Lynx review

Battlewheels

You know, the more games I review for the Lynx, the more I'm AMAZED that this piece of hardware didn't make the big time. Sure Atari botched the marketing. Sure Atari basically turned it's back on the Lynx *and Jaguar. But, some of the games exclusive to the Lynx are just *so* good, that it makes you wonder if Atari WANTED to kill the Lynx. Cuz with games like Battlewheels, you'd think the Lynx was a sure bet. *Sigh* On with the review. Battlewheels is, essentially, the best attempt at the "war cars" type game. You're behind the wheel of a spiffy, sports car. Which is armed to the teeth with missles, machine guns, flamethrowers, etc. And to aid navigation, you've got a radar system for tracking opponents and scouting your enviroment. Little touches flesh out Battlewheels. If your car has sustained too much damage, a warning "beeper" starts to sound. When it goes, your car is history. And so are you if your still in it. Ah...but if your smart, your long gone. In Battlewheels you can leave the comfort of your car, at anytime. Not just when your car is a smoking heap. Plus, when you flee on foot, your armed with a hand gun *and* a missle launcher. Not much to work with, but it will buy you some time. Of course the other drivers will jump from their car's when things get hairy. And then the fun *really* starts!! Nothing like running down a few defenseless losers.

GRAPHICS: Good, but I really think the Lynx could have done more. Just look at Warbirds and you'll see what I mean. Battlewheels looks a little pixilated for my tastes. And every car is of the same design, just different colors. ***

SOUNDS: Again, it's very good. The machine guns have a nice tone, and the "grind" when you rundown players on foot is well done. But there's virtually on music once the game starts. And the roar of the engine just isn't enough to keep your ears interested. **1/2

CONTROL: Everything is very solid control-wise. When your behind the wheel, your car drives like a dream. No major drifting, which plagues *many* games. When your forced to go on foot, the controls adjust seemlessly. ****

OPTIONS: Quite a few. You can choose your car's color and your driver. Plus, you can adjust difficult and the number of rounds you and the rest of the cars must endure. ***

REPLAY: This is bit on the thin side. Not that Battlewheels isn't a great game. It is...to a point. It's just that the battles get a little repeditive. That's just the nature of the game. But four-play compatability (you daisy-chain four Lynx's) saves this game from being a total loss as far as replay. **

I must say, the first time through I was BLOWN away by Battlewheels. If I'd reviewed this during the first week I'd have given four and five stars for everything. But once the "new-ness" wore off, Battlewheels fell to just an above-average game in my view. But that doesn't take away from the fact that Battlewheels is the BEST attempt at this type game EVER. Just about every other "car war" game has taken something from Battlewheels. So if you like that type of action, and most of us do, check out Battlewheels. Not one the Lynx's best efforts, but definately far from the worst.