New Jaguar collector with some questions....

[sonoranreptile]

I have started my Atari Jaguar collection and I wanted some opinions/info on the system and the games.

1. Which are the best games for this system (cart only)?
2. What are the hard to find games?
3. Where does this system rank in your opinion of cart based gaming systems?
4. Anything cool or odd that makes collecting for this system stand out? (i.e. odd peripherals, prototype games/add-ons, etc.)

Thanks for any info/input. I ended up getting 2 complete systems off of ebay with a few games and the went to a local used gaming store to find another system and games for sale so I picked it up as well. I had NEVER seen anything Jaguar related in this store in the past 8 or so years only to find one now that I am interested in collecting. Kinda cool!

Derek

[smokehouse]

I have started my Atari Jaguar collection and I wanted some opinions/info on the system and the games.

1. Which are the best games for this system (cart only)?
2. What are the hard to find games?
3. Where does this system rank in your opinion of cart based gaming systems?
4. Anything cool or odd that makes collecting for this system stand out? (i.e. odd peripherals, prototype games/add-ons, etc.)

Thanks for any info/input. I ended up getting 2 complete systems off of ebay with a few games and the went to a local used gaming store to find another system and games for sale so I picked it up as well. I had NEVER seen anything Jaguar related in this store in the past 8 or so years only to find one now that I am interested in collecting. Kinda cool!

Derek


1.Tempest 2000….nuff said. Most other Jag games I’ve played are garbage. I own my Jag simply for Tempest….seriously.

2.There are some HTF titles, you’ll just have to look it up on the rarity guide found ←--------------

3.One of the largest disappointments in the gaming world. It could have been a great system but unfortunately for various reasons, it was a dismal failure.

4.There’s always the CD attachment and some 3’d party add-ons…

[Barbarianoutkast85]

I like Cannon Fodder, Wolfenstein 3d, Theme Park and Tempest 2000. The hard to find games for the Jag are: Worms, Zero 5, and Battlespere, and Battlesphere Gold. In my opion the system doesnt rank very high, there just isnt a lot of killer apps.

[CosmicMonkey]

Alien vs Predator is pretty damn good and very atmospheric. Everyone else will probably mention Tempest2000, but I've never played it.

I remember playing Cannon Fodder on CD, which was pretty good. I'm assuming Flashback is a decent port too.

I can't say I rate the Jaguar very highly personally. Considering when it was released, and the competition at the time the machine was DOA. But more to the point, what attracts you to the Jaguar? Why have you decided to collect for it?

As for proto stuff, JaySmith has loads on his site. Proto Virtual Reality headsets, modems etc. Whether you'll ever actually ever be lucky enough to get your hands on this stuff is another question though.

[Iron Draggon]

Tempest 2000 and Ruiner Pinball are my favorites

it could've been a much better system than it was, had Atari not abandoned their VR headset ideas, and not focused so much on flat shaded poly games that weren't VR games... flat polys would've been fine for VR games at the time, but for standard cart games they paled in comparison to similar games on other systems, and most people preferred flashy sprite based games...

lots of rare oddities to try and collect for it, such as the VR headset protos, but unless you have alot of money to spend, you couldn't touch most of it...

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

You'll get a lot of recommendations, but for some reason almost no one ever mentions what is probably the best game on the Jaguar in my opinion: Power Drive Rally. It's the best top-down racer ever. It's got absolutely perfect sliding physics so that there's always a challenge in cornering, but it never slows the race down. It's also got great attention to detail in the graphics, especially the little trackside tableaus that you speed past.

Tempest 2000 is great, Wolfenstein 3D is great, Alien vs Predator is good, Iron Soldier is good, etc., but do yourself a favor and get Power Drive Rally. Really.

Do yourself another favor and get a ProController, too. The six buttons don't make a big difference (it's too bad they're not programmable), but the dpad is way better and the buttons have a much better feel than on the stock controller. It's also got a longer cord, which is pretty much a necessity.

