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.

[Greg2600]

Very little reason to own one if you ask me beyond simply collecting. Even it's "great" games like Tempest 2000 were ported to other systems like PS1. The CD units quite often break down. Most of the games looked terrible in 1994 let alone now. It wasn't a serious endeavor from the Tramiel's if you ask me.

[Gamevet]

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.

The 3DO gets a lot of respect, for what it had to offer during its short tenure. The Jag, on the other hand, already looked like a dated product when it arrived. If the 3DO didn't require a whole paycheck to purchase one, the system might have sold very well.

[Rickstilwell1]

I think the reason for the Jaguar's decline in cost must be because us collectors who wanted to own every system have already been there and tried them all out. And for whatever reason a lot of us had to sell our systems. Now less people are buying obscurities or trying to get one of every game for everything. There have been a lot of sales threads before I posted mine and completed selling what I wanted to or had to, and a lot of the stuff I bought here was from people who quit collecting also. There are also a bunch of threads where people have jumped on the bandwagon of only collecting what they really like to play. I wasn't the first one to say that. There seems to be a trickle down effect where some of us are easily influenced by other member's open decisions. We see someone say something then another of us thinks that it's a good idea and we do what they did.

The brand name of Atari is also fading away as more collectors end up being from the NES, SNES or N64 period. I have a friend (well actually one of my bosses) who only collects Gamecube games but still plays some of the old games via emulators. When I tried to sell my older Atari brand stuff it was pretty hard to get a buyer, but at least with the Jaguar and Lynx I was a bit more lucky due to being released after most people's cut off year.

I might buy another Jaguar if I end up having room for a bunch of game systems in my room at my new caregiving job since this boss likes video games, but that system is probably going to be on the back burner for a long time due to having things I would rather get and play.

[Wraith Storm]

I have both a Jag and a 3do. I take the 3do much more seriously than I do the Jag.

I'm sure the 3do appeals to me more because of Japanese developers. I largely prefer Japanese games. I started a thread a couple of years ago about Iron Angel of the the Apocalypse and how I really enjoyed it despite it being panned by almost everyone. For a FPS it has such a strange atmosphere, foreboding soundtrack, and just filled me with loneliness.

The 3do has a lot of unique games that draw me in, even if they aren't that spectacular. Even the terrible games usually have some aspect that I can really appreciate rather it being overly ambitious or just plain wacky.

The Jag is such a strange beast. I honestly love the controller. Its incredibly comfortable and has all the nice shortcut buttons but the D-pad is not as responsive as it could be. I just purchased two Pro Controllers (for the price of my first born child) and I have heard the D-pad is improved, so hopefully this will be a worthwhile investment.

I have about 20 games for my Jag and the main issue that I have is that most of the games feel unfinished or completely generic compared to its rivals. I cannot fully express how much I love video game music and how it moves me and it baffles me that a lot of Jag games don't have in game music!!! I am also a HUGE fan of pixel art and a lot of Jag games just use very generic sprite and menu designs. I REALLY enjoy some of the games the system has to offer but it overall comes off as rushed, unfinished and uninspired.

Although I don't care what anyone says, my friends and I have a blast with Club Drive.

[StealthLurker]

Power Drive Rally is absolutely fantastic on the system. That game alone for me warrants keeping it around. Other stuff I liked at the time were Raiden and Rayman... though not worth it for the system anymore. Don't think Power Drive Rally (which is a sequel?) to the SNES game, doesn't exist on any other platform I believe.

.

[tom]

Trouble with Jaguar is that Atari went bust, Tramiel's sold (merged) the company, and that was that.
The promised games like MK3 and Tiny Toons Adventures (and others) never arrived, and Japanese coders didn't sign up for the machine.
Would they have done so? I never seen any Japanese coders programming for American hardware, except Atari VCS.
So if it would have happened that way (as it was promised), things might have been different. As it turned out, it didn't.

Although, Japanese coders are way overrated, imo.

About Jaguar being 64-bit, there is absolutely no doubt about it:
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo12/Alison123456789/jagdev.jpg

[M.Buster2184]

I think if they wouldn't have pushed the 64 bit thing, and steered away from 3d games, then the Jaguar would of had a chance. I imagine it would have been a decent platform for good 2d sidescrollers.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

Even though I loved the 64-bit campaign and marketing Atari did for the Jaguar, I kind of think that maybe they would have done a lot better with the unit if they released it a year earlier and marketed it as a 16-bit system. That way the general public wouldn't have over expected on the graphics and would have been surprised at some of the games like AVP and whatnot by how good they looked. I don't know, it's just a thought.

