battleman13 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Lynx Casino Well... what can we say? It is what it promises to be? There are several games included such as video poker, slots, black jack, roulette, craps.... The game is there, it's complete, it plays... but it's somewhat boring. If you run out of money, the cashier will always give you another $500. It can be interesting to talk to everyone... once. Maybe. I never could figure whats going on with the background. Are those flowers, or some kinda crazy carpeting? Is the casino outside? Eh. You can't really lose, and there seems to be no real objective or win condition... other than the try to build up your stacks of cash (or coin). Scores: Graphics - 6/10 Sounds - 4/10 Gameplay - 4/10 Difficulty - 3/10 Overall - 4/10 Final Thoughts: It's a time waster game, really. I can't see myself playing it over pretty much any other game on the system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Casino is filler material for sure. I have, but don't play it often especially since I know nothing about playing card games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 I actually really like Lynx Casino. It's a decent time killer and the "overworld" is pretty funny. The number of different games on offer is really nice and if you feel like a quick card game it's a ton of fun. It's no PokerMania (which is a really neat puzzle game) but it's an enjoyable way to spend a little time, for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Ishido I had never really understood what was going on in this game, and barely touched it on my real Lynxen. With the release of the Lynx Collection 1 for the Evercade, I have been playing it a lot more, and I've really come to understand it. It has become one of my favorite games to wind down with before I go to bed, because, frankly, it's kinda boring. But I mean boring in the most complimentary possible way: it's extremely soothing and meditative, and when I screw up, I don't really care. I've found it really helps take the edge off, especially in exciting times like we've had lately. Scores: Graphics - 8/10 There are several different tilesets to choose from, but the default is the best looking - the rest are very plain and unappealing. Other versions of Ishido have much more complicated designs on the "traditional" tileset, but the Lynx version does really well at combining visual interest and easy recognizability. The fireworks and the fonts used are all very distinctive. Despite the rigid simplicity of everything, it's a very good-looking game. Sounds - 8/10 There is no music here at all. It's just the fireworks at boot or at the end of the game, the bell at the title screen, the snap of the tiles when you place them, and the glorious sound of a four-way match. It's honestly for the best. The snap of the tiles is very soothing and it helps a lot for winding down. All of the minimal sound effects sound great. Gameplay - 8/10 Difficulty - 8/10 When I first started playing it, the rules seemed unfair and almost arbitrary. How the heck am I supposed to place tiles so that I'm matching colors on two sides and shaped on the other two sides? But once I realized how limited the number of shapes and colors was, the rules started to make a lot more sense. If not for the restrictions, it would be trivial to play all the tiles every time. And I gained basic competence a lot faster than I expected to when I started playing it. Almost every time I play the Solitaire mode, I can clear my bag now, and when I do get one of the elusive cross placements, I really feel like I earned my advice. Unfortunately, the computer is not a serious challenge to beat in the competitive mode. I found the competitive mode useful for training my eye for matches, but unless I'm missing some difficulty setttings, the computer is a chump. I don't think it supports Comlynxing, but it would be really fun if it did. Overall - 9/10 This game is truly more than the sum of its parts, and is a great example of less being more. If you're looking for flash and stimulation, you're not going to find it here. But if you are looking for a meditative, calming, and rewarding way to help put your thoughts in order, this game is your huckleberry. Bonus content: Check out this awesome ZX Spectrum sequel! However, I notice that the music is kind of agitating and takes away from the experience - a testament that they did the right thing by not including music. If you'd like to try this game on your computer in hi res, here's an HTML5 version. Evidently Ascii made a small number of real board games that they sold in Japan in the early 90s. I wonder who owns the rights to that trademark... I think it would be awesome to play this in real life. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Hey there, I've been dabbling with my flashy new RetroHQ lynx Gamedrive, and posting some "reviews" of the homebrew software I've tried out on Lynx. I'm no pro reviewer. Just an enthusiast. But i welcome views, feedback, corrections, or input. I know a lot of the readers around here are old hands at the Lynx homebrew/indie development scene. I'm far from the best person to be doing these overview videos--they're basically a mix of "lets play" and light commentary. I've been playing Lynx official releases since back in the 90s, but the indie scene is very new to me. I downloaded as many of the homebrews, software experiments, and unfinished roms from the atarigamer.com that I could find, and for now, I'm working through them alphabetically. Not sure if i'll stick to that format, but it gives me a reason to sit and play the games, and spend a bit more time with the tech demos and semi-finished concepts than i otherwise might. Check it out if you like. Just posted the third video, here's a playlist (click the youtube Icon to click through and see the playlist of 3, so far). I sincerely welcome comments or "subs" as the kids say, but any feedback--critical or