atarijagplayer
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Posts posted by atarijagplayer
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I picked up a few Jag games and systems in the Detroit area from Electronics Boutique, Babbages, and mail order. For some reason, the retailer EB would pack the game right into the box that was displayed on the shelf... Games were never shrink wrapped when purchased new, boxes were sometimes worn from being on display - which I found rather interesting.
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All topics in this forum are simply wonderful/awesome as is this particular topic.
While some Jag games do receive more coverage, critical panning, and sentiment than others - the possibility exists our experience with Jag games is/could be considered deeper than playability, graphics, sound, and other content such as control. Rather, our experience with Jag games could likely define how we feel about them. Who did we play Jag with? What size was the screen of our television? Where were we when we played the games? and, What significant event if any at all was transpiring in our lives at the time (such as college/high school graduation)? Such questions can/could or may be equated to our overall sentiment related to the most over-hyped Jag games.
As I reflect, many of the games mentioned here in this thread were hyped-up in some capacity. I recall Thea Realm Fighters and Magic Carpet getting some hyped-up press coverage, only to be cancelled - while games like Pinball Fantasies and I-War (Both memorable/excellent games) seemingly failed to make an indent in terms of press coverage. Like others stated, Iron Soldier comes to mind as a title that was over-hyped. Although credit can be given for its originality and assortment of stages/weapons... I wonder, however, if my sentiment of the game would be markedly different had it been played in a different room, on a different television, and during a different time in my life? I enjoy these discussions and look forward to additional insight and viewpoints!
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In isolation, a lot of games are more or less fine and/or "playable." It's when you start to compare one game to other games that disappointment sets in. Comparatively speaking, Checkered Flag was behind the curve in several areas. People expected more from that type of game and certainly more on the system it was on. That's probably the standard criticism that was levied against many Jaguar games, whatever form it took. It's just that it's hard to separate out the comparison thing from reviewing the game for what it is (which arguably would probably be a disservice to readers, most of whom probably don't consider the merits of a game in isolation either).
Thank you for the reflective feedback, Bill! As I also reflect, I realize the selection of Checkered Flag was a simple maneuver based on the curiosity of what actually constitutes as a bad game in terms of playability, replay value, and presentation. The polygon colors in Checkered flag were vibrant in contrast to other titles such as I-War, and the amount of options were seemingly unprecedented at the time - eg, 99 laps, day/dark (with code), and air foil position among others. Aside from the options, the instruction manual included language suggesting the steering was a challenge. Although I haven't found sufficient material to cite in terms of development, as you may know the game purportedly began as a work in progress with a few different titles, complete with input and sentiment from industry professionals. Although unsuccessful in finding information related to the genesis of Checkered Flag and reference to the numerous work in progress titles, I found one source indicating a formula one racing game would be available at product launch (McGowan, 1993). Similar to many other individuals on this forum, I wonder if Checkered Flag would have been markedly different if released under one of the other working titles.
Reference
McGowan, C. (1993). Atari hopes to regain lost glory. Billboard, 105(31), 49. Retrieved from ProQuest database.
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36 years old... Received my first Jag via mail order in 1994. I had the ability to select a free game with the system so I chose checkered flag over all others available. Checkered flag was not unplayable as some media sources suggested, rather, I found it quite amusing. Sadly, I'd given my Jag, games, and accessories such as the pro controller to a friend some years ago and miss the system dearly.
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I believe Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position II are both categorized as:
Hall of Fame, top five on the system.
Every time I purchase a 7800, I am sure to add each of these games to my collection as soon as possible. They have a tremendous replay value. There are certain games on a system that system owners keep in their software libraries that often lead to the question, "what game have I not played for a while?". Pole position II and Ms. Pac-Man are those go-to games in my 7800 library.
Thank you for posting this thread, for the thread enabled me to reflect on my experience with the 7800 and these two games.
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I often wonder about Zzyorxx II, the shooter from Virtual Xperience (Super Burnout)...
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I really enjoyed any Atari system I ever owned. Years have passed since I owned an Atari and I miss it immensely.
From the days of picking up many 2600/7800 new in box games at Meijer in 1990/1991 or waiting for the Jag CD to clearance at EB (29.99 - sweet deal) to even picking up sweet homebrews like BeefDrop - the Atari experience always rocked.
It is really cool to know there is so much support of the awesome Atari products here on this website.
Hopefully I will be able to pick up another Atari in the future - they are the best systems to own!
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Jaguar games I disliked:
- White Men Can Jump
- Val D'
- Hover Strike
- Dino Dudes
- Bubsy
Games that are great!, however way underrated as follows:
+ Power Drive Rally
+ Pinball Fantasies
+ I-War (way underrated!!!)
