Let's talk about the Atari Jaguar!

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

It was obscure and didn't sell a whole lot, sure, but it was an interesting piece of video game history and I love to discuss this awesome system with people anytime I get the chance. I know many people have not played the Jaguar and some people have some kind of odd hatred for it without even trying it and that it's "cool" to think the system sucks, but I don't think it sucks at all and that it had some fun an entertaining games for it. I remember plenty of late weekend nights playing Alien vs Predator with the lights out or enjoying some fast paced arcade action with Tempest 2000, I used to love those two games and have logged countless hours playing them both alone and with friends. Rayman, Defender 2000, Breakout 2000, Rayman, White Men Can't Jump, Kasumi Ninja, Ultra Vortek, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Iron Soldier, and Checkered Flag were just some of the games I owned for the system and played quite often, I even had a Skiiing game and another racing game I don't remember that aren't a part of my collection now.

But yea, like with most I'd say Tempest 2000, Rayman, and Alien vs Predator rank among my favorite Jaguar games and all 3 got signifigant hours from me in the mid 90's and I still revisit them to this day from time to time. Usually I'll dedicate a day or night once or twice every year to playing my Jaguar but I don't play it regularly like I do my NES for instance, but I like to make sure I get some time with the ol' cat. I still remember the Jaguar games coming with high prices in the early 2000's and the system becoming harder to find for a while but it seems as if they're a little more common now on eBay and on online stores. What do you guys think about the Jaguar? Any input?

[treismac]

My beef with the Jaguar is that it was a lousy investment. The amount of quality games released for the system did not merit purchasing the system. This was the system that I learned not to buy a video game system based on either hype, brand loyalty, and hardware numbers that I don't really fully grasp. Without decent games, today's cutting edge system is just tomorrow's closet paper weight.

With that said, I did enjoy Tempest 2000 and the Jaguar's version of Wolfenstein 3D.

[Scotterpop]

My main problem with the Jag is that it's so damn expensive to collect for. I'd love to one day own a Jag CD but it's going to set me back a few hundred dollars which I simply can't justify. It's got (IMHO) one of the highest cost to benefit disparities of any classic console. Don't get me wrong, I own one and love the system but rarely ever play it. There just aren't that many great games that validate the high price of ownership. That, and the awkward controller leaves a lot to be desired. Not trying to bash the Jag, it's just that I really don't understand why it's so highly valued by collectors. If the prices were lower it almost certainly would change my attitude toward it.

[fergojisan]

I bought a new Jag for 20 bucks back in the 90s. I played it for awhile and bought some games for it, but it got packed up when we moved in 1998 and not unpacked very often. In the early 2000s, I brought it to my brother in law's house to play, and we were very underwhelmed by it. Some of the Jag games looked worse than SNES games. I liked Tempest and Flip Out of the games I had, and decided that wasn't enough for me to keep the system. I don't miss it.

[JakeM]

I dont get the appeal of this thing at all, nothing about it is good. I mean the graphics are weirdly interesting, its like you turn the machine on and youre literally staring into gaming limbo. When John Carmack says your system is bad, its bad.

That one scene in First Kid when the presidents son is playing a virtual reality game in the mall reminds me of the Jaguar.

[Polygon]

There are a few games that I really like on the Jag. Games like wolf 3D and Syndicate. There are others, but it really boils down to the fact that they were mostly available on other platforms.

[Panzerfuzion]

I have a jaguar and about 15 games it's the worst system i own. It's simply awful, the controller sucks and the games are just awful. Yes there are a few decent ones but it's the only classic system i've considered selling it's been months since i hooked it up. But the 3DO on the other hand that's permanently hooked up.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I first played Rayman on the Playstation back in late 1995 when I rented it from a local video store but I didn't fall in love with it until I owned it for the Jaguar. I got the Jaguar for Christmas of 1996, a little late considering it was out a couple of years before and it was basically all but dead at that point but I'm glad I got it when I did. Had I got it back in 1994 I probably would have played my SNES or Genesis more and had I gotten it in 1995 than I would have ignored it because I was going through an NES resurgance abd a PSone phase, so late 1996 was absolutely perfect for me. I spent countless nights trying to beat AVP until I finally did, same goes for Rayman and Cybermorph, gosh......so many memories with this system and it's games......I may have to fire it up soon.

Some fun games included: Breakout 2000, Defender 2000, Tempest 2000, Alien vs Predator, Theme Park, Doom (best console version), Rayman (amazing graphics), Kasumi Ninja, Ultra Vortek, (Kasumi + Vortek are Mortal Kombat clones), Zool 2, and a couple others mainly. Protector was a great space shooter that came out like 8 years after the system died out, it was a homebrew title along with a few other noteworthy games by a company called Songbird. Check them out!

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

Just a Note:

Collecting for the Jaguar has become much more affordable lately. I remember back in the early 2000's it seemed the Jag had hit some sort of a spike and some specific games were going for over $100 on eBay used, these days those same games are around $20 at best. Same with the system. For a while a used Jaguar with one controller was selling on eBay for close to $200 circa 2001/2003, but now I've seen systems complete on auction for less than $50 and sometimes giant lots with tons of games for less than $100.

Glad to see the Jaguar become more affordable.

[otaku]

the jaguar is not the worst-the jaguar cd add on is the worst. I paid like $75 for one only to have it die the second time I used it
The system design was somewhat attractive to me but the controller was awful like the xbox's controller far too big. The plastic made it all feel kinda cheap to I suppose. Worst part was a lack of good games most of them were mediocre at best. Tempest 2000 and some of the homebrew stuff were my faves.

