From news Wed Mar 4 22:48:03 1992 Path: uwm.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!halluc.COM!Richard.Lawrence From: Richard.Lawrence@halluc.COM (Richard Lawrence) Newsgroups: rec.games.video Subject: Lynx reviews part 1 of 6 [NOTE: all 6 were edited into one] Message-ID: Date: 25 Feb 92 08:04:00 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 143 Release 3 - Rich's Light Reviews - quick Lynx game reviews for all games (C) 1992 by Richard Lawrence.Please attribute these when you quote them. CI$: 71101,2272 GEnie: R.LAWRENCE14 Internet: rich@halluc.com BBS: 703-425-5824 (Hallucination, 5 nodes, 2 Gigs) Fido: 1:109/345 Abbreviations: C-pad == Control pad A/B == A button or B button Opt1 == Option 1 (Opt2 == Option2) Other Lynx info: Eric Ng maintains a video game voting list at video-request@irss.njit.edu (where you should mail him with questions, voting is a seperate address). If everybody votes with Eric, we will have the best measuring stick available for games. I am not associated with him in any way, I just think it's a great idea. Darius Vaskelis maintains an excellent Lynx FAQ list. Mail him at U39648@uicvm.uic.edu for info. The format of these reviews is designed to present the most amount of information in the least amount of space. Each review is exactly one text screen long (25 lines) so that many conventional text viewers for most PCs will be able to flip forward one review at a time. Here is a break down of the sections of the reviews and their meaning. NAME - I think we can figure this one out. Top left hand corner. MANUFACTURER: Who is responsible for this thing?!? PLAYERS: The number of players supported in any form STEREO: The Lynx II, as it is popularly called (Atari refuses to make a distinction) is capable of producing stereo out of the headphone jack. You have a Lynx II if you have a "Backlight" button on the bottom left hand side of the display screen. If there is a ??? here, it means that Stereo is produced but apparently by accident rather than design, as in RoboSquash. RATING: An overall game rating from 1 to 10 (type unsigned int :-) ) Following my rating, in parenthesis, is the last rating I have obtained from Eric Ng's video game rating list. As you can see, I rate games on a scale of 1 to 10. I do not individually rate the gameplay, graphics, sounds, sprite count, title screen, or any other subdivision of the game. It detracts from the main point: do you LIKE it or not? For the purpose of preserving this aspect of the reviews, I try to make my RATING figure as ballpark, off the cuff as possible. When you ask a friend if he/she liked a game or not, they give you a yes or no. In my ratings scheme, anything above a 5 would be a yes, although there would probably be a reservation or two about a 6 or 7 game. ****IMPORTANT NOTE!*****: I will occasionally rate games 10, and occasionally rate them 1. I use the WHOLE range of the scale, unlike 98% of the game magazines out there. There is no point in having a ten point scale when the only scores given are 7+. Using my system, it is entirely possible that a game with ho-hum graphics and sound would get a good rating, eg Scrapyard Dog. Scrapyard Dog is not an impressive game technically, it is just fun to play. TYPE: A very generic attempt to describe the game play style COMLYNX: If they game supports Comlynxing multiple players, this field will have a "Yes". Note that it is possible to have multiple players but no Comlynx, although a dumb design feature (Fidelity Chess). BLINK: The Lynx II seems to have a small hardware incompatibility with the original Lynx chip set. On some games there will appear a single pixel that may blink or shine steady, depending on action on the screen. It is not very noticeable, does not appear in the same place in all games, and is included in the review more as trivia than anything else. If there is a "Yes" here, then this game shows a blinking dot on my Lynx II at one point or another. WHAT: Describes as succinctly as possible the point (the "plot") of the game. Lynx games can be deceptively original; this field helps identify the original ones from the scroll-and-shoots. HOW: Attempts to touch on as many aspects of the implementation of the game as possible, describing control schemes, options available, ergonomics, etc. I try to keep this section as objective as possible, a just the facts type of approach. SOAPBOX: is where I climb up on the Soapbox and either laud or rip the game to shreds, depending on my mood, the phase of the moon, and on a related note, my girlfriends mood that day. This is a completely subjective analysis. You should correlate my feelings on games that you already own to see if you generally agree with me or think I'm a total twit so you can make the best use of this section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.P.B. MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (7.4) TYPE: Action COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT: Arrest criminals for crimes ranging from littering to drug dealing HOW : You are officer Bob, and during your typical day you view your patrol car from above as you chase after,apprehend, and take back to the police station criminals. You drive through big symbolic donuts to get extra time, stop at a gas station for extra fuel, pick up hidden stacks of cash now and then to purchase enhancements for your veHICle, and generally bust the bad guys. The B button accelerates your car, and the A button activates your siren to make an arrest. At the start of each level you get your assignments, which always include some simple quotas such as honkers or litterbugs, but could include a special criminal whom you will have to chase down and return to base. As in the arcades, this game features plenty of digitized speech and some amusing graphics. SOAPBOX: I find this game a lot of fun. The control scheme is not the best, as it is necessary to constantly hold down the A button with the tip of my thumb and rock the joint down on the B button to make an arrest (turn the siren on), which is backwards from the way it should be. The cars on the road don't behave exactly like the arcade, because your siren doesn't make them head for the shoulder. But most aspects of the original are preserved, including the very funny digitized sounds, and a light hearted game play approach. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Awesome Golf MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: No RATING: 9 (7.7) TYPE: Sports COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: A golf simulation, emphasizing realism and nice graphics HOW : Teeing off is a view from behind the player, with animation of the swing. Afterwards, view switches to an above the ball perspective, with the green shrinking and growing underneath as the ball follows its ball- istic curve. A full complement of clubs is available, with three courses of 18 holes. Various difficulty features including wind, etc. can be set from intro screen. The game does not prompt you with the appropriate club for the distance to the hole. Overhead view of the green before the tee allows scrolling in any direction and user-controlled scaling of display. Bunkers, water hazards, and trees are the main enemies.Skill in swing is simulated by quick moving bar, requiring precise timing to hit. SOAPBOX: This game is reminiscent of the arcade "Birdie King" and its imitations. Awesome Golf is exactly that; awesome - with incredible use of the Lynx scaling hardware and digitized sound (including laughs when you miss the swing). A must buy for any remote sports fan, a great cart to show off the Lynx. Comlynx with up to 4 players should satisfy comp- etition urge. The game is no pushover, and does not give away hole-in- ones with the ease many others do. The only potential problems are for serious golfers:no ability to change your stance, or introduce backspin. But what the heck, this game is FUN! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill & Ted's Ex. Adv. MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (6.5) TYPE: Adventure COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT:Bill & Ted wander through time trying to rescue the princess(es) HOW :This is a "run about and gather items" game. The two key elements are musical notes and pages from Rufus' phone book, which allow players to continue on to other segments of the game- basically they are success meters. Also to be found are musical instruments, used for soothing wild beasts,and sometimes to trade with other characters,keys and other misc- ellaneous items.Overhead perspective is used throughout,with independent scrolling screens for each player (in a one player game,only one charac- ter is used).A sixteen character password will save the players location and inventory for later playing. The game is much too large to finish in one sitting. Some timing puzzles are extremely close. SOAPBOX: Despite the repetitive nature of these types of games, this one has some fairly innovative ideas. The time theme is used well (players will have to leave items for themselves to find in the future, etc.) and even the worn Bill & Ted "bogus" terminology is funny at times.The prob- lem is that game play can be very frustrating in certain timing puzzles, resulting in a lot of aggravation (at least for me). The rating of this game went down after I had played it through some more, mostly because game play involved lots of thumb action and not a lot of cranium work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blockout MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (6.3) TYPE: Tetris 3-D COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Drop various block shapes into a 3-d pit, attempting to create a filled level at the bottom of the pit, much like Tetris but in 3-D. HOW :Various difficulties,in terms of speed,complexity of block shapes, and the size of the pit can be selected. The 3-D effect is well done, both with receding lines to show depth and darker colors for far away blocks. A new block enters the screen at the top of the well. New blocks are transparent, with white outlines to show you their shape. The trick is to get the block rotated in such a way that it will fit optimally into what already exists in the well. When an x-y plane is complete, that level disappears,your score goes up,and the game speeds up. Holding down the B button and moving the C-pad left or right gives a Y-axis rotation, up or down is an X-axis rotation. Z axis rotation is performed by pressing the A and B buttons simultaneously. The A button drops a block into the well. Blocks will proceed down themselves at various speeds depending on difficulty. An indicator on the left will show how high up in levels the highest block in the well is. SOAPBOX: Z-axis rotation is difficult, which detracts slightly from the game. But it is certainly playable, and fast paced, with great graphics and good sound. This is not a game that suffers much from the lower resolution of a handheld,but some players simply won't like the concept. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blue Lightning MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 7 (7.5) TYPE: Afterburner clone COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT:Fly your super jet fighter against a variety of enemies HOW :View is from slightly behind your plane. Left and right C-pad turn up to 90 degrees - if you turn and then hit Option2 you will do a roll (no real benefit though). A fires your guns, and B will fires homing missiles. When a target is bracketed on your screen, you can fire a missile, the bracket turns red and you can then move on to your next target. The horizon does NOT tilt with your turns, just the plane,so you always see a level horizon. There is no cockpit instrumentation; just indications of the score and number of missiles left. It is impossible to crash into the ground, but you can hit landscape features like hills or buttes in the canyon area. There is a password option to start over. SOAPBOX:Blue Lightning doesn't really offer much in the way of game play and is pretty easy, but it has great graphics that really give it value. The pity is that you don't see the better graphics right away, so many people pick it up and play it a little while without being impressed. Once you get to the canyon sequence (with all the Close Encounters mountains) you'll see some neat scaling effects. And the game does offer fast action. See if you can find it discounted; it was one of the first four games out and should be pretty cheap nowadays. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ California Games MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (5.8) TYPE: Sports COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: 4 games in one - BMX racing, Surfing, Half pipe, and Footbag HOW :BMX Racing is a side view scrolling racetrack.The A button pulls a wheelie, the B button attempts a flip. Right control pad moves forward, up/down moves towards top/bottom of track. The trick is timing the two basic maneuvers to cause "cool" things to happen,which result in points. Surfing is also a side view. C-pad left and right turns your board. Pushing A will result in a sharper turn. Banking on the wave correctly will build velocity to the point that you can do multiple 360's in the air, which gives you the most points. Trivia: if you die at just the right time, you can land on the bird. Half-pipe is a skateboard game, where you perform tricks like flipping direction, hand standing at the top of the pipe, and more. Timing is crucial; use the cement lines to judge your moves. In footbag you try to keep the ball in the air as long as possible using your feet, hands and head. The control pad to moves around and A hits the ball. C-pad down gives a special "spin" move for extra points. Timing special shots will also increase your score. SOAPBOX:The original packaged Lynx game,came with all the first run Lynx units.The games are simple and are all based on timing. They get old pretty quickly, but Comlynxing makes them fun again, especially BMX. It is possible to "surf the bird" in surfing. Suuuuurfffer biiiirddd.