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RetroMo: Atari Lynx

Ok, so the Lynx was HUGE, had horrid battery life, and an astonishingly bad button layout, but it had Klax. KLAX!

...Continued From Page 3

Ninja Gaiden:

Want star power? How about the arcade version of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden? The original plays pretty well on the Lynx, with plenty of hockey mask wearing psychos to pummel. Like most games, it's hampered by the mediocre screen, but this is definitely a solid pickup that's worth your time.

Rygar:

Lots of people hate on this game but I enjoy it. This old school side scroller casts you as Tecmo's legendary hero, complete with [snicker] Diskarmor. Unlike Ninja Gaiden, the colors aren't as washed out, and the game's a lot easier, as the sprites are much larger than poor Ryu, who is small and often invisible when surrounded by lots of enemies.

Gauntlet:

A decent port of the arcade classic, the key feature being able to play with the Lynx held vertically, though it also appears that that's the only way to play. But if you crave frantic monster mashing and dungeon crawling on the go (and you've taken a Lynx with you), Gauntlet is an essential selection.

Batman Returns:

For a time, this was the one game that was supposed to save the Lynx from utter damnation. Atari managed to snag the Batman license and crafted a pretty good side scrolling beat-em-up that's on par with the one available for the Game Gear. Battle the Penguin and Catwoman in your battle to save Gotham from...Penguin and Catwoman.

Robo Squash:

Think of it as a pseudo 3D version of Pong. You smack this red ball back and forth against either the computer or a friend, the goal being to make your opponent miss. When this happens, the ball explodes and red goop covers a portion of the screen, further blurring their vision. Get them to miss three red balls and their screen cracks. The depth of field is impressive and the game is just lots of fun. Robo Squash...for the win!

Rampage:

A quality version of the popular arcade game, not the best, but certainly decent enough to warrant a purchase. Select from one of three monsters and then terrorize various cities, smashing buildings and consuming little army dudes.

Roadblasters:

Blaze down highways blowing up street slime in a race to cross the finish line before you run out of fuel. This is probably one of the best home conversions of Roadblasters that you'll find, and I highly recommend picking up a copy. The graphics are impressive, the action is non stop, and there's a shortage of racing games on the Lynx, so be sure to get this one!

Kung Food:

This is arguably one of the worst games for the Lynx, but it stands out simply because it's so ridiculous. Essentially a Double Dragon clone, you play as a genetically mutated weirdo that must travel throughout his refrigerator and beat the hell out of the evil carrots, peas, tomatoes, and ice cubes that are running amok. The collision detection could be a bit better, as it's difficult to hit things, but overall, I dig Kung Food. Its gameplay isn't the worst that I've experienced, and its zany story is quite entertaining. The Senor...he's likes zany stories.

KLAX:

There can't be a Lynx article without KLAX. This enjoyable puzzle game charges you with grabbing colored tiles and placing them into groups of three. The tiles march down this conveyor belt of sorts, and you're supposed to pick them up before they fall off. Like Gauntlet, the game is played vertically, and as an added bonus, there's actual voices, something that wasn't seen much back in the day.

Chip's Challenge:

An interesting puzzle game in which you play as this nerdy kid that has to collect a bunch of computer chips in order to clear a given stage. In his way are monsters and other obstacles. Chip's Challenge + KLAX= The beginning of a great Lynx library.

Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop:

Another side scrolling adventure, this one starring a take no prisoners police officer that plays by his own set of rules. Dirty Larry catches a lot of criticism and rightfully so since the AI is rather cheap, but the game is quite amusing, as there are a few bizarre enemies, most notably the guys that set themselves on fire and the fat chicks. Worth owning just for those reasons alone.

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I like the Lynx. I think its designers had some good ideas, and some of the games are pretty decent. But it's nowhere near as cool as the Turbo Express, Game Gear, and most importantly, the Game Boy. Sadly, it's just another Atari system that never took off.

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