Just Starting My Lynx Collection. Recommendations?

[+cubanismo]

I've been messing with Jaguar stuff for the past year or so, and seem to have caught the Atari bug. I ordered my first Lynx II from Best Electronics (Claimed they're getting so many orders they're booked out for 2 weeks and are only allowing 3 items per order.) and just got these in the mail from B & C Computer Visions (Arrived in ~3 days even though their eBay account still lists them as on vacation):

 

 

Nevermind the Jaguar game that snuck into that order somehow

 

The Lynx II should also be coming with Steel Talons, Batman Returns, Kung Food, California Games, and Basketbrawl, and I also have orders in progress for Electrocop, Blue Lightning, and Checkered Flag. I plan on getting a McWill screen and the Game Drive soon as well.

 

My question is, what else should I be looking for? I haven't even started looking at the homebrew stuff yet. What's good? I like to tinker with things myself too. What's the best HW kit for developing on the Lynx? I see a few dev-focused flash cards are out there, but don't know which to go with. Any other mods I should look into besides McWill? I'd really like to add a USB-C power supply and replace the battery compartment with a modern battery pack that charges via the USB-C connector as well, but I haven't seen anything like this from a quick skim of the forums. Anyone else working on something like this?

[4ever2600]

Although there are a ton of good homebrew, I would recommend sticking to commercial games until you are completely bored with what commercial has to offer.  

 

Going into homebrews and demos, prototypes etc is like breathing a second life into your system...

 

That's just my personal path.  You should do whatever suits you best.

[PFG 9000]

1) Slime World.  It's not technically an exclusive, as it got ports to the Genesis and PC Engine.  But nobody knows about those versions, so let's just say it's a Lynx exclusive and move on to raving about how awesome it is.  It's an exploratory action-platformer that draws comparisons to Metroid, although all it really shares with Metroid is a kinda-similar setting.  It's so much fun getting lost in its world, learning strategies for the different enemies, picking mushrooms to keep the planet from exploding (why not?), and searching for that hidden zit popping contest. 

 

2)  Lemmings.  It's one of the priciest Ltnx games now, but it's also one of the best.  If you're not familiar with it, you get a line of rodents marching to their doom.  Left on their own, they'll just keep walking forward until they either die or hit a wall.  You need to direct them to the level exit.  It's way more fun than it sounds.  The Lynx port is one of the best ways to play it.  But if you've already played it elsewhere, it might be best to forego the price tag...and play it on your Lynx SD.

 

3)  Shadow of the Beast.  This game was originally made to show off the graphical capabilities of the Amiga.  It played rather poorly.  When they ported it to the Lynx, Psygnosis decided to polish it up a bit, and now it's a great game that is also one of the best-looking and best-sounding games on the Lynx.

 

4) S.T.U.N. Runner.  If you played this in the arcades in 1991, you would be excused for assuming it would not have been possible on a home console, even moreso a handheld.  Somehow the Lynx port is awesome.  Even if it wasn't technologically mindblowing, it would still be a lightning fast crazy fun racing game.

 

5)  Scrapyard Dog.  Great little platformer, except it's not remotely little.  It has seven levels, each with five "worlds."  Each one is loaded with secrets - hidden powerups, warps, shops, minigames, etc.  Each level has a unique boss.  There's just so much to find, and it plays really well too.  It's such a shame Scapyard Dog didn't catch on - it deserves a full franchise with sequels and merchandise and stuff.  It was on the 7800 too, but the Lynx version is far superior.  Best platformer on the Lynx.

 

6)  Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.  This game gets either panned by fans who haven't put much effort into it, or more often ignored completely.  But it's pretty fun once you understand that you can't attack enemies or defend yourself...bad guys are just another puzzle element here.  If you can't easily avoid them, then you need to figure out another way through.  Killer soundtrack.  A Lynx exclusive.

 

7)  Battlewheels.  I haven't played a ton of it, but it's a fun vehicular combat title pre-Twisted Metal.  Really technologically impressive too.  A Lynx exclusive.

 

8 ) Warbirds.  A super impressive biplane/dogfight flight sim.  It had polygonal landscapes and a fairly large 3D space to fight in.  The first game I had for my Lynx, some 30+ years ago.  Another Lynx exclusive.

 

9)  Dracula the Undead.  A point & click adventure game with nice sepia visuals and creepy atmosphere.  It was intended to be a much longer game but lots had to be scrapped to fit on a Lynx game card.  But there's still several hours of gameplay there, and it's pretty enjoyable.  Also a Lynx exclusive.