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Checkered Flag MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 6 STEREO: Yes RATING: 8 (9.0) TYPE: Arcade Racing COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Fast paced Formula 1 racing HOW :View is from within a cockpit of sorts, but with your car directly in front of you. Side view mirrors to either side accurately depict any following cars, and a simple instrument panel shows speed and an analog graph of the RPM. The road display is a basic single lane that dwindles to a point on the horizon, much like that used in Super Monaco et al at the arcades.When turning the entire horizon shifts left to right or vice versa, complete with trees and the occasional billboard. Up to six players can link and play, but a total of ten cars can be on the track (the others controlled by computer). A wide variety (18) of tracks are provided. Shifting can be automatic or manual,with either 5 or 7 speeds. Shifting is accomplished by control pad up or down. SOAPBOX: A great competition game, either against the computer or fellow players. Up to nine computer drones with up to fifty tracks makes for a wide variety of difficulties. Several nice touches include scaleable Atari ads on the billboards, and the ability to select the color of your car and (this is original) the sex of the driver, which effects your reward at the end of a race.Computer cars drive well, particularly after you pass them (they never fall far behind). Rivals Warbirds in the Comlynx fun department - I wish I could find five other players! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chip's Challenge MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING:10 (8.2) TYPE: Strategy Puzzle COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT:Help Chip win the respect of Melinda by completing 144 chip puzzles HOW : Chip is viewed from overhead, typically in a maze configuration.He can see all parts of the maze.Basically,all Chip can do is move and pick things up; by his actions he can cause many things to happen, though.His objective is collect enough computer chips on each level to pass through the chip gate. There are tens of objects in the game; basic blocks that are immovable, blocks of fire, water, ice, dirt (can be moved around), invisible blocks, magnetic ones that tug Chip along against his will,and more.Mix these in with monsters, nasty ones and mostly harmless ones and even a few friendly ones,and you have the building blocks of some fiend- ish puzzles.If that's not enough, the clock is ticking, and the time you have per level can vary from plenty to split seconds available. SOAPBOX: Some will inevitably argue with my 10 rating on this game. But to me, this is the perfect Lynx game. Simple in concept, but with enough variety to provide for high replay value. Good graphics and sound, excellent mix of strategy and reflexes. This game is original,well done, and FUN.Since it was one of the original Lynx carts,it's often available discounted. Buy it, it's worth it. Has the best "hidden feature" I've found in any Lynx game: type MAND for a password and play with a very complete implementation of the Mandelbrot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electro-Cop MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 7 (6.6) TYPE: Adventure COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT: Rescue the President's daughter, kidnapped by an evil robot HOW : You are electro-cop, a computer analog brain running a powerful mechanical body. Since you have hyper fast reactions etc, you have been selected to rescue the President's daughter. The C-pad moves you around, A fires, B will make you jump when running or squat when standing still. You have the ability to run side to side or front to back. Occasionally you will find doors, or corridors, always front to back - when you run through these the screen scales that level closer, and you are on it.You can also see the level you were JUST ON in a sort of outline mode as a light white overlay.This is helpful if you have to run backwards,because you will see a robot before you run into it.View takes some getting used to, but is unique and makes good use of Lynx capabilities. Various power ups are to be found, mostly for more firepower. Computer nodes will help open doors and give you information- including three small "hidden" game programs. Door combinations are always the same. You have one hour to rescue the princess, real time. There are a wide variety of enemies. SOAPBOX: Surprisingly, I still haven't finished this game. I keep loosing my list of door combos. It's fun though, and fast paced. Give it a try. This is another one of the original four, so look for it cheap. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Fidelity Ultimate Chess MANUFACTURER:Telegames PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 7 (6.2) TYPE: Chess COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Classic no-frills chess HOW :The traditional chess board can viewed either from overhead (2D) or from an angle (3D).While the 3D view is a nice feature,it is often hard to properly distinguish pieces. Play can either be against the computer or a human opponent, but not through a Comlynx cable - the unit must be handed back and forth. The computer appears to play a solid game,compar- able to many 6502 based dedicated chess sets. It seems to have a library of several openings, but they must be played through; as there is no option to start a game at a given move. A colored square selects a piece to be placed, and the player then moves to the desired destination and pushes a button to make the move.The computer signals its own moves in the same manner. Various difficulties can be selected. SOAPBOX: I'm no good at chess. I know how to move the pieces around. Consequently Chess Challenge beats the pants off me every time; I think I've come close once. I did at one point match it against various levels of a dedicated chess set and it played well. A big annoyance is the wait after the computer signals a move,which is totally unnecessary and can't be skipped. Also desireable would be a Comlynx feature. This game has special programming to prevent Lynx auto-shutdown from loosing a match. I just wish they would get with it on the pause issue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gates of Zendocon MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (6.8) TYPE: Side scroll shoot COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: A side scrolling shoot-em-up reminiscent of Scramble HOW :The average gamer knows the controls for this one before he even sits down to play it. The C-pad moves around, B fires your laser, and A activates a limited time shield. Holding B will continuously fire the laser, but pushing it on and off quickly will also drop slightly more powerful bombs.There are 51 levels to blast through plus a hidden level. Opponents are too varied to list, but be assured they have different characteristics, so there is a minimal element of strategy involved in how you fight particular opponents. There are also, of course, a variety of power ups in the form of "friends" you can find to aid you in your combat. In all you can have four friends around your ship, which makes you quite a blast center. SOAPBOX: We all know the drill on this one. Everybody involved in video games has played a shooter. Gates delivers on several fronts; neat graphics, game play and frantic action. In particular I like the variety of "enemies" - there is one level where you fight growing crystals, one where you fly through an example of the Life pattern, etc. The hidden level contains faces of the designers of the Lynx and the game. There is a lot of attention to detail in this cart.Good as a thumbbuster shooter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gauntlet III MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (5.1) TYPE: Dungeon explore COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: A top view dungeon exploration, with lots of monsters and levels HOW : Gauntlet 3 only very superficially resembles the arcade Gauntlets; so don't buy it on the assumption they are alike. They are both top down view and multiple players with different fight/magic characteristics,but that's about where it ends.There is actually more depth to Gauntlet 3 in many respects; there are many more potions; lots of different character classes to choose from (the Robot is the best in the long haul).Controls are what you might expect - C-pad moves (diagonals work) and A fires. B activates an inventory view, which allows you to use, drop or just look at items you carry. 