From: rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert A. Jung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video,alt.games.lynx
Subject: Re: Lynx Hockey - mini-review
Date: 21 Aug 1992 17:33:15 -0700
Organization: Southern California Lynx Enthusiasts
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

In article <1992Aug21.173951.12824@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> denton@ssd.comm.mot.com (Perry Denton) writes:
>Picked up a few new Lynx games yesterday: Hockey, Qix,
>and Robotron ($13!).  Both Qix and Robotron seem like
>well done arcade conversions, except I am have control
>problems with Robotron which I assume I will get more
>used to it (I'm used Control "A" right now)

  Switch to control option C -- easiest for a beginner to learn. My personal
preference as well, since I can score over a million with it.  B-)

>But my main intent of this post is just to say
>"LYNX HOCKEY SUCKS!!!!"   This game will become
>the first-ever game returned by yours' truely.

  Just throwing in my disagreements here, if you don't mind. You want a Lynx
game that stinks, go buy ROBO-SQUASH or HARD DRIVIN' or TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL.

>Now the bad points:
>   1) Hit "option 1" to move control to nearest player
>      to the puck?  Are you kidding?  This is only a 
>      manuever you need to do every second or so.
>      This alone make the gameplay near zero.

  Shrug. I grab control of the nearest player, steal the puck, and run with
it. Don't have any complaints here. Why are you changing players so often?

>   3) The sound effects (what little there is) suck.  

  Agreed. Big time. Gimmie a crowd, and some REAL music in there. The title
theme is cool, but that's about it.

>   4) I don't seem to have control of the goalie.  If it
>      is computer-controlled (which I believe it is), the
>      computer is a very poor goalie.

  Depends on what team you pick. Even so, teams with the best goalies (high
ratings in Smarts and Speed) will often dive for the puck. This means that
they'll block an initial shot by an opposing player, but then they're spending
the next second or so getting up -- during which your goal is vulnerable. The
secret is to keep a player near the goalie when the opponent is making a
drive, so your goalie saves the puck and you can recover it on the rebound.
Reversing this strategy (shoot for the goal, when the computer blocks it,
recover the puck and shoot again before he recovers) is a good way to score as
well.

  At least the goalie is equally poor on all teams (all are vulnerable to this
setup), so it's fair all around...

>I was hoping for something at least half as good as 
>"Blades of Steel" (esp when it looks like a clone of it)
>I still consider "Blades of Steel" the best sports game
>ever made (yes, much better than Genesis' Madden or NHL Hockey)

  Funny, IMO Lynx HOCKEY is closer to an action-sports game like BLADES than
a simulator like NHL HOCKEY. If you don't like Lynx HOCKEY, you will also
dislike MARIO LEMEUX HOCKEY on the Genesis, since they're essentally the same
game (same design team, same screen layout, same features...go check).

>Hope this saves somebody $40.

  Funny, if I could find another copy of HOCKEY for a low price, I'd probably
buy it, so I could ComLynx and have some rousing bouts...

                                                --R.J.
                                                B-)

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