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 à 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.