3/4ths of the screen is an overhead view of the dungeon,to the bottom left is a unique first person view of what you are approaching (for instance, monsters will appear in close up here during combat) and to the bottom right are your vital stats. There are secret doors, keys, potions, gold, and other goodies spread throughout the game. SOAPBOX: The only quibble I have with Gauntlet is that it is too easy, even though it's quite large. I beat it in four days, but that last game was long. There is no password feature. It gets VERY easy with multiple players, and it doesn't have a high replay value, since nothing changes from game to game. The "plot" is pretty weak, but at least the levels have a fair amount of variety. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hard Drivin' MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 1 (4.7) TYPE: Driving sim COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Polygon-rendered driving simulation HOW : View is from within the car when driving. Two methods of control are available, one with automatic transmission (C-pad steers) and one with manual shift, which requires the use of the Opt1 and Opt2 buttons for up/down shifting. After wrecks, a non-controllable replay view of the wreck is shown. B button accelerates. There is one course with two loops - the speed track and the stunt track. The speed track allows high MPH but has little excitement, the stunt track features loops, jumps and inclined turns. Faster lap times are to be had on the stunt track, assuming one can handle it. SOAPBOX: Hard Drivin' is a total dud.I was fairly addicted to the arcade version- it's high resolution polygon graphics and tactile feedback were revolutionary.The Lynx version preserves none of that, and is so pathet- ically slow it makes you wonder why Atari ever let it out of the gate. I have to believe the machine itself is not at fault here, but rather the program. If the frame rate were higher this would be an ok game, but the difficult control in shift mode and slow as molasses response kill it. Don't buy this.I mean it. Did I mention that the control is impossibly touchy on steering? Avoid this game like the plague. Nada. Do not buy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ishido MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (6.7) TYPE: Strategy COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT:Heavy thinking game,requiring placing of colored stones for points. HOW :The game board is a 12x8 grid.Game pieces have two distinct charac- teristics: color and shape. Pieces must be laid down in such a way that either of these two traits is shared with the piece you place next to. Certain combinations result in points, with highest points being awarded for difficult three-way formations of both color and shape. The outside rim of the board is a "no score" area, and is used to set up potential scoring formations on the inside. Rules are easy to learn but very diff- icult to master. The Lynx can show you potential placements, as well as stones yet to placed at the cost of your chance for a high score. Completing certain formations results in tidbits of wisdom from the "Oracle" (basically an electronic fortune cookie). SOAPBOX: The key to this game is whether you enjoy the type. It is an excellent IMPLEMENTATION, with distinctive graphics and good sound, what there is of it. But keep in mind this is a simple colored stones game with very few gee-whiz features about it. Unfortunately the buxom lady on the cover is nowhere to be found in the game. Those who appreciate games such as Go or Shanghai will like this as well. If you do like this style, you will get hours of fun out of this one. There seems to be a bug in the Oracle: he only gives you ONE fortune per play session. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Klax MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO:YES! RATING: 10 (8.5) TYPE: Tetris action COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Catch falling tiles on a moving platform,and then attempt to stack them in special scoring configurations. HOW : Klax is a sideways-viewed game (you hold the Lynx with the c-pad either at the top or bottom of the display). The playfield consists of a top section which is a conveyor belt 5 spaces wide, down which will flop colored tiles. You have a tile holder in the middle of the screen which can hold up to five tiles, and can flip them back onto the conveyor or drop them below, into a 5x5 grid. Completing certain configurations of tiles will result in points and the tiles disappearing. The most basic winning combination is three tiles in a row, vertically, diagonally, or horizontal.Much more complex winning structures are possible, e.g. a 5x3 "X". You have a certain quota of Klaxes (winning combos) per level.Some- times levels will have special requirements,like the aforementioned X,to be completed before moving on. The further you get, the faster the tiles come down the belt and the more complicated the winning conditions. SOAPBOX: I love this game. It's loads of fun, can be understood easily, and is easy to get into in a short time. It requires both fast reflexes and quick thinking for high scores, and features good graphics and *spectacular* sound to boot. This is *the* demo for Lynx stereo sound, so hook it up into your amp and crank it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ms. Pac-Man MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (7.0) TYPE: Pac-man COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Classic Ms. Pac-man game, with a few enhancements HOW :If you don't know what this game is like,then you've been in a cave for the past ten years.But for the benefit of those in caves,the Pac-Man games are mazes viewed from overhead that take up one screen each.In the maze is Ms. Pac-Man, a bunch of dots worth points, four ghosts intent on eating Ms.Pac-Man,and four power pills that temporarily allow Ms.Pac-Man to eat ghosts.In Ms.Pac-Man, unlike the original Pac-Man,there are paths off and on screen again to the sides.Also,the "fruit" (high points item) bounces and moves in Ms.Pac-Man.The c-pad moves, and that's about it for controls (you can view the high scores with Opt2 and the regular pause, flip etc. work). Ms. Pac-Mac moves slower when eating dots, the Ghosts move slower in the side corridors, and at higher levels the ghosts won't stay blue when you eat a power pill.This game adds a little variety from the original with the option for more complex mazes, and a special lightning power-up that lets Ms. Pac-Man move much faster. SOAPBOX: A classic. Yes, the intermissions are there. Hampered slightly by the c-pad (it plays significantly better on a LynxII versus the older Lynx) but still very playable. Sounds and graphics are very faithful to the arcade original. Wocka wocka. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Robotron:2084 MANUFACTURER:Shadowsoft PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: Yes RATING: 7 (8.7) TYPE: Arcade shoot'em COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT: Save humanity from evil robots bent on destruction HOW : Another faithful arcade port, Robotron places the player, a lone human with a big ray gun,in the center of a rectangular field surrounded by various killer robots and some other humans.The object is to save the humans (by touching them) and shoot the robots. The humans aren't harmed by the ray gun,but the robots can kill them in various ways.The original arcade featured two joysticks; one for movement and one for firing. This version has three methods to suit different tastes;either the ability to fire in the direction of movement/opposite of it;the ability to rotate a continuous fire stream in a circle with A/B, or a permanently rotating stream. SOAPBOX: No question about it,the control schemes detract from the game. After you pick one you can get used to it; but you'll never get the high scores you did in the arcade.That aside, this is a fabulous translation, with all the sounds reproduced exactly as they were in the arcade, and graphics faithfully recreated as well. It's as if a Robotron machine has been shrunk down and stuck in your Lynx. Two bad Shadowsoft didn't program a two player cooperative mode for moving and firing at the same time, it would have made this cartridge a 10 of 10. The only stereo effect is when you get killed, as far as I can determine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rygar MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (6.4) TYPE: Hack n' Slay COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Free the land from the evil creatures (hack n' slay) HOW : Rygar was a fairly popular arcade game in '86 or so.Basically,it's a left to right scrolling hack and slay. C-pad left and right moves,down makes you squat down, A slashes and B jumps. You can jump on top of critters to temporarily disable them. Levels are pre-defined,so repeated play will teach you where to expect creatures and how to beat them.There are a plethora of power ups; you can make your weapon stronger, double your points for a period,get more time,destroy everything on the screen, etc. Getting hit ONCE kills your character. You start with three lives, and can get others with points.On each level you start with 100 seconds, but you can often find time increasing power ups. SOAPBOX: Rygar is not what you would call a complex game. As one of the first in the hack and slay category, it is a classic to many people, and those looking for a recreation will be well pleased by this conversion, which does a good job of replicating the arcade game.Graphics are rather plain (they were that way in the arcade), but there is some parallax scrolling and a few other touches that make up for the bland colors. Tidbit: Lynx games I'd like to see - Berserk, Moon Buggy, Gyruss (with the great soundtrack intact!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scrapyard Dog MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 7 (7.8) TYPE: Adventure COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Pursue the evil Mr. Big who has stolen your dog HOW : A side-scrolling jump and shoot game. A jumps, B "fires" (Louie, the main character, throws soda cans as his main and only weapon). Opt1 and Opt2 also launch soda cans. Generally the character moves left to right, jumping over various obstacles and unleashing torrents of cans at Mr. Big's henchmen. At various points in the game shops can be found to purchase options with money discovered along the way,such as shields and other helpful abilities. Also to be found are special bonus areas, with different tasks, such as jumping on a huge piano to play a particular tune or playing the old shell game. SOAPBOX: I can't figure out its specific appeal, but this game is fun if you bother to give it a try. The cartoon graphics are simple but effective, and make sense given the theme of the game.Music is light and manages to not get on your nerves after extended play. This game needs a password feature, because the 15 levels are NOT a breeze, despite the apparent "childrens" nature of the game. Don't dismiss it because of the graphics or the theme; the graphics are actually pretty well done, and the theme is just a non-violent platform game, ala Pac-Land. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shanghai MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (8.6) TYPE: Strategy COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Ancient game of strategy, removing matching tiles from a pile HOW : Shanghai is based on an ancient Chinese strategy game of the same name. The concept is simple - a large pile of "tiles", with different symbols and numbers on them, is created. You remove tiles in matching pairs, making sure each tile selected is not partially obscured by another tile on top of it. Piles can be of different shapes; named after real or mythical beasts they resemble-for instance,the dragon formation. When selecting a tile, you move a pointer above it with the control pad and press either button. Then you must find another that matches it, click on it, and both will be removed from the playing board. The board is represented in a reduced view because of resolution limitations, so whichever tile you have the pointer over is magnified for eas of ident- ification. Two player games can be cooperative or competition. SOAPBOX: This is an excellent implementation of Shanghai. For a game to have survived this long means it has lasting value, and Shanghai certainly delivers in the play area. Graphics are also well done, with the only disappointment of this cartridge being the mediocre sound, which thank heaven you can turn off. A good strategy cartridge that requires patience and careful thinking to complete. Good cartridge to take on a trip. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slime World MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 8 STEREO: No RATING: 9 (7.7) TYPE: Weird adventure COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Explore a world full of slime infested critters in search of gems HOW :You are Todd, exploring the Slime World for Slime Gems. Todd has a water pack on his back and a squirt gun - yes, you fight with a squirt gun - that the aliens find deadly. He can move around via the c-pad, and fires with A, jumpa with B.Opt1 cycles through special items or actions, and Opt2 executes what you selected with Opt1.You have by default a com- puter that will map the area as you go along.You can pick up mega-bombs, cleansers (turn slime infested pools into water), gun enhancements, jet packs, slime gems (points), super slime gems (invincible) and some other items. If you get slimed, you are injured, but you can clean yourself in the occasional pool of water.If you are slimed too heavily you will die, and there are aliens that kill you with a single evil red slime glob. SOAPBOX: Talk about your original games, Slime World is it. This must be the place where all aliens from horror movies come from,because