Scrapyard Dog is enjoyable

[Cobra Kai]

I have had the opportunity to dig into this game while at work recently (I play my Lynx at work alot), and my initial impressions of the game years ago was that it was very generic and bland. But, somehow this one is growing on me and it actually has some character of it's own. I mean, it's still kind of 'generic side-scroller', but I've played worse in the genre, way worse.

 

It's very challenging to start with, but I don't feel like it's 'cheap', like say a game like Batman Returns is 'cheap'. It has very good controls, you need a good amount of precision, but nothing that isn't learned rather quickly. For these reasons I am able to start game after game without getting frustrated by the controls/difficulty. It's a much better game than Dirty Larry and Batman Returns, or Power Factor for that matter. (the latter being a very confusing game)

 

Scrapyard Dog is loaded with secrets too, which I'm just finding out. I also am impressed with the high amount of special weapons/items, that I just didn't see the first few times that I played the game. I originally thought all you had as a weapon was the aluminum cans, until I accidentally figured out you could duck into the background objects for secret shops and bonus stages.

 

All in all this is a cool little game and one of the best examples of a classic side scroller on the Lynx, alongside Switchblade II and Shadow of the Beast. Now I'm interested in the 7800 version of Scrapyard Dog, but from the limited videos I've seen on Youtube, that version actually looks mechanically very different, for instance it looks like you can bounce on enemies to kill them like Super Mario Bros, which the Lynx game doesn't have that mechanic at all.

[GadgetUK]

Cool, i've not given this game much time yet - tried it for 2 mins to make sure it worked and then put it away. I will dig it out soon and give it a go. Powerfactor is very confusing lol, but has awesome music - very SID-esque.

[Austin]

I'd like to eventually try this one. I have only played the 7800 version, and that one is decent. It definitely has its charm.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Austin

[high voltage]

It's a great game, Lynx deserved more attention way back, but the communist Nintendo won it for the Americans

Edited November 7, 2012 by high voltage

[Atari_afternoon]

I´m afraid Scrapyard Dog is one of those games where I have never made it past the 2nd level

But if this thread grows I´m giving it a try again tonight.

Who knows, I might have grown, too

[Cobra Kai]

I got to Forest level 4 today. The Forest section is a nice looking segment of the game here, with all new enemies that aren't on the previous 2 main areas. There's rabbits, trolls and beehives. What a weird game!

 

I've found a bunch of weapons and items so far:

-aluminum can (always have this)

-Gun

-Tri-Lazer

-Stun Gun

-Flamethrower (sewers)

-Ice Gun (Forest)

-Shield

-temporary invulnerability

-a mini-me type item. It makes you shrink and you can't use weapons. But, you can run into an enemy and kill it, and then you will return to normal after. Basically a shield.

-Heart (extra life)

-Clock (extra time)

[DracIsBack]

Cool. The 7800 version is brutally hard in spots.

[108 Stars]

Scrapyard Dog is... okay. It may be the best the Lynx has to offer when it comes to jump' n runs; yet even as a Lynx fan I must admit that on any other system, be it NES, SMS, Gameboy, Game Gear, Genesis or SNES there are just tons of better jump' n runs. Even the PC Engine fares better, having the Bonk-series. Scrapyard Dog is pure mediocicy. On any of those systems, Scrapyard Dog would have went under. As a Lynx player you just don't have a lot of choice in the genre.

 

The game also has just such an amateurish feel to it overall. The controls, the visuals, the leveldesign... nothing makes the impression of a really professional jump' n run to me. At least the hero doesn't look like a drunk, retarded child molester like he does in the 7800 game.

 

What's the alternatives? Viking Child is painfully slow to the point where all fun is killed; Toki is more of an action game, not surprising seeing its arcade roots. Gordo seems okay, haven't played it much though.

 

Anyway, what I want to say is Scrapyard Dog is certainly playable in the light of there not being much else in the genre on the Lynx, but it doesn't nearly live up to the standards of good jump' n runs found on Sega- and Nintendo-systems.

[PFG 9000]

It's good to see Scrapyard Dog getting some much-needed attention here. I wasn't allowed to have Nintendo when I was a kid (long story), so I had Lynx instead. And instead of Mario, I had Scrapyard Dog. Back in its time, Scrapyard Dog was far better than the portable competition. Sure, it hasn't aged well, but go play Mario Land on your black and green Gameboy and see how well it holds up today.

 

Part of the joy of Scrapyard Dog is in finding all the secrets. There are tons of moneybags, shields, and other goodies hidden throughout every level if you know where to jump/crouch/knock. There are hidden minigames, like the piano rooms, window rooms, grab bags, and can swaps. There are at least six warp points throughout the game, if you can find them. That's what the shrink powerup - admittedly inspired by Mario - is for. If you find a shrink powerup, there's probably a secret mini-door not far after it, and that will warp you at least to the next world. For example, the second level (if I recall correctly) of the Junkyard world has a warp to the first level of the Forest, and that level then has a warp to the first level of the Ice world. That's an easy way to get to the end of the game in about 15 minutes if that's what you're trying to do.

 

There's some good gameplay variety as you go through the game. Some of the levels are strictly left-to-right scrolling, some scroll in all directions, and some are kinda maze-like. There are shmup levels where you ride on an eagle or in a submarine or in a blimp. The game is so great, I really wonder how much people have played it when they criticize it like 108 Stars just did. Obviously I'm biased, but there's a decent amount of depth to the game that the competition in the day didn't have.

