@database "CD32bits.guide" @author Matthew Legg @wordwrap @width 72 @node Main "Front Page." @{fg highlight}@{b}JUNE 1994@{fg text}@{ub} CCCCCCCCC DDDDDD 33333 22222 CCC CC DD DD 33 22 TT CC DD DD 33 222 BBBBBBB T @{"Introduction" link intr} CC DD DD 33 22 BB B TT CC DD DD 33333 22222 BB BB II T CC DD DD BB BB II TT CC DD DD BB BB TTTTTTTTT SSSSSS CC DD DD BB BBBBBB T SS SS CC DD DD BB B II TT SS S CC CC DD DD BB B IIII T S CCCCCCCCC DDDDDD BB B II T SSS BB B I TT SS @{" Gossip " link goss} BB BB I TT S @{" Games " link game} BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB IIIII TTTTTTT SSS @{" Letters " link lett} SS @{" Movies " link movie} SSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSS Compiled by Matthew Legg - mlegg@freenet.scri.fsu.edu @endnode @node intr "Welcome........" Welcome to the CD32Bits. The essential guide to all matters concerning the CD32. From this edition, CD32Bits includes screenshots taken from the latest games, and future releases. You can get CD32Bits from: Aminet on Internet - wuarchive.wustl.edu and it's mirrors /X\\ostly Harmless - Fido - 2:251/41, +44 705 614824 I can be e-mailed at mlegg@freenet.scri.fsu.edu @{" My System " link syst} Feel free to submit your own work to me at the above address, and it will be included in future issues. @{b}© M.Legg 1994@{ub} @endnode @node goss "Gossip In The World Of The CD32" @{" General " link gene} @{" Commodore " link comm} @{"New Controller" link cont} @{" FMV Problems " link fmvp} @endnode @node syst "System Information!" CD32 Bits is written in my spare time using :- A4000/030, 254Mb, 10 Meg Ram CD32 + FMV Module 1940 Monitor GT6500 Flatbed Scanner @endnode @node gene "General News!!" Well, it's certainly been a quiet month as far as the CD32 goes, with only a handful of new games titles being released. Hopefully this situation will be rectified next month!! Last month, I asked for readers of this magazine to drop me a note if they had FMV on their CD32's.... Well, it seems that magazines like AUI are correct to not use FMV on their disks yet, because I only got one measily reply. If I didn't know better, I would think that nobody was reading this!!!!! Seriously though, What are your opinions? I really would like some input!! To all you Americans, are you able to get the FMV module yet?? The new edition of CD32 Gamer is out now, but has already gone up in price from £4 to £5, which is a bit strange seeing that there is much less on the cover CD. Originally, the magazine was going to be published quarterly, but now it's bi-monthly. Hopefully, if the high cover price is going to continue they will include better stuff on the disk. After all, the CD is the reason that most people buy the CD. @endnode @node comm "The Big C=" At last, conformation has arrived of Commodores situation. It has come to light that SAMSUNG, the monitor manufacturer has bought C= outright. It would seem that Samsung has sufficient financial power to inject new life into the machine, whilst not affecting it in any adverse way. Hopefully, they will start to bundle monitors with their machines. It has also been stated that once up to full power, the long awaited AAA (Triple A) chipset will be ready within a month. Surely a tall order, but that is what they are saying... There was also the worrying reports that Phillips (CD-I) had bought all rights to the CD32. Fortunately these dispersed rapidly. It seems that the rumours stemmed from a meeting between C= and Phillips with concerns to the CD32. It's purpose was, in fact to ensure that future Video CD releases would be white book, and not in the format that Phillips had previously been using which caused the films to jump when used on suitably equipped CD32's. (EG Patriot Games). @endnode @node cont "Theres a new CD32 Controller About!!!" At long last, someone has released a replacement joypad which no CD32 user should be without. It's called the Super CD32 and is manufactured by Competition Pro. It features all of the controls found in the normal pad, so there will be no incompatability problems with either games or FMV movies. Plus, it has additional functions which allow you to slow down a game, have autofire, or the ability to have turbo fire, which means you will be able to destroy the baddies much quicker. The Super CD32 pad wins hands down over the normal pad, and at £19.99, is a