"Loopz" rating?

[+davidcalgary29]

Can anyone rate "Loopz" as a game, and not just as a collectible? I'm thinking about adding a repro cart to my collection. Thanks!

[eric_ruck]

It has been awhile since I played this game but I remember liking it a lot. Challenging puzzle game, perhaps made extra challenging for lack of instructions. Maybe I'll pull it out tonight.

 

Eric

[Tom-Lynx]

Loopz is very fun, and if you have someone to play with, it works great as a two player comlynx game.

 

Although the title screens still say Beta, it has always worked perfectly for me. The music is also great. The game itself is addicting to a point of being in the same league as Tetris.

 

Tom

[Daniel Thomas]

I have to say I like Loopz a lot. Clever, unique, and lots of fun. It's too bad this puzzler was never released, as it would have been a welcome addition to the library. Why didn't Atari pump out more puzzle games? I remember that the Gameboy had almost nothing but puzzlers for the longest time. It's best for a handheld system, since you can play for short bursts of time.

 

I've come to really respect Handmade Software. They seem to be the only developers who have cracked the Lynx's audio abilities. No more rehashed Atari 2600 white noise! The music in Loopz is terrific and catchy as hell -- I've been humming the songs in my head for days now. Of course, excellent music is a HMS calling card (see Awesome Golf, Battlezone 2K, Dracula, and Malibu Volleyball). How were they able to achieve this?

 

I'm guessing there isn't a "complete" version floating around somewhere, and the 90% version is the only one we'll ever see. As far as I can tell, the only omission is that the game never moves up to the next level after a certain number of loops (like Tetris). Ideally, players should advance to the next level after a certain number of spaces have been cleared; several small loops, or one big loop. If someone has the means, they could hack into the program and make the change.

 

Speaking of hacks, I would also change a second thing, and this game would be perfect. I would remove the large "S" block -- not the normal Tetris-sized block, but the larger one. Most of the puzzle pieces are well balanced, but this one isn't; it's way too damn big, and never fits anywhere when the playing field gets filled up. You need the tension of running out of space, but this is a bit much. I suggest only removing this piece from the main "match" game, and leave the side-game (where you reassemble the broken loop) alone.

 

Finally (please bear with me), is Loopz available on a card anywhere? Has anyone had the opportunity to play a versus match? My hunch is that this game could really come alive with some competition. Anyway, my two cents.

[Tom-Lynx]

Finally (please bear with me), is Loopz available on a card anywhere? Has anyone had the opportunity to play a versus match? My hunch is that this game could really come alive with some competition. Anyway, my two cents.

 

Yes... you can get Loopz on PCB board carts. I have played a head to head match with 2 Lynxes (and two carts obviously) and it is a great time.

 

Tom

[+davidcalgary29]

Thanks, guys! I guess I'll send in payment for a "Loopz" cart to B & C ASAP!