I've always had a soft spot for the Jag. Despite all its hardware flaws and the shallow game library, it's just an...interesting system. It's just a thing, I guess.


...word is bondage...

[diskoboy]

1. Which are the best games for this system (cart only)?
2. What are the hard to find games?
3. Where does this system rank in your opinion of cart based gaming systems?
4. Anything cool or odd that makes collecting for this system stand out? (i.e. odd peripherals, prototype games/add-ons, etc.)



1. Tempest 2000, AvP, Rayman are the 3 best games on the system.
2. Most of the games are fairly easy to find. The rarest one I know of is Breakout 2000
3. The Jaguar put me off gaming for about 5 years - nuff said.
4. Well, if they'd have actually released them, you'd have the Jaguar VR helmet that Missile Command 3-D was compatible with. Aside from that, the Jag is not a very fun console to collect for.

[Vectorman0]

You'll get a lot of recommendations, but for some reason almost no one ever mentions what is probably the best game on the Jaguar in my opinion: Power Drive Rally. It's the best top-down racer ever. It's got absolutely perfect sliding physics so that there's always a challenge in cornering, but it never slows the race down. It's also got great attention to detail in the graphics, especially the little trackside tableaus that you speed past.

This game sounds amazing, now I have a reason to get a Jaguar. Thanks for pointing out this sleeper!

[bangtango]

I have started my Atari Jaguar collection and I wanted some opinions/info on the system and the games.

1. Which are the best games for this system (cart only)?
2. What are the hard to find games?
3. Where does this system rank in your opinion of cart based gaming systems?
4. Anything cool or odd that makes collecting for this system stand out? (i.e. odd peripherals, prototype games/add-ons, etc.)

Thanks for any info/input. I ended up getting 2 complete systems off of ebay with a few games and the went to a local used gaming store to find another system and games for sale so I picked it up as well. I had NEVER seen anything Jaguar related in this store in the past 8 or so years only to find one now that I am interested in collecting. Kinda cool!

Derek

Here are my answers:


1. I'll repeat what other people said and list Tempest 2000 & Alien vs. Predator. If you don't enjoy those two games, or even something like Iron Soldier, then you're probably not going to like the Jaguar very much.

However, I'll also recommend a few more games which may be more familiar to you, Derek. The Atari Jaguar has very good versions of Doom, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Wolfenstein 3D and Rayman. If you find 'em, get 'em. Those titles are the BEST cartridge versions you'll find of any of those four games. Sure, with the exception of Wolfenstein 3D, they all came out on Sony Playstation and/or Sega Saturn but they are nearly as good on Jaguar and there are no loading times.


2. The hard to find games list may vary depending on who you talk to. For me in particular, it has always been difficult finding Atari Karts (a Mario Kart clone), Ultra Vortek (a Mortal Kombat clone), Defender 2000, Breakout 2000, Missile Command 3D and of course Battlesphere/Battlesphere Gold.


3. I enjoy the Atari Jaguar. I can understand where the system is disappointing to long-time Atari fans or people who paid full price for the system or games back in the early 1990's. However, I bought the Jaguar and all of my games used for a lower price. Plus I approached it with low expectations. The fact of the matter is that most of the games look no better than Super Nintendo games. Some of the games really do push the Jaguar and show off its power but those are few and far between. The other thing is that the earliest Jaguar games were pretty putrid, it took several months for Atari to start releasing stuff for Jaguar that resembled a legitimate video game.


4. What makes the system stand out for me is the cd add-on which usually runs $100 online. I also once owned a few prototype games for the Jaguar which include Barkley Shut Up and Jam, Spacewar 2000, Arena Football and Brett Hull Hockey. None of them are any good, though, and a couple are barely playable. The other thing that makes the Jaguar stand out for me is the insane prices that people pay on Ebay for Atari Jaguar stuff.


