My very first Lynx

[The_Cane_Toad]

Greetings fellow gamers!

 

Today I bought an Atari Lynx with two games, Crystal Mines II and Steel Talons. I was never really interested in the lynx until i saw it on this website, and the maniacal fevor you have for your machines. Then I saw one for sale at the local second hand store. It seemed like an interesting system by my defintion of the word. All in all it was $28, which if i convert into the ole greenback is $21.20

 

Did I get a good deal?

 

Are there wall power adapters? It seems a bit excessive to have that adapter with the six D-sized batteries

 

Is there a way to remove the plastic screen, there is a fair amount of dust underneath it.

 

Thankyou for humoring a dumb n00b and teaching him the ways of the Lynx

[crc_73]

Welcome to the club!

 

The price seems about right to me; the two games aren't hard to find, you can probably still get them on this site for a few $. If the system is functioning perfectly, then it looks like a fair price.

 

Did you get the first or II version. If it's the first, then I have no idea how to clean it - never owned or even held one. If you have the mark II, then it's quite easy to remove the protective screen. It's held in place with tabs (4) in each of the corners, where the protective screen wraps around the top and bottom. All you need to do is put something thin and stiff between the protective screen and the main body of the unit, and gently lever the screen off. Do it from the corners, one at a time. Once you have the two popped on one side (either the top or bottom), it should come off very easily.

 

It's easier to do when you know what to expect. I did my first from the inside, much easier, so I could see exactly what needed to be done, but you probably don't want to be messing with it that much.

 

Best of luck with your new machine, and do try to expand your game collection - there are some excellent titles to be had - most of the arcade conversions are top notch. There are plenty of reviews linked on the site here, so do browse.

[The_Cane_Toad]

Mark II? Well there is nothing on it anywhere that indicates it is the mark II model.

 

I guess the next question i ask as a n00b is what are the best games to get. Or even better, which games signifcantly define the lynx?

[spacecadet]

Mark II?  Well there is nothing on it anywhere that indicates it is the mark II model.

 

 

That oughta help you determine which Lynx you have.

 

I don't know the major differences, other than the Lynx II being a little smaller. The styling of the Lynx II also more closely matches the Jaguar (the buttons look and feel the same and the overall lines are more Jag-like). I have a Lynx II; it's the more popular model these days but I think mainly just because Atari made more of them.

 

I think the Lynx I is supposed to feel a bit heftier but actually has a reputation of being somewhat less reliable? Not totally sure about that, though.

 

I guess the next question i ask as a n00b is what are the best games to get.  Or even better, which games signifcantly define the lynx?

 

I don't have a huge number of games but most of the arcade ports are all supposed to be really good - Joust, Ms. Pac-Man, Rampage, Raiden, Paperboy, Robotron, etc. (I've always wondered if you can use Rampage with the Lynx link cable for multiplayer - that game kicked butt in the arcades if you played with a friend.)

 

The only arcade ports I have, though, are probably the worst of the bunch - APB, Cyberball and Hard Drivin'. Hard Drivin' is a joke - you're lucky to get one frame per second, and control is ludicrous, and APB is just too hard to see and control on that small screen and with a d-pad. In Cyberball, I honestly can't even tell what's going on most of the time. I'd probably avoid these.

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[Shawn Jefferson]

I don't know the major differences, other than the Lynx II being a little smaller.

 

IIRC, the lynx II is smaller (but wider), has a slightly extended battery life, the power led, a different cartridge loading location with no door, and a stereo headphone jack.

 

I think the Lynx I is supposed to feel a bit heftier but actually has a reputation of being somewhat less reliable?  Not totally sure about that, though.

 

I think that the Lynx II is actually less reliable.

[Shawn Jefferson]

By "wider" I mean thicker.

[The_Laird]

The only arcade ports I have, though, are probably the worst of the bunch - APB, Cyberball and Hard Drivin'. Hard Drivin' is a joke - you're lucky to get one frame per second, and control is ludicrous, and APB is just too hard to see and control on that small screen and with a d-pad. In Cyberball, I honestly can't even tell what's going on most of the time. I'd probably avoid these.  

