What is the single-most factor that keeps you interested in the Jaguar?

[Austin]

Rather than derail an existing thread, I thought it would be interesting to make a poll to find out the single greatest factor that keeps you coming back to playing the Jaguar, or participating in its community. This is in response to an existing thread (and post) and can be found here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/245794-dreamers-corner-did-jaguar-show-full-potential-or-not/?p=3375888

 

The line in that post that got me thinking about this is this one in regards to the Jaguar community's current active user base: "It's certainly not the games drawing people in."

 

I found that line in particular interesting, because going by that theory, one might think other failed systems would have just as much of an active user base as the Jaguar (PC-FX, CD-i, 3DO.. Bandai Apple Pippin, etc). Atari may have died thanks to the Jaguar, but some of those platforms had equally depressing end-game stories as well, yet their communities aren't anywhere near as active as the Jaguar's. However, if it's actually the overall library and homebrew development that keeps people interested, then it's most certainly the games that are drawing people in, and that's what I want to find out.

 

For me, it's the original stock library that keeps me interested in the platform. Like any video game system, regardless of how large or small the library is, it's certain games I still enjoy playing that keeps me coming back. "Coming back" is a bit subjective--I have a couple dozen systems hooked up, so many platforms are constantly vying for my already limited time and I may only have a couple of legitimately good, lengthy Jaguar sessions a year. Regardless, it's the games I still enjoy that brings me back to it for those sessions, just like with any other game platform, so that's where my vote goes.

 

I do like that homebrew is made, but like with any other system I don't follow it frequently nor do I purchase new releases very often, so that's not my primary reason for continuing to remain interested. Theorizing about alternate realities (say, the system didn't fail, and Atari was still around), or talking about "Unharnessed POWAH" may have been interesting to me 15 years ago, but now I feel like it's wasted breath. I'm also not physically collecting much anymore either, so I don't stick around with the system or in the community just to gather some more pricey releases that I can show off on my shelf.

 

What about you? Place a vote and feel free to elaborate below. I am curious to know what the biggest factor is that keeps people coming back, to either the system or the community. Certainly there will be multiple factors for most of us, but undoubtedly some factors are going to take precedence more than others--I want to know the one that holds the most weight for you and the active community as a whole.

[Rick Dangerous]

There are some great games on the Jaguar, but there are some great games on a lot of systems. For me, it's all about the homebrews!!

 

Although, I can say, does anyone have just one reason for being into a system, especially as one as contentious as the Jaguar? I'll list my main bundle of reasons I like the jag:

 

-Great active community and home brew scene with lots of fun stuff on the horizon (Rebooteroids, uFly, Albert approved Repro's, Etc.)

-Cool factor (niche system with low production run, great industrial design, made in USA, last Atari, named after apex predator, etc.)

-Production game library (reasonably solid, plenty of fun games from one of my favorite eras of gaming (90's!!)

-Collectability factor. Yes I like owning obscure stuff that no one else in my state owns. Pro Controllers, Catbox's, Battlesphere Golds, Alices Moms Rescue Special Editions, JHL 15's an Air Cars 94. I Effing love it and I don't apologize for that

-Lastly, It's awesome. It just is.

 

ALSO: I will say that I buy nothing to just sit on a shelf (though I do want it to look good when it is on one.) I have opened two sealed pro controllers, a sealed copy of battlesphere gold, and a number of other sealed, nib games since I got into the Jag. It's a game system not a museum piece, and its meant to be PLAYED. Preferably with friends. This is why I can't wait for Gauntlet to be released on cart!

Edited November 24, 2015 by travistouchdown

[Austin]

Although, I can say, does anyone have just one reason for being into a system, especially as one as contentious as the Jaguar? I'll list my main bundle of reasons I like the jag:

 

There's no doubt all of us are into one system or another these days for a variety of reasons. However, I'm most interested to hear the reason that holds the most weight. Basically, if you had to pick one, which currently holds the most inherent value to you.