Either way, hold onto the Jaguar. It is a nice little system if you can find four or five games you enjoy. It is also, for better or worse, an interesting piece of Atari history.

[k8track]

I think Bangotango hit the nail on the head perfectly. It was pretty much on par with Super Nintendo and did not really represent the next phase of video gaming (I find the Nuon to be analogous in this respect--the Nuon is to the PS1 as the Jaguar is to the SNES). But for what it is, it can be a lot of fun.

I got most of my games in that magical liquidation year of 1997 when there were plenty of new, cheap games to be had. One of my favorites, back when I first got it (I haven't played it forever) was I-War. I've never seen anyone mention this game either way (good or bad), but I really enjoyed it and played the heck out of it back in the day. I always sort of thought it was Tron-esque.

[diskoboy]

Yup bangotango got it right on awnser 3...

I bought mine about a month after it's release. So I paid full price. It was dead a few months later, and games were impossible to find.

That's why I said it put me off gaming for 5 years. It's really not a bad system, it had a lot of potential, but Atari was all but dead - and the system had a snowballs chance in hell of actually survivng it's lifespan.

[Pantechnicon]

1. Alien Vs Predator, Tempest 2000, Iron Soldier (starting to see a trend, are we?). Doom has a great port, too, and for the sake of saying something different I'll add Attack of the Mutant Penguins to the list. That's a fun one.

2. Battlesphere, Breakout 2000, and Air Cars are di$$ficult to find. The CD port of Primal Rage will probably take some digging as well.

3. The hardware is quite fascinating and more powerful than people give it credit. Unfortunately the 3rd party love simply wasn't there, and I think that's what makes it hard for people to understand the system's capabilities. Atari tried to fill the void with ersatz versions of things like Super Mario Kart (Atari Karts) or Mortal Kombat (Kasumi Ninja). Imo these games play just as well as their big-league counterparts, but they lacked the "star power" that drove those other recognizable titles to millions of sales, and the Jaguar paid the price for that.

4. I think the CD expansion is a must-have if you want to become a serious Jag collector, and a composite video cable is also a worthwhile investment. Beyond that, if anything makes the Jag stand out then I would say it's its place in console history: last Atari console, last U.S.-manufactured console until the X-Box, and the second-to-last cart console (preceding the N64) period.

[sonoranreptile]

A lot of great answers and opinions on this topic, thank you very much for the information. I do have, at the moment, Tempest 2000, Flashback, Cybermorph and Power Drive Rally carts. I am getting a few more when the other 2 systems arrive (Super Burnout, Syndicate, Club Drive and second copies of Flashback and Cybermorph). I really just wanted to an an oddball system to my collection and the Jaguar seemed like a good place to start. A small library of games, the last Atari console, and I just remember always wanting one when I saw those commercials on TV. I have a lot of the old mainstream consoles and a few new ones, but I just wanted to add something different. Thanks for all of your input and ideas on what to add to the collection. I'll keep you posted if I end up with anything out of the ordinary.

[bangtango]

A lot of great answers and opinions on this topic, thank you very much for the information. I do have, at the moment, Tempest 2000, Flashback, Cybermorph and Power Drive Rally carts. I am getting a few more when the other 2 systems arrive (Super Burnout, Syndicate, Club Drive and second copies of Flashback and Cybermorph). I really just wanted to an an oddball system to my collection and the Jaguar seemed like a good place to start. A small library of games, the last Atari console, and I just remember always wanting one when I saw those commercials on TV. I have a lot of the old mainstream consoles and a few new ones, but I just wanted to add something different. Thanks for all of your input and ideas on what to add to the collection. I'll keep you posted if I end up with anything out of the ordinary.

Felt the need to reply again.

Like I said, I never got the Jaguar when it was still sold in stores. I bought it from some catalog company around 2000 at least a year or two after the inevitable clearance when a system dies. I got it for the exact same reasons you did. It was an oddball system that I only used to read about but never owned.

