To be on Top (AST)
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To be on Top is an early music game originally designed on the Commodore 64 by and after an actual video game composer, Chris Hülsbeck. It's a cross between an arcade adventure, a music editor and a rhythm game. You have to find inspirations, connections and musical devices, while avoiding distractions from your mother and reckless passers-by. As the song develops, it climbs the charts. Once on the top 3, you have to prove your sense of rhythm on TV while still rising or even falling - of course the ultimate goal being top 1!
The Atari ST version is very accurate, except for the slightly changed texts, inspiration colors and much fuller graphics, and the Hülsbeck lookalike replaced by a lookalike of arranger Jochen Hippel.
Contents
Screenshots
Music
Jochen Hippel has converted Chris Hülsbeck's complete disco soundtrack from the C64 to the Atari ST and added drums, variations and a new melody to 3 jingles. He also used the same drum samples, including Hülsbeck saying Nineteen. Unlike the C64, the Atari ST was fast enough to use samples for melodic instruments, too, most (if not all) of which are recognizable from Ultimate Soundtracker (AMI), like funbass, hallbrass and theegg. Like the C64, though, the Atari ST cannot use any samples on the 50Hz scrolling street, so it uses square waves.
Most melodic samples don't loop and give some songs a slightly different, more concealed tone. Unfortunately, while the volumes are better balanced than on the C64, the sound tends to be repetitive to be point of grating. Also, a few missing arpeggiated chords and harmonic errors are heard.
Recording
All songs were recorded from the game in Steem SSE 3.9.4. For Inspirations, two memory locations (corresponding to the range of Title Song) were changed from 0xB1-0xD9 to 0x00-0x1F.
(Source)
Credits
- Ripper: N/A
- Recorder: Professor Chaos
- Game Credits:
- Music By: Jochen Hippel
- Not Credited Composer: Chris Hülsbeck
(Source. The only other version is on the C64, indeed by Hülsbeck, and neither version has composition credits, but Hülsbeck confirmed in interviews that 100% of the sound and the voice were his.)
Game Rip
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This rip is missing songs. |
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Format |
Download |
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N/A |
The music has yet to be ripped. Ripping Atari ST music is a very arduous process that is beyond the scope of this site.
Audio Devices
This game uses the computer's built-in YM2149 chip.
Releases
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Links
- mobygames.com/game/atari-st/to-be-on-top - MobyGames.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ast/949443-to-be-on-top - GameFAQs.
| To be on Top | |
| To be on Top |  • 
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| Notable Songs | Title - To be on Top |
| Notable Personnel | Chris Hülsbeck • Jochen Hippel |
| Notable Companies | Rainbow Arts |
