Portable Addiction: 15-Feb-92 #010
From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 07/15/92-06:00:35 PM Z
From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: Portable Addiction: 15-Feb-92 #010
Date: Wed Jul 15 18:00:35 1992
Contributed By: Andy Norman <ange@hplb.hpl.hp.com>
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
PORTABLE ADDICTION ISSUE #10 FEBRUARI 15th 1992
THE NEWSLETTER FOR THE ATARI LYNX, SEGA GAMEGEAR AND NINTENDO GAMEBOY
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Tjerk "MegaJerk" Heijmens Visser ......... (EDITOR)
Yiri "Neuromancer" Kohl .................. (EDITORIAL ASSISTANT)
Alex "Killer of Laura Palmer" Borburg .... (GAMEBOY STAFF WRITER)
Thanks to ... The Funtronics Computer Shop, The International
Lynx Club, Robert Jung, Andre "ALU" Luyer, The
Tom, Amsterdamned BBS, Alizera Malek, Mr. Doom
and all the others that made this most excellent
issue possible...
Please mail your comments, flames and/ or suggestions to : tjerk@nikhef.nl
on Internet or bd831 on Cleveland Free-net.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
CONTENTS:
Editorial .................................... by Mega Jerk
Hot News And Gossip .......................................
Hardware Review (Hyper Boy) .................. by Mega Jerk
Rampage (Lynx) ............................... by Mega Jerk
Who Framed Roger Rabit (Game Boy)............. by The Killer
of Laura Palmer
Video Game Ratings Report .................................
Hatris (Game Boy) ............................ by The Killer
of Laura Palmer
Solitaire Poker (Game Gear) .................. by Mega Jerk
Hardware Hack .............................................
Atari Sues Nintendo .......................................
See Ya.....................................................
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Editorial:
Well, was not a very exciting month for video gamers, especially since
we were just getting used to the Christmas season. As we can't give you
much news about new games right now (Since video games in Holland are
really behind the rest now), we give you some reviews of Golden Oldies.
There is a bit of Lynx news from the Benelux Computer '92 show in
Eindhoven (Holland). But not stunning for most of you. The Lynx II was on
sale there, so it will be on sale soon here. The same with Xybots, The
International Lynx Club got a cart form Atari Benelux, and it was on
display there. But Nintendo and Sega were not present there. If they would
be, it would have been a nice battle to see. But it was a good move by
Atari to sell the Lynx II there.
The next computer show we will be attending is the CeBit'92 in Hanover.
So we hope to have a lot more news next month from Germany.
Tjerk "Mega Jerk" Heijmens Visser
Editor
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
. + . + . . . +
. H O T N E W S A N D G O S S I P + .
. + . + . .
Game Gear: Now there is also the Master Gear II. It is made by the same
company. It lets you use your Sega Master System controller on
your Game Gear. It uses the multiplayer port of your Game Gear.
Lynx: Atari has signed Krisalis as a third party developer for the
Lynx.
Jaguar: The Jaguar will be released on the CeBit'92 in Hanover. We will
be attending the show our selves, so we hope to give you
detailed information about the Jaguar right after our visit to
the CeBit.
Game Gear: We've heard rumours about the Grand Gear. You can connect your
Game Gear with a TV, so you can play your Game Gear games on a
TV screen!
But isn't that very hard? You've seen the Lynx screen shots
using the Wide Lynx. (see the Lynx screen shots in EGM).
Don't get too excited too fast....
?????????: A new gaming system?: The Super Gun. It's a 32-bit machine. Why
is it special? It contains the hardware of an arcade machine
and it uses the real arcade game boards. But don't ask us the
price.(first: We don't know. second:If the Neo Geo costs 290,-
I don't want to know what this is going to cost).
