![California Games [Atari Lynx] - A True Hidden Gem @psymagearcade](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QBQJ5FqtNOI/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded June 2024 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
California Games for the Atari Lynx was one of the few launch titles for the Lynx when it launched in 1989. While the system was not successful, there were quite a few real gems on it, like this version of the famous home computer game. So in this video, I break down the game and why it is still worth playing today.
Steam re-release: store.steampowered.com/app/1399480/California_Games_C64DOSAtariLynxNESSMSGenesis
Nintendo Switch re-release: nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-epyx-collection-handheld-switch
GameSpot Hall Of Fame article via the Wayback Machine: web.archive.org/web/20070112130021/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-36.html
00:00 Intro
01:00 BMX
02:34 Surfing
04:04 Halfpipe
05:48 Foot Bag (Hacky Sack)
07:09 Final Thoughts
California Games for the Atari Lynx was one of the few launch titles for the Lynx when it launched in 1989. While the system was not successful, there were quite a few real gems on it, like this version of the famous home computer game. So in this video, I break down the game and why it is still worth playing today.
Steam re-release: store.steampowered.com/app/1399480/California_Games_C64DOSAtariLynxNESSMSGenesis
Nintendo Switch re-release: nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-epyx-collection-handheld-switch
GameSpot Hall Of Fame article via the Wayback Machine: web.archive.org/web/20070112130021/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-36.html
00:00 Intro
01:00 BMX
02:34 Surfing
04:04 Halfpipe
05:48 Foot Bag (Hacky Sack)
07:09 Final Thoughts
![California Games [Atari Lynx] - A True Hidden Gem](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QBQJ5FqtNOI/mqdefault.jpg "California Games [Atari Lynx] - A True Hidden Gem
California Games for the Atari Lynx was one of the few launch titles for the Lynx when it launched in 1989. While the system was not successful, there were quite a few real gems on it, like this version of the famous home computer game. So in this video, I break down the game and why it is still worth playing today.
Steam re-release: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1399480/California_Games_C64DOSAtariLynxNESSMSGenesis/
Nintendo Switch re-release: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-epyx-collection-handheld-switch/
GameSpot Hall Of Fame article via the Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20070112130021/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-36.html
00:00 Intro
01:00 BMX
02:34 Surfing
04:04 Halfpipe
05:48 Foot Bag (Hacky Sack)
07:09 Final Thoughts")
![Raiden Trad [Sega Genesis] Normal 1CC - 1.8 Million (without Special Stage)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QalLbKrqvXc/mqdefault.jpg "Raiden Trad [Sega Genesis] Normal 1CC - 1.8 Million (without Special Stage)
I no-missed the main eight stages and did not start dying until the Special Stage after the ending, which is widely considered to be one of the hardest shmup stages ever. Once I started dying, that was it.
As for the game itself, its a pretty faithful port of the original. The only serious issue is the harsh checkpoint system in a game where its already hard to recover from death. Otherwise, its easier than the arcade version, mainly because there are less enemies on screen despite the bullet speeds being fast and the bosses are more exploitable, but its still among the toughest shmups Ive ever beaten. The only shmup that Ive 1CC so far thats tougher than this is Dragon Blaze, and that was just for a 1-ALL.")
![Pole Position II [Gamecube/Arcade] - Seaside Full Run 54,220 pts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SLl9dS6J1kg/mqdefault.jpg "Pole Position II [Gamecube/Arcade] - Seaside Full Run 54,220 pts
I finally beat Seaside in Pole Position II! Prior to this, I had beaten every other course in the game and uploaded runs of each. After beating this one, I can say its definitely harder than Test and Fuji but not as difficult as Suzuka. To be honest, the biggest turn in this one is a bit less risky than the big left on Suzuka and its not too hard otherwise. Fun fact: Seaside is based on the Long Beach Grand Prix street circuit used by both F1 and IndyCar/CART in the past.
I am considering creating a discussion video talking about both Pole Position game. Let me know if youd like to see that.
