89 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
89 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
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JUG
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JUG is a strategy/arcade game from Paul Hunter, Martin Kenwright, and
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Microdeal. It offers unbelievably surreal graphics, great animation, all manner
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of scrolling, three levels of difficulty, a two-player option, and joystick
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control. This review is based on the Atari ST version.
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Martin Kenwright, who did the graphic work for the GOLDRUNNER II scenario
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disks, is a talented artist with a fertile imagination and the ability to bring
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it to life. In JUG, he has created a bizarre and fabulous world that nearly
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defies description. Although there's a difficult and challenging game here that
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will keep you occupied for some time, you could purchase JUG for Mr. Kenwright's
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artwork alone and easily get your money's worth.
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The Gaia Hypothesis states that a planet is a conscious, living entity, and it
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is this fashionable and timely idea that gets JUG off to a great start: Planet
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Spiraeus is indeed alive. Unfortunately, a virus has invaded its deepest
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regions, causing a now-tumorous brain to malfunction, and the inner cores to be
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drained of their life forces. The goal of JUG is to penetrate the cores of the
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planet, withstand the defenses of its immune system, and excise the tumor.
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JUG is a cyborg -- a barrel-chested humanoid constructed of Titanium fleximetal
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and organic materials. JUG can change and reform its shape instantaneously; it
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can use three types of weapons (plasma fire, laser cannon, and smart bomb); and
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it uses fuel to fly. In spite of the positive mission behind JUG's entrance into
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Spiraeus, the planet's immune system will view JUG as a germ to be destroyed.
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Its defenses include wall-mounted guns, several kinds of attack ships, spinning,
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bouncing tops, and small, scurrying reptiles encased in metal shells. All are
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deadly, and if humans had an immune system like this, disease would never infect
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anybody -- thus making doctors, lawyers, and malpractice suits obsolete.
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The Atari ST screen display consists of the scrolling interior of Spiraeus and
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a status panel. The interior is divided into four zones, each of which is
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further divided into four sectors. A sector is constructed of horizontal and
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vertical passages, bizarre spikes and spirals, gargoyles, and honeycombed
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spaces. Two-way teleporters transfer JUG to other parts of the current sector.
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The status panel shows game level, zone and sector numbers, score, and number of
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lives remaining. There are also damage and key indicators, weapon LEDs, and a
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fuel bar.
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Keys, when found and taken, dissolve walls, opening up new vistas in the
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current sector, or revealing the passage to the next sector. Weapons can be
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found; selecting any of the three alters JUG's shape. The inner air of Spiraeus
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is fuel for JUG, which slowly absorbs it. Fuel pods, when taken, not only top
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the gas tank, but reduce damage. JUG's defensive system can withstand 16 hits,
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after which it regresses with a crackle into low-tech junk, losing a life in the
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process.
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JUG is controlled with a joystick. Pushing the stick left or right moves JUG
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likewise; pushing the stick forward raises JUG (assuming it has enough fuel);
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pulling the stick back activates teleporters, and collects weapons and keys.
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Each of the three weapons can be selected in turn by pulling back on the stick;
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the button fires. The plasma fire is a single shot device; the more effective
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laser cannon shoots long strands; and the single-use smart bomb zaps all
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on-screen attackers.
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You'll need 512K and a color monitor. Although JUG is copy-protected, it loads
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like lightning. Subsequent disk accesses occur upon entering a new zone. The
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instruction manual is short and basic.
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JUG is a very difficult game. The immunity cyborgs are many and varied. They're
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also relentless, and they must take target practice in their spare time. The
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joystick turns JUG left or right, after which it moves -- on the power of its
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fuel supply -- at a snail's pace. Each sector increases in difficulty; that is,
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the number of passages (and dead ends) increases, as does the number of immunity
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cyborgs.
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The graphics and animation routines are stunning. Mr. Kenwright has stretched
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the ST to its graphic limits, or nearly so; and programmer Paul Hunter knows how
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to put a game together, and make it run without a glitch. The planet's interior
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consists of tough, heavy metal, with sparkling, lustrous organics, and unusual,
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eccentric shapes. The atmosphere is simultaneously airy and claustrophobic -- no
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easy feat. Screen scrolling is smooth and flicker-free. The immunity cyborgs
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attack singly, in small groups, and in waves. Their patterns do not become
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predictable until you've made several assaults on a sector. It's not easy being
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a germ.
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I have three wishes. First, with 16 increasingly difficult sectors to get
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through, I wish Mr. Hunter had provided a few easy ones (besides the opener). I
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also wish that the graphics were less fabulous: I keep staring at them,
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forgetting I'm a virus. And finally, I wish that Microdeal will keep publishing
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games of JUG's caliber. Buy this one immediately!
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JUG is published by Microdeal and distributed by MichTron.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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