+ Vid Grid
+ Breakout 2000
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I cannot get anywhere in Flashback after picking up the holocube. I usually get boored or die by accidentally falling.
Does anybody know if there is a Jag-specific walkthrough on the internet, or know what to do next? I seem to find the Genesis/Saturn walkthroughs but never Jag. Are all versions exactly the same?
Thank you all for your time!
Thanks again! The game is as cool as the critics say! Its all about making that one jump and then shooting that robot! Excellent!
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I cannot get anywhere in Flashback after picking up the holocube. I usually get boored or die by accidentally falling.
Does anybody know if there is a Jag-specific walkthrough on the internet, or know what to do next? I seem to find the Genesis/Saturn walkthroughs but never Jag. Are all versions exactly the same?
Thank you all for your time!
Thanks for all your input! This helps alot!
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I cannot get anywhere in Flashback after picking up the holocube. I usually get boored or die by accidentally falling.
Does anybody know if there is a Jag-specific walkthrough on the internet, or know what to do next? I seem to find the Genesis/Saturn walkthroughs but never Jag. Are all versions exactly the same?
Thank you all for your time!
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I love Checkered Flag!
Definately agree the steering is awkward, and will take time to get used to, but it adds challenge.
As I may have mentioned in a previos post reply, I'll bet the programmers/engineers tried to make it seem like a person was really trying to control a real life race car travelling at 165+ miles an hour... Problably pretty tough! Although I applaud their attempt at a real life simulation, it simply did not transfer very well into a video game... Here's my review:
Graphics: Bright polygon graphics that appear very uncommon on Jaguar polygon games. Framerate is descent and at times players will see glimpses of different graphics (Red Line Racing?) for a milisecond... Overall score 7.5 (I like em, they are not the dark shaded super common polygon graphics players will see on other games).
Music: Great tunes reminicent of the late eighties/early nineties. I like it alot. overall score: 8
Control: The biggest surprise, if players try a few taps of the brake and d-pad, the turning should eventually be mastered.
Replay value: This game has many options and configurations to make each time you play a different experience. I like switching up the weather, airfoil, and tires on different tracks. This game kept me captive since 1995... Final score: 9.5
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Vid Grid on the Atari Jaguar is a cool game. And it's got some wicked videos! Anyone agree?
I love that game! It is funny that they blurred out the Blond girl giving the finger at the end of the Aerosmith video. I once heard Atari was working on Country Grid and Kid Grid, too bad nothing transpired!
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I wish the Sega/Atari money deal (for use of 9 pin joystick connections I believe) would have came to fruition. A graphically updated Phantasy Star I would have been great!
I think Atari should have made Alien Brigade 2000, an update and inclusion of the 7800 game.
Although an SNK title, I would like to see Midnight Mutants 2000!
I also would have liked to see an Atari 5200 games compilation for Jag CD. I heard once or twice Atari was working on a "Pong" for the Jag, as that would be cool too!
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Dino Dudes was not on my list. Club Drive I passed on as well. Never could figure out flashback either. Bubsy and Zool also failed my interest. Here's my picks on a scale of 1-10 for playability for the games I owned/played...(10 great 1 poor)
Cybermorph - 6 Ultra Vortek - 8 Total Carnage - 10 (Thanks for releasing CF)
Atari Carts - 8 Rayman - 4 Zoop - 4
Primal rage - 4 White Men Cant Jump - 3 Dragons Lair - 7
Attack/Mutant Penguins - 5 Zero 5 - 10 Space Ace - 7
I-War - 9 Breakout 2000 - 10 Blue Lightning - 8
Pinball Fantasies - 10 Iron Soldier - 3 Tempest 2000 - 8
Zool - 2 Iron Soldier 2 - 7 Vid Grid - 10
Bubsy - 2 Myst - 8 Flash back - 0
Club Drive - 1 Hover strike (Both versions) - 4 Troy Aikman - 5
Checkered Flag - 8 Towers II - 6 Theme park - 8
Doom - 7 Supercross 3D - 7
AVP - 8 Flip out - 7
Power Drive Rally - 9 Bruce Lee - 10
Ruiner - 8 Myst - 10
While the others asked you about your ratings for the two Ruiner games, I have to question your ratings for three other titles:
Iron Soldier, AotMP and Rayman deserve higher ratings, IMHO, and are considered must-haves for the Jaguar by most. Especially since you gave a 7 to Supercross 3D and Dragon - the Bruce Lee Story.