Game Boy: Another nice thing: The Game*Mate. It lets you multiplay a cart
on 2 Game Boy's with only one cart!! But bet on Nintendo sueing
the producers of this thing.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------HARDWARE-REVIEW---------------+
HardWare : Hyperboy
For : Nintendo Game Boy
Made By : Konami
Review by : Tjerk "MegaJerk" Heijmens Visser
+----------------------------------------------+
We all know what the Game Boy looks like, and we all know what you can
buy for it (Game Light, Magnifier, Amplifier). Now Konami thought that
this didn't look good, so they blended those three things into one. And
the Hyper Boy was born.
The Hyper Boy looks neat, at least better than those stick up things from
Nintendo. When you see the Hyper Boy, the first thing you'll notice is the
joystick instead of the joypad. A lot of people would like that, but the
joypad has eight way movement, and the stick only four way....
The fire buttons are placed the same as on the Game Boy. That is because
the Game Boy just slides into the back of the Hyper Boy. There was no need
to change the fire buttons. And you still use the Game Boy controles to
change the volume and brightness.
On the Hyper Boy the screen is positioned at an angle, to make viewing
easier. And it is easier, but I still don't like magnifiers. I don't like
them on any system, but with the Game Boy it is really bad. Also built in
are lights, so you can play your Game Boy in the dark. This was a nice
idea, but it also drains batteries.
The Hyper Boy carries its own batteries, 2 D-cells. But it can't run on an
addapter, the Game Boy however can still run on either the adapter or on
batteries. The D-cells are one reason the Hyper Boy is so big 25cm long,
16cm wide and 18cm high). It is even bigger than the Lynx I !!
And the portability of the Game Boy was one of it's strong points. You can
not put a Lynx in your pocket, but you could take your Game Boy about
everywhere.
Now the price.... That's a real scare.... 50,- !!! If you'd buy the Game
light, magnifier and amplifier seperate, it would cost you only 30,- to
35,-. And with the Hyper Boy you're forced to buy it all. The only slight
advantage is the stick, but that isn't even perfect.
I'd say that you'd better buy the things you think you need (eg I hate the
magnifier, so I won't buy one) and you can buy one or two extra games.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------REVIEW--------------------+
Machine : Atari Lynx
Title : Rampage
Review by : Tjerk "MegaJerk" Heijmens Visser
+----------------------------------------------+
As you know there were no Lynx games released in the past month, or the
past 2 month for that matter. So we'll give you some reviews of some older
Lynx games. We'll start off with Rampage.
Rampage was one of the first games that was released for the Lynx after
the first four Epyx games. But it was introduced in the arcades some years
ago. The Lynx version looks a lot like the arcade version. The graphics
are sufficient, they don't look bad at all, but I would like a bit more
detail in them. But the simplicity of the graphics strokes perfectly with
the rest of the game. It's all for fun! Everywhere you look, you can see
some kind of gag or joke. Like in the newspaper headlines at the start of
each level.
Story line: Well, 4 people have eaten MegaVitamines by accident, so they
are now turned into big ugly beasts. They are seeking the antidote, but
they don't know where it is. So that's the reason why you have to travell
through all those city's. While looking for that antidote, you have to
demolish the whole city. All buildings of that city have to be destroyed
before you can go on to the next level. But there are also some soldiers
who don't like you doing these things, they do all kinds of silly things
like shooting, throwing bombs and driving tanks. But they all know that
they are not going to survive it. 'Cause you have to eat to keep your
strength. So why would you not eat soldiers? But there are also other
goodies to eat, but you'll find them while demolishing a building.
The sound was nice, but I recognized some Chip's Challenge tunes in the
game. The rest is not special. No super special effects or music, but I do
not mind it.
The graphics are sufficient, as said, but I would have liked some of the
city's landmarks to be in the game. When you play Sunnyvale, you don't
feel it's different from Phoenix or some other level.
I thought the game was a bit too easy, though there are 61 levels to
complete it won't take a long time before you have solved this. But as it
isn't too hard, this game is very good for younger kids I think.
