was Amiga Format for me. Zzap! 64 was an excellent magazine up until around late `88, after which, sadly it just became a comic.
Armalyte75 2 years ago
I can't recall whcih Amiga mag I was reading post 1990.
I remember one of the issues had a demo of Metal Mutants (the one with the morphing cyborg) on the cover.
SD78 2 years ago
Jazza Rignall! Damn... I remember him from the Mean Machines and Sega Saturn Magazine days! The golden age of game magazines, they were.
I hope he's sitting on a pile of cash nowadays, because his writings entertained us all.
OtaKing77077 3 years ago
Julian Rignall had left Zzap64 by then. His last issue was July `88. Armalyte was reviewed in Nov `88. I still got loads ofdog eared copies of Zzap!(and Commodore User) laying around LOL
Sorry to be anal about it LOL!
Benzi75 3 years ago
It must have been a different reviewer who said it (or maybe a different mag it was 20 yrs ago!)
mrkallen 3 years ago
This is the one classic game I never got around to playing on the C64.
It looks a lot more involved than Denaris, where you could hide behind your sattelite the whole time.
SD78 4 years ago
I agree, it is quite a bit more involved. Even though I don't fully utilise it in these vids, being able to position your drone ship in a fixed spot on the screen with a tap of the space bar gives it a more strategic edge in my view.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
In Denaris, you pressed the Spacebar to have the Sattelite fly off and return or be contolled directly by a second player.
SD78 4 years ago
yeah I know, but in 1 player it more or less just floats around of its own accord when detached. It's fairly useful in regards to 'throwing' it at enemies and then calling it back, R-Type style, but I think Armalyte's trick of letting you lock the satellite in any spot on the screen has a greater strategic element in the way it lets you place it somewhere where it will take out a whole bunch of enemies/turrets while you tackle something else.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
they are the same creators from zybex
coolasshole23 4 years ago
Actually Zybex was made by a different bunch of guys.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
Enjoyed watching you playing it that skillful. Was a great game and well designed and a great intro music =)
sakemaki 4 years ago
Thanks Sakemaki! :D
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
I still want to get hold of this game at some point... Looks great and believe it plays great too!
madderscientist23 4 years ago
If you do try it out, bear this in mind:
That secondary weapon I occassionally fire relies on your store of batteries and generators. Sounds confusing, but it just means that the more batteries you have, the more charges you can hold for your 2ndary weapon; the more generators you have, the quicker the batteries will recharge.
I think people sometimes try this game and get frustrated by the slow recharge on the 2ndary weapon, not realising they can upgrade their batteries and generators.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
As you can see, you cycle through the powerups by shooting them. In this vid I start by collecting forward shot, then side shot, and the 3rd thing I collect is a battery. Next I grabbed a powerup that adds a slightly wider spread to my forward fire, and the 5th thing I grabbed is a generator.
The generators are added as dark grey bars on the top of your status display. The batteries are added as little white dots (when charged).
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
Oh, one last thing. You toggle between the three different secondary wepaons with the 'commodore' key, which is usually mapped to Ctrl in emulators.
All up, the battery/generator mechanic means the game strikes an interesting balance between focussing on powering up your primary weapons (which you'll also need to do), and increasing the availability of your secondary weapons.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
Heh. Looking back on my three huge comments here, I can't help but feel a bit like a ranting crazy guy cornering someone at a bus-stop or something...
And I'll tell yer another thing! Armalyte had the blah blah rah rah blah...
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
You are not crazy at the busstop....but i might be if i dont get this game again!!! How do you get it?I have been pleading on utube for this game to be shown for a looooong time now so thank you very much! I used to love this on my c64 but it kept crashing and i wasnt that good anyway.Please tell how to get this game?
sesitivephsycho 4 years ago
No worries, I have sent you a message.
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
I brought this in `88. Still love it.
Benzi75 4 years ago
Same here. At a time when the usual way to get a new game was to take a blank disk to school, I actually ordered this one by mail order from England. When it finally arrived and I loaded it up in the old commy, I knew straight away that it was worth the wait and the money.
Nearly 20 years later, I think it's safe to say I've got my money's worth many times over!
pressfiretostart 4 years ago
I never had the luxury of a disk drive (like most C64 kids over here) I had to make do with C90 cassettes crammed full of "Action-Replay" copied games LOL.
The Thalamus games were quality tho and I didn`t mind parting with £9.99 of pocket money to have the original.
Benzi75 4 years ago