Jaguar Rayman comparison to PS1, Saturn and MSDOS

[amiman99]

Found this video in my YT feed, very interesting.

 

 

[Punisher5.0]

I didnt know the SNES prototype surfaced. Ill have to check it out.

[PeterG]

Cool, very interesting to see and hear about the differences. I always wondered about the differences and why the chose to have them.

[amiman99]

Cool, very interesting to see and hear about the differences. I always wondered about the differences and why the chose to have them.

It looks like the differences were made because the programmers/publishers wanted to add or enhance the game for their respective platforms, not that the Jaguar was less capable. Unfortunate (or maybe fortunate) for the Jaguar is that the Rayman was first released on it, so it got the ver 1 of the game.

I have the game for the Jaguar , Saturn and the PS1, it's too bad that is too hard for me to get a full play through.

[doctor_shred]

Agreed, there are enhancements in the PS1 version of Rayman over the Jag version but that's because it was released later. The Jaguar version plays just as well and has the added secret bonus stage Ray-Breakout that I believe was axed from the PS1 version.

 

The most obvious difference is the streaming CD soundtrack of the PS1 version. Personally I don't think the sound in the Jaguar version is lacking.

 

I also have the GBA version of the game which is closer to the Jag version if I remember correctly.

 

The Jaguar was an awesome 2D console. It's a shame that there was such a push for 3D titles in the mid 90s. More polished 2D games like Rayman and Super Burnout might have meant the Jaguar was remembered with more affection. It wouldn't have saved it commercially though...

[PFG 9000]

I actually vastly prefer the Jag's soundtrack over the PS1's. Obviously the sound quality is higher on PS1, but the Jag version's OST is much more melodic. I'll take melodic over atmospheric any day (at least when it comes to a colorful platformer like Rayman).

[Agent X]

Agreed, there are enhancements in the PS1 version of Rayman over the Jag version but that's because it was released later. The Jaguar version plays just as well and has the added secret bonus stage Ray-Breakout that I believe was axed from the PS1 version.

 

The most obvious difference is the streaming CD soundtrack of the PS1 version. Personally I don't think the sound in the Jaguar version is lacking.

 

I got the Jaguar version back in 1995 a few months after it was released. I got the PlayStation version as a downloadable game from PlayStation Store about 3 years ago.

 

I do prefer the CD-quality soundtrack on the PS1 version, but the Jaguar music is still pretty good.

 

I prefer the playability of the Jaguar version. They made some alterations to certain levels on the PS1, and not all of the changes are for the better. Rayman was already a challenging game the Jaguar, but the PS1 version is brutal. I was able to attain 100% completion on the Jaguar, but there's a portion of Band Land on PS1 that clobbers me every time.

 

The artwork and animation are stunning, even today. The recent 2D Rayman games (Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends) are even more varied and better animated (which shows what 15-20 years of progress will get you), but the original is still a beautiful game in its own right.

 

 

The Jaguar was an awesome 2D console. It's a shame that there was such a push for 3D titles in the mid 90s. More polished 2D games like Rayman and Super Burnout might have meant the Jaguar was remembered with more affection. It wouldn't have saved it commercially though...

 

I agree with this also. The Jaguar truly excelled with games like this. Instead of pushing for more polygon-intensive games late in the Jaguar's life (attempting to compete directly with the same types of games on PlayStation and Saturn), it would have been nice for Atari to push the Jaguar into its own niche as a top-tier 2D powerhouse.

 

Of the games released during Jaguar's commercial life, I find that most of the games that have "aged" the best tend to be 2D games. These games have good art and solid performance, and avoid the shortcomings that plagued many transitional polygonal 3D games of the period, such as low frame rates and poor draw distances. This is true of other contemporary platforms (PlayStation, Saturn, 3DO, etc.) as well. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PlayStation was considered by some to be "unimpressive" at the time, as it was mostly 2D with only sparse use of polygons...and yet the game endured the test of time with brilliant artwork and music, and masterful game design. But even on a hugely popular system like the PS1, this was a rare exception to the trend of the day. 2D games faded away almost entirely for over a decade, and only started resurging a few years ago, with the rise of downloadable game stores on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.

 

Retro games (actual 8-bit and 16-bit games from "back in the day") are also now back in style. Games like Rayman and Castlevania: SotN are now getting another chance to shine with a new generation of game players.