From: laird@think.com (Laird Popkin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video,rec.games.video.arcade,alt.games.lynx
Subject: Re: Reformed lynxist (Pinball Jam)
Date: 16 Oct 92 13:59:54 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: django.think.com

In article <1992Oct15.181730.13102@ncsu.edu> jadorety@eos.ncsu.edu (JAMES ALLEN DORETY) writes:

[stuff deleted]

>Pinball Jam rocks.

I agree.  It's one of my favorite Lynx games, for the very reasons you
discussed.  Also, I tend to prefer games in which a single, interesting
situation is simulated well, rather than games which are a long sequence of
simple "levels" to beat.

>The reason I wrote all of this about a game Robert reviewed a while ago is that
>he somehow misses some things in his reviews.  I appreciate them and hope he
>continues to do them, but another point of view can be helpfull.  I'm lucky to
>buy a game every 3-4 months, like many of you.  Robert can call games good that
>keep his attention only 2-3 weeks because he has others to play, and he can come
>back to the good ones (like Klax) that don't hold his attention long.  People
>like myself want to hear about the games that are worth $37.  I had given up
>on finding such a game, but it appears I gave up too soon.  I'm reformed, and
>I'm saving for Xybots now.  Thanks to Robert and all who write reviews, but keep
>the "little" people like me in mind.  We can't afford the good games, we want
>the great ones that you keep coming back to. In short I suggest a new catagory:
>Long term playability, for those of us who need a game to last a month or two 
>before it wears thin.

This is an important issue.  There are many games that I bought and enjoyed
for a while, but only a few that I go back to later, and those are the ones
that are worth the money.  Ones that I particularly like are Pinball Jam,
Warbirds (multiplayer), Slimeworld (multiplayer), Awesome Golf, California
Games (multiplayer surfing), Ishido, Shanghai and Crystal Mines II.
Admittedly there will probably come a time when I will have solved all of
the CM II levels, but, like Chip's Challenge, it's remained interesting for
a long time.  As you can see, I am partial to multi-player games as well --
people are *always* more interesting opponents than computer-driven
opponents.

There are a few "beat the levels" games that I did enjoy:  Gates of
Zendocon was a lot of fun to map out, and there are some clever jokes in
it.  Blue Lightning is still one of the most graphically impressive games,
and I'd love to see a "Warbirds II" with Blue Lightning-style planes in
combat.  Chip's Challenge and Crystal Mines II are both level-based, though
I consider them more of a series of puzzles to solve, rather like a book
that you work your way through, due to the 'passwords' that let you start
at any level you've gotten to before.  Klax was a lot of fun, and was
definitely an above-average game, but I find myself leaning towards more
relaxing games to play (e.g. Shanghai, Awesome Golf) rather than the
reflex-driven frenzy that Klax works me into.

>Jim Dorety (jadorety@eos.ncsu.edu)

-- 
- Laird Popkin, Thinking Machines

Connection Machine: Massively parallel supercomputer.  Also a cool black
cube with more blinking lights than you can shake a stick at.