fair price too!! @endnode @node fmvp "New ROMS for FMV!!" Apparantly, the jumping, and general loss of sync found when using CDI films on the CD32 can now be solved by getting replacement ROMS from Commodore. The cost is said to be about £5, but you will need an authorised engineer to fit them.... If you return the FMV module to your dealer, they should be able to do the upgrade for you. @endnode @node game "GAMES!!!!" Welcome to the CD32Bits Games section >>> @{" Reviews " link revi} @{" Preview " link prev} @{" The Future" link comi} @{" The Cheat " link chea} @endnode @node revi " Reviews Of The Latest Games To Hit The CD32 " Well, it has been a very quiet month on the games front, but here are the few titles that did actually get released!! @{" Chuck Rock 2 " link chuc} @{" Fire And Ice " link fire} @{" Gunship 2000 " link guns} @{" Humans 1+2 " link huma} @{" Naughty Ones " link naug} @{" Ryder Cup " link ryde} @{" Striker " link stri} @{"Ultimate Body Blows" link ulti} @{" Zool 2 " link zool} All of the titles reviewed were kindly supplied by @{"Viking Computers" link viki}, Ardney Rise, Norwich. @endnode @node viki "Viking Computers" Viking Computers Ardney Rise, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 3QH Viking is Norfolks leading Amiga specialists. Amiga 4000/040, 1200, 600 and CD32 on display. Viking offers a mail-order service on most Amiga hardware and software as long as stock exist ;-) For further details phone Martyn (0603) 425209 (3 lines) @endnode @node chuc "Chuck Rock II" Chuck Rock II Core Design £30 It's nice to see a sequel which is good. Especially when the original was an absolute turkey. Chuck Rock 2 opens with a brilliant cartoon style animation, which is equally as good as similar, on-screen cartoons such as The Flintstones. You play Chuck junior, and it is your mission to romp through the prehistoric fun-filled levels in an attempt to rescue your dad, who has been kidnapped by his arch enemy Brick Jagger. The gameplay, whilst simplistic is a lot of fun, and for once, the awful CD32 controller does not hinder you too much. The graphics are quite nice, as are the sound effects, all of which will probably keep you coming back for more. You could do a lot worse than to get this!! CD32Bits Rating **** @endnode @node fire "Fire and Ice" Fire and Ice Renegade £25 One of the old classics makes a welcome return to the CD32. You play Cool Coyote who must travel the 30 levels rescuing his pups whilst killing a whole host of baddies to obtain the key that allows you to leave the level. The graphics and soundtrack are perfect, and there is even an option to use the same music as in the original, which is great for all of you nostalgic old timers out there. However, Fire and Ice has too major problems. First of course, as with almost every other game is the crappy controller. A lot of the game requires precise movement, and this is just not possible. Fortunately, a normal joystick will allow you much more control. Secondly, for some reason, the screen position is offset to the right. This is really annoying, and as far as I can see, there is no way of fixing this. Still though, Fire and Ice is a very enjoyable game. CD32Bits Rating *** @endnode @node guns "Gunship 2000" Gunship 2000 Microprose £30 When I spoke to one of the representatives on the Microprose stand at the ECTS, all he could talk about was the Silicon Graphics rendered introduction. I can see why, but unfortunately it is not because it is particularly impressive. The reason is because the game is seemingly no different. He told me that it was a direct port to CD of the original game, but according to the packaging it definately is AGA. Now, this it may be, but not so that you could notice it. All I could see was that the game was slowed down a great deal, even with all of the terrain options on low quality. The gameplay is now extremely difficult, and using the different number of combinations of direction+button to control the helicopter is not instinctive and will take a lot of practise. The sound effects are now digital quality, so sound a lot better, but that, to me does not constitute a major upgrade. As for the intro, well even if it was rendered on an SGI, Microprose have made a hash of converting it to run on the CD32. It is one of the worst examples of CDXL that I have so far seen. It just looks