Just to comment on your games......

Super Burnout is an arcade style motorcycle racer which you might compare to Hang On or Super Hang On. The graphics are similar to the 16-bit systems but most people who play it give it good reviews.

Club Drive is considered one of the worst Jaguar games by some folks. I don't think it is so bad. The controls are a little rough, the graphics are real rough and the gameplay doesn't have any depth. It is also hard to find your way around the areas you are driving in. Otherwise, it is neat to tool around with if you have 10-15 minutes to kill.

Flashback and Power Drive Rally= I never played them, which is a little surprising to me. I've sat down and played the majority of the cart games in the initial Jaguar library, meaning the ones that came before Atari pulled the plug (pre-Fight For Life), since I was once going for a complete collection before changing my mind. These two are on the small list of games I haven't tried but then again, the entire Jaguar library can be considered a "small list of games."

Tempest 2000= awesome

Cybermorph= It was the Jaguar's pack in game, there are actually 2 versions of the cart (1 meg and 2 meg) but there aren't any major differences between the two. But if you are collecting, you may as well grab both versions. This is one of my favorite Jaguar games but a lot of people consider it dull and underwhelming (*bangtango shrugs in response to that*)

Syndicate= based on a computer game.


You may also note that there are a few after market Jaguar games and prototypes that have circulated. Those are releases by Songbird, Telegames, etc.

See:

www.songbird-productions.com

www.myatari.com

www.telegames.com (I don't believe they sell Jaguar stuff inside of the US on that site anymore but they still have pages up about the later day games they released)

Of course you should use those links mostly for reference. If you ask me, I think you really should concentrate on getting the Jaguar stuff from 1993-1995 first and the cd unit before going after the "more recent" games (from the past 8-10 years). Just my opinion.

[sonoranreptile]

Thanks again for the input bangtango. I have my eye on the CD add-on and some of the games that I am more familiar with (Doom, Wolfenstein, etc.) I have checked out the songbird stuff and it looks great as well. I am also interested in the development of "Eerievale", a new horror based game that is in the works. I'm not sure when it is supposed to be out, but it's nice to see that folks are still adding to the library!!! I am going to hook up the system tomorrow when I get home from work and give it a go. Thanks again!

[Steve W]

One of my favorites, back when I first got it (I haven't played it forever) was I-War. I've never seen anyone mention this game either way (good or bad), but I really enjoyed it and played the heck out of it back in the day. I always sort of thought it was Tron-esque.
Any time there's a recommendation thread for Jag games, I-War always gets a mention by me. I've always loved the game. I think one reason why it didn't spark as much interest in people was because it sometimes felt a bit sluggish. Sure, it could take more damage, but it just moved too dang slow.


Battlemorph - the CD sequel to Cybermorph. My fave Jag game. Improved on Cybermorph 1000%.
Highlander - another CD game which will seem frustrating as hell for the first hour. You have to stick with it and really figure out the control scheme properly to get the most out of it. Duck into some rocks in the canyon and find the "Temple of the Rubber Chicken God".
I-War
Ultra Vortek - I've never liked fighting games, but I enjoyed this one.
Alien vs. Predator - already been mentioned lots before in this thread.
Iron Soldier - piloting a skyscraper sized mech around, smashing buildings, shooting helicopters out of the air, and stomping on tanks. What's not to like?
Tempest 2000 - enough said.
Rayman - also, enough said.
Missile Command 3D - the 'virtual' game is fantastic, and lets you really understand what they were going for with this aborted pack-in title for the JagVR helmet.
Club Drive - I know I'm alone here, as I usually am when I suggest this one. It's a pretty fun game when you're catching the powerballs. I really wonder what they could have accomplished if they'd given the game another year of development and an upgrade to CD-ROM.
Hoverstrike: Unconquered Lands - this is the same game as the cartridge version, but with better graphics, a new set of levels, and all around smoother production. But there's a warning: you have to come to grips with the fact you're piloting a hovercraft. It doesn't move like a car, it doesn't brake like a car, it doesn't have wheels. Once you come to grips with the vehicle physics, you're going to enjoy it. Most reviewers back in the day pretty much crucified the game because the hovercraft didn't move like a wheeled vehicle.
Zero 5 - a space game which looks and plays great, but it's a bit on the difficult side.
Primal Rage - a CD based version of the arcade game, one of the few fighting games I've ever played on a regular basis in an arcade.

