DeathChase XE for Atari 8-bit computers | Review
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Harder. Faster. Better. Stronger. almost paraphrasing to the famous song by Daft PunkDeathChase reappeared on the 8-bit scene more than 30 years after it was written by Mervyn Estcourt and published by Micromega in 1983, in an "extended" version for the Atari 8-bit computers.
This is a frenetic arcade game, technically surprising for its time; with a simple concept and graphics but totally addictive. The game turns you into a motorized mercenary whose mission is to annihilate the enemies of his bosses in eight levels. You have a motorcycle equipped with a proton cannon, aboard which you can chase your rivals in an endless forest.The main features of DeathChase XE are, firstly, the very well achieved sensation of speed, emphasized by the dizzying approach to the trees; and secondly, the revolutionary first-person perspective in a pseudo "3D" environment.
DEATHCHASE XE
Posted by:Micromega, 1983.Gender: Shoot 'em up - chase.
Extra: 1 player, joystick.
THE STORY
The game takes place in 2501, about 100 years after the Great War. This is a time when most of Europe is made up of uninhabited areas, covered in forests and controlled by powerful warlords. Obviously, the possession of the territory is a cause of constant conflict.You are one of the members of "Riders of the Big Bikes", an elite group of motorized mercenaries, whose mission is to patrol the forest day and night, chasing and destroying enemy racers while dodging attacks from tanks and helicopters, in the midst of a frantic - and often deadly - race between the trees.
Being a mercenary is a handy way to get rich - and also the quickest way to die. It is said that the greatest reward is reserved for the one who can navigate all eight sectors - for which you will need every ounce of skill you can muster...
GAMEPLAY DYNAMICS
The premise of DeathChase is to annihilate your enemies and avoid colliding with trees until you complete the eight sectors or levels. When you destroy the four enemy bikes, you move on to the night version of the same sector. In turn, by annihilating the rival mercenaries in that stage, you will advance to the next sector with more trees to avoid.Tanks and helicopters appear sporadically on the horizon. Shoot them down to earn extra points. You have 3 lives, which are lost when you hit trees. There is no way to accumulate extra lives.
You can only shoot at your enemies when you're going at top speed, and you won't be able to hit them until you're close enough. Your radar - represented by a motorbike - will flash when your targets are within firing range.
ENEMIES AND SCORE
In the Atari version you must annihilate 4 motorized enemies; you will get 1000 points for each one. In addition, you accumulate 2000 points for each helicopter and/or tank you destroy.One way to rack up points is to take advantage of the few trees in the early levels to go at low speed. This way, you can concentrate on destroying tanks and helicopters. Plus, moving around within each level allows you to score more points.
THE PORT FOR ATARI 8-BIT COMPUTERS
It was in 2011 when Krzysztof "xxl" Dudek started showing interest in bringing the game to the Atari XL/XE computers, based on his ZX-Emulator, as seen in the following video.However, it was not until September 2013 that it appeared. a first teaser of the gamespecifically made for Atari. The development version showed us a motorcycle in colors and another typography for the scoreboard
Later, Dudek managed to involve other Atarians in his project: Adam Wachowski (game design and improvement of the original graphics); Jaroslaw "Odyn1ec" Wyszynski (black-and-white graphics design, including the title screen); and Michal "stRing" Radecki (music). Together they presented an "extended" (XE) DeathChase with noticeable improvements in 2013.
And while the ZX Spectrum original only offers modest sound effects - basically, the sound of the motorbike's engine - the Atari version boasts a powerful melody that emphasises the dizzying speed that characterises the game. Similarly, while in the original it was enough to annihilate two enemies (blue and yellow) to move from the day patrol to the night patrol and a total of four to advance to the next sector, that number of rivals is doubled in Atari.
On the other hand, the Atari 8-bit DeathChase has a table with the three best scores; messages on screen during the game; and graphics between one sector and another. Also, the intro is different from the Spectrum one; and if that were not enough, the design of the motorcycle was improved - you can even see a skull on the steering wheel of the vehicle! Perhaps the only thing to envy the Spectrum is that Your version has more colors
EVALUATION
CURIOSITIES
• It is commonly known by the incorrect name "3D Deathchase", due to the prominent "3D" on the cover of the Spectrum cassette.• Many have directly related the dynamics of DeathChase to the Speeder bike chase on the moon of Endor from the immortal film Return of the Jedi.
• DeathChase XE took the Second place in Kaz Kompo 2013 and sixth place in ABBUC 2013
• It was ranked at the top of the rankings of magazines such as Your Sinclair (1992) and Retrogamer (2008).
• DeathChase has more than seven remakes for Windows, Android and Apple systems, as well as for the SEGA Dreamcast console.
Dudek modified the Atari version so that players can Record and share your high scoresin a global ranking that appears on the AtariOnline.pl portal.
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