00:00 Intro
00:12 Qualifying
01:04 Race")
![Enduro Racer [Sega Master System] - Speedrun/1CC 55282 (US/EU Version)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/STnKOzIERuE/mqdefault.jpg "Enduro Racer [Sega Master System] - Speedrun/1CC 55282 (US/EU Version)
Played using the SMS Plus GX core in RetroArch with shaders.
Enduro Racer may be easy to clear, but getting good times is much harder. I would have gotten close to a WR had I not crashed near the end. A classic Master System arcade racing game that thankfully does not try to emulate the original arcade game and instead, opts for something a bit different.")
![Salamander 2 [Playstation 1] - First Loop 1CC 584,100 pts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SlW6YBpe8ZI/mqdefault.jpg "Salamander 2 [Playstation 1] - First Loop 1CC 584,100 pts
Salamander 2 is a shmup from Konami that was originally released in Japanese arcades in 1996 and received a port as part of the Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus compilation for Saturn and Playstation exclusively in Japan in 1997. It is a sequel to the original Salamander that was released back in 1986. Most American gamers know the original better as Life Force, particularly from the NES port. Both games are considered to be spinoffs of the Gradius series.
The Salamander games are known for mixing horizontal and vertical shmup gameplay into the same game. They also lack checkpoints, which differentiates these games from mainline Gradius. Power ups are obtained by grabbing a specific item for whatever power up you want, unlike in Gradius where you have to grab enough powerups to get to the item you really want.
Salamander 2 does add some new wrinkles to the gameplay. Particularly, you can shoot your options toward enemies as an attack. It adds twin lasers from Gradius III as an extra weapon option along with the regular laser and ripple laser. The biggest addition to the gameplay is one that you dont see, and its a complex rank system almost as wild as something youd see in Zanac or Battle Garegga. This game adopts the same rank system as the Parodius games. Basically, the more powerups you grab, the higher the rank increases, increasing the bullet speeds and aggressiveness of enemies. Speed ups are especially problematic for keeping rank low.
What does bring the rank down is dying, whether you die on accident or intentionally. Suiciding becomes a legitimate strategy in a game like this, especially since recovery is easier here than in most Gradius games as you get a chance to reclaim your options right after dying and do not have checkpoints to deal with. In fact, I found it was best to suicide at the beginning of Stage 5 and right before the last boss, though the latter was more of an accidental death in my case but worked out in the end. In both cases, I had chances to get powered up again right after. Another side note is that the Player 2 ship, Super Cobra, has lower initial rank than the Vic Viper, which is why I played on the P2 side.
As far as the level design goes, its brilliant stuff. The set pieces are awesome and each stage feels super memorable, with excellent 2D graphics and music. It also pays homage at times to Gradius and the original Salamander, while still feeling like its own game. The difficulty curve is pretty reasonable, as the only real spikes in the first loop outside of the rank system are in Stage 6, the last stage of the first loop. Even the second loop seemed pretty reasonable compared to second loops in other games from the little Ive played of it.
The scoring is mostly straightforward, but there are some interesting hidden scoring opportunity. One is that its possible to kill that larger enemy halfway into Stage 1 if you can somehow get powered up enough. That gives you 100,000 points but I missed it on this run. The second way is to take the first two big ships in Stage 4 without damaging the rear engines in order to reveal a golden ship and if you take out the engine first and then the rest of it, you get another 100,000 points.
Overall, this is definitely the best Konami shmup Ive played. I still have some mixed feelings about the rank system because it can get really nasty if youre not trying to manage it, but it does make the game even more interesting than it already is.
0:00 Intro
0:26 Stage 1-1
3:10 Stage 1-2
5:31 Stage 1-3
8:00 Stage 1-4
10:11 Stage 1-5
12:59 Stage 1-6
16:16 Final Boss of Loop 1
18:12 Stage 2-1
#konami #shmups #1cc #shootemups #playstation #salamander #gradius")
![Crossgunr Infinite [PICO-8] - 559,921 pts (to Level 12)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ssk5_NAmNec/mqdefault.jpg "Crossgunr Infinite [PICO-8] - 559,921 pts (to Level 12)
This is another run of Crossgunr Infinite, which ended in a significantly higher score than the previous one I uploaded last week. In this run, I got all the way to the Level 12 boss.
Enjoy!")