[Pantechnicon]

Club Drive - I know I'm alone here, as I usually am when I suggest this one...

You are not alone. I actually enjoy this one, too. Controls are simple enough (just remember that you're driving a virtual RC car, not a Gran Turismo white-knuckler. Less is more.), Graphics are flat, but understandable. Two-player mode isn't half bad, either. It's not going to win any awards, but it's definitely a playable title.

I'll also +1 your recommendation for Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands. Way better game than its cart predecessor.

[bangtango]

Club Drive - I know I'm alone here, as I usually am when I suggest this one. It's a pretty fun game when you're catching the powerballs. I really wonder what they could have accomplished if they'd given the game another year of development and an upgrade to CD-ROM.

I also like it, which I alluded to above. It is pretty fun going up the ramps, chasing the blocky cat around the house and flushing the toilet. It is definitely different than anything I have ever played before or since and I've been gaming since 83' or 84. Guess that's why I like it. So you are not alone in liking Club Drive but I'll bet I am alone in liking Troy Aikman Football, Fight for Life, Checkered Flag and Supercross 3D.

One thing is for sure. The Jaguar has a TON of driving games and racing games. Supercross 3D, Checkered Flag, Club Drive, Super Burnout, Power Drive Rally, Atari Karts and Val d'Isere Skiing/Snowboarding come to mind. Not saying they are all good, though I like most of them, but at least there were plenty of options in those two genres.

What the Jaguar doesn't have many of is regular sports titles. Not counting the B & C prototype/reproduction games (whatever you want to call them), there are no hockey titles, only one football game (referring to Aikman as I do NOT count Brutal Sports), two basketball games, no golf games and no baseball games. The sports genre with the best representation, I think, is soccer.

[Sothy]

Syndicate is pretty decent as is Theme Park and It also probably has the best version of Flashback.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

When I first started collecting video games. I really wanted to collect for the Atari Jag, now five year's later and roughly 15 Jaguar games later I dont understand WHY I wanted to collect for the Atari Jaguar.

[Steve W]

So you are not alone in liking Club Drive but I'll bet I am alone in liking Troy Aikman Football, Fight for Life, Checkered Flag and Supercross 3D.
I concur on Fight For Life, but Supercross 3D never did anything for me personally, and Checkered Flag was like a superior port of Virtua Racing but with a control scheme designed by retarded monkeys. And I don't play sports games, so I've never bothered with Troy Aikman Football.

The Jaguar is all about missed potential. So many of the games could have been truly fantastic if one or two things had been added, a feature thrown in here and there, or a little more thought put into them. I'd love to see a lot of the Jaguar's best games updated for a modern platform. I'd love to drive a tiny little car through Todd's room again in high definition, avoiding a photorealistic cat while scooping up powerballs and running into the toilet to hear it flush in 5.1 Surround Sound. :)

[smokehouse]

Like many here said, I look at the Jag as what could have been. Not unlike the Dreamcast, the Jag had gallons of potential but in the end was a big disappointment.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

I'd love to see a lot of the Jaguar's best games updated for a modern platform. I'd love to drive a tiny little car through Todd's room again in high definition, avoiding a photorealistic cat while scooping up powerballs and running into the toilet to hear it flush in 5.1 Surround Sound. :)
You mean...Toy Commander? There actually is a stage where you have to fly into the toilet...though I think maybe I'm thinking of the special Christmas stage that was only available on demo discs.