[ProjectCamaro]

I think if they wouldn't have pushed the 64 bit thing, and steered away from 3d games, than the Jaguar would of been chance. I imagine it would have been a decent platform for good 2d sidescrollers.

I agree with that, it could have dominated as a 2D machine.

[MachineGex]

Power Drive Rally is absolutely fantastic on the system. That game alone for me warrants keeping it around. Other stuff I liked at the time were Raiden and Rayman... though not worth it for the system anymore. Don't think Power Drive Rally (which is a sequel?) to the SNES game, doesn't exist on any other platform I believe.


It's nice to see someone else give "Power Drive Rally" some love. I bought this game from a small used game store for $10. The owner sad the game sucked, but I only had 2 Jag games at the time and wanted to try something else. I was so happy when the game turned out to be sooooo much fun!

I also think Tempest 2000 with a rotary controller is reason enough to own a Jag. That game is a blast and the rotary controller makes the game even more fun. I use to think the Jag was a joke, but I got "mad-love" for it now! RESPECT!!!

[Gamevet]

Where did you get a rotary controller for the Jag?

[ProjectCamaro]

Where did you get a rotary controller for the Jag?

There's a guy on Atari Age that sells them otherwise you can buy them straight off eBay.

Here's the different designs he makes:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-Jaguar-Rotary-Controller-For-Tempest-2000-T2K-Smooth-/281103143981?pt=US_Video_Game_Controllers&hash=item41730d942d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-Jaguar-Rotary-Duo-Controller-For-Tempest-2000-T2K-Frontmount-Smooth-/281088655063?pt=US_Video_Game_Controllers&hash=item4172307ed7

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-Jaguar-Rotary-Duo-Controller-Plastic-Dial-For-Tempest-2000-T2K-FTMT-Smooth-/281065771594?pt=US_Video_Game_Controllers&hash=item4170d3524a

[WCP]

Technically, Atari might have been in their legal right to call the Jaguar a 64-bit system, but we all know that it has very little to do with a 64 bit system. Just look at the damn games.

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/bubsy/bubsy-jaguar2.png


Look at that 64 bit power !


http://www.biffsgamingvideos.com/pictures/pics_atari_jaguar/Zool%202_4441.jpg

Another example of the amazing power of the Jaguar

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

Sure, the Jaguar was 64-bit, but that doesn't mean that the graphics were. It may have had a 64-bit chip in there somewhere that legally allowed them to call the system a 64-bit system but I mean come on, the games compared to the N64 were not even close in graphics. The only people who sit there are call the Jaguar a 64-bit system and talk about how it was under-developed and the programmers didn't know what they were doing are either Atari fanboys or strict Jaguar fanboys who probably used to post over at Jaguar Interactive II (a dead forum). But graphics aside, I still stand by the system as being fun and really entertaining (to me at least)

[RP2A03]

Sure, the Jaguar was 64-bit, but that doesn't mean that the graphics were. It may have had a 64-bit chip in there somewhere that legally allowed them to call the system a 64-bit system but I mean come on, the games compared to the N64 were not even close in graphics. The only people who sit there are call the Jaguar a 64-bit system and talk about how it was under-developed and the programmers didn't know what they were doing are either Atari fanboys or strict Jaguar fanboys who probably used to post over at Jaguar Interactive II (a dead forum). But graphics aside, I still stand by the system as being fun and really entertaining (to me at least)

I would just like to point out that bits mean jack squat. Most N64 code was 32-bits. Dreamcast, GameCube, Xbox, and Wii, are 32-bit machines. PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 are 64-bits.

Also, the M68000 in the Genesis had 32-bit general purpose registers making it arguably a 32-bit machine although it had a 16-bit wide bus; and the N64 could be considered 32-bits since the CPU only had a 32-bit wide bus although it had 64-bit general purpose registers...

[tom]

Technically, Atari might have been in their legal right to call the Jaguar a 64-bit system, but we all know that it has very little to do with a 64 bit system. Just look at the damn games.