+-->RATINGS<------------------------------------------------------------+
Graphics ..... 6.5 - Simple, but fun.
Sound ........ 5.O - Recycling Chip's tunes? But the rest is not bad.
Playability .. 8.O - Easy to master, also good for younger kids.
Lastability .. 4.0 - Although it has 61 levels, it is far too easy.
Overall ...... 5.5 - When it was first released on the Lynx, it was not
a bad buy, but now I think you can do better. But
if you'd buy it at a reduced price.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------REVIEW--------------------+
Machine : Game Boy
Title : Who Framed Roger Rabit
Review by : Alex "The Killer of Laura Palmer"
Borburg
+----------------------------------------------+
Remembering the computer (Amiga) game "Roger Rabit", my expectations
weren't really high. But after I'd put the game in the Game Boy, and
played the game for 1 minute the addiction got me. WOW this game is super,
great, wow. P-p-p-please let me play this forever; what a great adventure.
It starts with great graphics. When you play, you feel the pain Roger
feels, oh my god, I'm getting mad !! I must go to an addict center !!
The Story: Judge Doom tries to take over Toantoion. He's got five Weasels
to do his dirty work, and those assholes took my wife...... Oops, I mean
Roger's wife. It's Roger's job to stop him, and arrest Judge Doom.
In this great Game Boy adventure you must use all your braincells because
it isn't an easy game. Get Doom through a maze of streets, alleys, offices
and shops in ToanTown. Fine evidence clues and witnesses to get Doom.
Great music and great graphics complete this game into one of the best
Game Boy games yet. Buy this game if you love adventures, and of course
some shooting (?) action. (Well, you shoot with a punching glove, or with
a knock-out bullet).
+-->RATINGS<-------------------------------------------------------------+
Graphics ..... 9.0 - Great !!!
Sound ........ 9.0 - WoW.
Lastability .. 9.5 - Just the best.
Playability .. 9.5 - Just Great.
Overall ...... 9.5 - Buy it !!!!
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-------------------------
+-----------VIDEO GAME RATINGS REPORT----------+
-------------------------
Atari Lynx:
Title Rating Votes cast
1) Checkered Flag 9.0 21
2) Robotron 2084 8.7 16
3) Shanghai 8.6 7
4) Warbirds 8.5 25
5) Klax 8.5 24
6) S.T.U.N. Runner 8.4 20
7) Chip's Challenge 8.2 22
8) Xenophobe 7.9 16
9) Scrapyard Dog 7.8 11
10) Todd's Adventures In Slime World 7.7 21
11) Zarlor Mercenary 7.7 15
12) Awesome Golf 7.7 9
13) Blue Lightning 7.5 19
14) A.P.B. 7.4 14
15) Roadblasters 7.3 14
16) Ms. Pac-Man 7.0 8
17) Xybots 7.0 5
18) Gates Of Zendocon 6.8 16
19) Rampage 6.8 13
20) Qix 6.7 7
21) Ishido: The way of the Stones 6.7 3
22) Electrocop 6.6 17
23) Ninja Gaiden 6.5 10
24) Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 6.5 8
25) Rygar 6.4 7
26) Blockout 6.3 9
27) Pac-Land 6.3 6
28) Viking Child 6.3 6
29) Fidelity Ultimate Chess Challenge 6.2 6
30) California Games 5.8 28
31) Paperboy 5.5 10
32) Gauntlet III 5.1 14
33) Hard Drivin' 4.7 7
34) Turbo Sub 4.5 6
35) Tournament Cyberball 4.0 8
36) Robo-Squash 3.4 9
Sega Game Gear:
1) Sonic the Hedgehog 10.0 1
2) Joe Montanna Football 9.0 1
3) Super Monaco G.P. 9.0 1
4) Castle of Illusion 8.0 1
5) Dragon Crystal 8.0 1
6) G-Loc 8.0 1
7) Clutch Hitter 7.0 1
8) Ninja Gaiden 7.0 1
9) Slider 7.0 1
10)Columns 5.2 4
11)Devilish 5.0 1
Nintendo Game Boy:
1) Pipe Dream 9.5 2
2) Super Mario Land 9.2 6
3) Gargoyle's Quest 8.5 2
4) Final Fantasy Legend 8.0 6
5) Megaman 8.0 1
6) R-Type 8.0 1
7) Tetris 7.8 12
8) Metroid II 7.7 3
9) Revenge Of The Gator 7.5 2
10) Skate Or Die 7.5 2
11) Golf 7.0 2
12) Crystal Quest 7.0 1
13) F-1 Race 6.7 3
14) Solar Striker 6.0 1
15) Shanghai 5.0 1
16) Robocop II 2.0 1
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------REVIEW--------------------+
Machine : Game Boy
Title : Hatris
Review by : Alex "The Killer of Laura Palmer"
Borburg
+----------------------------------------------+
After the great succes of Tetris (TM), Alexey Pazhitnov (designer and
programmer of Tetris) must have thought: I can do that again !!!!!! And so
he did. Now Hatris has reached the Game Boy and it is just as good as
Tetris.
