Is an Atari Jaguar system worth keeping?

[csgx1]

Well, I picked up a Atari Jaguar cart system and one controller without any games, for dirt cheap. I never really got into most Atari systems and I don't plan on collecting games for this system but I couldn't pass up buying it since it was cheap.

Are there any enjoyable cartridge games worth buying for the Jaguar that are cheap?

Or should I forget about buying any games for it and just sell the system?

[chrisbid]

if you are an atari fan, then it is worth keeping and collecting

if you are mild atari fan or not a fan, then sell it. they go for a nice chunk of change these days

[megasdkirby]

I really like the Atari Jaguar and I hope on getting a replacement console in the future.

It's a great console, IMO. It has it's duds, but it also has some fantastic games.

[Leo_A]

I rather like it. There are a limited number of titles worth owning, so even ones that tend to go for more then your typical used game (Like Aliens vs. Predator) still don't add up in the end to be too large of an investment.

This is my collection and I've really enjoyed each title besides Cybermorph.

Alien vs. Predator
Cannon Fodder
Cybermorph
Doom
Iron Soldier
Iron Soldier 2
Power Drive Rally
Protector: Special Edition
Raiden
Rayman
Skyhammer
Super Burnout
Tempest 2000
Wolfenstein 3D

However, I'd suggest staying away from the CD attachement. Battlemorph is an excellent game, Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands is decent, and Iron Solder II is a good game and far cheaper as a cd then a cartridge. But there's little else besides junk and ports that have been done better elsewhere (Like Myst, Dragon's Lair, and Space Ace). So it's not worth adding a fairly pricey and unreliable cd attachment to the system in my opinion.

[retroman]

i love my jag....fun system to collect for...get the jag cd for the hell of it. Dont get rid of it, and start getting some games for it.

[Emperor Megas]

Honestly, my opinion is if you have to ask, then it's probably not worth keeping. I'm a old school gamer, but I'm not a pack rat. When in doubt, I believe in trimming the fat. I cant think of many things I've regretting letting go of, and it sounds like you're barely on the fence.

I say give someone else who cares more a chance to own it.

[csgx1]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Im kind of leaning towards keeping it.

I do like the Atari Lynx so I could possibly have some interest in Jaguar games as well.

I'll have do some research on what games would interest me.

[josekortez]

I second Leo Ames. The Jag version of NBA Jam is also decent.

I got my Jag for cheap off Craigslist and I haven't seen another one since. I suggest at least trying a few of those games before selling the system off. Then, you won't have any "what if" questions or regrets.

[goatdan]

Are there any enjoyable cartridge games worth buying for the Jaguar that are cheap?

Or should I forget about buying any games for it and just sell the system?

I would suggest getting Tempest 2000 for it. You can still find it pretty cheap -- usually around $20 or so -- and to me it is by FAR the best game for the system. If you like it, you can explore some other games for the system, if you don't, it won't hurt your sale price of the system to have one of the best games with it and you'll be able to tell it works.

If Tempest in no way interests you -- you don't like Tempest, or you hate score chases or something, the other games that Leo named are good, but they came out on other platforms usually or are very expensive. There aren't many other great exclusives for it that are cheap that hold up better than games that have come since, but if you enjoy things like 2D scaling sprite racers or 2D fighters, there are some relatively unique things for it.

I love it -- I have every game for it.

[kedawa]

Is there any homebrew scene on the Jag, though?
That's one of the most appealing things about the Lynx IMO.

Also, Rayman is amazing.

[goatdan]

Is there any homebrew scene on the Jag, though?

Yup, I think it's much bigger than the Lynx one too. There have been a number of releases recently that way.

[josekortez]

Yup, I think it's much bigger than the Lynx one too. There have been a number of releases recently that way.

90% of those homebrew games require you to own a Jag CD. I don't think there have been many cartridge homebrew games to my knowledge.

[csgx1]

I've been looking into some of the Jaguar games that were recommended and they look quite interesting. Interesting enough for me to hold on to the system and invest in a game or two.

Tempest 2000 seems interesting and Iron Soldier looks pretty cool too.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Baloo]

Honestly, my opinion is if you have to ask, then it's probably not worth keeping. I'm a old school gamer, but I'm not a pack rat. When in doubt, I believe in trimming the fat. I cant think of many things I've regretting letting go of, and it sounds like you're barely on the fence.

I say give someone else who cares more a chance to own it.

I agree with Emperor Megas. IMO, the Jaguar is a pretty meh system. A lot of the games are simply terrible, and most of what's good on there is ported to other systems, namely Rayman, NBA Jam, Tempest 2000, Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Raiden, they're all on other systems, and are done better on other systems to boot.

I'd sell it and take the nice chunk of cash.

[Leo_A]

I agree with Emperor Megas. IMO, the Jaguar is a pretty meh system. A lot of the games are simply terrible, and most of what's good on there is ported to other systems, namely Rayman, NBA Jam, Tempest 2000, Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Raiden, they're all on other systems, and are done better on other systems to boot.

I'd sell it and take the nice chunk of cash.

Besides Raiden, I'd have to disagree.

Tempest 2000 was at it's best on the Jaguar and the PSOne and Saturn ports aren't as good. Myself and many others thought Rayman was better on the Jaguar then on the PSOne. I don't own it, but I've read about the Jaguar port being the best home port of NBA Jam. And until the Xbox/Xbox 360 generation when both games have been rereleased several times, I'm pretty sure the Jaguar ports of Doom and Wolfenstein 3D were considered the best contemporary console ports of both titles.

Raiden is the only one that I can say beyond a shadow of doubt has been done better elsewhere.

[goatdan]

Besides Raiden, I'd have to disagree.