 

Someday I'll write up an FAQ for it. If only I was retired...

[Cobra Kai]

Aha! Thanks for pointing out what the shrink powerup is for.

[plyboult]

Solid insight PFG, haven't heard much about the game & i don't want to base everything off what I watch on youtube. How does it compare to the 7800 version?

[TrekMD]

I've always enjoyed Scrapyard Dog on the Lynx. It is a nice platformer for the system. I think the Lynx version is better than the 7800 version.

[PFG 9000]

Solid insight PFG, haven't heard much about the game & i don't want to base everything off what I watch on youtube. How does it compare to the 7800 version?

 

I've never had a chance to play the 7800 version, so I can't draw any comparisons.

[108 Stars]

I'd pick even the first Super Mario Land over Scrapyard Dog any day, not to mention part 2 or any of the NES-Marios.

It's much shorter and easier, granted, but it also is more refined imo. Scrapyard Dog is stuck to much in walking left to right, just with changing backdrops... no unique idea or unique approach to new levels.

 

There's the secret doors all over the place, but they seem so random that they are more annoying than fun. You may end up earlier or later in the level, sometimes there's a dozen of them in a stage; but in the end you'd be faster off just walking left to right as usual ignoring them.

 

On a side-note, and that has little to do with the quality of the gameplay, but rather style... who had the idea to give the main character, who looks like a kid to me in the Lynx game a freaking automatic pistol or a flamethrower? I mean, his is kind of a disturbing image for a character in a game for kids. I don't think you'd ever see Mickey Mouse shooting Black Pete with a Beretta or burn him with a flamethrower. This is also a little sign that made me wonder how little thinking went into the creative design.

 

Again, I find it playable and decent enough to give it a try, but I don't think it could have fared well if any serious competition had come out on the Lynx.

[Cobra Kai]

Uh ok. Nobody is claiming this game is anything more than average.

[108 Stars]

This is a thread about Scrapyard Dog, so I would guess when starting it you wanted to hear other opinions on the game.

So I explained my views on the game; and I explained why I disagree with PFG 9000 prefering SD from Super Mario Land.

[matchstickman]

This is bumping an old topic

 

My opinion of the game is that it's great, the best I've played on the system (out of the 8 or so games that I've played). I had this game on the Lynx when I was younger but ended up selling the system with all my games. Repurchased a Lynx and this game again a few years back and have recently been playing it a fair bit.

 

The point I was wanting to make though is that when I first had this game I remember using the warp points that PFG 9000 speaks of in his post above. The one that he mentions in level 2 of the Junkyard. If my memory serves right you get the shrinking power-up then there's a toilet further along nest to a house. You jump on top of it and duck down. This takes you to the forest level and then you can access another warp point from here by getting a shrinking power-up and this time it's in a little house in the background. This takes you to the ice level and from there it's not far to the castle, the last stage. I finished the game many times this way when I was younger but was never able to complete the game by playing it right through without the warp points. If you were unlucky enough to miss the first warp you could access a different one in the city somewhere but this one I think took you to the desert or mountains or something, not as good. I used to know where all these warps were, they didn't seem that hard to find. But the interesting point of this is that with my new cartridge these warp points don't seem to exist at all! I'm sure I can remember the exact location of the ones in the junkyard and the forest (although it is 20 odd years ago, so I might be mistaken?) but nevertheless I've now managed to complete the game right through without accessing any warp points and haven't managed to come across any along the way.

 

Does anyone know if two different versions of this game were released?

[gilsaluki]

Don't know if there are 2 vers., but great game. The first one I took to back in '90.

[Trew]

I love platformers, but never really liked Scrapyard Dog. But, after reading this thread, I gave it another go, and might stick with it. It's not perfect, but interesting to know there's a bit more to it than meets the eye.

[Level42]

I think it's the most fun platform game on the Lynx. Indeed, not like Mario but still a good effort. I agree about the weapons combined with the "child friendly" theme and graphics....it's a crazy combination.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Level42

[butterburp]

SD brings back memories to my old dorm days, but I have really struggled with the difficulty. I always have to get the money bags one at a time, save up 10 to buy a shield, then rinse/lather/repeat to stock up. I think platform-challenged folks like me have to stick to emulation and save states :/

 

I heard there are some screens with $5 money bags plus a secret passage, so you can keep alternating between the two and get a ton of cash. Anyone know where those screens are?

[Trew]

Here, along with other handy hints/warp locations.

 

https://atariage.com/software_hints.php?SoftwareLabelID=1856

Edited October 9, 2016 by Trew

[matchstickman]

Here, along with other handy hints/warp locations.

 

https://atariage.com/software_hints.php?SoftwareLabelID=1856

 

Thanks for the link. I tried this out again and finally got the warps to work. I must have sat on that toilet a hundred times and it never worked. I guess I must have been facing right. Same with the forest (even though it wasn't where I thought it was). I forgot about the little red doors which appear as well.

[Trew]

Oh look:

 

https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/22/best-games-of-2016/

[DanJayUK]

Now there's an idea - anyone with the skills to port the C64 version of the Great Giana Sisters to the Lynx?!