A Lynx collection

[RickR]

I've gotten the Lynx out and wanted to share my collection.  I haven't even tried a few of these games yet (Rygar, Kung Food, Roadblasters).  Reviews coming soon.

 

 

[RickR]

Roadblasters Review:

 

One word summary:  Wow!

 

This game is really good on the Lynx.  Impressive graphics, easy controls.  Very responsive. Love the helicopter that drops weapons upgrades. 

 

On the con side:  It's really hard to see the green/red fuel blobs, but maybe that's just my old eyes.  Also, it's super cool that they included some voice effects at the end of each round, but it was kind of hard to understand.  Maybe I should try headphones. 

 

The game is really fun, and looks great. A+. 

 

What do you all think of this game?

Edited June 27, 2016 by RickR

[RickR]

Basketbrawl Review

 

One word summary:  Blech

 

Anyone else play Arch Rivals in the arcade or on NES?  It's a great game.  Rule-less basketball...you can punch or kick your opponent.  That game is really fun with great graphics and sound.  Plus you will laugh heartily (I guarantee) when you punch somebody in the back of the head.  Well, that's what this game is trying to be, only it's terrible.  There's no jumping or rebounding or passing.  Shooting the ball is totally random.  There are power-ups, but if you take the time to grab them, the computer is going to score easily.  Even the fighting portion is bad.  Button mashing with no real consequence.  This is a game that should have been right up my alley, but it's no fun. 

 

I hate being so negative.  But like I said, this is a game I really thought I'd love due to the concept...it's a huge disappointment. 

[MalakZero]

Looking forward to your impression of Kung Food. Hopefully it plays well enough to compliment the cheesiness   

 

Anyone else wish a consolized Lynx was built?

[Clint Thompson]

Looking forward to your impression of Kung Food. Hopefully it plays well enough to compliment the cheesiness 

 

Anyone else wish a consolized Lynx was built?

 

I was thinking about this over the weekend, not sure why it came to mind but it struck me.

 

Still think Slime World and Robosquash are my favorite games for the Lynx!

[RickR]

I also have my Sega Game Gear collection out and I'll give that a go once I'm done with the Lynx. 

 

One interesting thing I can say about the Lynx is I tend to forget how big it was.  The thing is BIG, and thick.  I do like how comfortable it is to hold, and it's got a nice big screen. I think Atari should have skipped the ability to "flip" the unit for left/right handers (that would eliminate 3 buttons) to save a little size.  I do love the look and feel of it.  

 

It would look really good next to one of those original American XBOX controllers.  Way too big, yet comfortable to use. 

 

Edited June 27, 2016 by RickR

[RickR]

Kung Food Review

 

One word summary:  Tums

 

What can I say here?  I really liked this one, but it has a few flaws.  I love the little muscular green giant character.  He's an angry little Hulk in a fridge!  And fighting against food, ice creeps, and rats!  COOL!  This should have been a follow up to "Food Fight" somehow.  Or maybe it should have had power-ups like "Altered Beast".  The concept is really fun.  But there are issues....I dislike how hard it is to line up with enemies.  And it's kind of hard to tell if your punches/kicks have landed.  Oh, and those ice spikes that pop out of the ground are really cheap. 

 

The graphics are great.  Everything is easy to see and moves smoothly. 

 

This game could have been something special.  I wonder if they play tested with real gamers and got some honest feedback -- if that would have helped a game like this. 

 

This game is a fun concept, but a little flawed. 

 

Atari had an arcade platform at the time...the one that played Paperboy and APB to name a few examples.  The Lynx really reminds me of that platform...the graphics and text have that same look and feel. 

[Sabertooth]

Great reviews, Rick. Roadblasters is a fantastic port on the Lynx and one of my favorite titles. Hydra has a similar vibe so I recommend that if you can get it cheaply.

 

I also really enjoy Kung Food despite its flaws. If someone were to fix the collision detection I would snap up an improved version in a heartbeat.

 

Many of the Atari Games arcade games do really well on the Lynx (Roadblasters, Hydra, XYBOTS, Gauntlet, Stun Runner, Paperboy, etc.). It's fortunate that Atari, Inc. and Atari Games were able to work out licensing deals despite being different companies. If things had worked out differently, I think that a unified Atari could have given SEGA a run for its money with exclusive quality arcade to home conversions. Alas, many Atari Games titles of the period were available across platforms. Good for gamers but bad for Atari, Inc.

[RickR]

My god, Lost Dragon, what a great idea that would have been.  It would totally justify the larger size vs. Gameboy:  "Sure it's bigger, but it can also be hooked right up to a TV to play all your games on a big screen".  Glorious. 

[RickR]

Next up is Rygar, which I got via a trade with Justin.  Much appreciated. 

 

Rygar Review

 

One word summary:  Perfect

 

I love this game.  It's fast, it's smooth, and the difficulty ramps up nicely.  No cheap deaths.  Great graphics (especially the backgrounds -- wow).  This game is a platformer, and your warrior has a chain mace.  Similar to Castlevania.  Really well done game.  I think this may be my favorite so far.  Tons of fun. 

[Sabertooth]

My god, Lost Dragon, what a great idea that would have been.  It would totally justify the larger size vs. Gameboy:  "Sure it's bigger, but it can also be hooked right up to a TV to play all your games on a big screen".  Glorious.

 

While Atari didn't make tv out available to consumers we're fortunate that McWill did. His improved LCD and VGA out is a great upgrade if you're really into the Lynx.

[RickR]

You mean the "Nomad"?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_Nomad

[RickR]

Another new addition.  Check out that unmistakable Toys R Us clearance sticker!

 

 

[RickR]

Thanks to ebay and trades with atarilbc, I have a bunch of new Lynx games to try.

 

So far, I've played some Warbirds.  It looks absolutely gorgeous, but the controls are very sluggish.  Still, it's a lot of fun to shoot down that SOB Red Baron. 

 

Pinball Jam is good, but I sure wish they'd gone with a plain background.  Trying to follow the ball hurts my eyes. 

Edited October 8, 2016 by RickR

[RickR]

I played a lot of "Malibu Beach Volleyball" today, and it's a great game.  It's challenging to learn to play, but not unfairly so.  Reminds me a lot of 2600 "Realsports Volleyball" only much more realistic.  I like that there is an option to slow the game down for beginners.  That helps a lot. 

 

I also played more Pinball Jam today, and I'm sticking with my original assessment.  It's too hard follow the ball due to the limitations of the Lynx screen.  They should have either not made it scroll, or used a plain black background and this would have been an "A" grade game. 

[RickR]

I had the chance to play Warbirds with 3 players recently....totally awesome.  It becomes a different game multi-player.