otherwise--is certainly welcome. I'd actually like to come up with some more creative, even esoteric, way of approaching the topic, but baby steps for now, right? Having fun doing it regardless. Hope it pleases some of you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igor Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Hey @unoclay! Thanks for the shout out on your video there! Just having a watch of it now so I'll write my comments as I go... Quality of the RetroHQ image can be improved, it's quite blurry for me, if you need something high-res I'm sure that @SainT will be able to provide it since you're essentially giving him free advertising ? It's amusing how you put your logo in various places, I like that! (you only did it in your first video though, please keep doing it in your other videos) For screenshots of websites (like mine) please blur out or cover up ads, it might interfere with Google and YouTube policies, but also giving out perpetual ads is not really fair Awesome to see you're using the ratings system on my site! I know you said you didn't look into history of games but it would add value to call out games that are getting or already have got a physical cart release e.g. @Fadest had A Bug's Lynx released by @Songbird recently (as A Bug's Trip), don't expect you to know all this info but I'd be happy to contribute with what I know (probably best to message me on Twitter @theatarigamer) Allein in German means Alone in English, it's in the game description on my website Your review style is brutal - I like it At first I was not sure if it was worthwhile reviewing tech demos but after watching all 3 videos I am glad you're spending time showing those off, and it's nice that you mention 8bit-Unity too The magic image rom - that name is used in the ROM because that's in French I believe Also a small correction - ROMs like 8bit-Goblins are tech demos whereas Bastion and Bad Apple are demoscene demos (we don't want to upset all the sceners here). If you look in the game info pages it tells you what kind of 'game' it is, again I'm happy to clarify if you message me Question for you - is there anything you'd like to see improved on the Atari Gamer website? Looking at the rating page in your video I am thinking that the colour theme needs tweaking... If you notice anything that's not right in the game listings please let me know, always looking to improve the database! Overall great job! I was only planning to watch one video and watched all 3 in a row, very nice to see this. I'm going to add a news post about shortly too, hopefully that will get you more views and will encourage you to create more videos like it ? I think the only other thing I'd improve is putting in a little bit more research into these to give a bit of a background story (where applicable). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igor Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Posted a news item - https://atarigamer.com/news/1jwveziudxc Also about Atomic - my understanding is you're trying to make molecules out of atoms there, that first level you're making water (H2O H-O-H). It's a nice idea for a game, shame it isn't completed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 @Igor well, wow, this constitutes some of the deepest feedback anyone has ever bothered to give me on any of my gaming videos (though i do have 1 youtube video with 25k views---not feedback exactly, but by far the most wide-reaching item i've ever created). I do know i need to work on the history/details of each game for sure. Its sort of a balancing act---primarily, im doing these as a way to have fun with the RetroHQ cart and homebrews, while also not spending HOURS on every video. As you know, editing and posting already takes up a few hours, even doing bare-bones work. For #3, i did try to have the Atarigamer website open and re-read before commenting, but im also trying to have fun with it (no Jeremy Parish level of granularity here). But at the same time, i want to do the creators and designers justice. So your comments are welcome, and feedback is VERY welcome. I should do a better image of the HQ card for sure. I just drag/dropped a dirty screenshot there because i was almost done and just wanted to be finished. I should do some more humor, like bouncing the logo around. Im a huge fan of abstract humor (think Tim/Eric) and would gladly make these reviews even more "out there" (think Dunkey) but havent quite landed on an idea. I'm really appreciative of the feedback on labeling (tech demos / "demoscene demo??" (never even heard that phrase)) because i knew i was probably playing fast and loose with terms---not my total area of expertise, but i do want to learn. Will keep an eye on the descriptions on the site.... Will try to cover up ads in the future---got it. Hard to remember but will try!! Primary challenge for me is time vs returns. I want it to be light and fun and an excuse to play these software. But also want people to not hate the product (or roll their eyes at my newbie ignorance). I only discovered AtariGamer through the Lynx homebrew search, so, not sure if i have input/qualification to suggest changes. Its amazing---what a repository and easy way to get games, try the homebrews, etc. What a labor of love. I guess, one thing, was the challenge of figuring out which software had downloads vs which didnt. I had to painstakingly open every game page and then see if yes/no>> download. Its all good, though. I sort of think if one wants free downloads, one should have to do a little bit of work, right? But really, you're doing the greatest thing here. I honestly dont know where people would be finding homebrews/techs/etc without your site? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igor Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 You're welcome! I do like where this series is going so I'll keep an eye on it. Please do let me know when you have a new video out as I don't always manage to catch all of what is happening. Regarding downloads of ROMs, this has been addressed already, I think you must have downloaded them before I made this change... Each of the games has a ROM status indicator next to it now, whether it's not available, downloadable or only playable in the web browser. There's also a legend at the bottom of the page. AG is deff a labour of love! I've also recently launched a Lynx Dev Wiki (atarilynxdev.net) if you would like to mention it on your next video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadest Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) If you want to see more of Atomix, you should look at the original Atari ST game. Definitively a very good puzzle game. Glad you liked Asteroids Chasers, the game needs some involvement from the player to get in. And Atari Tabletop Collection #1 is just a 10 hour effort during an AC contest (normal time is 24 hour). The goal was to make LCD like games, so I resign from participating. And then after midnight, I had the idea a demaking Warlords, then Tempest after a short night. Finally, I had no time for a Rygar LCD like game. The broken Eggs are just because I forgot that the theme was Easter, so I added a small reference in hurry just before the deadline. Guess what, I did not win The same goes for Castle of Khon-gis, I was not specially inspired for the contest this year. I guess you can skip this one with no regret. Edited February 11, 2021 by Fadest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynxHandyCaster Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 On 2/8/2021 at 11:59 PM, unoclay said: Hey there, I've been dabbling with my flashy new RetroHQ lynx Gamedrive, and posting some "reviews" of the homebrew software I've tried out on Lynx. I'm no pro reviewer. Just an enthusiast. But i welcome views, feedback, corrections, or input. I know a lot of the readers around here are old hands at the Lynx homebrew/indie development scene. I'm far from the best person to be doing these overview videos--they're basically a mix of "lets play" and light commentary. I've been playing Lynx official releases since back in the 90s, but the indie scene is very new to me. I downloaded as many of the homebrews, software experiments, and unfinished roms from the atarigamer.com that I could find, and for now, I'm working through them alphabetically. Not sure if i'll stick to that format, but it gives me a reason to sit and play the games, and spend a bit more time with the tech demos and semi-finished concepts than i otherwise might. Check it out if you like. Just posted the third video, here's a playlist (click the youtube Icon to click through and see the playlist of 3, so far). I sincerely welcome comments or "subs" as the kids say, but any feedback--critical or otherwise--is certainly welcome. I'd actually like to come up with some more creative, even esoteric, way of approaching the topic, but baby steps for now, right? Having fun doing it regardless. Hope it pleases some of you. Watched your video and subscribed to your channel two days before I saw this post. Well done! Looking forward to more videos. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynxHandyCaster Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, Igor said: Posted a news item - https://atarigamer.com/news/1jwveziudxc Also about Atomic - my understanding is you're trying to make molecules out of atoms there, that first level you're making water (H2O H-O-H). It's a nice idea for a game, shame it isn't completed. I thought the same thing about Atomic, Igor. Watching the video section on Atomic, I was reminded of the Atari VCS (2600) game Reactor (hard but very unique game). Glad to see that unoclay's video channel got some love on atarigamer.com ? Edited February 11, 2021 by LynxHandyCaster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadest Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) As said before, if you like Atomic, check the original game (called Atomix) on Atari ST, Amiga, or PC. Or the homebrew port on Atari Jaguar by SebRMV. Atari ST Games you might have missed / Atomix - YouTube To play, take care of the "arms" of the atoms, they must match, in your video, you inverted the 2 blue hydrogens atoms, you made -H -O- H- instead of H- -O- -H (edit : just replayed the demo ROM, and yes, it seems the game do not see level is complete - but anyway, give it a try on another platform, this is really a good game) Edited February 11, 2021 by Fadest 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 @Fadest See, this was part of my hesitation on even doing reviews. Was talking to a buddy who is more of a redditor, and i was saying, "the thing is, i can sense this community is somewhat tight and been around a long time and its intimidating to even chime in, given that these dudes are often programmers or hackers who are like, a billion years past my lowly consumer-level love of the system". Anyway i really appreciate the attention and the fact that nobody sounds too mad about what i've said in the videos so far. I'll try to continue doing these as time allows. I have a simmering idea to review my top 100 switch games as well, which will EAT my time if i actually start it, but hey, its all for fun. Glad some of you are enjoying the content!