Your mission (???) is to stack five hats of the same type. If you succeed
in that, you score a bonus and that stack of hats disappears. Do this 20
times and you'll enter the next, more challenging stage. Complete ten
stages, and you'll go on to a higher shop. Yes, six shops to go so long
playing guaranteed!
As you have a "Tetris" in Tetris, here you can make a Hatris: If you can
clear two stacks in the same turn. After a Hatris you earn a fireball that
can burn up almost any type of hat. So if your hats almost reached the top
of the screen, get a Hatris.
The game music also good, and the graphics are Ok too, but that isn't
really important. Because the game is great.
Buy this game if you are crazy of Tetris. This one is just as great.
+-->RATINGS<-------------------------------------------------------------+
Graphics ..... -.- - Not an important matter here. But they are decent
enough.
Sound ........ 8.0 - Great music.
Lastability .. 9.0 - WOW !!!!!
Playability .. 9.5 - WOW !!!!!
Overall ...... 9.0 - WOW !!!!!
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------REVIEW--------------------+
Machine : Sega Game Gear
Title : Solitaire Poker
Review by : Tjerk "MegaJerk" Heijmens Visser
+----------------------------------------------+
I'm not so fond of these kind of games. I do like puzzle games like
Shanghai, Ishido and Tetris. But Solitaire Poker is a card game (*NOT* a
poker game !). And I've never understood why one would buy a card game on
any computer/video game system. If you want to play cards, a pack of cards
will do just fine. And it is more fun...
As said this is not a poker game. They used "Poker" in the title because
they award points for Pairs, Straights, Flushes etc...... You can score
these points by making a hand either horizontally, vertically, diagonally
on the grid. You have five columns of cards. In the easy set-up you'll see
the first three cards of each column. In the hard set-up you'll see only
the first card of each column.
And that's about it. There is not much more to do except for changing the
tune you're listening to.
Because it is a puzzle game, there is not much to say about the graphics
or playability. It is very hard to make these graphics bad, though I can
imagine that (you have to be able to distinguish the different cards) it
could have been a lot worse in this game. But I can also mention games
with better graphics. And as most puzzle games don't require speed, the
playability can't be that bad either.
Multiplayer options on these kind of puzzle games don't attract me at all
because you would have to wait for your opponent each time. While playing
against the computer, you hardly have to wait in these kind of games. But
in Solitaire Poker you don't have to wait at all, because you have to do
it all by yourself!
Advice: Buy a pack of cards for a few bucks. It's cheaper, and a lot more
fun! (And that's what these video game systems are made for right? But you
could better buy something else, instead of this game...)
+-->RATINGS<-------------------------------------------------------------+
Graphics ..... -.- - Not an important matter here. But they are decent
enough.
