Tempest Elite! for the Atari XL/XE Computers!

Posted on July 5, 2017 by focusrs

Released July 2017 by Video61 (Atarisales.com), this is a great port of Tempest to the Atari XL/XE/XEGS line of computers.   The game was programmed by Peter J. Meyer with cartridge manufacturing done by Lance Ringquist.

Tempest Elite is a enhanced version of the arcade game Tempest, it has elements of Tempest 2000 as well, and is based on Tempest Extreme!   The game comes packaged in a clear protective case and a separate laminated sheet that has the instructions and a list of the enemy’s in the game.

Another great feature of this game is the ability to select a variety of controllers to play with.  Joystick is enabled by default, however you can also use a Paddle controller, TrakBall and my personal favorite a Driving Controller!  I find playing the game with the driving controller gives you more of that arcade feel, plus it controls your avatar quite nicely during game play.

The sounds and music are very well done, from the digitized speech to the cool rendition of tempest 2000 playing in the background in all its Atari 8 bit glory.   The game has some great power ups (Gunner Droid) and also the ability to collect Warp Tokens to skip three levels and gain additional bonus points!

Pros:

  1. Has 96 levels! (Tempest Extreme had 32)
  2. Various controller options!
  3. Digitized speech!
  4. Has the Gunner Droid power up from Tempest 2000!
  5. Warp Tokens!

Cons:

  1. One sheet 8×11 laminated manual
  2. Still noted a glitch in the game – Erratic Gunner Droid sometimes
  3. When trying to reset the game it goes to the memory test screen

Overall this game is well worth having in the collection.  Being a big fan of Tempest, this game is right up my alley.   With the various controller options (which is big plus!) and the gameplay, I will be spending quite a bit of time with this awesome game!

Rating: (4 out of 5 Minicades)

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