From: jglor@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Jason Glor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: LYNX: Pinball Jam & Shadow of the Beast
Date: 12 Nov 92 19:00:31 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego


Well, I just got Pinball Jam and Shadow of the Beast yesterday and
have played them a lot since then. Here are my comments if you care:

Shadow of the Beast:
The graphics and sound are incredible: multi-level scrolling,
scaling that feels right (as opposed to just being thrown in because
the Lynx can do it), creepy music, you name it.

It's hard though. Not futile hard, like you don't think you're
getting anywhere because you keep dying at exactly the same spot and
you have no idea how to get past it, but hard like you get a little
further each time (just enough to get you excited about the next
time), but not to far.

The controls are a but funky, I don't like how long it takes you to
turn around (but it sure looks cool seeing the guy actually turn
around instead of just suddenly facing the other way), and I'm still
no good at the jump kick. I like the fact that you can choose which
button (A or B) is jump and which is attack, but if I don't leave it
on default, I confuse myself.

I haven't really played it a lot but I like what I see.


Pinball Jam:
The second I started playing this I said "Whaa! I can't see
anything!" That was in reference to the way the screen scrolls
around and centers in on the ball. After a few seconds, your eyes
get used to it and you can focus in on things. This still happens to
me every time I play after stopping for a while.

The two modes: easy and hard, leave a lot to be desired. Most real
pinball machines are somewhere in between. Easy mode leaves
everything lit when you loose a ball. I mean everything! Even the
bonus multipliers. Come on,  I've never played a pinball machine
where the bonus multipliers stay on (Except on some when you get a
Hold Bonus) And the Hard mode turn everything off. Even locked balls
dissappear. You have to lock the ball and get multiball before
loosing the ball or else the locked ball is gone.

I like both the games (Elvira and Police Force) about the same, but
I think I like Elvira a little bit better. Police Force seems to be
prejudiced to the left flipper. All the really good stuff must be
hit with the left flipper, and the ball seems to never get to the
left flipper. 

The digitized sounds are neat but they should have added a few more.
Elvira always says "Leaving so soon?" when you loose a ball, and
Police Force always says "Unit 4, they got away." I don't know if
they did that on the original pinballs or not.

My reveiw looks like I dont like Pinball Jam, but really I do. It
feels more like real pinball than any other video pinball I have
played, but it is still video pinball. The only way to get it to
feel more real is if it was real. But then it would cost a little
more and I wouldn't be able to play it in the car...

-- 
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\ Jason Glor            /\ There's a Mystery in the Magic/
/ jglor@sdcc13.ucsd.edu \/      only you can unravel!    \
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