Sound ........ 7.0 - You can even change tunes.... wow, i'm freaking out
....:-)
Lastability .. 8.0 - Addictive, if you'd buy it. But so is a normal game
of cards.
Playability .. -.- - Not important here......
Overall ...... 4.0 - Judging by the rates I gave Sound and Lastability
this should be much higher, but if you read the
review, you'll understand
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------HARDWARE HACK-----------------+
Machine : Lynx I
Addition : 24MHz Quartz
Hacked By : HardwareSchreck
Translated By : MegaJerk
+----------------------------------------------+
Last month we told you about the 24MHz Lynx. I didn't have enough time to
translate the manual for it. As it was written in German, and neither
English or German being my native language, it took some time. But here it
is.
(KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS DESCRIPTION IS FOR THE LYNX I ONLY ! WE HAVEN'T
TESTED IT ON THE LYNX II YET (HAVEN'T OPENED IT UP YET).
NEITHER PORTABLE ADDICTION OR THE INTERNATIONAL LYNX CLUB IS AT FAULT IF
WHEN YOU BRAKE SOMETHING WHILE DOING THIS)
1) Take cartridge and batteries out of your Lynx.
2) Take out the 4 skrews on the underside of your Lynx.
3) Lay down your Lynx with the screen down and remove the back of your
Lynx.
4) You will now see the cartridge holder. Underneath it you will see a
metal plate. It covers the RAM's, Mickey, Suzy and the quartz.
The metal plate is soldered. Use soldering iron to remove it. While
doing this you will automatically remove the metal protection on the
other side of your Lynx.
5) Turn your Lynx around and take off the top half (NOW, DON'T TOUCH THE
SCREEN !!!).
6) The 16MHz quartz is directly under the cartridge holder. Take it out.
7) Now take the 16MHz and 24MHz crystal and connect them in this way:
Connection with mass
. Quartz 1 ....:----------------> } Connect these with the
. |----| |.|...| Switch } points where you took
. | | | | } the 16MHz quartz off.
....|----| | | }
. | | | | }
. | :------------: | }
. :-------------------;---------------> }
. | :----------------
. | |
....|----|
| |
|----|
Quartz 2
8) You need to make a mass, else the quartz will be disturbed by the rest
of the Lynx electronics.
9) You can now fit the quartzes with double sided tape somewhere in your
Lynx. We suggest you stick them on the back of the battery compartment.
10) To use the switch, you have to punch a little hole in your Lynx.
Why to use a switch was explained by Stephen Landrum in Portable
Addiction # 09.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------+
=============>ATARI SUES NINTENDO<============
By : Richard B. Schmitt
+----------------------------------------------+
SAN FRANCISCO -- For years, U.S. video game companies complained
bitterly that they couldn't compete effectively with industry leader
Nintendo Co. Now, one of them thinks the Japanese company may finally be
vulnerable -- in front of an American jury, The Wall Street Journal
reported.
The protagonist is Atari Corp., whose lawsuit against the creator of
the Super Mario video-game hero went to trial this week in federal court
here. The outcome may well have implications for the rest of the $4 billion
home video-game market and beyond.
The issue is whether Nintendo employed licensing and marketing practices
that violate U.S. antitrust law. Atari alleges that Nintendo illegally
carved out an 80% stake in the market and cost consumers hundreds of
millions of dollars in overpriced video games and gear. For its part,
Atari says that between 1986 and 1990, it suffered $160 million in damages,
an amount that by law would be tripled if it wins its antitrust case.
"We think the evidence is absolutely overwhelming that Nintendo deliberately
and willfully monopolized the home video-game market in the U.S.," William
Jaeger, Atari's lawyer, said in his opening statement Tuesday. "Competition
was not simply hurt. It was obliterated."
Nintendo, meanwhile, says Atari "tried to compete on the cheap" and
lost out because of its own miscalculations, according to John Kirby,
a New York lawyer representing Nintendo. During opening arguments, Kirby
noted that a predecessor company, Atari Inc., turned down a chance to
introduce the Nintendo system in the U.S. in 1983. He also noted that
Nintendo is itself being seriously challenged in the market for the latest
video-game technology by a machine from Sega Enterprises Inc.