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/bubsy/bubsy-jaguar2.png


Look at that 64 bit power !


http://www.biffsgamingvideos.com/pictures/pics_atari_jaguar/Zool%202_4441.jpg

Another example of the amazing power of the Jaguar



You're right, and then later Nintendo made the same mistake:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_l67x5TGxBUA/TGFsaaRml2I/AAAAAAAAAYo/swPccr9J3vs/s1600/superman64_1.jpg

http://imagenes.es.sftcdn.net/ongames/scrn/0/407/turok-rage-wars-n64-2944.jpg

Look at that 64-bit shit

[tom]

I would just like to point out that bits mean jack squat. Most N64 code was 32-bits. Dreamcast, GameCube, Xbox, and Wii, are 32-bit machines. PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 are 64-bits.

Also, the M68000 in the Genesis had 32-bit general purpose registers making it arguably a 32-bit machine although it had a 16-bit wide bus; and the N64 could be considered 32-bits since the CPU only had a 32-bit wide bus although it had 64-bit general purpose registers...

That is true, only Atari got it right, the Atari ST being 16/32, hence ST. Basically ST and Amiga and Genesis are 32bit machines. SNES that's a different boat.

[M.Buster2184]

I almost forgot. I know it was released on other systems, but I always have a good time playing Zoop on the Jaguar. Pretty decent puzzle game.

[Rickstilwell1]

Also remember that bits don't make a pretty picture. Graphics artists do. Hence Superman 64 being ugly graphically while Donkey Kong 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time look wonderful for the machine's capabilities.

[Wraith Storm]

My Jaguar Pro controllers arrived yesterday afternoon and they were everything I hoped they would be. They took everything good about the Jag controller and improved upon it and fixed everything bad. The Dpad is far more satisfying and the buttons are a bit smaller, more responsive and layed out a bit more horizontally. The original controller had those huge C,B,A buttons and they had too much of a vertical arch to them. C and B were okay, but it just wasn't very ergonomic for me to hit the A button.


So I sat down last night, hooked up the pro controller, and played my Jag for several hours. I certainly got a bit more enjoyment out of it with the responsiveness of the controller and the extra Z(7), X(8) and Y(9)buttons. Some games really benefited from the extra buttons that had critical things mapped to the 7, 8, and 9 buttons.

So I got reacquainted with all of my Jag games and I still feel the same way about it. It just blows my mind that its flagship titles were so lack luster. The pack in game Cybermorph had no in game music. How can you launch a next-gen 64 bit system and not have the packin game promote the systems basic capabilities. The heavily promoted Trevor McFur looked amazing in screenshots, but had no in game music and felt incredibly primitive. The enemies have no attack patterns they just glide on screen and bounce around. It really feels like an amateur Klik N' Play game. Then there is Doom which is an excellent port and a lot of fun, but again... Where the hell is the music? I have heard lot of excuses that "It makes it more atmospheric" or "It makes it more realistic". I don't care what way you see it, to me it makes it feel like only half the game is there. When every other version has a kickass soundtrack or the ambient music of the Saturn and PSX version, it just comes off as lazy, cost cutting and rushed.

While I enjoy the Jag, and there are some amazing exclusives to be played, I just can't shake the overall generic, rushed and lazy feeling that most of the library exudes.

[peeingas]

I read somewhere that the Jaguar had trouble doing both sound effects and music at the same time. That might explain why so many of the games were without music.

[Wraith Storm]

Interesting. I love game music and am familiar with how a lot of systems handle sound but I have never read much about the Jags sound chip.

Perhaps the issue stems from Atari's past with computers. I know ST and Commodore Amiga games usually had Music or SFX and some games would let you select which one you prefer, but seldom did you get both. When some Amiga games were ported to the Genesis (Lotus and Top Gear) they were lazy and didn't fix this issue despite the Genny being able to handle both.

However, on the Jag games I mentioned there is no option for choosing in game music over SFX. They just flat out didn't program any in game music. Cybermorph has a great tune for the title screen, but that's about it.

AWESOME games like Super Burnout HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crTFDUrgS50)prove that the Jag can do great music/composition, SFX and voice samples at the same time though... So I'm still chalking this up to lazy and rushed games.

[WCP]

I just want to say that I'm not hating on the Jaguar. I'm just calling it like I see it. The Jag was basically a SNES like system on crack. I don't really consider it among the Next-Gen type systems of that Era. I'd say the same thing about the 32X. The 32X is more Genesis than Saturn, and the Jag is more SNES than N64.


Having said all that, the Jag is still a pretty cool system for those of us that bought it back in the day. Living not too far from San Francisco, I was able to head to a San Francisco area Toys R Us to get a Jaguar at launch. I got the Jag (came with Cybermorph), Trevor McFurr and Raiden. The funny thing is, those 3 games, are still some of my favorite Jaguar games.


