Subject: Under the Lynx Microscope #4

Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari,alt.games.lynx

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           <<<< Under the Lynx Microscope >>>>



                Edition #4, Date 09/17/97



          By: Carl Forhan (forhan@millcomm.com)



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// FEATURED GAMES: Raiden                             //

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ULM is a periodic feature that will be posted to alt.games.lynx and

rec.games.video.atari.  The purpose is to generate some interest and

discussion around the Atari Lynx portable video game system, especially

for game titles that have been "under-exposed" on the internet.  



Contact forhan@millcomm.com for information on contributing to ULM.



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| Raiden                     |

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Raiden is a cool overhead shooter that was produced and ready for

publication by Atari at least four years ago.  Unfortunately, with an

ever-increasing focus on the Jaguar, the game was shelved.  Late in 1996,

however, Telegames stepped in to pick up support for both the Atari Jaguar

and Lynx.  The result:  two new Lynx games in the first half of 1997, Fat

Bobby and Raiden.



Most people are familiar with this classic shooter, and it retains a lot

of the same fun on the Lynx.  Graphics are small but crisp, and there's

enough animation and motion to keep the enemies lively as well as

challenging.  The screen does scroll a bit to the left and right, but it's

a small playfield nonetheless, so you have to stay on your toes to dodge

enemy fire and take out your foes.  The game also supports a second player

via comlynx.



I like shooters, and especially Raiden.  The premise is uncomplicated, and

while the game is level based (implying an ending), the steep difficulty

will likely ensure this game can be played for many hours before it is

mastered.



Strategy tips:



1) Use the fire button (the A button) to start the game and each level.

   Otherwise you may inadvertantly drop a bomb.



2) Destroy the first (large) hovercraft that appears on screen.  He'll

   give you a <P> power-up, which raises your main weapon to maximum

   yield.  Even if you sacrifice your ship before you get it, it's worth

   it.



3) Watch out for the helicopters and the big, green "stealth bomber"

   ships.  They will both attack you from behind if not destroyed when

   they first appear in front of you.



4) Don't trap yourself in the edges of the playfield, or along the bottom

   edge of the screen.  Leave a little space for emergency manuevers.



5) Save your bombs for "boss" enemies or clusters of smaller enemies.

   Additional bombs and power-ups can be obtained in each level.



6) Certain darker-colored "storage crates" on the ground actually house

   missile power-ups.  Learn to identify which crates are worth going

   after.  And all of the tan-colored hovercraft yield power-ups.



7) I prefer the red power-ups to blue.  Blue gives you faster firepower 

   and a thicker shot from your cannon, but red gives you a much wider

   spread which comes in handy when many enemies are onscreen at once.

   Combine this with homing missiles, and you'll be bristling with

   firepower.



Differences from the Jaguar version:



1) The inclusion of helicopters.  These guys are really nasty, and will

   gladly fly circles behind you and generally annoy you to no end.



2) The first hovercraft always gives you a <P> power-up (very helpful!).



3) Boats don't yield power-ups (some did in the Jaguar version).



4) You can shoot rapidly by simply holding down the fire button -- less

   wear and tear on the thumb!



6) Bombs don't last as long and the area of effect doesn't "move" with

   you.



7) No in-game music, and no options for variable numbers of credits.



8) You get to use the full screen in the Lynx version. ;-)



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 |echie |rivia:



Raiden, along with Fat Bobby, introduces a new style of Lynx cart -- a

flat, black cart with a low profile EPROM hidden by the cart label and a

hole in the handle for grasping.



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|  Carl Forhan    <><   | http://www.millcomm.com/~forhan/jaguar.html

| forhan@millcomm.com   | http://www.millcomm.com/~forhan/vindicator.html

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