The trial, which is expected to last 10 weeks, is significant because
it is the first time that a jury has examined recurrent allegations of
anti-competitive conduct by Nintendo. The U.S. district judge in the
case, Fern Smith, is also presiding over other cases that accuse Nintendo
of monopolizing the market for game cartridges and accessories. Last
year, without admitting any wrongdoing, Nintendo settled Federal Trade
Commission charges involving pricing of its game consoles, but Judge
Smith has ruled the accord inadmissible in the Atari case because of
its potential for biasing the jury.
"There is a fair odor of sour grapes in the Atari claim, and yet there
are indications that Nintendo was noncompetitive, predatory and monopolistic,"
says Bob Kleiber, an analyst at investment banker Piper Jaffray & Hopwood
in Minneapolis.
Judge Smith specifically admonished both sides to avoid the issue during
the trial, and during jury selection, she sought to uncover any prejudice,
asking potential jurors whether they would have a problem with a Japanese
company owning an American baseball team -- which top Nintendo officials
proposed to do just last month. In contrast to the thumbs down given
the idea by organized baseball, none of the prospective jurors was opposed.
Nonetheless, "there is no question that Nintendo uses very hardball
marketing strategies, and it will be interesting to see how an American
jury reacts to a Japanese company," says Boris Feldman, an antitrust
lawyer in Palo Alto, Calif., specializing in high-tech issues.
Atari's main objections involve the way Nintendo has enlisted independent
software producers to write the video games that run on its Nintendo
Entertainment System consoles. Until December 1990, Nintendo prohibited
licensees from making their games compatible with competing systems,
such as ones that Atari was trying to develop and popularize, for a period
of two years.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------REVIEW--------------------+
Machine : Atari Lynx
Title : Block Out
Review by : Yiri "Neuromancer" Kohl
+----------------------------------------------+
Well, all you Tetris-phreaks out there, it's here! BlockOut is here to
rob you of your sleep! Some of you might know the game, others might only
be familiar with the original Tetris, but all of you will get hooked! As
BlockOut IS Tetris, but just with the difference of an added dimension!
In BlockOut the original shaft is still there, but this time in full 3D.
Your blocks slowly (?!?) descent and it's up to you to rotate them in such
a way that they will all fit together quite nicely. Whenever a grid is
completely filled (so, without any holes in the structure left) it will
disappear, giving you a little more moving-space again. If you fail to
fit all the pieces together to often, the shaft will get full to the top,
and you won't have any room left too manouvre. This means Game Over! The
game incorporates the original block-set used in Tetris but there are also
two alternative set with more oddly shaped blocks. You can customize your
shaft yourself, and you can even edit the rotation speed of the blocks.
this means that you have total control over the game and you can set your
own challenges.
The game looks way better than the original PC version. The blocks look
sharp and the overall view is clear. Your status panel displays all the
info you might need in a clear and "cool" way. The setting-screens have a
bit of a "windows"-feeling to them, due to their pseudo-3D icons. Perhaps
the developers had just received KickStart 2.0 with looks quite like the
screens in BlockOut. The sound is restricted to a jolly tune at the title
screen and some clicks during play. This is sufficient though, as for an
arcade-puzzler like this you don't need any fancy sound effects.
Then the last and most crucial question... How does the game play? Well,
I'm glad to say that the game is tremendously playable. It takes a bit of
getting used to the odd control method, as the PC version used 6 keys to
rotate the blocks. Here you rotate over X- and Y-axes using a combination
of button B and the joypad, while the Z is done by holding B and pressing
A. This all means that you can only rotate in one way if Z is concerned,
so if you rotate one turn too far you'll have to be quick to let the block
turn around again, before it hits another block. This is only a minor
drawback, as after a few hours you'll be totally addicted. Although not a
game for the shoot 'em uppers, it will certainly hook every other person!
