| This page was updated on: Sunday, January 02, 2000 |
Atari Jaguar
Games
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There are almost 70 games available for the Jaguar. As much as I would like to, I can't cover them all here. Here is a look at a few of them....
DOOM - The Atari Jaguar has, possibly, the best port of DOOM to a home video game
console. The music from the PC version is gone during the missions, but that it fine
with me. I never cared too much for the music in the PC version. In the Jag
version, you only hear music during the transition from level to level.
One improvement over the PC version is the color palette. Jag DOOM has a palette of over 65,000 colors, as opposed to the 256 colors in the PC version. This makes a big impact on the game from a visual standpoint.
On the downside, take a look at the screen capture. Notice that unlike the PC version, Jag DOOM does not show how much ammunition you have in your inventory. It only shows which weapons you have/
For the most part, the game is more or less identical to the PC version. The framerate can be a bit choppy from time to time -- usually when it is least convenient for the game to slow down. It seems to me that this version could have been enhanced to better support the Jaguar hardware.
World
Tour Racing - This is a Grand Prix style racing game released by Telegames for Jaguar CD. Select
your racer, customize its features, and set off to conquer the international racing world.
The game supports multiple camera angles, and a split screen - head 2 head competition in
two player mode.
The game is OK from a visual standpoint. It could have been better though. The colors are good, and the background scenery is fantastic. The framerate isn't quite up to snuff however. It doesn't suffer from severe framerate problems like Supercross 3D, but the overall framerate for World Tour Racing seems to be a bit off from full speed.
Most Jag owners are familiar with Checkered Flag, which is another Jag racing game. That game suffers from horrible controls. I am pleased to report that this game does not suffer from those same problems, although it does take a bit of time to learn how your car responds to the Jag joypad.
Music and sound effects are pretty good. Overall, it is a pretty good game. It is well worth adding to your game collection.
Alien vs. Predator - If you want to
see just what the Jaguar hardware can do, then you need to get this game. The game
is a "DOOM" style shooter based around the four "Alien" and two
"Predator" series of motion pictures. Play as the Alien, the Predator, or
a space marine.
If you play as the Alien, you have the benefit of speed. The Alien specializes in speed, and close range attack. That's right -- the Alien does not have any of the "conventional" weapons that you would expect in a game of this type. The Alien does everything in a "hand-to-hand" style at close range.
The Predator is the slowest character, but is the most powerful. As you earn points, you are awarded new weapons and power-ups. Like the movies, the Predator can make himself invisible.
The Colonial Marine (human) has medium speed, and is probably the most balanced character in the game. The Marine has a huge arsenal of weapons.
The sound in this game is nothing short of phenomenal. The digitized sound effects are scary, and they can scare the hell out of you if you play this game in a darkened room. The "Alien" creatures shriek when you shoot them, just like in the movies.
Overall, an outstanding game, and it has always been a favorite of Jag owners. The levels are huge, and they do keep you guessing. While DOOM on the Jaguar is pretty good, Alien vs. Predator beats it hands down. No Jaguar owner should be without this game.
Fight for Life - If you like the Tekken or Virtua Fighter arcade games, then Fight for Life
may be for you. The game tries (very hard) to be like Virtua Fighter in the arcades,
but it just doesn't compete. This is not to say that Fight for Life is a bad
game. It certainly is a good game, but it could have been better.
This game was fun, but I felt like it could have been much better. I wonder what I am missing, because most other reviews of this title feel that this is a fantastic game.
Sound in this game isn't anything to write home about. Basic "whacks" and "thuds" and used. I feel that the music is only average, but I have seen other reviews for this game that rave about it. There are over 20 music tracks., and most of them are pretty short. The pace of the game, to me, seems slow.
The graphics are pretty good though. The framerate seems high, and the characters are colorful. I did notice some visual bugs here and there.
One neat feature is that you can "build" your own fighter, complete with customized moves, while playing in tournament mode.
All in all, Fight for Life is probably the best of the "fighting" games on the Jaguar. However, I don't think that says very much, considering that the other Jag fighting games are pretty bad.
Atari Karts - This game was programmed by Miracle Designs, the same people who designed
Mario Kart on the Nintendo systems.
Graphics in this game are great. The framerate is fast and smooth. The characters are clearly defined. The sound is great as well -- Atari Karts has some of the best music in any Jag game.