 

10)  Xybots.  A port of the arcade game which should not have worked this well on a handheld.  It's kinda like a proto-third-person-shooter.  You have to manage your energy (i.e. life), which slowly drains over time, as you navigate 3D mazes full of angry robots, powerups, and secrets.  Catchy music too.

 

I don't feel like typing more, but you should also check out Toki, Robotron: 2084, Shanghai, Ninja Gaiden, Qix, Rampart, Rampage, Joust, and Crystal Mines II.  Hell, just about everything on the Lynx is worth a try.  And make sure you play Klax, Chip's Challenge, California Games, Electrocop, Checkered Flag, and Blue Lightning.  Those are great games to start with and I would have mentioned them already if you hadn't already bought them.

Edited March 30, 2021 by PFG 9000

[+jgkspsx]

I just wrote a very long post in another thread focused on must-have exclusives: 

But I think it would be easier to list the games NOT to initially bother with:

Because they’re not very fun (ymmv):

 

Krazy Ace Mini Golf

Hyperdrome

Super Off Road

Batman Returns

Dirty Larry

Hard Drivin’

NFL Football

Pit-Fighter

World-Class Fussball (well, European Soccer Challenge is a lot better)

Tournament Cyberball

Or because they’re expensive and not exclusive:

 

Double Dragon

Raiden

Ms Pac Man

Desert Strike

Lemmings

 

I enjoy many of these, but I really enjoy everything else in the library that isn’t these.

 

Get Alpine Games and Unnamed from Songbird ASAP if you like winter sports (or amazing graphics) and wistful adventure games respectively, as they are limited edition. A Bug’s Trip is based on Ladybug with some nice additions - I highly recommend that one too.

[agradeneu]

Lemmings is top notch

[Songbird]

Batman Returns is an excellent game, but that rooftop level is insanely tough! They really needed a "lives" system for the game, or at least a Continue option...

 

You already made some great choices for your starters. Most arcade ports on the Lynx are amazing, as others have already stated. Shadow of the Beast, Lemmings, Dracula, and Crystal Mines are also great choices. And then there are all of these games.

 

[TrekMD]

Ms. Pac-Man on the Lynx is a bit unique because it has extra mazes that take advantage of the wider screen and adds a couple other features to make the game even more fun that it already is. 

[agradeneu]

Compared to the abysmal "Dirty Larry", Batman looks and plays like a masterpiece. But the worst game on the Lynx gotta be World Class Soccer. Also stay away from Gordo, it is a very confused, barely playable platformer. 

[gilsaluki]

Just get a game drive and you are set.  This coming from a guy that has all the commercial games and a lot of good and bad homebrews.  Krazy-ACE is almost unplayable, buggy release from Telegames.  Just get the image and play it on the G.D.  As for the McWill, hope you have great soldering skills.  Otherwise, keep Lady Lynx original.  My opinion. 

[high voltage]

If you're collecting, get the rare/expensive ones first. Also, Telegames UK is a good place for Lynx, I think P&P to USA is fair.

[+cubanismo]

I'm not collecting per-se. Just want to play some fun games, and maybe make some small demos or games of my own eventually. On Jaguar for example, I buy the games that look fun, have generally positive opinions in the forums and elsewhere, or that I tried on the skunk or GD and enjoyed... Unless they're only available as $100+ loose carts that aren't being sold anymore. Those I've either made myself repros of, or just play on the flash carts and don't feel at all guilty about it.

 

I spend more time tinkering with things than playing if I'm honest, so I can't say I'm purely buying things for playtime value, but I don't need displayable boxes or desire a "complete set," so I'm somewhere between collector and regular enthusiast I guess.

[+cubanismo]

Lynx finally got here from Best Electronics, and it was worth the wait. It's refurbished, but it came looking like a new, factory sealed unit. Shrink wrapped, spotless, and plays great. I'm glad I opted to wait for Best rather than order one off eBay. Feels like Christmas at my house today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[newtmonkey]

@cubanismo

If you are planning to swap in a modern screen, you might want to consider the pros/cons of the BennVenn screen vs. the McWill screen.

 

Basically, McWill offers VGA out but is a harder install, while BennVenn has no VGA out and is an easier install (and is reported to have a significantly better battery life than McWill).

[+cubanismo]

Thanks for the info. I did some research and found a good comparison thread on here.

