Lynx questions...

[Damon Plus]

Four months ago, I bought a Lynx with 4 games (Chip´s Challenge, Stun Runner, Slime World and Pac-Land) pretty cheap.

I´m going to buy a game from an online store, and I want to get another Lynx game to make up for the shipping. The only ones I want and don´t have an outrageous cost are Klax, Awesome Golf and Gates of Zendocon.

Finding Lynx game reviews online is hard, so, which one should I get?

-Klax: Everyone says its a technical marvel, one of the best Lynx games, etc. Is it hard to play with the system in vertical position? Is it really that good?

-Awesome Golf: 3 courses, with 18 holes each, and it seems fun.

-Gates of Zendocon: the cheapest of the three, but I don´t know if the game´s good or not.

Also, I intend to buy only 12-15 games for the Lynx, so I want a collection with the most representative games, but also with good ones. Which ones would you put on the free slots?

-Chip´s Challenge
-Slime World
-Pac-Land
-Stun Runner
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[tom]

Gates is an excellent shooter, trust me on that one, go for it.

Awesome Golf is a great golf game, very well designed for Lynx, yes it's fun

Klax, well, that female voice-over is just gorgeous

So get all three if you can as they are all great titles

[tom]

as for those empty slots:
Checkered Flag (a must-have racer)
Blue Lightning (forget the awful Jaguar title, this one's ace)
Warbirds (fun)
Toki (good platformer)
Battlezone 2000 (incl hidden 2000-mode)
Super Off Road (well designed and fun)
Joust (gotta have Joust)
maybe a homebrew...T-Tris perhaps?

[Nebagram]

Go for Zendocon first, it'll provide hours of fun, as will Blue Lightning. I always liked Crystal Mines 2 (which you can pick up VERY cheap), but that's just the puzzle enthusiast in me.

[Cantaloup]

I haven't played Awesome Golf, but I have played the other two. I think I'd recommend Klax, as it's a solid translation of the arcade game. Gates of Zendocon is a decent, but not amazing, horizontally scrolling shooter. Some other favorites on the system:

* Rampart -- I like this better than the arcade version, since it features more precise controls for placing the pieces.
* Xenophobe -- Another stellar arcade adaptation. Uses the entire screen and the controls are less confusing than the original.
* Zarlor Mercenary -- Very good and challenging vertically scrolling shooter.
* Blue Lightning -- Like a portable version of Afterburner.
* California Games -- Although it only has 4 events, it's surprisingly addictive.
* Roadblasters -- Yet another great adaptation.
* Rampage -- A very solid rendition of the arcade game.
* APB -- A fine port of the arcade game, if you don't have another version.

[Pantechnicon]

I will give strong +1 votes to Rampart, Warbirds, Joust, Klax and Awesome Golf (I was just playing this one last night, in fact).

Additional recommendations:

Steel Talons - A lot of people don't like this one but I think it's a lot of fun once you get a hang of the controls.
Desert Strike - A little harder to find but worth the effort. A very faithful port of the EA Genesis title.
Paperboy - Plays very well.
Blockout - 3D Tetris. Highly addictive
Shanghai - Mahjonng. Simple and addictive.
Power Factor - Interesting platformer game. Great sound effects.
Super Asteroids/Super Missile Command - Fun adaptations of the classic games. Lots of variations with power-ups and purchasable upgrades.

[RJ]

Awesome Golf made my eyes neary pop out of my head when I got it- it's that good! Plus you cant get another golf game on Lynx (did Zany Golf ever release?)

other good choices:
Checkered Flag & RoadBlasters (get both, they're different. CF has around 30 tracks IIRC, RB is a great arcade port)

Steel Talons seemed very easy to get into/pick up & play for me, not really my type of game (flight/copter sim) but enjoyable.

Zarlor Mercenary- good topdown scrolling shooter game w/ upgradeable ship parts, & beatable!

Blue Lightning once won an award IIRC, that says something...

Xybots is also a great arcade port, only missing voice synth & 1 robot type.

Gauntlet:3rd Encounter is decent too, multiple char. select, also has an ending.