Thorsten
Thanks for the question!
I assume if I owned IS 1 prior to IS 2, my opinion would be different. While they both are pretty fun (who wouldnt want to be a 42 foot tall robot?)
, I tend to think IS 2 is a little more polished and smooth. Penguins is a bit difficult for me, but I love those graphics! I love the Rayman music and graphics, but at times the controll is a little unresponsive when trying to make jumps. Supercross is good for a laugh or three since your racer crashes and screams in pain if you are .00001mm off course, but is manageable after players learn the responsiveness of controlls. Dragon is a pretty simplistic button-masher with a pretty neat "fight the shadow guy to continue" mechanic. -
I was thinking of getting a Pro Controller at some point but I was wondering if it's actually worth it. The extra face buttons and shoulder buttons are a good addition (although they make the controller look cluttered) but would they add much to the games that weren't designed for it?
Right now my collection consists of Doom, Wolf3d, AvP, Iron Soldier, I-War and Cybermorph and I'm waiting for Checkered Flag and Val D'isere to be delivered. Would any of these games benefit from the Pro Controller?
I owned a complete in box Pro controller at one point and loved the fact that I simply had it in my collection. I rarely used it because they are so rare, and at times come in handy because the extra shoulder and face buttons are simply numeric pad re-maps which is nice for use with games that require overlays. Hope this info helps!
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Dino Dudes was not on my list. Club Drive I passed on as well. Never could figure out flashback either. Bubsy and Zool also failed my interest. Here's my picks on a scale of 1-10 for playability for the games I owned/played...(10 great 1 poor)
Cybermorph - 6 Ultra Vortek - 8 Total Carnage - 10 (Thanks for releasing CF)
Atari Carts - 8 Rayman - 4 Zoop - 4
Primal rage - 4 White Men Cant Jump - 3 Dragons Lair - 7
Attack/Mutant Penguins - 5 Zero 5 - 10 Space Ace - 7
I-War - 9 Breakout 2000 - 10 Blue Lightning - 8
Pinball Fantasies - 10 Iron Soldier - 3 Tempest 2000 - 8
Zool - 2 Iron Soldier 2 - 7 Vid Grid - 10
Bubsy - 2 Myst - 8 Flash back - 0
Club Drive - 1 Hover strike (Both versions) - 4 Troy Aikman - 5
Checkered Flag - 8 Towers II - 6 Theme park - 8
Doom - 7 Supercross 3D - 7
AVP - 8 Flip out - 7
Power Drive Rally - 9 Bruce Lee - 10
Ruiner - 8 Myst - 10
I noticed that in your list, you give Pinball Fantasies a 10, while Ruiner Pinball only got an 8. What are your reasons for preferring Pinball Fantasies over Ruiner? And, given the perfect rating, would you say that Pinball Fantasies is one of the very best Jaguar games?
Thank you for sharing your opinions!
Thanks for your question!I enjoy both pinball simulations immensely! Ruiner in its own right is a unique game purportedly named after or about a Nine Inch Nails Song (I read that somewhere). Like other posts in response the ball in Ruiner sometimes seems to move awkward or sometimes gets stuck, or the game freezes. Pinball Fantasies includes more table variety, includes more bonuses, and has different play mechanics than Ruiner. Oh ya, and Super Burnout and Brutal Sports football both deserve 10 too!
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Dino Dudes was not on my list. Club Drive I passed on as well. Never could figure out flashback either. Bubsy and Zool also failed my interest. Here's my picks on a scale of 1-10 for playability for the games I owned/played...(10 great 1 poor)
Cybermorph - 6 Ultra Vortek - 8 Total Carnage - 10 (Thanks for releasing CF)
Atari Carts - 8 Rayman - 4 Zoop - 4
Primal rage - 4 White Men Cant Jump - 3 Dragons Lair - 7
Attack/Mutant Penguins - 5 Zero 5 - 10 Space Ace - 7
I-War - 9 Breakout 2000 - 10 Blue Lightning - 8
Pinball Fantasies - 10 Iron Soldier - 3 Tempest 2000 - 8
Zool - 2 Iron Soldier 2 - 7 Vid Grid - 10
Bubsy - 2 Myst - 8 Flash back - 0
Club Drive - 1 Hover strike (Both versions) - 4 Troy Aikman - 5
Checkered Flag - 8 Towers II - 6 Theme park - 8
Doom - 7 Supercross 3D - 7
AVP - 8 Flip out - 7
Power Drive Rally - 9 Bruce Lee - 10
Ruiner - 8 Myst - 10
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Tower Toppler was great hands down! The cheat involved with the difficulty switch rocked!
