The Ultimate Arena
The story of the game is inspired by popular games of the same time, such as
Speedball and Smash T.V.: In the not-too-distant future, the most popular
television show lets contestants battle it out in an all-out fighting match
called the Ultimate Arena.
What this turns out to be is a man-versus-man fighting game with digitised
graphics, which was a la mode in American coin-ops at the time, such as Pit-
Fighter and Mortal Kombat, complete with sprays of blood for every hit. On the
Atari, the sprites aren’t quite as large as in arcade games, though.
At the start of a one-player game, two characters are available to play with:
Terry from France and Sandy from London. All seven characters are available to
choose from in two-player mode.
Each player has the usual assortment of 18 jumps, kicks and punches, most of
which are easily executed with a normal Atari joystick, as well as a few
special moves. Some carry weapons, while some can fire energy bolts. Instead
of the common best-out-of-three system, sudden death is enforced, so a
opponent must be beaten on the first attempt. If you do so, another stands in
line. Being pushed into a corner is also more dangerous than other similar
games, since the ringside is electrified. Stay close to the centre of the
arena, or you will be burnt to a crisp.
Released at the far end of the Atari’s commercial life, Ultimate Arena is
notable for being one of few STE-only games, which makes the digitised sounds
and graphics more natural than had it been a normal ST game.
The Ultimate Arena