I used to have lots of Lynx games but have been selling them off due to time/playing constraints...:( sadly I havent played most of others listed above.

[chrissylas]

Klax is alot of fun. I really enjoyed that.

APB was also fun.

I used to love Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Dracula. Bill and Ted is a top down adventure/RPG style game whereas Dracula is a straight oldschool adventure game. The downside of Dracula is that you cannot save and there are immediate deaths. The game itself is quite fun though if you like adventures.

[Blur2040]

Throw Gates of Zendecon out the window...I think its horrible and repetitive.

I also recommend Xenophobe...excellent game...great port.

I'd also say to try Todd's Adventures in Slime World. One of my favorite games ever. A little short...but very replayable.

Paperboy is good...

Warbirds is great...

Blue lightning is fun...and at the very least impressive to look out.

Oooh...and I'll second Rampart. AMAZINGLY fun.

Oh...and California Games, the pack in, is a must have. Only four events...but they're all awesome...

Really...the whole Lynx library is great...for the most part...only a few real stinkers.

[Damon Plus]

Someone has bought Awesome Golf already, so that makes it a decission between Klax and Gates of Zendocon. I´ve been reading reviews, and 99% of people have Klax in high praise, but Epyx games like Gates of Zendocon have a lot of charm to them (even though it has a few negative reviews).

BTW, thanks for the answers.

[DKTheArcadeRat]

APB is good.

I didn't see anyone mention it, but NINJA GAIDEN is pretty awesome, its one of the few games i have for it, and I think its one of the better ones i played.

Cyberball is ok, its just too slow for its own good.

Dave

[Hawksmoor]

The Lynx is one of my favorite handhelds, if not my very favorite. It's a shame it wasn't as successful as it deserved to be. As for game recommendations, you've already received some good ones (Zarlor Mercenary, Checkered Flag, Klax, Gates of Zendocon, Toki, Roadblasters - all excellent) but I'd also recommend Hydra, Hockey, Ninja Gaiden III, Pinball Jam, Shadow of the Beast, Viking Child, and Rygar.

Also, you might want to check out Songbird Production's site (http://www.songbird-productions.com/) as they have published a few Lynx games you aren't likely to find elsewhere - I personally recommend Remnant, but I've heard good things about Cybervirus and Championship Rally.

[Steve W]

Warbirds is pretty fun on it's own, but if you've got another Lynx player nearby, it's incredible in multiplayer. I used to bring two Lynxes to work with me to play against a co-worker (an ex-cargo pilot), and it was insanely fun.

Todd's Adventures in Slime World is pretty good. It's a really large game, with a lot of hidden areas, and multiplayer fun. It's worth the money.

I'm another one for Rampart. Great little game.

Electrocop might be worth a look. It was supposedly designed to be an Impossible Mission game, from what a lot of people believe.

I've never played Klax because I don't like games that you have to turn the Lynx on it's side to play. Like Gauntlet III for example. The Lynx LCD screen's viewing angle makes it difficult to look at that way.

Zarlor Mercenary, Scrapyard Dog, Rygar, RoadBlasters, Blue Lightning - they're all great. Even some of the so-called 'stinkers' that people often bring up, like Basketbrawl, Gordo 106, and Dirty Larry I personally find fun to a point.

Games I would stay away from: Pac-Land (slow and boring), Hard Drivin' (too choppy and hard to control), Pit Fighter (the reasons why are obvious), Steel Talons (choppy again, and not all that much fun) and Checkered Flag (ultra generic racing game, only marginally better in multiplayer).

[Damon Plus]

Thanks for all of the answers again.

A question: Is it hard to play with the Lynx in vertical position? Klax is a game that is played like that, and I´d like to know if it´ll get tiring or something.

[tom]

A question: Is it hard to play with the Lynx in vertical position? Klax is a game that is played like that, and I´d like to know if it´ll get tiring or something.

You can sit down if you like

[Damon Plus]

Maybe tiring is not the right word, more like "confortable" It´s not a natural position for my hands after playing the same way for +15 years

[yok-dfa]

I'm surprised Lemmings hasn't been mentioned yet. It's definately one of the best Lynx games...