[/img]

 

Are you kidding, A.P.B is probaly one of the finest games on the Lynx with nice looking fast graphics, superb speech, a touch of humour and most importantly great fun to play! Cyberball does suck but i think Hard Drivin' is an excellent conversion too with all the polygons scaled to perfection and its pretty fast too. Other than those mentioned STUN Runner is fantastic so are XYbots, Roadblasters, Klax and Xenophobe if you want Arcade conversions.

[Agent X]

I don't have a huge number of games but most of the arcade ports are all supposed to be really good - Joust, Ms. Pac-Man, Rampage, Raiden, Paperboy, Robotron, etc.  (I've always wondered if you can use Rampage with the Lynx link cable for multiplayer - that game kicked butt in the arcades if you played with a friend.)

 

The Lynx version of Rampage is probably the best version of the game ever--better than the arcade game, even. The Lynx version allows up to four people to play simultaneously, while the arcade game only allowed three to play at most. The Lynx version also has an additional character that's exclusive to this version of the game (so that four can play).

 

I think A.P.B. on the Lynx turned out pretty good. It's a very entertaining game--lots of levels and a healthy dose of humor, too.

 

Most of the arcade conversions on the Lynx are really good. You've got some ports of early 1980s classics like Ms. Pac-Man and Robotron: 2084, as well as adaptations of a fair amount of hits from the late 1980s and early 1990s like Klax, RoadBlasters, S.T.U.N. Runner, and Rampart.

 

Games that significantly define the Lynx...well, besides the great arcade conversions already mentioned in this thread, I'd have to go with a lot of the early Epyx-developed games like Blue Lightning, Gates of Zendocon, Electrocop, Chip's Challenge, and Todd's Adventures in Slime World. Some others to consider are Warbirds, Checkered Flag, and BattleWheels.

[EricDeLee]

Congrats on owning a Lynx. I studied up on them for about a year before I finally got one.

 

Then I bought a Huge Atari Lynx lot which is documented somewhere within the Lynx forum... (a whole bunch of systems, cases, a boxed Lynx, 100 or so games and a bunch of other items). I still have plenty of games left for sale... so if you are needing some, let me know.

 

Adios...

[+davidcalgary29]

If you have only $10 to spend, get:

 

Klax

Rampart

Chip's Challenge

Blue Lightning

Electrocop

 

(you can usually get all of these for about that price)

 

If you have $50, get the above plus:

 

Lemmings

 

If you have $100, get everything above plus:

 

Alpine Games

 

or

 

Xenophobe + Checkered Flag + Scrapyard Dog

 

and you can probably afford Shanghai as well.

[The_Cane_Toad]

Well it turns out I have the Lynx Mk II. I dont think I've seen the other kind.

 

I remember playing Klax years ago at an electronics expo, seemed like a lot of fun.

 

Is Lemmings similar to the PC game of the same name, if so then i would definatley try to aquire it.

 

Thanks for the info guys, I think (hope) you have steered me in the right direction.

[crc_73]

You can actually "try-before-you-buy" with most of the Lynx titles. There is a Lynx emulator called "Handy", which runs in Windows, and you can download ROM images for most of the games on this site (see the entry for each game in the Lynx section). There is plenty of info available to get you started, and IMO, this emulator is probably the easiest to get up and running.

 

Playing on the emulator will give you a good idea of what to expect, but if you play the real thing, you will probably find the experience even better. There are at least a few titles that I've felt were Ok on Handy, but after getting and playing the real thing, they were just tons better. I think if you find a game pretty good on the emulator, you'll probably love the real deal. It's probably the whole emmersive experience adding up to a better way to spend time.

 

As for games, the best ones have been already mentioned. I have a preference for the arcade titles, like Xenophobe, Rampart, Robotron, Rygar, Roadblasters, STUN Runner, XYBots, although there are a few turkeys too (Hard Drivin and Pit Fighter spring to mind, although I've only played through them through emulation, so maybe their great games, but I doubt it ). Someone also mentioned the Epyx games - I remember playing Electrocop on Handy, and thinking WTF! Months later I picked up a very cheap non-working unit with a flat Electrocop included, and finding it to be a super game. Many of the other Epyx games are unique titles, and well worth checking out.