Comic Con Preview
by Robert A. Jung

In July 1991, I attended the San Diego Comic Con to see the sights, mingle with the crowds, and look for back issues of my favorite four-colored books. Video games wasn't on my mind at all, so I was very surprised to see an Atari-sponsored booth showing off several not-yet-released Lynx games. Of course, that prompted me to spend several hours playing the new titles, and then sharing what I saw with everyone else...

Well, I'm flabbergasted. I went down to the San Diego ComicCon (Comics Convention) for some R&R, and end up previewing new Lynx games. Naturally, I had to dedicate myself to many hours of playtesting. Here, then, is a report on what I saw:

Meeting New Friends
Running the Lynx booth was Gary Barth, a very easy-going Lynx representative. Gary has worked closely with the industry, including writing for Gamepro magazine and having many friends in the business. He was handing out Lynx-shaped brochures, as well as the "Atari Adventure" 16-page insert found in many video game magazines.

Four games were shown at two kiosks: Checkered Flag, Scrapyard Dog, Turbo Sub, and Viking Child. According to Gary, they were nearly complete, and are expected to be on sale in September. Gary also showed me early beta versions of Hard Drivin' and Ishido: The Way of Stones, though we do not expect those to be released until the end of the year. He insisted that Atari is dedicated to bringing out 20-30 new games before the year ends. This doesn't include third-party titles, so if everything is correct, Lynx owners will have a very merry Christmas indeed.

Playing at the Kiosks
Please note that the comments offered below are initial impressions only. The games I played were not officially ready for release, and features may be changed by the time a game reaches the stores. The four Lynx games I saw for public playing were:

Checkered Flag. This is a one-to-six player auto racing game, and is easily the most impressive title I saw, not to mention just plain fun. I want mine now!

This card is literally crammed with options. You can run for practice, drive one race on a track, or go for a multi-track tournament. There are 18 tracks to choose from, with enough twists and bends to satisfy everyone. You can race against up to nine opponents, from 1 to 50(!) laps. Your starting position can be determined at random, or by a qualifying lap. Your car can have a 4-speed automatic transmission, 4-speed manual, or 7-speed manual. For the extra touch, your Indy racer can be any of ten colors, and you can choose the gender of your driver.

In the race itself, the action is shown from behind your car, with your instrument panel (speed and gear) and side-view mirrors on the bottom of the screen. A road map at the top of the screen shows the course and the position of everyone in the race. The roadside obstacles consist of trees, cacti, rocks, cows, and signs to avoid. Hitting an obstacle wastes time, and hitting another car causes you both to spin out and lose speed. The joypad is used to both steer and change gears (on the manual transmissions), while the buttons provide gas and brakes.

The game controls are properly balanced; players who found RoadBlasters too difficult to control will enjoy this title. Graphics are attractive and convey the feeling of speed very well. Sounds consist of musical scores between races, the roar of motors and the squeal of tires, and a digitized "start your engines" countdown, complete with echo. The only bad news is that the promised track editor may not be in the final version. Still, this game is terrific!

{Read the review.}

Scrapyard Dog. This is the Lynx's answer to Mario, Bonk, and Sonic. You play the part of Louie, a junkyard owner whose best pet dog has been kidnapped by the mean Mr. Big. You must guide Louie through a scrolling junkyard landscape and try to rescue your pup. This game is similar to the Super Mario games, and has the same kind of cute appeal. Enemies consist of mean animals (Mr. Big's minions) and junkyard obstacles. You dispatch enemies by throwing cans at them, and pick up money along the way. If you can find them, there are secret bonus screens. In these, you can buy additional weapons and protection, or try to win extra lives and money in skill contests.

There's a lot to see and a lot to try. The game looks like it's clearly intended for younger players, with cute graphics and light music to match. However, it's not a pushover, and is challenging enough for everyone.

{Read the review.}

Turbo Sub. This is a first-person, shoot-everything action game. Your objective is to repel an alien invasion by attacking the fiends in your turbo sub, an amphibious attack craft. Waves consist of an aerial assault, where you blast flying enemies while dodging attacks and debris. You then dive underwater, to fight more enemies, avoid collisions, and try to pick up gems. At the end of each level, you can use the gems to buy additional weaponry.

This game strikes a balance between good and bad points. On the one hand, there is a wide variety of enemies to see and destroy, and the action level is very high, with a lot of aliens to shoot. On the other hand, the game offers little variation or innovation. The 3-D effect is almost absent; aside from seeing targets and an occassional cloud fly by, there is little sense of motion. The graphics are adequate, though not unusually inspiring, and the sound is simply functional. Perhaps the final game will be more impressive, but for the version I saw, the appeal of Turbo Sub will come from the nonstop action.

{Read the review.}

Viking Child. Though this is supposed to be based on a European computer adventure, the game I saw was more of a scrolling action game. You play the part of a Viking, walking and jumping across the land, to find a missing child. The action is presented in a side view, which scrolls along with your movements. You fight monsters along the way, in hopes of seizing their treasure. There are shops where you can buy weapons and supplies, as well as hidden caverns to explore. The quest is broken into several stages, and a stage must be completed before you can reach the next. A password feature lets you skip to the later levels, and the game holds high scores for up to ten players.

The only problem with Viking Child that I found was the speed of my character; he seemed to plod along while other beings sprinted. Basic combat consist of jabbing your sword until the enemy dies, though the use of additional attacks spices up the action. The game graphics are small but detailed, and the subscreens have entertaining touches, such as the troll in the shops who kicks your purchases. Lacking a user's manual, I wasn't able to tell if the game has even more complexity than the version I played.

{Read the review.}

Behind the Scenes
In addition to the games shown at the kiosks, Gary Barth also brought along beta versions of two more games. As one Lynx fan to another, he was more than happy to let me try them out:

Hard Drivin'. This game card is an adaptation of the sensational Atari Games' driving simulator. You race a sports car on a combination race/stunt track, trying to finish laps as fast as possible while avoiding nasty crashes.

The Lynx version I saw was clearly incomplete. The sound was missing, and the steering was very sensitive. Unlike Warbirds, which did its simulating with scaled sprites and filled polygons, Hard Drivin' was completely done with polygons. This is a very math-intensive task, and the effect is that, compared to Warbirds, this game feels a little slower. Though I could not compare directly, it seems to play at about the same rate as the Atari ST computer version.

Though this was only a beta version, the game already shows signs of promise. As in the arcade, you have a choice of manual or automatic 4-speed transmissions. The track has been duplicated exactly, with all of the familliar features and obstacles. If and when you get into an accident, an instant replay feature will show you what you did wrong. Keep an eye on this one.

{Read the review.}

Ishido: The Way of Stones. This title is an adaptation of a computer game from Accolade. It is a strategy game; you have 72 tiles of six different colors, each marked with one of six different figures. The idea is to place the tiles on a board, adjacent to other pieces of the same color and/or symbol, in specific combinations. The more complex the combination, the more points are awarded.

The Lynx adaptation seems identical to the computer version. You can choose different colors and symbols for the tiles. Game scoring can be in the "ancient" or "modern" method, which emphasizes careful placement or quick thinking. Hints are available, and there is an "oracle" feature, which analyzes your game to "offer insights into personal questions". If nothing else, it's harmless fun.

I personally don't believe this is a beta card. The version of Ishido I saw looked almost complete, with elegant graphics and all of the game options available and installed. Don't be too surprised if you see this game out very soon.

{Read the review.}