they all seem to have the gooey slime you find all over in this world.SW is loads of fun to play, humorous, and has some tricky sections requiring quick thinking on your slimy feet to get out of. Lots of options. Another MUST PLAY with the Comlynx - especially with several other players. There is reason this is being ported to other platforms - it's lots of fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ S.T.U.N. Runner MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (8.4) TYPE: Action racing COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: The player is a pilot of an ultra-fast tunnel traveling vehicle HOW : STUN Runner is a faithful adaptation of the arcade (the author of the arcade version has said on UseNet that he feels this it is an excellent job). The player is propelled at high speeds down twisting tunnels, some that enclose completely, some that are open with see through scenery. Controls are simple: left, right, and fire. Some travelers of the tunnels cannot be destroyed. Occasional helpful objects such as speed boosters can be found, important in making time against the ever ticking clock. Occasional not-so-helpful objects will be found as well, such as hover craft that shoot at you and slow you down. SOAPBOX: This is an _extremely_ fast game. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the arcade version was the feeling of barely being in control of the incredible speed of the vehicle,and that is well translated here. Although the game is by nature repetitious, it has high replay value because of increasingly difficult levels and different opponents or obstacles. Sound quality is high as well, with some digitized speech, so this is a good demonstration cartridge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tournament Cyberball MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: No RATING: 4 (4.0) TYPE: Arcade sports COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Futuristic football with robot players HOW : View is from above the field at an angle,allowing the width of the field but not the entire length to be seen at once. Play is similar to football, with basic running and passing plays. There are no downs as in football, but the ball will get "hotter" unless a specific goal in terms of yardage is reached; if it gets too hot it explodes.A quick time limit forces fast play selection;emphasis is on thinking fast on your feet.The player also controls one of the robots on the field,usually the quarter- back at first and then a receiver/running back, or a chosen defensive linerobot. Comlynxing results in several players cooperating on a team. SOAPBOX: Although I played this occasionally in the arcade, I don't have a solid feel for that version, so I can't tell if this is a good port or not. It has poor control, especially when running the ball (I've never been able to with much success) so I'm guessing this is not a great ver- sion. Graphics are not great either, with the small bitmapped players hard to see in the 3/4 overhead perspective. Sound is equally ho-hum.The cooperative Comlynx feature sounds fun, but I haven't been able to find anyone to try it, so someone feel free to contact me on how enjoyable it is. As the rating says, I consider this a low cart. Buy others first. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ninja Gaiden MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (6.5) TYPE: Chop Suki COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Ninjutsu everybody to death HOW : In this left-to-right scrolling hack and slay, you are the lone Ninja against a horde of weird bad guys inhabiting your city. From the basic punch and kick to the ill-explained ninjutsu attacks, you have a variety of moves to use against this ill ilk to waste them in classic Ninja fashion. SOAPBOX: I don't really like this type of game, but this is a passable version of it. The biggest problem is the short length; I was able to complete the entire game (while never getting a firm handle on any of the special moves) in about three days. There is no problem solving or even thinking involved; you just bang away at the buttons until things are dead. The graphics are well done, with often humorous enemies (a bunch of Jason-types, and biker/loggers!). The dreaded Atari instruc- tion "poster" does a terrible job of hinting how to make special attacks. This game cries out for a Comlynx ability with multiple players at once. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pac-Land MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (6.3) TYPE: Mario clone COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT: PacMan must safely escort the princess through ghost-infested areas HOW : The princess is under Pac-Mans hat (don't ask). As with most plat- form games, the c-pad is directional, and the button jumps. Pac-Man has no weapons to speak of. Pressing the control pad twice in succession makes Pac-Man run, most of the time required because of a time limit on each level. Fruits will appear along the way to gobble up, and the occasional power pill from the arcade will make an appearance, at which point Pac-Man can go chasing after and eat the ghosts trying to get him. The challenge is mostly getting timing right for various jumps and weaving your way between threatening ghosts. SOAPBOX: This game bears no relationship to any of overhead perspective Pac-Man games from the arcade. Mario has a new set of clothes, in other words. Unfortunately the Pac-Meister just doesn't bring off Mario very well; Pac-Man doesn't have a lot of variety or replay value.The graphics are simple, true to the Pac-Man tradition, but don't have the neat intermission scenes. This game has none of the strange appeal for me that Scrapyard Dog did, for instance. I don't like it; maybe you will. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paperboy MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (5.5) TYPE: Scroll & "shoot" COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Deliver papers on the toughest street in town HOW : A good conversion. You see a 3/4 perspective of the screen, with scrolling from top to bottom. The objective is to deliver papers to your loyal subscribers, and do willful destruction to non subscribers.You can carry ten papers at a time, and launch them with either A or B. C-pad left or right steers, up accelerates and B brakes.Since you must stay on your bike, you cannot come to a full stop.Time is limited,so moving fast is preferred. You have many more papers than you need, so you can take a few extra and break a window here and there in a non-subscribers house, or bean an innocent pedestrian.If you finish a course perfectly,you will gain a customer; customers are lost by missing a delivery. At the end of each level you face the fanciful "paper boy training course", where you must hit bullseyes with papers and jump over ramps. SOAPBOX: Well,it IS a good conversion.While this game plays well and has decent control, it just doesn't cut it for me. The sound is hopelessly annoying,which probably has something to do with it.It's not a bad game, but it's not a great one either, so I put it in the middle of the pack, ratings wise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Qix MANUFACTURER:Telegames PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 7 (6.7) TYPE: Arcade COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Segment off sections of a rectangle while avoiding bad guys HOW : Exactly like the arcade game. The player moves a cursor around the screen, attempting to draw lines that complete an enclosed area,which is then claimed for points. In the open space is an abstract set of colored lines called the Qix, which is instant death for the player if touched. Along the edges of the open area travel the Sparx, which also kill the player with a touch. The only escape from them is to venture into the open area, thus exposing yourself to the Qix. Either button allows the player to leave the edges and move into the open area,and holding down a button will move the cursor slowly, resulting in higher points but greater risk from the Qix. SOAPBOX: Much as the box advertises, this is a very faithful version of the classic, especially in the sound department. It is plagued by the Lynx control system, however, as it is often difficult to make precise turns and reversals using the c-pad. This makes later levels where the Qix splits especially frantic. Perhaps the most faithful feature of this recreation is the movement of the Qix; just like in the arcades it has a maddening tendency to always be nearby when you need to leave a wall, despite its apparently random movement. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rampage MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (6.8) TYPE: Destruction COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Take the role of a movie monster, destroying a city HOW : View is from the side with horizontal scrolling. You can use the c-pad to move your monster around, and when beside a building up or down will climb the building in that direction. Pressing A will either punch a building, grab a human to eat, or destroy a tank/helicopter depending on the timing (whichever is right in front of you). You have a limited amount of health against an almost unlimited amount of human opponents. Luckily, eating humans and some potions restore your health. You have to be careful of what you eat, however,because some things that you uncover in the buildings are bad even for a monster. While you are climbing and destroying buildings, sometimes humans will plant a bomb on the building to try to hurt you - you can either jump down and throw the bomb away or jump off the building as it disintegrates.Multi-players can either fight each other or play a cooperative game.The object? Find the technician at the end of the game who can cure your condition-you may be a monster now, but you used to be human! SOAPBOX: This game is a hopelessly infantile release of hostile energy.I love it.It is very like the arcade, with slightly different graphics and an additional monster (a rat). Easy control and very funny Comlynx play, especially when you give up on cooperating. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Road Blasters MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: ??? RATING: 7 (7.3) TYPE: Combat racing COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes WHAT: Fight evil Death Squad cars in a post nuclear war road rally HOW : View is very similar to that in Checkered Flag. You see your car from slightly above and behind, sitting on a road that diminishes to a point on the horizon. The c-pad up and down accelerates or brakes, left or right steers, and A fires your laser. Periodically a jet will drop a special weapon for you, which you can catch and then use with B. The object is to shoot enemies that can be destroyed (blue cars can't be by conventional weapons) as accurately as possible,as bonus multipliers are given for accuracy. You must also be careful to conserve your fuel,which depletes rapidly. Luckily there are fuel globes on the course that you can pick up and use.Other obstacles include mines,gun turrets on the side of the road, and helpless motorists who don't appear to understand there is a death race on. SOAPBOX: This game has great graphics and sound, but isn't very easy to control. This was one of my favorites in the arcades, but I just can't get the hang of the pad to steer, so it keeps the game from getting high marks. It is extremely well done however. If you already have Checkered Flag you might want to think twice, or vice versa,because they have many similarities in play,the exception being you don't kill people in CF. Watch out for the motorcycles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RoboSquash MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: ??? Rating: 2 (3.4) Type: 3-D Pong COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: Yes WHAT: Play pong/air hockey against an opponent in a 3-D field HOW : Picture a zero-gravity cube, with you at one end and an opponent at the other. You both have magnetic paddles that you can move in two dimensions on your end, but not on the Z access (towards the other player). A ball bounces back and forth. If you miss the ball with your paddle it "splats" across your field of vision (maybe it's a tomato?) and makes it harder to see. Sometimes there are icons floating in the middle of the room that give you extra paddles, special characteristics like being able to catch the ball, etc., and if you hit these with the ball then you receive that special ability. The ball goes faster as time goes by. Winning a round will give you a colored ball on a sort of large tic-tac-toe playing grid; if you win several rounds in a row to complete a line on the grid then you get more points. Thus there is minimal "strategy" (if you can call tic-tac-toe that) involved in picking spots. SOAPBOX: Until Hard Drivin', Robo-Squash had the dubious honor of being the worst Lynx cartridge in existence. To complement its pathetic game play and truly ancient concept (come on folks, Pong was the FIRST VIDEO GAME!!) it has ho-hum sound (and really messed up stereo) and mediocre graphics. It might be fun in Comlynx mode, but I've never found another person who bought it. Not recommended at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Turbo Sub MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 6 (4.5) TYPE: Arcade sports COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: Yes WHAT: The player pilots a underwater/air vehicle and blows things away HOW : View is from within the cockpit of the Turbo Sub,a vehicle capable of both flying and operating underwater, with the ability to dive or surface at will. The distinction is more or less arbitrary, since the objective is the same in either environment: shoot just about anything you see. The c-pad is a standard directional, A fires an endless supply of shots, and B unleashes the ever popular smart bomb, which the player can collect more of over time. The horizon does not slant when turning, but rather moves right to left or vice versa. Varying degrees of success will lead to more points, which can be used to purchase armament at the end of a level. Two player mode is basically a points competition. SOAPBOX: TS is certainly fast paced and features some good graphics. If you ever played Buck Rogers (the shoot 'em up) of some time ago, you've got the basic idea. Move the display around and shoot everything, avoid the immovable objects like pillars underwater.The idea of a sea monster that could eat a submarine is kind of stretched, but it gives you more things to obliterate. What TS is short on is replay