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Games that deserved to have a lynx port.


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Raze magazine claimed US Gold's Strider 2 was 'Around 50% complete' but shots used in the feature looked way to high res to be actual Lynx shots, so i'd wager ST/Amiga shots used.

 

This was in the July'91 issue.

 

Game seemed to split reviewers on home formats so US Gold possibly had 2nd thoughts about going too far with Lynx version? or maybe the Lynx market deemed too small to release game on.

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Oh and talking of magazines like Raze, previewing games that never appeared on Lynx using screens from other versions...

 

They were just as bad for games that did appear:Gauntlet:Third Encounter in Raze Preview of Raze used screen from Gauntlet III-totally different game.Again, probably just used existing screen from ST/Amiga version, threw that in, far easier than taking a screen shot of any Lynx preview code they had.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bit more regarding Strider 2...Only a rumour (and reported as such) but Lynx User (Fanzine) reported Strider 2 was actually finished, release held back until Sega Game Gear version was finished, (so both could be released at same time i assume).They also claimed US Gold were converting Indy Jones And The Last Crusade to Lynx.

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From now on, if there's some rumored game that a known programmer allegedly worked on and they are on Facebook/Twitter/Whatever, let's just ask them directly instead of constantly speculating about it. Granted, some people have a vested interest in selling retro magazines and thus require "new" content to spin… That goes for all Atari platforms, not just the Lynx.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The screens of Rolling Thunder and Cabal i've seen look far too High Res.to be TRUE Lynx shots, Lynx was a superb system, but it suffered from a low res screen, so mocked up shots by Atari just to generate press/consumer interest, sadly seem all too common.

I have just played through Rolling Thunder 2, and it was great. Even though part 1 is most likely somewhat inferior, I now feel even more sad about the cancellation of the Lynx version. A run'n gun like that is a genre the Lynx absolutely needs. And the gameplay concept with hiding in doors is very solid.

 

I'll compare the so-called Lynx-screenshots with all other versions of RT1 to see what it may be, or if they are legit after all. The aspect-ratio is off, but all the screens in that mag, even the legit ones seem to have the wrong ratio for Lynx.

 

I am all the more curious now that I completed part 2 and had a blast doing so...

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Did someone say Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters was practically done? I'd have given my right arm for that!

 

All the Atari Games era games should have made it. Space Lords, T-MEK, Blasteroids, Indiana Jones, Shuuz (love that one), Skull & Crossbones, Guardians of the Hood, Thunderjaws, Toobin, Vindicators, 720, etc.

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I'm ohhh so slowly making some in-roads into finding out the real 'facts' behind lost games on numerous Atari formats, Lynx included and you simply cannot 'trust' claims printed in magazines.Just been chatting with a key A8/ST coder (interview questions sent) turned up another finished, but never released ST game, plus mag claim he was working on A8 version of XXXXX was utter B.S, he'd moved onto another format.

 

Escape From Planet Of Robot Monsters on Lynx i've heard claimed to be a WIP, but again the screen linked to claim looks far too high res.It's simply not on to say game X was coming to Lynx and then show a PC/ST or Amiga screen as 'proof', does'nt matter if you worked for Raze at the time (Strider 2 on Lynx or 7800 Turrican), C+VG, who ever.It just gave false hope to owners like myself then and good people now that source code might show up.

 

It's time consuming tracking people down who might, fingers crossed, know something about a game some 20+years old, but rewarding to finally close the case.

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Anywho, back on topic:I often wonder if it might of been worth Atari trying to get more 'Clones of coin-op's/console games' converted from ST/Amiga to the Lynx.

 

Switchblade 2 had a 'console-esq' feel to it and things like Core's Warzone (for you Commando/Mercs fans), Bullfrog's Flood (for platformer fans) would have done well i think, rumour had it Arc's (?) 9 Lives was being considered, but that's Raze making the claim...

