Having my Atari 7800 power supply go ‘kaput’ finally pushed me over the edge. Every few months or so, I would peruse the Lynx section of the Best Electronics website, price out a system, and then forget about the whole thing. I had owned a Lynx when they were new in the late 80s, and despite the machine’s ravenous battery cravings, it was a fun time, particularly since I was fond of Atari-style arcade games. Later in college, I sold my Lynx set up to help pay for an Atari Jaguar…not the greatest move in hindsight.
I assembled a second Lynx set up years later, piecemeal from eBay and other online sources. It was fun for a time. I enjoyed trying out games I had never played, but the screen was never quite right, always either too dark or too washed out. So back into the eBay pond it went.
Yet, I remained fond of the system. Nostalgia aside, it plays a really great home version of Rampart, oddly enough.
Besides offering a wide variety of Atari spare parts, Best Electronics offers refurbished Lynx systems, brought back to factory specs. That might solve my screen problem. And what’s this? Best makes a plug-in rechargeable NiCad battery pack for the Lynx? No more hanging out by a power outlet. Yet, I held out, until my Atari 7800 power supply died.
I finally placed my Lynx order for a refurbished system, battery pack and large carrying case, along with a replacement 7800 power supply and, what the heck, some joystick rebuild kits for the Atari 2600. When the package arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised. First off, the box itself was covered in Atari packing tape, which was a really nice touch. I’m happy to say the refurbished Lynx came in ‘like new’ condition and screen looks fantastic. The large Lynx carrying case was new in the box and the NiCad battery pack works great. All in all, opening the package brought a smile to my face.
The Best Electronics website may be a little retro compared to contemporary eCommerce sites, but I have to say, Bradley is great with helping you with your order via email. If you are in the market for some old Atari items, or even new items, I highly recommend browsing the Best website. They really cater to the Atari fan.
And while STUN Runner was a little rough around the edges, Rampart is as fun, and as challenging, as I remember.
Cheers,
Ben
Lynx photo from retrogioco.altervista.org
I always wanted a Lynx when I was a kid. I had it and numerous games circled in the Sears Wish Book as a subtle hint to my mom. Never panned out though. So when I saw an ad on Craigslist for a system, AC adapter, and a couple of games for $20 I moved fast. I even lucked out and scored some sealed games off a eBay for cheap as well (Rampart among them).
Unfortunately my unit has been packed away with the rest of the portables and other systems to make room for the new baby on the way.
Are there any other titles you recommend for the system? I’ve really been eyeing Zaku (http://www.zaku-lynx.com/purchase.htm) since shmups are a favorite of mine.
Yeah, I hear Zaku is similar to Air Zonk on TurboGrafx, but the price is a bit steep for me. I really enjoyed Blue Lightning. While on the short side, it’s kind of a thinking man’s Afterburner. I also enjoyed the Lynx versions of Klax, Lemmings and Hard Drivin’. Gates of Zendocon and Zarlor Mercenary are the other SHUMPS on the system, but you may want to try them out on an emulator first. What other genres do you enjoy?
I also enjoy beat’em ups and RPGs. Blue Lightening was one of the games that came with the system and I’ve enjoyed it as well. Gates of Zendocon was one of the sealed games I got from eBay and I’ve been a bit reluctant to pop it open. I’m not familiar with Zarlor Mercenary so I will definitely check it out.
I agree that Zaku is a bit pricey. In fact, I think they’ve raised the price recently as it was once around $45.
Hmm, the Lynx is rather lacking in RPGs unless you are willing to track down some Repros of unfinished prototypes, like Eye of the Beholder or Daemon’s Gate. There are a few Beat’em ups of varying quality: Batman Returns, Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop, Double Dragon and Shadow of the Beast. Oh, and I forgot there is a version of Raiden on the Lynx.
I like the atari lynx for what it is,with it’s color screen,16bit graphics psg & digital ,it’s powerful 8bit cpu and 18 player link up makes up for what it is an amezing system.
BUT eventrough those games such as electrocop,blue lightning, batmans return,turbo sun,pitch fighter etc,,, shows off what the lynx can do,however to me they feel monotone with very repetitive & dificuilt gameplay,and so because of this i like to play them for 5 minutes one after another before stop playing,it’s not them i really want to beat those games,also because of the blurring & high battery demanding lcd screen.
But from an technical & historical stand point it’s an amezing system.