Atari Jaguar Brief Reviews
The Atari Jaguar is now officially dead! That's bad news too. If your like me, you love games, and and have a certain fondness for the company that started it all. Now the whole company is gone, and last I heard they plan to go back into the computer hardware business. I have owned every Atari system to date, and I tell you, they make great hardware. Atari's main downfall was in the software department. It seemed to me that whenever they created a new system, the first few games were excellent, but after that they were "rushed jobs". I understand the publics critisms of Atari. How could gamers trust them to create good software for a new system (Jaguar), when Atari has let us down so many times in the past. The public mistrust, and eventually crappy software, are what caused the Jaguars demise. Still, I liked many of it's games, and will always remember it well.
Checkered Flag (Atari)
Here's a game that seemed to have
everything going for it. It had polygons (which were new then),
it had multiple views, it had plenty of tracks, plenty of cars,
and options galore. It was released about the same time as the
32x version of Virtua Racer, and I thought for sure that the
Jaguar game would be the best. They both looked close
graphically, but the Jaguar game had many more options, and some
additional horsepower due to it being on the 64 bit machine.
Well, I was wrong. I bought both games, and I can say for certain
that Virtua Racer is about a zillion times better. Not due to to
graphics, sound, ect.. but rather due strictly to car control.
The Jag game is nearly impossible to control. This is no joke.
Even after extended hours of trying to play the game, I still
couldn't control the car. It was made a little easier by
selecting wet tires, but even that didn't help much. It's too bad
to, because I waited forever for this game to finally be
released. After the excellent lynx version, I really expected a
great game. Atari really needed to learn that gameplay is
everything. If they would've just tweeked the control a little,
this would've been great.
Graphics: 80%
Sound: 75%
Gameplay: 30%
Originality: 75%
Replay Value: 30%
Overall: 58% (GVA II)
Club Drive (Atari)
This has to be one of the most
underated games of all time. I've read reviews of this game that
place it in the worst of the worst catagory. I somehow find it
hard to believe that these people have actually played this game.
I thought Club Drive was a blast to play! It did take some
fiddeling with the options to get it to perform well, but after
that it was nothing but pure joy. Here's a hint, set your view so
the camera pans, and you see your car. If you do, you will
actually feel as if you are in the car while driving. The game is
also completely original. You race in bedrooms, on beaches,
through ghost towns, ect.. You can even race for powerballs in
velocity park which has your car performing tricks on a stunt
course. The graphics aren't too good, but with many options for
play, and a fun "in the game" feeling, you can't go
wrong with Club Drive.
Graphics: 65%
Sound: 68%
Gameplay: 90%
Originality: 95%
Replay Value: 95%
Overall: 82.6% (GVA II)
Cybermorph (Atari)
I'll never forget the first time I
played this game. I had just bought my Atari Jaguar, it was late
at night, and the room was very dark. After hookup, I sllipped
Cybermorph into the Jag, and began to play. I was amazed at the
voices of skyler (your onboard female computer helper), and the
size of the go anywhere playing fields. This was the fist time I
had experienced either of these. I was truly impressed, as I
actually felt I was in the game. I loved Cybermorph, and think
you will to. Give it a try if you haven't already done so.
Graphics: 87%
Sound: 95%
Gameplay: 90%
Originality: 92%
Replay Value: 90%
Overall: 90.8% (GVA II)
Iron Solider (Atari)
This is one great game! Matter of fact,
I think it was pretty revolutinary for it's time. In this game,
you pilot a giant mech warrior, to complete your mission
objectives, in a go anywhere environment. What I liked most about
the game is the fact that everything can be shot, and destroyed
in this game. Nowdays, there are many games that do the same
things, but for it's time this was the best that it got. It's
still fun, even now. Give it a try!
Graphics: 89%
Sound: 92%
Gameplay: 95%
Originality: 97%
Replay Value: 93%
Overall: 93.2% (GVA II)
Pinball Fantasies (21st
Century Entertainment)
This is a pretty good pinball game,
that I've had alot of fun with. You have 4 tables to choose from,
they are: Partyland, Speed Devils, Billion Dollar Gameshow, and
Stones 'N' Bones. All are good tables with almost amazing ball
phsyics. Everything you'd expect from a real pinball machine is
included here. I don't have much else to say, except if your into
pinball, you won't go wrong with Pinball Fantasies.
Graphics: 85%
Sound: 90%
Gameplay: 80%
Originality: 75%
Replay Value: 97%
Overall: 85.4% (GVA II)
Super Burnout (Virtual
Xperience)
Here is yet another example of a good
game that could've been a great game. Super burnout, at first
glance, appears to have everything. It has six bikes, eight
tracks, super smooth scrolling (which I was greatly impressed
with), hills, 2 player mode, and perfectly controling bikes. It
also has day and night races. What it doesn't have is anything to
make it standout from any other racer. It is great for a short
period of time, but soon becomes repitious and boring. As it is,
Super Burnout is a good game, but by no means a great game.
Graphics: 79%
Sound: 75%
Gameplay: 68%
Originality: 75%
Replay Value: 75%
Overall: 74.4% (GVA II)
Tempest 2000 (Atari)
This game is awesome!! Positively the
best Jaguar game, as well as one of the best games for any
system! It is a near perfect remake of the classic game Tempest.
The programmer, Jeff Minter, really knows his stuff. Gameplay is
near pefect, and graphics are spectacular. This is one of those
games that you will want to revisit again and again. Even if you
don't own a Jaguar, you should consider buying one for this game
alone.
Graphics: 98%
Sound: 99%
Gameplay: 98%
Originality: 85%
Replay Value: 97%
Overall: 95.4% (GVA II)
Trevor McFur (Atari)
The first time I saw this game my jaw
almost dropped to the floor. At a time when 16 bit was the norm,
Trevor McFur's graphics were almost too good to be true. Matter
of fact, this game was one of the reasons I decided to purchase
the Jaguar in the first place. Once I got it home I was sadly
disappointed. The game play is very repetious and boring. Sure,
they threw in a few good powerups, but it just didn't save the
game. As it is, the game is sub-par.
Graphics: 98%
Sound: 50%
Gameplay: 60%
Originality: 60%
Replay Value: 40%
Overall: 61.6% (GVA II)
Val d' Isere- Skiing and
Snowboarding (Virtual Experience)
Here's a game that I thought I'd like,
but could never really get into. It looks good, scrolls good, and
has many variations for play, but just doesn't pull it all
together right. It's fast, probably too fast. To it's credit
though, the player decides the speed by pressing the speed
button. To me, it just doesn't feel right. You never get the
feeling that your actually skiing. I'm sure many would like it,
but I just don't.
Graphics: 85%
Sound: 75%
Gameplay: 65%
Originality: 80%
Replay Value: 65%
Overall: 74% (GVA II)
