Songbird Lassos Loopz for Lynx

[Songbird]

Songbird Lassos Loopz for Lynx

June 29, 2004

For immediate release:

ROCHESTER, MN -- After years of being in a holding pattern, Loopz is finally making a landing on the Atari Lynx. Songbird Productions recently scooped up the rights to this game after several years of negotiations with Audiogenic Software Ltd. and Hand Made Software.

Loopz is the captivating puzzle game which has been published in at least a dozen different formats. The premise is simple: get pieces, drop them on the screen, and form closed "loopz" to clear the screen. The bigger the loopz, the bigger the points. The three game variations included are Chain Loopz, Target Loopz, and Match Loopz, each with their own twist on the basic game. Players can also watch for "gophers" which appear occasionally to help clear incomplete loopz from the screen.

Peter Calver, Managing Director of Audiogenic, was happy to work with Songbird on licensing this release: "I'm thrilled that at last Lynx owners will finally be able to play this highly addictive game!". Songbird founder Carl Forhan was equally pleased, saying, "This is a game many fans have heard about and maybe even played a few times over the years. I'm glad Songbird can finally give this game the proper publication it deserves."

Songbird expects to have the game ready for release at Classic Gaming Expo in San Jose this August. For details about CGE, please visit http://cgexpo.com .

Songbird Productions is a premier developer and publisher for the Atari Lynx and Jaguar. To keep up to date with the latest news at Songbird Productions, be sure to visit the company web site at http://songbird-productions.com . This message may be reprinted in its entirety.

[digitalpress]

Huzzah for new Lynx games!

I have a newfound appreciation for this system after recently dusting it off and playing some of the games that I've owned for years but never (heh) opened. I really believe that until Game Boy Advance SP there was not a better color backlit screen - Lynx games never have that "blur" effect.

Thanks for the update, Carl!

[Songbird]

Yeah, it's definitely still a favorite system of mine AND it's really easy to develop for. I'm looking forward to giving this game the full treatment, and also to doing another original Lynx game next winter...

[Songbird]

No hints until I at least have a working alpha.

[Daniel Thomas]

Excellent news! Loopz is a pretty good game, one that only needs a couple tweaks to be perfect. Will there be any alterations to the beta that's been floating around for ages?

Oh, and the music is just terrific. I keep telling myself to use that melody as a guitar riff sometime. I would love to listen to someone from Hand-Made Software explain how they were able to pull off such quality music on the Lynx. The audio was usually the weak point for most Lynx games.

Finally, if I recall correctly (feel free to tell me if I'm wrong), the Lynx used a passive-matrix LCD display. The TurboExpress used an active-matrix display, which was a main reason for its high price at the time ($300). Are there any of those left?

[Songbird]

There are a couple of very minor changes in this licensed version of Loopz. I agree, HMS did a spectacular job on audio in general, and Loopz is one of their best.

Are there any of those left?

Are there any of what left? Yes, you can buy Lynx units, and yes, you can buy Turbo Express from a few dealers.