like a collection of line sketches that have been joined together. In conclusion, Gunship is a great game, but this release does it no justice. By all means buy it if you do not already have the original version, but if you do, you will just be wasting your money. CD32Bits Rating *** @endnode @node huma "Humans 1+2" Humans 1+2 Gametek £30 Gametek's second release for the CD32 is much better than the first,(I will leave it to you to find out what the first was!!). It is a combination of both of the Lemmings-Like puzzlers that were originally released 2 years ago. In the game, you control a tribe of men who have to use their various abilities together in order to get through levels. EG A stationary man that can be climbed over to reach previously inaccesible areas. In the game you can pick up various objects to aid your task like sticks to pole vault with, and burning objects to ward off dinosaurs. The game has hundreds of levels, and only the most addicted players will ever get throught them all. As ever, the controller does not help matters, but this is easily remedied with either a mouse or the new Super CD32 pad. CD32Bits Rating *** @endnode @node naug "Naughty Ones" Naughty Ones Interactivision £26 Naughty Ones is an exact port of the A1200 version released two months ago. It is a cutesy platform game, which will definately appeal to the younger audience. The graphics are very bright and colourful, and the sound complements the game nicely. As with most games, it is best played with a friend, where the obstacles can be overcome by joining together and helping each other. As platformers go, this is quite good! CD32Bits Rating *** @endnode @endnode @node ryde "Ryder Cup Golf" Ryder Cup Ocean £30 Ryder Cup Golf is one of those games which I cannot help feeling indifferent about. It has nice graphics, bad sound effects, good fast screen updates and difficult controls. The bad cancels out the good, and you are left with a pretty standard Golf sim. It's better than Nick Faldo (Grandslam), but far inferior to PGA Tour Golf. CD32Bits Rating ** @endnode @node stri "Striker" Striker Gremlin £30 How many crap football games do we have to sit through before we get a decent one for the CD32. Sensible Soccer had huge possibilities and missed them. Striker doesn't even have those possibilities in the first place. It features crappy small insignificant graphics, way too fast action, and bog standard sound (appart from the CD tracks). It cost £20 more than the floppy version which is also overpriced... What can I say?? It's a football game. YAWN!! CD32Bits Rating * @endnode @node ulti "Ultimate Body Blows" Ultimate Body Blows Team 17 £30 UBB is by far the best beat 'em up available for the Amiga, and possibly any other format. You may think that is a rash statement, but when you see it, you opinion may well change. UBB features 22 characters for you to pick from, has incredibly detailed backdrops, amazing sound and speed that MUST be faster than the highly boring Street Fighter 2 Turbo. The disk has a built in electronic manual, 16 digital tracks and the option to play with either the normal controller, or a standard joystick. In game, there are a huge number of special moves to be had, and when playing against a friend, the action is at its best. If you are remotely interested in Beat Em Up's, this is the game for you, and a must for virtually anyones CD32 game collection. Of all of the games available at the moment this is by far the best. It would have got full marks if it were not for the control method when using the CD32 pad. CD32Bits Rating ****½ @endnode @node zool "Zool 2" Zool 2 Gremlin £30 I wont go into the plot behind Zool, because I am sure that you all have a good idea what the whole thing is about, but what I will say is that this effort from Gremlin is much better than the original. In similar style to the original Zool, this opens with a Silicon Graphics Rendered intro which is quite impressive. That is where the similarities to the first Zool stop. The major problem with the first was that it was enhanced for AGA machines. Therefore the backgrounds tended to be far too colourful, and you could often miss objects that needed to be picked up, much in the style of Oscar. This release however was designed for the new(ish) generation of machines, and does not suffer this problem. The CD32 version