Lynx HSC 2nd half April 2010 Switchblade II

[+atari2600land]

OK, I'm a little late with posting this one. This time around we are going to play Switchblade II. The settings are normal. Please don't use any of the codes for this one. This round ends May 1 at 11:59pm Pacific. Have fun!

 

leaderboard:

1. Battlezone - 64

2. Eric DeLee - 61

3. darthkur - 39

T4. atari2600land - 31

T4. roadrunner - 31

6. atomickneedrop - 21

7. Atari Smeghead - 17

8. PFG 9000 - 10

T9. ninjabba - 6

T9. Damon Plus - 6

T9. madbutscher - 6

12. 4ks - 3

 

current high scores

-Eric DeLee - 82,540

-Battlezone - 76,630

-PFG 9000 - 54,480

-roadrunner - 25,090

-atar2600land - 17,340

Edited April 30, 2010 by atari2600land

[PFG 9000]

Awesome! I've only played this game twice, but I remember being pretty impressed last time. Hopefully this will give me the incentive to give the game the time it deserves.

[roadrunner]

I'll lead things off with 23,140

Good luck everyone!

 

[PFG 9000]

Good Luck, gang!

 

29,340

[Ninjabba]

I wish there were more platformers like this one on the Lynx. Never understood why it got rated poorly in reviews because it has so much to offer on the machine. I'll give this one a shot soon.

[+atari2600land]

This game is hard.

 

[roadrunner]

A little better 25,090

 

[PFG 9000]

54,480

 

I really appreciate how this HSC thread is getting me to put more time into old Lynx games that I never really got into. Switchblade II is a pretty cool game when you sit down with it for awhile. I probably still don't fully appreciate the game, since I don't use much of the stuff offered in the shops, and I use the switchblade to kill most enemies, but I can tell there's more depth there. I really encourage everyone to take their time with this game, it's very well made and has some cool level design further along.

 

Some tips: take the underground base levels step by step until you memorize where those ground spikes are. As far as I can tell, there's no indicator of where they're going to pop up, but if you go slowly enough, they'll pop up in front of you before you're right on top of them.

 

If you're playing for score, explore every open door in the second level. There are some nice powerups (and even a 5,000 point bonus) behind some of them.

 

Buy missiles for the second boss. They're kind of heat seaking, so you can focus on dodging his bullets and let the missiles seek him out.

 

The game gets a little easier once you reach the third level. (And prettier too...instead of the industrial background of the first level and the cliff climbing in the second level, you've got a nice forest background in level 3, and a waterfall in level 4.) There's a pretty easy to find 1-up on one of the outdoor stages in the third level (the second stage, I think). There's a bunch of floating platforms leading up and to the left, directly over the start of the stage, and the upper-left-most platform has the 1-up.

 

EDIT: Does anybody know if you can kill those three-way turrets in the second level? They're kinda a pain and it would be easier if I didn't have to dodge their bullets.

Edited April 27, 2010 by PFG 9000

[EricDeLee]

Darn! And I thought I was doing okay. I have a score of something like 34K or 38K. Looks like I need to try a bit harder!

Not a lot of time left though.

 

PFG 9000: Great score!

To answer your question... yes... you can beat those three-way turrets.

You have to get to the side of them. In between shots you start slashing at the middle with your blade. After four or five hits, it looks like there is fire in the middle (or is it possibly fire building up for the next shot?). Eventually it will quit shooting. Not too difficult. Be sure to move out of the way if it is ready to shoot... otherwise you will be shot.

 

That is a good tip on the spikes. There are not a lot of them, but they are a pain in the ass if you aren't careful.

[Battlezone]

My score: 37.130

[EricDeLee]

Well.. that was a fun game. The sub levels within the game makes it seem like a much longer game. When you get to the finish line though... you are left for wanting a bit more. Or at least I was. I guess I get to add this game to my SHORT list of Lynx games I actually beat.

 

It was fun though! I never bought any powerups aside from extra men. I ended the game with 4 or 5 lives left. So if I pick up the game again, I'm thinking I'll try a few different powerups. YUou really have to take it slow and study the enemies movements and allow the Lynx to shoot stuff at you (go ahead a few steps and backtrack or fake jump and backtrack) That will save you a lot of health! Note... always search around one of the shops doors. A lot of times I found food nearby. Then I could backtrack and get the extra life instead of health or food. Also... I do not think there is a way to kill the volcanoes. I tried... and I died. I should have known better. Volcanoes are always bad news... unless they are in the horizon like in BattleZone.

 

 

 

Final score: 82,540

Edited April 30, 2010 by EricDeLee

[PFG 9000]

Wow, very nice work! I will play this more in the future, but I don't think I can beat that score by May 1st.

[EricDeLee]

Wow, very nice work! I will play this more in the future, but I don't think I can beat that score by May 1st.

 

Thanks! I really don't think this game is too hard. It has a slower pace to it than some.

[Battlezone]

My score: 76.630

[+atari2600land]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what game to do next?

[Battlezone]

Joust? Robotron?

[EricDeLee]

Doesn't really matter to me. There are some titles I still need to play... so any game playable on the lynx... is cool by me.

 

If it is a puzzle type of game... I may skip so I can get further in EotB. I'm stuck right now.

LOL But then again... I don't know if I can afford to skip. I'm finally catching up to #1 LOL

[roadrunner]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what game to do next?

Robotron.

[PFG 9000]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what game to do next?

Either of those would be fine with me.

[2d gamer]

Hello all. I also think Switchblade II is a great and under-rated game. I have a question for all you other Switchblade fans. Why is the final boss so easily defeated than any of the other bosses? I mean, they let you stand safely on the left cliff/ledge and shoot it from a distance away from harm. Is this a mistake? Oversight by game creators? Or maybe it is intenionally ironic (like how the end bosses in Gradius games are always a breeze)? I am very curious.

 

Switchblade II is one of the few lynx games with a "console game" feel like Bionic Commando or Strider. Games like Toki and Rygar, while awesome, play more like straightforward arcade games with fewer secrets.