Cybermorph is my favorite Jaguar game of them all. I really think it's an amazing game, once you realize what the game is, instead of complaining about what it isn't. Most people, when they first got their hands on Cybermorph, were expecting it to be a better Starfox game. They were expecting a space shooting game in 3D. Cybermorph really isn't that. Cybermorph is more of a puzzle game than anything. Basically, you have to collect these pods in each level, and when you get all the pods, you move on to the next level. It's not a spaceship dogfighting game. Everybody was expecting a spaceship dogfighting game, and instead they get this lower key puzzle game, and they called the game shit. But it's not shit. Trust me, if anybody seriously gives Cybermorph a legitimate chance, they will enjoy the game.


Just make sure to fly your ship lower to the ground, so that the extreme pop-in is minimalized.



Trevor McFurr is another game that everybody hates on, and with good measure. Some things about the game are absolutely horrible. There is no background music, and the difficulty level is just tuned really weird. It can be unceasingly hard at times, and then go to super easy. It's very up and down with the difficulty. Still, I think the visuals are absolutely awesome. I just love the color. The 32X claimed it could put 32,000 colors on the screen or whatever, but I don't think the 32X was really much more colorful than a Genesis but the Jaguar can put some serious color on the screen. If you don't believe me, play Trevor McFurr on a nice RGB monitor, in RGB, and you'll forever change your tune about Trevor McFurr. You'll still hate the difficult gameplay, but you'll deal with it, cause the eye candy is redonkulous.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g428/WCP12/TrevorMcFurr1_zps7f541d8f.jpg



Raiden doesn't need any defending. Everybody knows it's one of the better Jaguar games.

[JakeM]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_l67x5TGxBUA/TGFsaaRml2I/AAAAAAAAAYo/swPccr9J3vs/s1600/superman64_1.jpg

Love it when people share photos of what Superman 64 looks like on an emulator, if its played on the actual hardware it has a cloudy foggy sky.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dJXgJ1c4vY


No one cares about Superman to make it look right in the emulator.

[tom]

Amiga games looked and played better than N64 games

[T2KFreeker]

I read somewhere that the Jaguar had trouble doing both sound effects and music at the same time. That might explain why so many of the games were without music.

Not true because most of the Jaguar games do music and sound effects just fine.

Cybermorph wasn't supposed to have music as the sequel Battlemorph has very little music as well. Not sure what to say on Trevor McFur.

DOOM, on the other hand is a whole other bucket of worms. Amazing port handled by John Carmack himself, so no, it wasn't rushed. Quite a bit of work was put into Jaguar DOOM, which is why it is so good. The problem with the game was that the Tremeiles, who ran Atari, were cheap bastards. In order for DOOM to have had it's music and a couple more of the enemies, Carmack required a larger cart size. Tremeil refused over and over again, which is why you don't have that stuff or transparencies in DOOM for the Jagaur. So, had Jack Tremeil not been such a penny pinching assclown like he always was, DOOM for the Jaguar would have kicked ass. Keep in mind that "ALL" of the 32-Bit era versions of DOOM are actually based off of the Jaguar version of the game. Don't believe me? Look it up. That also does indeed include the Playstation version as well as Final Doom also.

[JakeM]

Amiga games looked and played better than N64 games

Im not going to bite. ;)

[Wraith Storm]

The Jaguar was a powerful system but I feel, just like with the N64, that it was really hurt by the cart format. Everything was moving towards the CD format around 93. You had The Turbo Grafx CD, Sega CD and Amiga CD then you had the up coming 3do, Saturn and PSX. It seems like Atari had just lost sight of where technology was going. If Atari had released the Jag as a CD based system from the get go, I'm sure things would have been quite a bit better.

As it stands the Jag is a sprite scaling son of a bitch! Until I dug it out again the other night I had forgotten how polished Super Burnout is. It moves at a ridiculously smooth frame rate and scales tons of sprites effortlessly. They should have focused on more stuff like this. Or, done some 2.5d games like Pandemonium. I bet they would have looked great, especially considering the Jags awesome color pallet as WCP mentioned.

Hmmmm... Now I'm wondering what some Neo Geo ports would have looked like on the Jag.

[JakeM]

If Atari had released the Jag as a CD based system from the get go, I'm sure things would have been quite a bit better.
Now I'm wondering what some Neo Geo ports would have looked like on the Jag.