features extra levels, digital soundtracks and two characters to choose from, although the female one is nowhere near as easy to use as the original Zool. The gameplay is simple, and movement fluid, although if you use the options to have no inertia and Zool in turbo mode, the sprite is impossible to control. In conclusion, Zool 2 is a worthy choice if you are looking for a platform game, but at £30 is a tad expensive. At the moment, GAME (UK), the computer store is selling the original Zool for £10, and although it falls short of it's sequel in quality, it's a much better deal. CD32Bits Rating *** @endnode @node comi "Coming To A CD32 Near You!!" Heres a list of the titles that are due for the next few months!! May : Skidmarks Dennis + Gnasher Tracksuit Manager '94 Gulp Sabre Team (Out now!!) Impossible Mission 2049 Myth (Out Now!!) Ninja 3 (Out Now!!) Heimdall 2 James Pond 3 June : Guardian Simon The Sorcerer Kick Off 3 Bubble And Squeak Wembley International Soccer Capatain Dynamo Banshee Dark Seed Legacy Of Soracil Man Utd Soccer Kid Pinky World Cup Soccer Clockwiser Jetstrike Harold The Hairy Hermit Speedball 2 Flimbo's Quest Lamborghini American Challenge Quik July: Ultimate Dizzy Universe Litil Devil Akira Bump 'n Turn Zonked Ruff 'n Tumble Fist Lionheart No Second Prize August: Exile Graham Gooch Cricket Super Loopz Skeleton Krew Reunion Putty Squad Beneath A Steel Sky KingPin September: Marvin's Marvellous Adventure Tornado Top Gear 2 Super Stardust October: Evasive Action MegaRace Rise Of The Robots CyberWar Benetton Racing Lovers Guide Rock 'n Roll Years Alien Breed 2 November: The Lost Eden A Racing Game By Psygnosis (No Title) December: Micro Machines 2 Psycho Pinball Space Academy Tong Dynasty King Of Thieves January Onwards: Simon II Bazooka Sue Adrenaline Factor Sensible World Of Soccer Virtua Chess Looking at that list, you can see that when Commodore said that it would take a year for the killer titles to start appearing, they were not joking. From October onwards, things are starting to look very promosing for the CD32. Theres some real good stuff coming..... @endnode @node prev "HOT TITLE COMING!!" Rise of the Robots looks set to become a major title on the CD32 when it is released this September. It is set to provide the ultimate combat game for current machines due to its amazing gameplay and gorgeous graphics. 'Rise' has been created using 3D modelling software that produces high quality ray traced graphic images that are more realistic, more animated and more controllable than ever before. In fact, it uses the same techniques that were used to produce the special effects in Jurassic Park and Terminator II. The game also features spectacular animation sequences throughout the game, giving it a movie-like feel. The plot is set in Metrolpolis 4 in the vast Electrocorp bulding where military and industrial robots are manufactured. All humen staff have been replaced by a super intelligent liquid metal morphing robot - the 'Supervisor', which has been programmed to manage the whole complex and its production. An ego virus has infected the Supervisor causing it to take over the security defences of the complex and the other robots within it. In a desperate attempt to save the complex, the Company has sent in a Cyborg which is immune to the virus. The Cyborg has been created from robotic and human parts and has transmitters which connect it to the Electrocorp digital information network. It has no firepower to minimize damage. The ultimate challenge is the Supervisor, who special moves include melting to avoid a punch, forming anvils and spikes for hands, and turning into a metal block as a defence. The player controls the Cyborg in battles against five types of enemy robots as well as the Supervisor. Each robot is governed by its own artificail intelligence which will affect the style with which it fights, providing extended and much varied gameplay. @{"Rise of the Robots" system "ppshow ror.jpeg"} will be available for the :- CD32 - 1 Disk AGA - 14 Disks (Recommended 40Mb hard disk space, 2 Meg RAM) ECS - 10 Disks (Recommended 30Mb hard disk space, 2 Meg RAM) @endnode @node lett "Letters from readers" Hmmmmm, looking a little sparse!!! @endnode @node chea "Hot tips and cheats for CD32 Games!!" CD32 Bits now has hints, tips and cheats for your favourite CD32 Games!! If you have any