 

I think things like Ubisoft's Unreal and Core Design's Corporation would have worked well on Lynx, the former's 3D sections ideal for Lynx hardware, the latter ported to MD well enough and would of been a decent Sci-Fi arcade/adventure.

 

Ohh and Atari Karts? def.something more suited to Lynx than Jaguar IMO.

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I have to say something, and it is not meant to Insult anyone... but in Germany UK mags in General have always had a rep of having News sections largely based on guessing. The development industry was far ahead of us, but the media coverage was plagued by such unprofessional stuff. It happened hear too, one Editor who took Charge of several mags throughout his carrier is especially known for rumormonging in order to plant false hopes for the audiences. But in the UK it seems to have been much more prevailant, and the more I read about it, the more that seems to be the case. Just look at Retro Gamer articles, when they talk unreleased lost games, and it turns out Editors just claimed there was a port in development (see Street Fighter II for Amstrad) because there were other Versions and they felt it was likely.

 

Rumors quickly become Facts for People, especially when printed. And just asking the devs directly could have cleared out so much even back in the day...

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I've made numerous attempts to get to the bottom of just where UK magazines got their information from, back in the day as it were, so far very mixed results:

 

Rebellion told me in an RVG interview they had no idea where Edge got it's claims from, regarding the news of planned Jag CD games by them and Darryl Still (Atari UK) wrote in, himself once to correct Edge's reporting of a Jaguar CD unit 'blowing up' at an event and certain Atari personell being at event, when in fact they were never there at all.

 

Tracked down article writers claiming things like A8 Adam Caveman being on display at Atari show, sent mag article scan-no reply.

 

Got a contact giving some 'serious thought' (his words, not mine...on an advertising supplement Atari themselves paid for in UK press....

 

 

Tracked down the Raze writer of the Atari sections each month, approached, asked if he wanted to chat about said sections...wall of silence in reply.

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As for Retrogamer magazine..... to be 'fair', sometimes article writers are asked to write up on subject material they are'nt perhaps as clued up on as the reader.Good example would be System 3's Myth...writer claimed it was released on the ST (it was'nt) yet he was going on a statement given to him from System 3 it seems, so took it in good faith.He had no idea there was a C64 Cartridge version or the alt.advertising art etc and i'd wager he had no idea System 3 were planning a reboot some years back etc.

 

 

But then i'd personally not give an article to someone to do, unless i was sure they knew their stuff or had experinced the hardware 1st hand during the time period they are producing an article on, as it'll soon show if they described a version of events that simply never were...

 

Thats all i'll say on the matter.

 

:-)

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I certainly won't swear on RG magazine's reliability; we all know that the Lynx articles are from a Person banned from AA for example. Not saying the_Laird lies or anything, he was always nice to me personally, I just say that given the storied history with the community he has it Shows that the Magazine does not neccessarily do huge Background checks on People who write their articles.

 

But if such unreleased games are mentioned, and the responsible devs are quoted as saying "wtf? We never said we were working on such a Thing", it is at least worth noting.

 

As for wanting clones of popular games, that makes sense. The big Publishers ignored the Lynx for the most part; it was a stroke of luck to get the Tecmo license for Rygar and Ninja Gaiden, but Capcom, Konami and the likes were sorely missing. Switchblade II reminds me of Shinobi for example.

 

I still think that Atari should have more actively courted European publishers. I am talking GREAT deals for them to start with the System. First game without licensing fees, free Advertising, etc. European companies had stuck with home Computers for too Long and had a hard time getting onto the console boat. Fees were high, competition was big, and japanese devs had years of making a Name for themselves worldwide while Euro devs concentrated on the obscure home Computers. The Lynx could have been a great entry Point. The System would have benefit from the Software, and the Publishers would have a way of getting their games known to console audiences without having to pay the big Nintendo and Sega fees.