[tom]

Trouble with Jaguar is that it was too powerful for coders to write decent games for it. 64 bit was not evolved enough, I mean look at the N64 games, they all look rubbish and foggy, many duffs on N64.

Of course, there's a small good library of games for Atari Jaguar:

Theme Park
Wolfenstein 3d
Syndicate
AvP
Atari Karts
Zoop
Zool 2
Worms
World Tour Racing
Skiing and Snowboarding
Vid Grid
NFL Football
Baldies
Cybermorph
Battlemorph
Tempest 2000
Myst
Defender 2000
Dragon's Lair
Space Ace
Rayman
Evolution Dino Dudes
Soccer Kid
Power Drive Rally
Cannon Fodder
DOOM
Hover Strike 1
Hover Strike 2
Flip Out
Sensible Soccer
I War
Iron Soldier 1
Iron Soldier 2
Battlesphere
Missile Command 3D
Ruiner Pinball
Pitfall
NBA Jam
Sky Hammer
Air Cars (multi player)
Flashback
Pinball Fantasies

and the best Jaguar game: GORF

but these games don't show of the power of Jaguar, they are mostly polished games from other platforms, eg Amiga titles. Still excellent games worth playing if you haven't done so on other platforms before.

Bought my Jaguar CD in 96 and still works a treat.

.

[M.Buster2184]

I have a Jaguar, and while it's not my favorite system, I do think it has it's own quirkiness and I definitely don't think it's the worst system. CDi anyone? I think everyone is in agreement that Tempest 2000 is a badass game. My old roommate and I spent many nights trying to get the high score at that game. Also AVP is..interesting. The only thing that bugs me, is that the buttons are in order of C,B,A

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

Tempest 2000 is one of those games that makes me wish I had an arcade joystick for my Jaguar, same with Defender 2000 and Breakout 2000. Fun story: In 1997 I got the Telegames batch of Jaguar games that was limitedly released that included Breakout 2000, with Breakout being the only game in the batch me and my friend enjoyed we spent multiple days skipping school just to play the game while we tried to beat each others high score. Those are fun memories that I can't replicate with today's games or systems and something that really makes me bond with the Jaguar quite a bit, kinda cool.

[Gamevet]

I bought my Jag from Telegames for around $140; it included Troy Aimman Football and Tempest 2000. I'd later pick up about a dozen or so titles from Incredible Universe when they were clearing out stock. I really didn't care for the choppy AVP and thought that TA football wasn't even up to 16-bit standards. Themepark, Powerdrive Rally, Wolfenstein and Sindicate were cool, but the rest of the library left a lot to be desired.

I loved playing the Atari VCS back in the day, but Atari's followup consoles really didn't live up to expectations of what owning a console should be.

[o.pwuaioc]

My problem with the Jaguar is the best games on there — Tempest 2000, Doom, Rayman, Raiden — are easily found elsewhere, including superior versions on the PC. There's no real reason to own it.

[goldenband]

There's a part of me that does crave a Jaguar. I remember when the system came out, and feeling half-excited, half-cynical about the prospects of a new Atari system (let alone a "64-bit" one). But I've never owned one, or even played one AFAIK, though several games for the system have passed through my hands.

My 3DO and 32X scratch most of my itch for trashy mid-1990s gaming, and the PlayStation and Saturn have plenty of early titles that do the trick too -- so unless I come across a cheap yard sale find, I'm in no hurry.

Oddly enough, the Jaguar game that intrigues me the most is the CD release Highlander. Despite its terrible reputation, it just looks like the kind of game I'd enjoy mucking around in, and whose faults wouldn't bother me too much.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

It's funny how people see the Jaguar and 3DO as mid 90's "trash", but yet those two systems have supplied me with more memories than anything that has come since. I guess it's truly a matter of different strokes for different folks, but still, I loved my Jag and still love the ol' cat. It's like with everything, you've got to search through the rubbish to find the true gems.

[A.C. Sativa]

I've never even been in the same room as a Jaguar, much less played one. And after seeing video of Jag games on YouTube and such I don't have much desire to change that fact.

[goldenband]

It's funny how people see the Jaguar and 3DO as mid 90's "trash", but yet those two systems have supplied me with more memories than anything that has come since. I guess it's truly a matter of different strokes for different folks, but still, I loved my Jag and still love the ol' cat. It's like with everything, you've got to search through the rubbish to find the true gems.

Hang on, there's a big difference between "trashy" and "trash". A perfect example is the 3DO game Immercenary, which is completely trashy in that mid-1990s way -- cheesy costumes, goofy FMVs, cyberpunk clichés everywhere -- but absolutely isn't "trash", since it's quite a nifty little game (flawed, but nifty). Trashy = cheesy, basically, with a dash of exploitation.

I think "trashy" games can be totally memorable and fun, but outright trash usually isn't too memorable (there are exceptions) and certainly isn't fun. I can't speak for the Jaguar, but I know the 3DO, 32X, etc. have plenty of games in both categories.

[o.pwuaioc]

It's funny how people see the Jaguar and 3DO as mid 90's "trash", but yet those two systems have supplied me with more memories than anything that has come since. I guess it's truly a matter of different strokes for different folks, but still, I loved my Jag and still love the ol' cat. It's like with everything, you've got to search through the rubbish to find the true gems.

Ultimately, this is how it's going to be for just about everything. I remember going back and reading some Usenet posts from the 80s where people would complain that Nintendo killed real gaming. 3D has its 2D detractors, etc. Same with music, movies, books, poetry, theater, etc.