[+Saturn]

For me, currently it's the homebrew choice. I didn't see and can't define fully what keeps me in it. I come back hardcore every now and then, go on a collecting blitz and settle back down temporarily. Travistouchdown started a thread once titled , "What is wrong with me?" I agree with a lot of what's in that thread. I don't have a clue what the draw is but it's unshakable. *cue Madman and the fumes* Lol

So much new stuff is constantly coming out for the system. I don't see it as dead but a vibrant part of my every day life, pathetic as that could be interpreted. I like the games-even the crappy ones. I play them all (well, nearly) and enjoy the time spent. I could probably be doing much more constructive things but I enjoy downtime with the Jaguar and attempt some daily. Even at work I'm sneaking in games of Downfall or Breakout 2000 whenever I have the chance.

About the collecting part, I like to see the logo on the boxes on my shelves. Walking into my gameroom with all that red and black is just appealing to my eyes. I try to grab up 3 of everything (keeping 2 sealed or unplayed for my kids) when it doesn't intrude or deprive others.

Throw ARNE or Tempest 2000 on the kiosk, crank up the sound and time flies by too quickly.

[Rick Dangerous]

Travistouchdown started a thread once titled , "What is wrong with me?"

 

Haha I'd totally forgotten about that thread. Sadly I own most of those games now...and no regrets.

[+LS650]

Just waiting for Rebooteroids...

[+rdemming]

 

What is the single-most factor that keeps you interested in the Jaguar?

 

For me it is because all you guys keeping the Jaguar alive. The home-brews, all the discussions with sometimes strong opinions, the fights, the drama.

 

Also the Jaguar was a great sprite pushing machine but too late for the 2D generation of games and under powered for the 3D generation of games. And for me it was the last game machine I bought. The machines after that (PlayStations, Sega Saturn/Dreamcast, X-Boxes, Nintendo 64/GameCube/Wii) never really interested me.

 

Robert

[Merendino]

I never owned a Jaguar prior to 2015 nor did I ever meet anyone in person that owned one. It simply passed me by due to lack of availability. Now that I'm an adult with childish spending habits I allow myself to partake of things that younger me would have wanted in respect to the video game world. I grew up poor so now I surround myself with expensive plastic and feel very fortunate that I'm comfortably able to do so.

 

Real Talk: I like to punish myself by playing bad/sup-par video games. It's a sickness. The Jag does have some great stuff and that's the mask I use to validate owning one to my friends.

 

Off-topic proof that I love punishment: Redheads. <3

Edited November 24, 2015 by Merendino

[GroovyBee]

No fumes option?

[stirrell]

In my case a lot of it is from being an Atari fanboy. Looking at it rationally, it is hard to justify using Atari computers as long as I did (had a Falcon) but, for whatever reason when I was younger, I was brand loyal to Atari. Now I have a lot of nostalgia for Atari and that is what keeps me connected. I also have limited game-playing time and tend to enjoy short arcade experiences so Atari systems are good for that, in my mind. Though, again, I could get retro collections for other systems or run emulators and MAME so I think it is the nostalgia.

 

I bought the Jaguar when it was being liquidated at KayBee so I think at that time it was definitely a good deal. Trying to get back into it, though, it is hard to justify the prices. I can't see myself getting a CD attachment despite really liking Battlesphere and wanting to play that game again.

 

There are unique exclusive games that are a lot of fun -AVP, Cybermorph, Tempest make the system worth having to me. If not for the brand, though, I don't think I'd be into it.

 

And, sorry, this was not a single reason, but a bunch of factors. I would also add that it is fun being a little different and rooting for the underdog.

Edited November 24, 2015 by stirrell

[+Gemintronic]

reboot BASIC+ and the fact that carts can be made. Not by me of course but awesome people.

 

Besides the Dreamcast this is the most powerful classic video game console you can dev for. By "you" I mean the average Joe.

[Atlantis]

I like games form early 90's the most... I sat down and thought things through: I'm not that interested in video games anymore, but I am interested in the years when video games were important to me (peak at early 90's).

Also like the more arcade like games, and games when the moves and buttons were limited. I hate modern controllers with buttons and combos, and more arcade like games it's more to compete on small marginals that gives me the adrenaline kick I'm after.

Prime time 4 ever!

I don't have that much time, so fast arcade games are perfect for me.

Playing games come first.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Atlantis

[Rick Dangerous]

I like games form early 90's the most... I sat down and thought things through: I'm not that interested in video games anymore, but I am interested in the years when video games were important to me (peak at early 90's).

 

Same. LOVE the early 90's, 8-32 bit era. Granted the Jag is 64 but...

