At Atari Lynx Vault we aim to be transparent with how we define various terms, especially those that may be considered subjective and could have many different definitions depending on whom you ask. When it comes to defining what type of release a particular game is there are plenty of divergent opinions, so this page describes what we mean when we use these terms and scores.
You may also be interested in our Game Review Standards and Ratings.
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Release Types
A release type defines whether a game was officially made and distributed during Atari's era or if it came after. Factors like cartridge type and packaging are also taken into account. For example, to count as an official release, a game must have been created and distributed on one of the flat, ridged or curved cartridge types between the years 1989 - 1995. As a result, some Telegames titles, do not quality as 'official' releases by this measure.
There are many non-official types of releases and several distinctions are made between what constitutes each, some may be subtle.
| Release | Description |
|---|---|
| Official | Games released on one of the official (dark grey) flat, ridged or curved lip cartridge types between the years of 1989 - 1995 (Atari era) |
| Japanese | Official titles that were released in the Japanese market and contained Japanese packaging or manuals |
| French | Official titles that were released in the French market, most notably known to include one or more lapel pins inside the box and have the words "Pin's Gratuits" on a sticker on the front of the box. |
| Big Box | Early releases of official titles that came in larger boxes than the standard, commonly used box size for most of the Lynx games. These boxes were around the size of Atari 2600 boxes |
| Demo | Non-playable titles released for the purpose of showing off a game or technology. Runs on the Lynx but can't be controlled by the player |
| Aftermarket | Professionally published games that were either not released on the 3 official cart types during the Atari era or games released on official style carts post 1995 |
| Homebrew | ROM only or cart only releases without professional packaging or manuals |
| Prototype | Unfinished or in-development games that haven't officially been released to the public either during the Atari era or in the modern days |
| Development | Games that are currently in development, not yet released to the general public |
| Unreleased | Games that have been announced or planned but never made it to market either during the official Atari era or modern day releases |