that you feel the world should know about, send them to the E-Mail address given in the Introduction..... This month, we have tips for :- @{" Bubba & Stix " link bubb} @{" Fly Harder " link flyh} @{"Pinball Fantasies" link pinb} @endnode @node bubb "Bubba & Stix" If you are having trouble getting far with Bubba, here are the first 5 level codes :- Level 2 - 7LRRF3H6G7 Level 3 - 9VBDM!1!DN Level 4 - 3VTCF9JQG8 Level 5 - !?ZZXQX769 Hopefully someone will send in the rest of the codes..... @endnode @node flyh "Fly Harder" And the award for hardest game of the year goes to - FLY HARDER If you are having trouble completing the levels, and I'm sure that you are. Here are the codes :- Level 2 - PHO Level 3 - MET Level 4 - BLA Level 5 - SUP Level 6 - TRA Level 7 - QUA Level 8 - NEO @endnode @node pinb "Pinball Fantasies" To ensure that you always get the extra ball, hold down the red button as soon as the third ball drops. If this doesnt work on your copy, press the yellow button the number of times that it says at the top of the screen when you lose the last ball. Also, if you have a keyboard, all of the typed cheat work. extra balls - gives you two extra balls gravity - makes your ball ultra-responsive to gravity @endnode @node movie "FMV Videos" Due to the, shall we say, sparseness of the new games this month, I thought that I would take the opportunity to cover the @{"FMV" system "ppshow fmv.jpeg"} titles that have been released so far. There will be a short description of the film, a rating and a comment on it's quality. If you can think of anything else which needs to be said about the films, let me know!! * - Poor ** - So-So *** - Good **** - Great ***** - Don't Miss @{"Black Rain" link blac} @{"Ghost" link ghos} @{"The Hunt For Red October" link hunt} @{"Naked Gun 2½" link nake} @{"Patriot Games" link patr} @{"Star Trek 6" link star} @{"Top Gun" link top} @{"Other Titles" link othe} @{"New Agreement" link newa} @endnode @node blac "BLACK RAIN" Stars : Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia and lots of Japanese actors.. Director : Ridley Scott Cert. : 18 Length : 125 Mins Now, anyone who know's anything about Ridley Scott, director of The Aliens Trilogy and Blade Runner, will go into this film expecting great things. Unfortunately, Black Rain just does not live up to Ridley Scott's name, and is certainly not a film that you would want to watch more than a few times. Douglas plays a New York Cop who strongarms his way through the Japanese underworld in pursuit of the maverick gangster who killed his buddy. The film contains lot's of killing, which is reflected by the fact that it is the only FMV title at the moment to have an 18 rating. The tried and tested method of a cop seeking revenge combined with Scott's very dark style of film-making should have produced a sure fire hit, but it seems to fall at the first hurdle. It is doubtful that you will watch this more than a couple of times other than to freeze-frame the shot where Andy Garcia is decapitated by a Samurai Sword. CD32Bits Rating - ** @endnode @node ghos "GHOST" Stars : Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg Director : Jerry Zucker Cert : 15 Length : 121 Mins This is by far the best title available on Video CD at the present time. It is in White Book format, so the quality of the production is seamless, with perfect sound and no jumping. Well done Paramount. The only problem that I could find was that the film only comes in Wide Screen, which means that you have two black bands above and below the main picture, although the film is so enjoyable that you soon forget that the bars are there. It's a wraith against time as the restless spirit of a murdered man (Swayze) tries desperately to warn the love of his former life (Moore) that the hoodlum who killed him is out ot get her too. He finds a charlatan psychic (Goldberg) who is amazed to find that her powers are for real and eventually agrees to help him. Ghost is a love story, a thriler and a comedy all thrown into one, and a serious tear jerker!! Definately one for the ladies, and probably one for the men too! BUY IT NOW!! CD32Bits Rating - ***** @endnode @node hunt "The Hunt For Red October" Stars : Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin and Sam Neill Director : John McTiernen Cert : PG Length : 137 Mins From the director of Die Hard comes