 

 

I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I do think I'll go with the BennVenn for this Lynx. The VGA output has strong appeal, as I like the idea of playing on a bigger screen, but it sounds like the BennVenn wins out for general usability with better support for high-color tricks in newer ROMs (right?) and the adjustable backlight level. I may get a second unit in the future to play ComLynx games on when friends come over and otherwise use primarily for development/experimentation, and I'd definitely do McWill on that one.

 

The difficulty isn't a big deal to me. Having just learned to solder last year, I can't say I'm a soldering pro, but I'm no slouch at this point either. I've modded several Jaguars, repaired a bunch of Jaguar CD units, and desoldered plenty of through-hole components.

 

Having gotten my unit at this point, I'm a bit less eager to immediately mod the screen though. The stock one looks much better in person than it does in photos. Yeah, you have to find that angle... but then it's quite crisp IMHO. Must have been awesome for those who were lucky enough to have it back in the day when today's amazing smartphone screens weren't standard items. I had a Game Gear back then myself, and was never that impressed with the screen, though of course it looked better than everyone else's green Gameboys. I spent a lot of time staring at the Lynx in the Sears catalog though. Blue Lightning and Checkered Flag looked awesome, but why did the screen always appear to have hideous vertical bars down it whenever the Lynx was photographed back then?

 

http://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1991_Sears_Wishbook/#510

 

I hear Atari had VGA out on their test systems back then. Couldn't they have used that for some decent catalog images?

[PFG 9000]

8 hours ago, cubanismo said:

I hear Atari had VGA out on their test systems back then. Couldn't they have used that for some decent catalog images?

If 80s/90s Atari knew how to market their stuff, right now we'd all be playing the Atari Snow Leopard with its 1024 bits and optional 4K blu-ray drive.

[+Pac-Lander]

On 4/9/2021 at 9:32 PM, cubanismo said:

Thanks for the info. I did some research and found a good comparison thread on here.

 

 

I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I do think I'll go with the BennVenn for this Lynx. The VGA output has strong appeal, as I like the idea of playing on a bigger screen, but it sounds like the BennVenn wins out for general usability with better support for high-color tricks in newer ROMs (right?) and the adjustable backlight level. I may get a second unit in the future to play ComLynx games on when friends come over and otherwise use primarily for development/experimentation, and I'd definitely do McWill on that one.

 

The difficulty isn't a big deal to me. Having just learned to solder last year, I can't say I'm a soldering pro, but I'm no slouch at this point either. I've modded several Jaguars, repaired a bunch of Jaguar CD units, and desoldered plenty of through-hole components.

 

Having gotten my unit at this point, I'm a bit less eager to immediately mod the screen though. The stock one looks much better in person than it does in photos. Yeah, you have to find that angle... but then it's quite crisp IMHO. Must have been awesome for those who were lucky enough to have it back in the day when today's amazing smartphone screens weren't standard items. I had a Game Gear back then myself, and was never that impressed with the screen, though of course it looked better than everyone else's green Gameboys. I spent a lot of time staring at the Lynx in the Sears catalog though. Blue Lightning and Checkered Flag looked awesome, but why did the screen always appear to have hideous vertical bars down it whenever the Lynx was photographed back then?

 

http://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1991_Sears_Wishbook/#510

 

I hear Atari had VGA out on their test systems back then. Couldn't they have used that for some decent catalog images?

I'll tell you this - I ended up going with the BennVenn (after going back and forth several times), and don't regret it one bit. 

Owning one now, I can confirm that the battery life is truly remarkable. 

[newtmonkey]

On 4/10/2021 at 1:32 PM, cubanismo said:

Having gotten my unit at this point, I'm a bit less eager to immediately mod the screen though. The stock one looks much better in person than it does in photos. Yeah, you have to find that angle... but then it's quite crisp IMHO. Must have been awesome for those who were lucky enough to have it back in the day when today's amazing smartphone screens weren't standard items. I had a Game Gear back then myself, and was never that impressed with the screen, though of course it looked better than everyone else's green Gameboys.

I, too, was pleasantly surprised with the stock Lynx screen when I finally got mine a year or so ago.  The Internet had led me to believe it was an unplayable, blurry mess (damn you Internet!)... but it's perfectly viewable/playable, and many if not most Lynx games were designed with the limitations of the screen in mind.

 

Having said that, I installed the BennVenn screen primarily to get a boost in battery life and ended up loving the look of it, too.  It's even got a "vertical" scanline filter (requires soldering) that really does give it the "Lynx" look imo.

[+slx]

I spent hours playing one more game of Klax and one more game of surfing in California Games. Chips Challenge is a good choice, too. 