Like many here said, I look at the Jag as what could have been. Not unlike the Dreamcast, the Jag had gallons of potential but in the end was a big disappointment.
Dreamcast, big disappointment, my foot.


...word is bondage...

[smokehouse]

Dreamcast, big disappointment, my foot.


Come on now…I already know you’re a delusional DC fanboy living in la-la-land….there’s no need to remind me of it, I’ve read your stuff before.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Come on now…I already know you’re a delusional DC fanboy living in la-la-land….there’s no need to remind me of it, I’ve read your stuff before.
Nevertheless, if you were disappointed with the Dreamcast, you are certainly among a very tiny minority of gamers.

The only thing remotely disappointing about the Dreamcast is that Sega stopped supporting it after only three years. But even that isn't so disappointing when you realize that the number of A+ titles the system received in those three years is equal to what most other systems get in their usual 5-7 year lifespans.


...word is bondage...

[scooterb23]

Nobody has said one of my favorite Jag games. Flip Out, a neat little puzzle / juggling game.

I'm not a big Jag fan, but in the rare mood when I pull it out, it's usually the second game I pull out after Tempest.

[bangtango]

Nevertheless, if you were disappointed with the Dreamcast, you are certainly among a very tiny minority of gamers.

The only thing remotely disappointing about the Dreamcast is that Sega stopped supporting it after only three years. But even that isn't so disappointing when you realize that the number of A+ titles the system received in those three years is equal to what most other systems get in their usual 5-7 year lifespans.


...word is bondage...

This is off-topic but since the Dreamcast came up......

Strictly from a business standpoint, I'll never understand why Sega released it if they were so close to pulling the plug on the hardware end of things. If they were in such a hard place, what were their reasons for releasing Dreamcast? I get the impression that Sega was never in it for the long haul as quickly as they gave up when their competitors turned up the heat.

However, I was not disappointed with the Dreamcast as a fan. I've gotten my money's worth out of it two or three times over and then some.

Besides, I think you are right in that when you measure the success of the Dreamcast versus the Jaguar, there is just no comparison.

[vintagegamecrazy]

For good games Battlemorph is the best for the CD, what an amazing game that pushed the console to its limits.

As far as rare no one's mentioned Towers II, that's also a good game that's far too overlooked.

[Iron Draggon]

I've never really had any major complaints about any of the games, except for their fairly high prices, both back in the day and now in the aftermarket days... very few Jag games have ever decreased very much in value yet...

I was gonna mention Power Drive Rally also, but then I would've felt the need to mention every game I own for the system, so I just stuck with the two I always play the most... all the flat shaded poly games are great for that they are, and some are spectacular... I always had a blast playing Club Drive with a friend, but I get bored with it playing it by myself... Flip Out has always been one of my favorites too, and so many more deserve to be mentioned...

as long as you approach the Jag for what it is, a niche system that seems to specialize in flat shaded poly games, you should get alot of enjoyment out of it... and even if there are only a few official games for the Jag CD, it's still worth owning one, if only for the VLM... but the CD games are good too...

my biggest disappointment with the Jag is the fact that they didn't make alot more 2D games like Ruiner Pinball and Rayman... those two games had alot more simultaneous colors onscreen than anything ever seen on the Genesis, or even on the SNES... the Jag could do 2D better than a NeoGeo, or at least it looked like it could, and neither the fools at Atari nor any of the developers at the time other than the ones responsible for Ruiner Pinball and Rayman ever bothered to exploit it... Zool 2 and Bubsy tried, and they were both very good games also, but aside from a few really impressive parts here and there, they just weren't as great as Ruiner Pinball and Rayman were... however, at least they were in 2D, instead of the typical 3D flat shaded polys so often seen on the system... not that I didn't enjoy all the flat shaded poly games too, but like FMV games on the Srga CD, there were just too many of them...