The Hunt For Red October, the tale of a Russian Navy Commander trying to defect to the US. It isn't only the Americans who see red when a Soviet super-sub skipper skips, and heads his hi-tech craft straight for them. The Russians do, too. For neither side is really sure whether the Ruskie runaway is a renegade who wants to start a war, or a defector who wants to stop one. There's not much on the action front in this movie and it is doubtful that you will want to watch it much more than a couple of times. Whilst maintaining a tense atmosphere throughout, it fails to pack a punch like McTiernens other smash hit, Die Hard. Story by the Author of Patriot Games. CD32Bits Rating *** @endnode @node nake "Naked Gun 2½" Stars : Leslie Nielson, Priscilla Presley Director : Bob Weiss Cert : PG Length : Dire sequel to the original Naked Gun, which wasn't particularly funny itself. Same old jokes and sketches, in fact it's pretty much the same as the first. Leslie Nielson plays Frank Drebin the dumb cop vying for the love of Jane Spencer (Presley), and thats about all you can really say about it. Plus, it's the worst FMV coding that I have ever seen. CD32Bits Rating * @endnode @node patr "Patriot Games" Stars : Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Patrick Bergin and Anne Archer Director : Phillip Noyce Cert : 15 Length : 112 Mins What begins as a holiday for the Ryan family in England abruptly ends when Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) becomes entangled in a lethal terrorist action. In successfully thwarting the incident, Ryan is faced with an even deadlier challenge - protecting himself and his family as they become the next target of this radical terrorist group. From Tom Clancy, author of 'The Hunt For Red October'. Better plot than Clancy's other film, but sadly not executed quite as successfully onto celluloid by Noyce. Disk one is very prone to jumping and synching problems, but then again, all of the good stuff is on disk 2 anyway!! CD32Bits Rating ** @endnode @node star "Star Trek 6" Stars : Director : Cert : PG Length : Hmmmm, it's another Star Trek film, with much the same plot as all of the others. Only for die hard fams of the genre, which, as you have probably guessed, I am not. Very good FMV encoding though!! CD32Bits Rating ** @endnode @node top "Top Gun" Stars : Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, and Val Kilmer Director : Tony Scott Cert : 15 Length : 105 Mins I'm sure that Top Gun needs no introduction, because I am sure that everyone in the world has probably seen it, and for that matter will have it on CD if they have FMV. Mainly of course, for the reason that it was the first title available, but possibly, because it was by far the best of the first bunch of titles to be released. The encoding is OK, but for reasons best attributed to the age of the film, whilst paused, the image is not as crystal clear as newer releases. All things aside though, this is the one that will attract potential buyers. Stick it in your machine, connect to a good Surround Sound system, pump up the volume and watch their faces. It's great to see!!! CD32Bits Rating **** @endnode @node othe "Other Titles" If you look carefully, there are two documentary/educational titles available, released by Castle. There is one concerned with Dinosaurs, and the other is purely on Planes. Both are or reasonable quality, and if you are interested in the subject matter, they are a worthy buy. Also of course, are the Music VCD's. At the present time, the ones available are :- Tina Turner - Simply The Best Eric Clapton - Cream Of Clapton Eurythmics - Greatest Hits Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith Brian Adams - Waking Up The Neighbours and The Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Premier Collection) @endnode @node newa "New Company to Support Video CD" Orion Films (I thought that they were bust) have signed an agreement with Phillips to bring some of their back catalogue onto Video CD. The first batch of titles should reach the UK in the next few months. Definate releases so far are :- Silence Of The Lambs Dances With Wolves Robocop Mermaids Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey Married To The Mob Mississippi Burning Presumably Dances With Wolves will be on 3 or 4 disks!!!! Expect reviews as soon as they are released! @endnode