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 13 hours ago, LynxHandyCaster said: I thought the same thing about Atomic, Igor. Watching the video section on Atomic, I was reminded of the Atari VCS (2600) game Reactor (hard but very unique game). Glad to see that unoclay's video channel got some love on atarigamer.com ? Just checked out your Blue Lightning podcast. Enjoyable for sure! I'm gonna add a tab to my music/news player window for some future listens! I found it charmingly amusing when you read aloud emails and forum podcasts back and forth. its kind of nerdy funny in the strangest way, especially how you use radio/filter for reading other peoples' voices. Ive never really gotten into Blue Lightning but your podcast made me think I'll give it another try eventually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadest Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, unoclay said: @Fadest See, this was part of my hesitation on even doing reviews. Was talking to a buddy who is more of a redditor, and i was saying, "the thing is, i can sense this community is somewhat tight and been around a long time and its intimidating to even chime in, given that these dudes are often programmers or hackers who are like, a billion years past my lowly consumer-level love of the system". Anyway i really appreciate the attention and the fact that nobody sounds too mad about what i've said in the videos so far. I hope I was not too harsh. Your videos are great. I usually don't watch or listen Podcast unless I want to train my english skills. I appreciate you take some time on Lynx homebrew, and moreover that you really put some time into games, and not just give a 10 second first opinion. I just wanted to say that during the route, you will see games that tooks months or years of work (and sometimes have many version of ROM floating around like A Bug's Lynx : 3 ROM release in 10 years & 1 demo ROM for the physical cart with some changes on gameplay), other that were made for a contest in a days of hours effort (but this does not mean lesser quality, some of them are very good), some proof of concept (Atomic can be describe like this I guess, but Cooper would tell better about it) or cancelled work that we don't want to stay forever only on our hard drive, and some non-interactive demos made to push the Lynx to the limits. Of course, as a player, you will like or not like them based on the game/demo quality and more important, your personal taste. This is what you are expressing in your video, and this is why I enjoy them. Edit : About "Maldetetemagic", you may undestand better what rygar wanted to do, if you know that "Mal de tête" translates into Headache in english Edited February 12, 2021 by Fadest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I keep hoping to see a new written review posted in this thread of written reviews 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 @Fadest Oh my, that is super funny, about HEADACHE for the Mal De Tete. I can totally see that now!! Just an illiterate amercian here.... (i actually can read, understand some Spanish, but French, it wasnt even an option in my high school) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 2 minutes ago, jgkspsx said: I keep hoping to see a new written review posted in this thread of written reviews I wish i could still write longform reviews. In 2011-2012, i wrote reviews of around 100 Wii games on the IGN forum blogs. But i have problems with my hands and repetitive motion injury these days, meaning that making videos (while still requiring a lot of hand use for video editing, etc) are a bit easier. I am a huge form of long form written reviews as well, i just cant be the one making them anymore. My hands ache from my day job (computer-based) already. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Maybe the discussion of the new video series deserves a topic of its own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igor Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 I'm happy to add a section on Atari Gamer for this, just like I did for the 'Homebrew Highlights' that were done in collaboration with Jmac - https://atarigamer.com/pages/homebrew-highlights @jgkspsx there are lots of reviews here - https://atarigamer.com/lynx/game-reviews ? also happy to publish a review on Atari Gamer for anyone who wants to submit one! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynxHandyCaster Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 On 2/11/2021 at 10:03 PM, unoclay said: Just checked out your Blue Lightning podcast. Enjoyable for sure! I'm gonna add a tab to my music/news player window for some future listens! I found it charmingly amusing when you read aloud emails and forum podcasts back and forth. its kind of nerdy funny in the strangest way, especially how you use radio/filter for reading other peoples' voices. Ive never really gotten into Blue Lightning but your podcast made me think I'll give it another try eventually. Thank you for the kind words, unoclay. And i look forward to your next YT video ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoclay Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 My latest---and certainly most "adventurous" (some might say disturbing) "homebrew" review video is up on youtube for anyone who wants to check it out. Definitely welcome comments and feedback on youtube (welcome new subs for sure) or here in AA. I just genuinely appreciate anyone who bothers to look at my silly nonsense. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 I don't think anybody will complain about you reviewing Bubble Trouble (which is pretty much a complete but very unpolished prototype), but: Songbird has it up for sale for $70 in the US! https://songbird-productions.com/product/bubble-trouble/ Telegames UK has it for sale for £49.98 in the UK: http://www.telegames.co.uk/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=324_63_64&product_id=5855 I don't understand the mystique of B*tchy at all. It is not something I would spend time with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadest Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, jgkspsx said: I don't understand the mystique of B*tchy at all. It is not something I would spend time with. I guess the ROM on Atari Gamer is just the contest ROM. The real physical game has more "levels" IIRC. The main point about it is that it is a limited edition, numbered (20 games made for the 20th birthday), a call for collectors Edited March 14, 2021 by Fadest 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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