 

Rampage is nice
 

Lemmings is an impressive port but if you have any way to play it on a computer with a mouse, that’s nicer imho. 
 

I found APB quite challenging, never got far but didn’t try enough. 
 

I also second the gamedrive recommendation. SainT‘s is a bit easier to operate but the Agacart is also a very nicely done and packaged product, you just need to remember those numbers. 
 

 

[gilsaluki]

I love the Lynx.  I was mesmerized and thrilled when it came out.  I have to admit, however, that I am not very good with the actual games.  Batman, is hard as F()ck for me.  Most games, I never get pass the 2nd level/stage.  Some games are freakin' impossible and just frustrating. I tend to go back to the same 6 or 8 games that I like (and can actually do).  Overall, I still love the Lynx. 

[+jgkspsx]

53 minutes ago, gilsaluki said:

Batman, is hard as F()ck for me.

You are not alone there. I think it’s hard as frozen fudge for almost everyone except the masochists who memorized it.

[PFG 9000]

On 4/18/2021 at 6:25 PM, gilsaluki said:

I love the Lynx.  I was mesmerized and thrilled when it came out.  I have to admit, however, that I am not very good with the actual games.  Batman, is hard as F()ck for me.  Most games, I never get pass the 2nd level/stage.  Some games are freakin' impossible and just frustrating. I tend to go back to the same 6 or 8 games that I like (and can actually do).  Overall, I still love the Lynx. 

Batman is exceptionally hard.  It's cheap.  It's not fun to play, in my opinion, though it does have some of the best graphics on the Lynx.

 

Much of the Lynx's library is made up of arcade ports.  They're intended more as a high score challenge than as a campaign to be beaten.  But games like Scrapyard Dog, Shadow of the Beast, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Chip's Challenge, Crystal Mines II, Double Dragon, Toki, Ninja Gaiden, Slime World, and a few others are all beatable if you put in the time.

[Ninjabba]

Batman was the first game I had on the Lynx and the difficulty wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the awful rooftop jumping.. its just cheap. I think I always had to throw a ton of batarangs before jumping to make sure you wouldn't get shotgunned during your jump.. so cheap..

I did manage to beat the game in the end, but that must've been those gaming superpowers you have as a kid.

 

Crystal Mines 2 is where its at for me, made me re-buy the Lynx in 2008 again. Buried Treasure is a worthy followup.

[+cubanismo]

On 4/19/2021 at 5:31 PM, PFG 9000 said:

Much of the Lynx's library is made up of arcade ports.  They're intended more as a high score challenge than as a campaign to be beaten.

I think this is what I'm going to love about the system. I'm the opposite of a completionist. Of the hundreds of games I've played over the years, I can probably count on my fingers the number I've beaten, and that's including when I had the free time of a pre-teen/teenager/college student. Even then, if you take something like Mario World, I never got to that upper-90's save game level, and on my favorite game in recent years, Doom 2016, I've only found 2 or 3 secrets thus far and sort of lost interest about 1/3 of the way through my second, more deliberate play-through. Once they added an arcade mode to the game, that's pretty much all I played from then on.

 

These days, I'm all about the 15-30 minute gaming session, and the Lynx has delivered in that regard so far. I haven't even had time to try everything from my initial purchases yet because I've found I'm pretty happy just leaving Klax or Checkered Flag in there. These are my type of games. Is it just me, or is Klax to Tetris what Chess is to Checkers? There's a lot of strategy going on there, and I feel like I've only just scratched the surface. Also, the geek (geekier?) side of me is very impressed by how polished and complex the graphics are for a puzzle game.

 

On 4/18/2021 at 11:29 AM, slx said:

I also second the gamedrive recommendation. SainT‘s is a bit easier to operate but the Agacart is also a very nicely done and packaged product, you just need to remember those numbers. 

Yes, I think a flash cart of some sort is next on my list. Has anyone modded SainT's or BennVenn's cart to add a USB interface? I see references to this being possible, but no claims of it actually being done. SD carts are great for regular gaming, but I hate swapping the cards back and forth for development/testing. Or do people tend to stick to emulation for Lynx development? Handy seems much more accurate than VJ, but I still prefer to test on real HW.

[tripled79]

Loopz is fairly addictive...

[WhyNotZoidberg]

Real men play Batman Returns. 

People who say Battletoads on NES is a hard game have never played Batman Returns on Lynx. 

I played Robo Squash for the first time the other day and I really liked it.