Tempest 2000 was at it's best on the Jaguar and the PSOne and Saturn ports aren't as good.

I went into a pretty deep discussion about that a couple days ago on here I think. Tempest 2000 is to me the perfect update to a classic arcade game, and the best balanced game like it out there. Nothing in my opinion holds a candle to it. For me, it is about as perfect as any game can get -- and although the PS1 and Saturn ports are good games, they aren't great games.

[Emperor Megas]

I went into a pretty deep discussion about that a couple days ago on here I think. Tempest 2000 is to me the perfect update to a classic arcade game, and the best balanced game like it out there. Nothing in my opinion holds a candle to it. For me, it is about as perfect as any game can get -- and although the PS1 and Saturn ports are good games, they aren't great games.

I own Tempest 2000 for Saturn, and it was one of my favorite games from that console generation. What's different about the Jaguar CD version, exactly?

[goatdan]

I own Tempest 2000 for Saturn, and it was one of my favorite games from that console generation. What's different about the Jaguar CD version, exactly?

It's on the regular Jaguar, but here was my post from the other day about the differences:

Tempest 2000 is probably my favorite game ever made, and the Jaguar version is heads and tails better than any other version I think. And I have played -- and beaten -- every other version of the game that exists since I like it so much. There was:

Tempest 2000 for the Jaguar, Sega Saturn and PC
Tempest X3 for the Playstation
Tempest 3000 for the Nuon, a sequel to the Jaguar game

Ignoring 3000 for a minute, as the other four came out basically together, the issue that Tempest 2000 not on the Jaguar has is that they messed with the balance. Instead of the spikes being able to be blown through once you get the higher powered shot, they remain very difficult to shoot through, basically much like the original game had them, which means that you have to sit in one spot to shoot through them, but the enemies move down at you.

Tempest X3 basically had the difficulty dialed back. Otherwise, I'd adore it, but the biggest issue is the electrical enemies (Pulsars, I believe) get to the end of the web and then act just like any other enemy -- slow. In Tempest 2000 for the Jaguar, the Pulsars were the thing that were both the most dangerous on the web -- as if they did their pulsing thing they could fry you at any moment with basically no warning -- and the most dangerous at the end of the web, as they would race around and you'd have to frantically jump to avoid them. Changing this basically made it so that they weren't as big of a threat, and it really dialed back the intensity that the original has.

Finally, and I think this is in all of the versions except 3000, but I might be wrong as it has been a while -- in the Jaguar version, when you get the AI droid, it goes off and starts shooting things for you that are coming down the web -- in fact, a way to score points if you're patient is to let the spike thing make spikes and then you just shoot them away, and you can't do this if the AI droid is there as it will instantly find and shoot it. On the other versions, the AI droid is basically just like extra shot power, as it hangs on you the entire way around, and won't drift off to take care of an area by itself.

Overall, the games are still good -- I've still managed to play and beat all of them, but the Jaguar version is perfectly balanced and, according to me at least, the most perfect retro update ever done, and simply put the best game ever. The others are all very good games, but they aren't that good. It's worth buying a rotary controller for in my opinion, and is one of the few games that I break out every couple years to beat again.

Finally, Tempest 3000 was the update that Jeff Minter who did the Jaguar version of Tempest 2000 did for the NUON DVD Players. Yup, I bought a NUON just to play this, and the gameplay is solid, but the effects are just a little too much -- whereas Tempest 2000 sometimes had words and power ups and explosions and crap interfere with your view, you never felt like it was cheap -- that was just stuff going on as you advanced in the game. I can never say that I have had a death in Tempest 2000 that I didn't feel was basically my own darn fault, which is the gold standard for me in a game. In Tempest 3000, I found that one in probably four of my deaths were due to a lack of ability to see what in the world was going on, so that alone drop it to my least favorite Tempest update position, and the only one that I haven't beaten. I hear it goes on forever actually, but I haven't even tried getting to level 99 on it.

Writing this makes me want to bust it out and try it again.

If you're collecting for the Jaguar - and I've had a full collection for over a decade now I think - the biggest reason to do it I think is Tempest 2000. The library isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be, it just hasn't aged well as it was at that weird point where 3D was just starting and people didn't exactly know how to use it. Most of the 3D games, even if they were decent in their time (Cybermorph, I'm lookin' at you) look like garbage now. BattleMorph and Iron Soldier II are the few exceptions, and BattleSphere if you have the money for it. The 2D games I think for the most part do hold up well.

I don't remember seeing these mentioned, but I would suggest checking out Zoop and NBA Jam TE on the Jaguar too -- both of these are games that are multiplatform, but the Jaguar versions of both are far and away the best versions of these two games I believe. I also really enjoy or have enjoyed Zool 2, Missile Command 3D, Protector SE, Rayman, Power Drive Rally, FlipOut, Super Burnout, Breakout 2000, and Val D'Isre.

[bacteria]

Like any console system, there are good titles and bad ones. The Jaguar had mostly bad ones, although some titles are good and worth having. Wolfenstein 3D on the Jaguar is a better version of the PC one, which in itself is worth having the console for, in my view.

Problem is the titles that sucked, sucked hard.

[j_factor]

It's on the regular Jaguar, but here was my post from the other day about the differences:

You didn't talk at all about the Saturn version. It doesn't have the changes that the Playstation version has. I haven't extensively compared them, but to me it seemed the same as the Jaguar version, except with CD audio. Some Jag fans say the Saturn port has "thin sound" but they're full of it. The soundtrack is redbook and it's exactly the same as the CD soundtrack release. Hardcore fans of the game should still stick with the Jaguar version, because there's no option on Saturn for a rotary controller. But that's really the only downside, as far as I can tell.