 

Got a Game Gear recently, and the games are pure gold. There is something extra warm and fuzzy about the 90-95 era for me as well. And though I love the nes/snes, and genesis, I really am excited to own now the systems I couldn't back then, either because of price or availability, or both. These include the Jaguar, Lynx, 3DO, Sega CD, 32x, and Cdi.

[032-Bias]

I honestly feel sorry for the Jaguar. To me, it's a console that has at least half a library of playable if not good and fun games that didn't get a fair shake when it was out. It doesn't help that I "rescued" it and a Jag CD from an old record shop/game store and brought both back to life about 3 years ago.

 

Similar reasoning for my growing Dreamcast collection...I really miss having money.

[Atlantis]

 

Same. LOVE the early 90's, 8-32 bit era. Granted the Jag is 64 but...

 

Got a Game Gear recently, and the games are pure gold. There is something extra warm and fuzzy about the 90-95 era for me as well. And though I love the nes/snes, and genesis, I really am excited to own now the systems I couldn't back then, either because of price or availability, or both. These include the Jaguar, Lynx, 3DO, Sega CD, 32x, and Cdi.

Yes, when you find good games - even better forgotten good games, which kind of makes them new to me - it's all just great. But I can also enjoy the charm of bad games who gives me a good laughter or when you can see what they were trying to achieve.

 

There is something, which I guess we all are trying to understand, that draws us towards the Jaguar, maybe we will never quite understand, but what ever it is Jag has a charm and on top of that a small but hardcore following and Jaguar feels up to date since games come all the time from the post-titles to the homebrews. At this point I think it will continue as long as we walk this earth and a little more since new young people also join.

 

I don't think the video game bubble is even close to its end. People have a strong need to own nostalgic things that they alone value, and here the Jag is at its best.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Atlantis

[AtariORdead]

Its the community TBH, it provides far more entertainment than the console and games could ever hope to.

 

That plus the fact I have a strange fascination with the console and its history.

[Merendino]

In my my opinion it also helps draw us in knowing that the Jaguar was sadly a blip on the video game radar. I firmly believe most of us wonder "what could have been?" due to the sheer potential of the system. I'd like to think the Jag was the victim of wrong place, wrong time, wrong people in charge. (That doesn't leave much, does it?)

 

To me, the Jaguar is my "Manos: Hands of Fate". It was supposed to be a huge movie made by people who knew next to nothing and flopped embarassingly only to be embraced by the weirdest, smartest fans years later, never to be forgotten again.

[Cobra Kai]

The single factor is there are about 5 games that I absolutely love and continually play. Always. I take breaks from the machine here and there. I see nothing wrong with the collecting side of it either, I don't see why it has to be one or the other, I certainly collect games from all consoles, but I play them too. I'm not obligated to sell my belongings just because they aren't currently in use.

[+save2600]

It *is* all about the games of course. It's a freaking video game system after all.

 

But there's obviously a lot more to the system that keeps some of us compelled. Lots of reasons, but some of the more important ones have to do with the history of the machine, being Atari's last console and all. Then there's the homebrew scene, ST conversions, betas and other nearly finished games that surface from time to time. Just a very interesting system that has a lot of life left in it. Bit of an underdog too, that's definitely more popular today than it was when first released. Certainly can't say that about too many other consoles!

[Austin]

No fumes option?

I was trying to refrain from this topic turning into one big joke. Otherwise yeah, there definitely would have been the option.

[+madman]

Aw man, someone beat me to a fumes joke. I voted for the homebrew stuff, that's really the most intriguing to me. Makes me want to get into coding for fun again, I just don't have the free time I did when I was in college. I like to see people investing time in dead systems, I also like any technical discussion even if it's "what power adapter can I use?" I'm not so much into the "Checkered Flag is great if you never leave first gear" type of justification talk, though.

[sirlynxalot]

For me, it has to be a combination of the obscurity and console exclusive nature of many of the retail games (as opposed to... intrinsically fun gameplay, which I find lacking in many titles). The Jag has a ton of console exclusives, and since it had such a low install base at the time (and probably more so today in terms of active users), the knowledge that I can play a bunch of rare games that are out of the norm of what people played then, and what the majority of retro gamers take the time to play now, makes the system and its library intriguing to me. Each time I boot up Hoverstrike in 2015, I'm partaking in an experience that very very few people are doing.