 

But well, I've said that before and must Sound like a broken record by now.^^

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I can only comment on issues of RG i'd paid for via subscription, as never bought, let alone read a copy since my sub ended after i cancelled it and all i'll say is:

 

It was'nt due to the 'woks' of any individual that caused me to re-think if magazine was worth funding anymore, such were the school boy errors that crept into what seemed like every issue, more the fact the magazine seemed to lack the...willingness to fact check, before articles were printed.

 

 

You had established topics like Strider, Golden Axe, Doom, Intellivision, A3000, 7800, A8 etc etc re-visited and still the same mistakes printed as 'fact' still the same old people interviewed, same old questions asked....youtube used as a viable research tool etc.

 

Plus for a UK magazine to cover the NES in the manner it has (it saved UK Gaming industry) and the XEGS and A8 Range in a manner that simply did'nt ring true with myself and indeed many other A8 owners from that era, was rather telling....

 

But i too am sounding like a stuck record....

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Anywho...

 

What i continue to try and do, via reaching out to coders on Lynx, Jaguar, 7800, ST and Jaguar is get a 'handle' as it were on just how they, within the industry, percived the formats, how the games came about and more importantly, just which actually were planned for the Atari Systems, what became of them etc.

 

Big part of this has been the manner in which Atari approached them (Domark guy good example, they had Lynx/Jaguar dev.kits) and how far they were willing to 'risk' backing Atari, given how Atari themselves were handling the marketing and support of the hardware.

 

 

And also the realationship between the UK Press and the developers themselves.Still a lot of untold stories out there, i feel and since i was'nt getting the answers from likes of Retro Gamer magazine, i went looking for them myself.

 

Bit chuffed with what i've uncovered so far, to be honest.

 

:-)

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108 Stars really nailed it with his earlier post, had Atari at least tried to 'court' key ST/Amiga publishers, we really could have seen a lot of Amiga conversions really suited to the Lynx:

Shockwave, Rogue Trooper (for it's 3D, Space Harrier-esq sections) etc would have suited the custom hardware down to the ground, plus i'd of loved to have seen:Venus The Fly Trap, Jim Power, The Plague, Rubicon etc on there and how about Torvak The Warrior as a cheaper Rastan alt?.
So many possibilities....
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  • 3 weeks later...

Regarding RAZE claiming there was a possibility of ST/Amiga 9 Lives coming to the Lynx, i put the question to Simon Butler, 2D artist for said game in my most recent interview for a certain publication, here's Simon's response:

'9 Lives was an attempt at creating a character-driven platformer but it all got horribly out of hand, mainly due to the terrible scroll on the Atari ST and me not sticking to any kind of sizing regime for the sprites.
They were either too big, or not big enough...it was fun, but not successful in any sense of the word.
What versions were due after the creation of the two 16 bit titles is beyond me, it certainly wouldn’t have worked on the Lynx. It didn’t work on either the ST or the Amiga. '
So there you have it, from the man himself.
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  • 4 months later...

Tempest, Blaster, food fight, Total Carnage, Toobin, Xevious, jr. Pac man, Fantasy Zone, Marble madness, Xenophobe, Midnight Mutants, Journey, Quantum, Bubble bobble, Strider, Guantlet, Meltdown, acid drop, gyruss, street fighter 1 and 2, Berzerk, cool spot, joust 2, airball, Plutos, Ballblazer, Pitfall, Cool spot, Planet smashers, Wizard of Wor, Zaxxon, time pilot, missing in action, and Ninja Gaiden 2, Dark sword of Chaos. ;-) ;-) ;-) :-D :-D :-D :spidey: :spidey: What are some of your thoughts??

you know i wish to have most snes,genesis and turbo graphix games ported to it,such as sonic 1 & 2,mario world 1 & 2 donkeykong country 1,2,3,starfox,truxten etc,,, while graphically,sound and capabilities,gameplay etc,, as close as possible to it's original versions,by using all tricks to make that happen.

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