+-->RATINGS<-------------------------------------------------------------+
Graphics ..... 9.0 - Crystal clear, excellent graphics.
Sound ........ 6.8 - Nothing special here, but sufficient.
Playability .. 9.7 - It plays so totally EXCELLENT!
Lastability .. 9.5 - And it's SOOO addictive!
Overall ...... 9.0 - Another excellent Lynx-game.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------REVIEW--------------------+
Machine : Atari Lynx
Title : Xenophobe
Review by : Yiri "Neuromancer" Kohl
+----------------------------------------------+
Xenophobe by Bally Midway was, as many of you will know, originally a 3
player game. The Lynx-version handles up to four players simultaniously.
The game is played over 23 space stations invested with aliens. The player
must clear each station before he or she may proceed to the next. In some
stations there is a self-destruct computer available, so that you can blow
the entire station up, instead of having to kill every alien seperately.
Unfortunately, there aren't that much stations with a self destruct option
and thus you will HAVE to face the aliens. The aliens themselves lay eggs
which then later hatch to reveal even more aliens! Extra weapons and other
tools are to be found all over the place. In some stations there even is
a grenade-dispencer (altough you'll first have to fix it using some tools)
which gives you an unlimited amount of grenades. And you might find a jet
pack, which enables you to fly over aliens. Anyway, all in all there's a
lot you can do in the game, but still it might get a bit repetitive after
a while, so you might have to invite some friends to get some more fun out
of it.
The graphics are totally excellent. You can choose your character from
a whole array of weirdo's (when you're playing with more than one player,
one can even select to play an alien!). The aliens are very detailed and
well drawn, and there a wide variety of them! (On level 23 there's the
mother of them all, and she's BIG! I can tell you!). The animation is
superb, and I don't think I've yet seen such fluent animation on the Lynx.
The sound is quite good too, altough I still don't understand why those
game-developers don't start using some real good samples. The cost of the
production wouldn't rise, as the only thing they'd have to do is increase
the sample-rate. Furthermore, they could even use a 512K card if they did
not have enough memory for the sound. But still, this goes for allmost all
Lynx games.
The playability is quite high. The characters are easy to control, and
the overall flow of the game is fast (so no long waiting sessions between
games). There is a wide variety of options during the game, as all sorts
of things can be found. There are even some simple puzzles to make it all
even a bit more frantic, as the aliens lay eggs while you think! It all
sounds almost too excellent, doesn't it? Well, the problem of this game
lies in the fact that you find yourself far too often doing the same over
and over again. Altough it seems that almost every effort was taken to
optimize the game, it just doesn't work out. A pity really, as the genre
has got a lot of potential. Anyway, this is a classic case of.. try before
you buy.
+-->RATINGS<-------------------------------------------------------------+
Graphics ..... 9.2 - Excellent throughout the game. Great animation.
Sound ........ 7.7 - Good, but as with many games... not that special.
Playability .. 8.0 - The game is very playable, but at the start you
immideately realize that the fun won't last long.
Lastability .. 3.8 - It just get's so boring after a while, altough you
still want to see level 23.
Overall ...... 7.0 - Good concept, but it needs more diversity.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Finally our tenth issue is done. But not much news in here. Not much news
anywhere in fact. You only have to take a look at the "real" game mags.
They don't have great news either. And we can't give you tests of
unreleased games (well, we could actually, but they wouldn't be reliable.)
But we hope to have some more news from the CeBit'92 in Hanover. I'll be
there at least on Saturday the 15th. Maybe we'll be there on some other
day's, but that doesn't seem likely. So if you want to flame us for real,
or just want to have a chat, please e-mail us at: tjerk@nikhef.nl on Inter
net or to bd831 on Cleveland freenet.
Hope to see ya!
Tjerk Heijmens Visser
Editor
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