[Schmudde]

In my mind, the Jaguar was the end of an era where a small development house could expertly craft a title filled with personality and succeed. I left the gaming scene after the Jaguar because I'm not really into risk-adverse AAA franchise titles.

 

Xbox Live titles are a contemporary example of this spirit. But there was a long time between the Jaguar and Xbox Live.

 

I stick with the Jaguar because I have limited time and the platform has a good balance between new homebrews and a library that I haven't fully conquered. My last year in gaming looks like:

• Beating all three modes in Alien Vs. Predator for the first time since the 1990s.
• Getting halfway through Rayman.
• Squeezing in some quick games of Impulse X and Zoop.
• Buying and playing three new titles: Alice's Mom's Rescue, JHL '15, and Another World.

That's a pretty solid year, IMHO. Lots of great times in those titles.

 

/ü

[Flojomojo]

I chose the POWAH option. I think the Jag fans are funny. I don't count myself among their number because technology and especially games have moved on, but I had a big Jaguar library in the mid 1990s, and have a good understanding of its small catalog. I waited for Battlesphere and bought a copy. I remember the advertising and interviews from Next Generation Magazine, and the broken promises of the Jaguar CD unit. The Jaguar world is small enough and moves slowly enough that you don't feel like you can't keep up (as would be the case with something like SNES or GameBoy with a bigger catalog and fan base). I think it's astounding that anyone still gives a crap about this failed system, and it's endlessly entertaining to see the drama that gets stirred up here. You never know what you're going to read next, but it's often amusingly outrageous. I like the Retro VGS thread for the same reason. I suppose at the end of the day, I'm a pathetic hater who just likes to talk about dorky subjects.

[NeoGeoNinja]

I've just been looking over Austin's question more closely (what is the single-most factor that keeps you interested in the Jaguar ... OR ... participating in the community?) I now realise I am 50% split down the middle between:

 

'Playing games comes first for me, and I enjoy what the Jaguar library has to offer...' ... & ... 'Following homebrew development and new releases piques my interest the most and is what keeps me active.'

 

The GAMES bring me coming back to my Jaguar time and time again. I have a special respect for the console that a small number of us have - as that intermediate console that came between the 16-bit era and the upcoming 32-bit era of PS1 & Saturn. I had (have!) no special attachment to Atari WHATSOEVER and, tbh, could care less about them as a games company (sorry). Simply, I had the Atari Jaguar at that specific time and, at that time, it was a big leap for me (and my friends who played my Jag) before moving on to my PS1 & SAT in 95/96. I feel, because I experienced that Jag at that important time, amplified by my age (12/13yrs), it built a special relationship with the machine outside of fandom for Atari or their history leading up to the Jaguar. The Jaguar, opportunistically, came out of thin air for me at the right time. I'm so glad to have experienced it when it had relevance, for me.

 

HOWEVER...

 

It's the chit-chat that goes on here and the promise of new up and coming projects and titles that keeps me coming back here to keep in touch with what's going on in the community. It's rarely to talk about the existing Jag games catalogue itself. It's very difficult to have open-minded and objective discussions about the Jaguar and it's library, here on AAge. So much bias and passion for the console undermines a proper chat about it's capabilities and it's library. And that's fine. I'll just let people have their "Jag had best version of 'this' game" or "Jag could have handled 'that' game" discussions but have very little to add myself without being classed as a hater. I really do just take the Jag at face value and appreciate it from that perspective.

 

I have my own reasons for loving the Jag, but it's firmly rooted in reality and is coated with nostalgia for the most part, having great times with the machine over half my lifetime ago(!!).

 

Also, being older (etc) now, I have been able to slowly add Jag games to my collection that I didn't have originally. It's been an educational journey. I've acquired 'those' games I wish I had known about and owned back in the day (Super Burnout, PowerDrive Rally, Ultra Vortek) and also acquired those that slipped through the net I would have been better off leaving well alone (Checkered Flag, Double Dragon V, Fight for Life etc). Sure, there have been disappointments but there have been moments of being pleasantly surprised too. Such is the nature of the beast that is the Jaguar...

Edited November 25, 2015 by NeoGeoNinja