Well, if they had screwed up the Atari Jag CD as much as they did then the people who bought the main unit must feel good they can fit their games into the machine.

Yeah, I sometimes think that if they had reached a deal with Takara to get really good ports to the Jag of the SNK games, then it could have done well as a fighting/arcade game fans alternative to going to the arcade or getting a AES. Maybe SNK didnt want their games on there for that reason.

[tom]

Also remember that bits don't make a pretty picture. Graphics artists do. Hence Superman 64 being ugly graphically while Donkey Kong 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time look wonderful for the machine's capabilities.

Exactly, but Superman being ugly graphically and playability, but Zool 2 still looks and plays gorgeous on Jaguar.

[tom]

I just want to say that I'm not hating on the Jaguar. I'm just calling it like I see it. The Jag was basically a SNES like system on crack. I don't really consider it among the Next-Gen type systems of that Era. I'd say the same thing about the 32X. The 32X is more Genesis than Saturn, and the Jag is more SNES than N64.


Having said all that, the Jag is still a pretty cool system for those of us that bought it back in the day. Living not too far from San Francisco, I was able to head to a San Francisco area Toys R Us to get a Jaguar at launch. I got the Jag (came with Cybermorph), Trevor McFurr and Raiden. The funny thing is, those 3 games, are still some of my favorite Jaguar games.


Cybermorph is my favorite Jaguar game of them all. I really think it's an amazing game, once you realize what the game is, instead of complaining about what it isn't. Most people, when they first got their hands on Cybermorph, were expecting it to be a better Starfox game. They were expecting a space shooting game in 3D. Cybermorph really isn't that. Cybermorph is more of a puzzle game than anything. Basically, you have to collect these pods in each level, and when you get all the pods, you move on to the next level. It's not a spaceship dogfighting game. Everybody was expecting a spaceship dogfighting game, and instead they get this lower key puzzle game, and they called the game shit. But it's not shit. Trust me, if anybody seriously gives Cybermorph a legitimate chance, they will enjoy the game.


Just make sure to fly your ship lower to the ground, so that the extreme pop-in is minimalized.


Hm I think the N64 is more 3DO and Jaguar more PC, Pentium 4

Cybermorph is, of course, a classic, here's the first part of a review from way back early 90s:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/IMG_zpse3d82600.jpg

.

[T2KFreeker]

Not to mention, is it even a factor that Cybermorph is basically a free roaming game not on rails or restrained to a specific area like Starfox?

[BlastProcessing402]

Speaking of Cybermorph, apparently the glowing review that appeared in Gamefan for this game back in the day was the result of someone at the magazine spiking the coffee with LSD.
cite: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/gamefan/GameFAN.htm

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I fired up some Jaguar the other day and played Cybermorph, Tempest 2k, Doom, Kasumi Ninja, and Breakout 2k. It was fun, Breakout 2k held my interest the most and is a game I haven't truly played in about 4 or 5 years so it was nice to revisit it and check it out again, but I had a lot of fun with Tempest 2k and Kasumi Ninja during my time with it. I have more games I need to revisit on the Jaguar but time only allows so much I guess, eventually I will have a Jaguar weekend for myself and try to spend as much time with the console as I possibly can.

[Doctor Clu]

Hated Cybermorph at first, but it has become my top five favorites for the Jaguar over time.

Over the years the games that I really liked on the Jaguar have been: Bubsy, Soccer Kid, Rayman, Raiden, Doom, Doom 2 (recently ported), Battlesphere, Wolfenstein, Raiden, Cannon Fodder, and Pitfall:The Mayan Adventure. Along with Cybermorph, I also enjoyed the sequel game Battlemorph.

There have been a lot of fan made games, of which I have enjoyed Gorf, Surrounded, and various ports that were similar to Frenzy/Super Cobra, Time Pilot, Rescue on Fractilus (called Fallen Angel), a Arkanoid clone called "Impulse X" and a great game for action and music called "Tube".

Good system. If you have any questions on the Jaguar feel free to ask.

[quickfingers818]

The jaguar is absolutely one of the most nostalgic systems for me. I have fond memories of going over my friedns house when I was a kid and playing Alien Vs. Predator and Raiden all night. The console gets a lot of heat, but it is otherwise an overlooked gem of a system

[bigbacon]

i finally got a jaguar a few weeks ago.

I am oddly confused with the wolf 3d on it. Such a strange port and I am not sure why the game couldn't be ported as is. if they could port doom they could have done this.