LYNX: Fat Bobby
From: Barry W. Cantin (aa852@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 08/05/97-11:34:27 AM Z
From: aa852@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Barry W. Cantin)
Subject: LYNX: Fat Bobby
Date: Tue Aug 5 11:34:27 1997
Review: Fat Bobby
by Robert A. Jung
1 player, horizontal game
Telegames, for the Atari Lynx
$44.95
Stereo? No
OVERVIEW:
Gate crashers are, like, a total bummer, y'know? Take Fat Bobby for an
example; his band was just minding their own business with band
practice when some weirdo called Dr. Mephisto wearing a puke green
shirt drops in. Before Bobby can tell the guy to beat it, he zaps the
band and makes them disappear. Now it's up to Bobby to follow the
critic and rescue his pals -- preferably before the concert next
weekend...
Or something like that, which is a fancy way of saying that Fat Bobby
for the Lynx is a side-scrolling platform game. The player guides
Bobby through various locales, facing assorted goons, guards, and
obstacles as he searches for the rest of his band. He can clobber
creeps with his guitar and grab icons for extra time and health, but
Bobby's biggest asset are his lofty jumps. Take too many hits, and
Bobby loses a life; lose too many lives, and Dr. Mephisto gets the last
laugh. Can you help him beat the odds?
GAMEPLAY:
Let's get down to the brass tacks: Aside from its slightly-unusual plot
and the hero's choice of weapons, Fat Bobby is a very generic platform
game. Anyone who's even slightly familiar with the genre won't find
anything surprising here; enemies moving in repetitive patterns,
floating platforms, moving platforms, obstacles to avoid, bosses to
beat, a time limit ... in short, it's business as usual. The game does
spice things up a little with some mini-challenge scenes, but for the
most part they're just minor variations on the platform formula.
However, that's not to say that Fat Bobby is a bad game. Though it is
predictable and uninspired, folks looking for a simple platform title
will be satisfied. The controls are snappy and responsive, for instance,
and the player rarely gets the feeling that the game is unfairly stacked
against him. With some deft moves and a little caution, players can
steer Bobby past the bad guysand save the day. Unfortunately, as with
most platform games, Fat Bobby is rigidly predictable, which reduces the
game's long-term playability.
GRAPHICS/SOUND:
The graphics and sounds in Fat Bobby share its trend of uninspired
competence. Visually, the game is easy on the eyes, with clean,
cartoony graphics, decent scrolling, and a reasonable level of animation
all around. There isn't anything that pushes the Lynx or grabs the
player, but they do a decent job. Sounds are at the same level, with
effects and noises that manage to mirror the game action. The only
downside is in the music; for a title built around Bobby's rock
prowlness, the melodies from this game range from randomly
incomprehensible to the mildly annoying. Fortunately, the tunes can be
turned off by pressing Option 2.
SUMMARY:
Fat Bobby delivers exactly what its premise promises: an uncomplicated,
middle-of-the-road platform game. Nothing about this title is truly
atrocious, but it also offers nothing that's truly noteworthy. Younger
players will enjoy this game the most, but gamers searching for
something more intriguing should look elsewhere.
GAMEPLAY: 6.5
GRAPHICS: 7
SOUND: 6
OVERALL: 6.5
Rating values 10 - 8 Great! This game can't get much better.
7 - 5 Good. Average game, could be improved.
4 - 2 Poor. For devotees only.
1 Ick. Shoot it.
--
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Barry Cantin aa852@cleveland.freenet.edu
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