There are eleven Karts total, four of which you must earn. Each kart has it's own characteristics, such as steering, acceleration, and top speed. As for the racing part of the game, it is pretty much as you would expect. You race around a track with six other opponents trying to finish in the highest position you can. Various bonuses, and hazards and obstacles are placed around each track. Hitting an obstacle stops you completely. Then you have to back up and go around.
Going off of the track slows you down. Rear-ending another racer stops you completely while speeding them up. Side collisions will knock both of the involved karts towards the sides of the track towards the barriers.
Gameplay is enhanced by using the Jaguar PROController.
Super
Cross 3D - This is another racing game, but this one is
based around motorcycles. It was a great concept, but it was not implemented very
well. Not a very good game overall.
The graphics aren't very clean, and the framerate is probably the worst of any Jaguar game. The framerate is so bad, that it makes the game practically unplayable. Since the framerate is so bad, it makes a bad control scheme seem even worse.
One thing I don't understand -- every time your bike goes off of the track, you will crash. Now in the real world, that isn't always the case, so why has the game been structured in such a way that you cannot attempt a recovery after going off of the track?
Sound is a mixed bag. The music is absolutely horrible, although the in-game sound effects are much better.
This is one of the last Jag games to be released, and it isn't worth the money.
Defender 2000 -
This game is the creation of Jeff Minter, and is one of my favorite games on the
Jaguar. Three versions are on the cartridge:
To me, the Defender 2000 mode is like Defender on drugs, and this drug is insanely addictive. I recently had a friend from out of town come to visit me for a week at my home. He had never seen this game, or even played a Jaguar before. By the time that the week was up, he had knocked off all of my high scores on this game, and wanted to know where he could buy a Jag when he got home.
Graphics are great in all modes. One thing that I noticed about the "Classic" mode is that most of the enemies are bigger than they are in the arcade original. This makes them easier to hit, and simplifies the game somewhat.
Sound is pretty good overall. Defender 2000 sound is outstanding, and the "Plus" and "Classic" modes sound a lot like the arcade originals.
NBA Jam Tournament Edition - NBA JAM T.E. on the Jaguar is, for the most part, a perfect port of the
original arcade game. Anyone who played this game in the arcades will have no
problem getting started on this version. Everything from the original has been
duplicated, including the arcade versions secret modes.
As with other home translations of NBA JAM T.E., this cartridge includes new features. Many options in the game, such as the game clock, shot clock, overtime duration, and computer difficulty can be adjusted Computer assistance, power-up icons, and "hot shot" areas can be turned on or off. Player rosters have been updated with new players, and a Rookies team. Hidden characters like Leonard Tramiel, Prince Charles, and many others are tucked away in the game. The game is fast with responsive controls and constant action.
Like I said above, I can't believe how good this game is. It seems to be a dead-on port of the arcade original, and it should be included in the cartridge library of all Jag owners.
Tempest 2000 -
Another "must-have" game for the Jaguar. Another classic by Jeff
Minter. Four versions are on the cartridge:
The original Tempest mode is OK, but nothing to get excited about. Tempest 2000 mode is killer. Like the Defender 2000 game shown above, Tempest 2000 is Tempest on drugs. Tempest 2000 throws out all the stops with power ups, deadlier and more varied foes, polygon-based rather than vector based objects, shaded webs with smooth color cycling. The music is amazing, and the sound is great. You really need to play this on a big TV with the lights off and the sound turned up.
There is a simple formula for getting high scores n this game: Blast the hell out of everything while getting past the most levels as possible with the greatest number of points. Sounds simple, but it is not.
Iron
Soldier/Iron Soldier II - Iron Soldier, and Iron Soldier II
are "giant robot" games. Take command of a giant robot, and blow
everything to kingdom come.
Iron Soldier is a cartridge based game takes place in the future. Industry has conquered government in the form of the Iron Fist Corporation (IFC). IFC has turned into a typically oppressive regime and a resistance is forming to take them on. The resistance has managed to steal the prototype of the IFC's new weapon, the Iron Soldier. It is a 42 foot killer robot. You will be "driving" the Iron Soldier through 16 different missions with the ultimate goal of wiping out the IFC.
Iron Soldier II picks off where Iron Soldier left off. More missions, better graphics, etc. Iron Solder is available on CD, but Telegames has made a special limited cartridge release. The Iron Soldier II cartridge is identical to the CD version, except that the cart is missing the full motion video.
I am not a big fan of the "big robot" games like the Battletech series, Mechwarrior, etc. However, I did like these games.