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I followed the development of the Jaguar since the Panther development days. The magazine coverage really drew me in as headlines read that the Panther was coming soon. Admittably I became discouraged when the latest article said the Panther was slated to become a home computer. The very next time I bought a magazine, I was shocked! The panther was dropped for the worlds first 64-bit system, the Jaguar.
In late 93/early 94 I went to Babbages and Electronics Botique to see the new Atari System. It rocked! I worked for seven months to save up for my first Jag and ended up buying it from a mail order company (before the internet explosion). The company let me select any game with the system, I chose Checkered Flag, I heard that it was a hoorible game, and the steering was non existant. I did not believe such accusations, so I wanted to see it for myself. I finally received my system after a few days...
Roar!!!!! The Jaguar logo screamed onto my screen! The Atari letters fell from the top! The Atari song played, and then it happened... The Title Screen for Checkered Flag cascaded across my television! I set my options and started to race! The music was fantastic and the challenge was plus tough. Yes the steering was a bit awkward at first, but I got used to a few taps here and there to steer correctly. I imagine the engineers responsible for the play mechanics wanted players to experience how attempting to control a car traveling at 170 mph would really feel... most likely super tough!
I love Checkered Flag to this day! I occaisionally play it to beat my previous lap record, or night race which is quite unique. All games for Jag are unique. They are forever trapped in time. There is one and only one Cybermorph. There is one and only one Trevor McFur. Althogh I-war later appeared on PC, the Jag version is one in itself.
I am now on my seventh or eighth Jag and proud to be an owner. The Jaguar I purchased though mail order was my most complete collection, including Jag CD and 24 games. From AVP to the latest Telegames releases... I was collecting. Unfortunately that collection is gone, But if anyone is lucky enough to own a piece of it, please know that a 24" television fell on top of the CD unit and busted the clear plastic, that's why there is clear tape on it.
The fact that a television can fall on top of a Jag/CD combo and not destroy it says alot about the strength of a product! Too bad the 84-96 Atari corp was not that strong. Perhaps if it were stronger the Jag would have many more games and preferals... Perhaps, however, if it were so strong there would not be such a strong desire for homebrews and other such interests as here on this wonderful site.
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I ordered Beef Drop VE a few years from AA and it was one of the best transactions ever. Thank you for giving us 7800 fans wonderful products!
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I love the Jag, I am on my seventh and hope to keep this one! I think Atari actually pioneered video game marketing by placing in-game graphics on the front of thier packages! The black and red logo are also a great combo!!!! Kudos and thanks for the fun!I'm almost certain you're confusing Atari boxes with Activision. Activision had the little window on the front of boxes (and cartridges) sisplaying an in-game screenshot. Atari boxes had artwark usually (sometimes artwork that was superimposed over graphics I think), and either plain text on the carts (early on) or a similar immage to the box art on the cartridge label.
I was not aware! Thanks for the clarification, I wish all game companies placed in game screen shots on front!
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If I was Sam Tramiel, I would have made sure the following happened...
* Implement Ted Hoff's (new marketing director circa 1995???) "enhanced Jaguar" logo, which the letters have a white border and the 64-bit bubbles are more sphereical - on all cartons from day one. To see the difference, compare a Doom box to the Fight For Life box. The logo on the FFL box looks more powerful.
* Written performace specs/details of system on the back of the system box in laymens terms (It seems too technical to me). Put in-game graphics on the front of the system box (to correlate with game boxes).
* Included the Pro Controller with any Jag bundle.
* Included a fifteen dollar mail-in rebate with all base system packages for those who purchase a Jag CD, although delayed (to increase sales).
I love the Jag, I am on my seventh and hope to keep this one! I think Atari actually pioneered video game marketing by placing in-game graphics on the front of thier packages! The black and red logo are also a great combo!!!! Kudos and thanks for the fun!
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His website is still online, but he doesn't reply to email and is missing on ebay since April.
October 26, 2009:
I tried to email/order Wolfenstein without a box and some promo material in the beginning of last week but got no reply. This company had great customer service and order fulfilment back in the day of 800.go.atari!
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7800 Serial Number List (updated 06/30/2017)
in Atari 7800
Posted
Hello Everyone!
Just picked up another 7800 this evening. First one since 2009!!! Sadly, the controllers don't work properly and the picture is a little fuzzy (likely due to the utilization of a Turbo Grafx RF adapter). Pretty cool its a first production run unit... I suppose with a little more monetary investment and some TLC, this unit will be refurbed in no time!