value; especially if you already own Blue Lightning, which is much the same game. Some nice graphical touches (windshield wipers) make this a fun game to watch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Viking Child MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 5 (6.3) TYPE: Jump,hack,slay COMLYNX: No BLINK: No WHAT: Run about and hack enemies, jumping to and fro on platforms HOW : The c-pad moves Brian (the main character) left and right. A hacks his sword, B makes him jump.There are various hills and moving platforms to jump on and off.Some special items can be bought with gold found when killing monsters. The special items are mostly weapons, selected in rotation by using Opt2 and activated by using Opt1. A password feature exists to resume play after extended play time. SOAPBOX: This is a very basic hack and slay. While the graphics are fairly well done and expressive (Brian looks comical when he falls, and the enemy critters are discernible but not believable as armed turtles, etc) the sound is strictly second rate and seems like it has mostly been recycled from Gauntlet III. You can only program Mario so many times,and this game offers nothing new that I can see over any of the other thousands in this genre. Don't be fooled by the neat map on the back; this is not a thinking game, but a mindless one. Lots of hacking and slaying, if that's your bag. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Warbirds MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: No RATING: 9* (8.5) TYPE: Combat flight sim COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: Yes WHAT: Fly in a WWI rotary engine prop plane, shooting down enemies HOW : View is from within the cockpit.Pressing down B allows the view to be changed with the c-oad; you can look out either side, down at your instrument panel, or out the back. Release B and the c-pad is a standard directional. There is no throttle control, but Opt2 can be used to turn the engine on and off which sometimes allows for tighter turns. A fires a stream of bullets. Options can determine number of opponents, their skill, amount of ammo, how damage is assessed, and where you start the game relative to your enemies. You have the ability to land to rearm,but you can be shot while helpless on the runway.Limited terrain (mountains) exists and extensive clouds provide cover. SOAPBOX: The * is a caveat about number of players. With four players, Warbirds is a 10 and can't be equaled. With 2 it's a 9,and with 1 player it can be an 8 or a 7 depending on who you are talking to. As a flight simulator it isn't very impressive;but it's running on a small handheld, after all. As a fun combat game it is great, with good graphics but poor sound (the rat-a-tat of the machine guns is more of a beep-a-beep). Most of the arguments about this game, however, seem to be whether it's a must buy or a really really must buy. Either way, you need this cart. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Xenophobe MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: Yes RATING: 8 (7.9) TYPE: Side view shoot COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: Yes WHAT: Rid the space station of nasty phlegm spitting Xenos HOW : Basically,this game is an early, unlicensed rip off of the concept in Aliens. Luckily, it's a GOOD rip off! You (and possibly your friends) are charged with the duty of cleaning up your space stations, which have been infested with Xenos. You play one of many characters, each equipped at the beginning of the game with a phasar (more powerful weapons can be found). You get a side view of the station,with each segment coincident- ally one Lynx screen wide.There are many segments to a level,many levels to a station,and 23 stations in all.Translation:lots of aliens to blast. C-pad left/right moves you in those directions, down makes you crouch and crawl, up makes you stand up. A fires, and while firing you can adjust the angle of your gun with the c-pad. B makes you jump, Opt1 throws bombs. A variety of aliens exist, including the nasty and hard to kill Phester, who can be played by another player Comlynxed! SOAPBOX: One of the good early games for the Lynx,this conversion proved that you can capture the essence of an arcade classic in a hand held. Multiplayer options are great, especially with a human playing Phester. The game is hard solo; I have yet to make it to the Mother Phester (anybody that has,e-mail me and tell me what it is like). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Xybots MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 2 STEREO: No RATING: 7 (7.0) TYPE: Maze action/shoot COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Eradicate the Xybots infesting a space station with your blaster HOW : Xybots is another faithful arcade port. View is more or less first person, although you can see yourself directly in front of your view.You are in a maze full of Xybots, killer robots, and you must destroy them with your blaster. You have a limited amount of energy, and loose it by getting shot, using your "zap" (more powerful shot), or just by sitting around. You may find energy boosts and keys to short cuts to help you on your way. A fires your regular blast, Opt1 fires a "zap", and Opt2 shows you an overhead map of the maze. The c-pad moves. Pressing B and c-pad right or left will turn you in that direction,since you can have enemies on all four sides.You can move while the map is displayed, but it's not a smart thing to do. You can also pick up coins, used at vending machines between levels to purchase various ability enhancements. SOAPBOX: I never saw the attraction of this game, so I wasn't really jumping up and down about the Lynx version. It's a good job though; graphics are fine and speed is no problem. It may be too easy -the first time I played I made it to level 16 and killed a Master Xybot on the way. You wouldn't be able to do that in the arcades, certainly. Two player Comlynx is fun but makes the game even more easy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zarlor Mercenary MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 4 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (7.7) TYPE: Shooter COMLYNX: Yes BLINK: No WHAT: Shoot everything. I mean EVERYTHING. HOW : An overhead view scrolling shooter, with the screen scrolling from top to bottom.The c-pad moves your ship, A fires missiles, and B fires a laser (which will always shoot at something airborne, doesn't have to be aimed).The best arrangement seems to be holding the middle of your thumb down over A, and using the tip to push B when something is on the screen for the laser, since the laser doesn't auto repeat. This game was programmed by the same person who did Gates of Zendocon,and has much the same approach - a wide variety of enemies, a large number of options to help you blast them, and lots and lots of explosions on the screen.There are too many enemies and assistance options to list here; you name it, this game has got it. SOAPBOX: Well, this game will make your thumb tired. It's pretty hard solo, but with four players I imagine it would be pretty easy. There's not much to be said to it because there is no depth - it doesn't profess to be a thinking game, and it isn't. As the manual says - "Shoot everything that moves. Shoot everything that doesn't move". Pretty much sums it up.