The average Atari gamer/AA member: Age Poll (2015)

[atarijagplayer]

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.

[Bill Loguidice]

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.

 

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).

[JagCD]

I suspect 30's for Jaguar forums -- Probably 40's for the 2600/5200/7800. Most Milleniums never heard of the word Atari

and I get a blank stare when it is mentioned. The peak of Atari happened during the childhood of Generation X.

[JagCD]

 

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).

 

It's a very good point. I think one of the reasons Checkered Flag was so scorned by the media is that the press was already playing betas of Virtua Racing for the Genesis at the time. IMO -- and can't emphasize this enough. My Opinion: The Genesis version of Virtua Racing -- while being on a lowly 16 bit console I find to be a superior experience than Jaguar's Checkered Flag. Smoother frame rates, more responsive controls... Just overall a better game. BTW, I'm sure I'll get flamed by my favorite stalkers for saying it -- but I think Sega definitely put the extra effort into its Virtua Racing series and there probably isn't a bad port of it on any of their consoles.

[JagCD]

Misunderstood TODAY (or resent 10 - 15 years or so): it has a bad reputation among retro gamers. But if you like it, you might see it as misunderstood today.

 

Back then, just a commercial flop with weak game library in competition with the other systems.

 

I'm with you, Jagusaurus, it is misunderstood today. And no not 5, more of 20 to 25 good games on cart and cd.

 

It is a different story today, when Jaguar is more popular than ever, with new games and homebrews, skunk and ST ports and so on... I like what I see graphic-vise and enjoy it for what it is. Looking at it with retro eyes it's a cool system, for sure.

 

I agree with these guys that the Jaguar is misunderstood.

 

This is why I personally think it is misunderstood. Most modern reviews compare the console to the Nintendo 64 -- but they really were from different timeframes (and IMO it was the confusing 64 bit marketing of the Jaguar that has led to such a negative reputation). If you simply look at the Jaguar as one of the elite performers from the end of the 2D era (which is shares with several others like TurboDuo and NeoGeo)..... A person can really grow fond of it. Even though, the Jag could do psuedo 3D first person shooters reasonably well -- I enjoyed its 2D offerings the most. Playing games like Tempest 2000, Defender 2000 or Breakout 2000 is what made me a fan.

[JagCD]

Perhaps "powerhouse" was a strong word it was a very adequate machine with more horsepower than any console out, save the 3do. Keep in mind the 3DO costs twice as much at the time (launched within a month of each other IIRC). AvP also hit PC & it was a nice looking game on Windows!

 

 

I don't think you need to retract the powerhouse statement. It was a powerhouse for its respective pricepoint. Sure, other machines were probably more powerful at its release (at a higher price point) and several came along later like PS1 that were considerably stronger -- but the Jag was pretty strong technology for 1993 standards for its retail price.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

It's a very good point. I think one of the reasons Checkered Flag was so scorned by the media is that the press was already playing betas of Virtua Racing for the Genesis at the time. IMO -- and can't emphasize this enough. My Opinion: The Genesis version of Virtua Racing -- while being on a lowly 16 bit console I find to be a superior experience than Jaguar's Checkered Flag. Smoother frame rates, more responsive controls... Just overall a better game. BTW, I'm sure I'll get flamed by my favorite stalkers for saying it -- but I think Sega definitely put the extra effort into its Virtua Racing series and there probably isn't a bad port of it on any of their consoles.

 

I think the vast majority of gamers would consider Virtua Racing the superior racer. With that said, it was brutally expensive when first released and included extra hardware to deliver that superior experience (Sega's answer to Nintendo's Super FX, albeit only used in the one game due to its cost). Nevertheless, it's a good illustration of the resources a Sega had in comparison to an Atari. Sega could afford to deliver a AAA experience all while experimenting with a product that would ultimately price itself out of the range of most Genesis/Mega Drive owners. I don't know the numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if it still sold more than all of the Jaguar consoles and copies of Checkered Flag ever made combined because of that massive user base. Anyway, it's yet another example of why Atari had at best an uphill competitive battle when trying to gain traction against an entrenched Sega and Nintendo.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

It was a potential powerhouse for its respective pricepoint.

 

I made a small tweak to your statement in deference to the idea that I'm not sure we saw much of that "powerhouse" potential.

[JagCD]

 

I made a small tweak to your statement in deference to the idea that I'm not sure we saw much of that "powerhouse" potential.

 

Totally agree -- I don't know if we ever saw its full potential on a technical level. I think the last few releases

that slipped out when the system was pretty much dead finally showed its technical prowess like Skyhammer,

Missile Command 3D..... But that ship had already sailed. I think Atari learned the painful lesson that a

flawless launch matters -- and they just didn't have the launch titles needed to propel hardware sales.

[zetastrike]

Look at all the geezers.....

 

I'm turning 24 next month.

[Spacey Invader]

Look at all the geezers.....

 

I'm turning 24 next month.

What are you doing here? Go out and live your life! There' will be plenty of time in the 30+ years to type stuff up with this angry bunch

[atarijagplayer]

 

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.

[zetastrike]

What are you doing here? Go out and live your life! There' will be plenty of time in the 30+ years to type stuff up with this angry bunch

 

I do plenty of that, don't worry. I come here because none of my friends care about Atari or Sega or any of my games. They call Atari "wood grain games".