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**********************************************************************
* The Jaguar Journal
August 1995
*
* 1st Half
*
* Publisher ..................................... Jeffrey Norwood
*
* Product of .................................... The Cat's Club
*
* Editors-in-Chief .............................. Jeffrey Norwood
*
*
.............................. Josh Fritsch
*
* All information in The Jaguar Journal is factual unless otherwise *
* stated. The Jaguar Journal is published once to twice every two
*
* months. The Jaguar Journal originated with The Cat's Club, a club *
* run by the publisher for Prodigy Jaguar members, that has recently *
* been reactivated for CompuServe and Internet users. The Jaguar
*
* Journal is the only product of The Cat's Club, and is written for *
* those who own or wish to become an Atari Jaguar owner (others are *
* welcomed too). You cannot reprint an article, whole or in part,
*
* without permission of the Publisher, article's author (if stated). *
* If it isn't stated, contact the editor-in-chief, please.
*
* All rights reserved.
*
*
* 1994, 1995 (C) The Cat's Club
*
**********************************************************************
LITTER BOX
by Jeffrey Norwood
Welcome to another edition of The Jaguar Journal. The second half
of the year is going to be a very exciting one for the Jaguar. Mainly
because the Jaguar CD is due out, and by the end of the year, there
should be over 70 titles out for the Jaguar and Jaguar CD combined.
Atari has been a competitor in the video-game market for over 20
years. Since the release of the Jaguar, Atari has gotten mixed
reviews. While their public image is not very good, I would like to
focus on one of Atari's greatest strengths, their "fan" relations.
Atari has gone many extra steps in making sure that the owners and
wanters are treated well. The best part about this is many of the
employees at Atari do this one their own time.
Having active accounts on CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy,
and GEnie is convenient for Atari users, because many Atari employees
also have accounts on those services and can answer questions that
concerned Jaguar owners may have. But, most of the time, they do it
on their time, not Atari's.
In addition, one Atari employee really goes the extra mile. His
name is Mr. Donald Thomas (Jr.). He is the Director of Customer
Service at Atari. On his own time, he creates an item called CATnips,
which contains information he has received in the past week. Don
usually puts one together once a week. In addition, he is running a
Bulletin Board Service (BBS) called the CatScan BB. Many Atari Jaguar
fanzines and files are on there, and he keeps in up-to-date when he
gets a chance. Don Thomas does use CompuServe, GEnie, and (I think)
Prodigy.
I know Laury Scott from Compuserve, and he is the "human vacuum"
when it comes to Atari Jaguar info. He keeps the online community
aware of stuff like when a game reaches production and shelves. Scott
is the Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations at Atari.
Loic Duval is a game developer. She is the assistant producer of
Super Burnout, and is the one who helped Atari get games such as Val
d'Isere Skiing and Snowboarding and future titles like Rayman.
Francois Bertrand, who is busy at work with Fight For Life, and
future titles like Pong 2000, is also a developer for Atari who can
be seen in the online community.
Then there are third party representatives like Frank Slater of
Ubi Soft and Peter Curry of Computer West to share their (noble)
wisdom.
Recently, Arena Football developers asked the online community to
submit ideas they want in the game, and will use some of them. While
Nintendo and Sega are big at the stores, they do not have the representation that the Atari Jaguar has online, and that means that they
cannot hear what their loyal followers truly want. This means Atari
is already one step ahead of the so-called "big boys".
Arena Football Wants Your Ideas
The following was reported in CATnips (95.07.11).
The Arena Football development team are hard at work.
Recently I met with Brian Rice and David Pochran for an
great peak at their work so far. The good news is "cool".
The other good news is that Brian and David agreed it would
be great to review the best ideas from the online community
as to what might be included in the ideal Arena Football
game.... If they can, they'll do it!
Over the next week, please feel free to gather and forward
those things you think of that simply "must" be in your
idea of an ideal Arena Football game. Send the ideas to:
TO: Don Thomas
SUBJ: "Arena Football" idea
ADDR: [email protected]
[email protected]
Don will take all the great ideas, compile them into one
report and forward them on to the design team.
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**A sponsor of the "Fun in the Sun" Jaguar Conference
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*Special * Special * CompuServe Member Exclusive * Special * Special*x
*****CompuServe Members, Gameware Express loves the great support****x
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*You can preorder Ultra Vortex for $49.00. The price you will se in*x
*retail stores will be $69.99. You must be a CompuServe member and**x
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *x
ULTRA VORTEX IS TARGETED FOR A SEPTEMBER RELEASE
x
Titles For July/August:
x
x
Rayman $58 (MSRP $69.95)
Air Cars $54 (MSRP 59.99)
x
Fight for Life $58 (MSRP 69.99) Flashback $54 (MSRP 59.99)
x
Power Drive Rally
White Men Can't Jump $58 (MSRP 69.99)
(w/ Team Tap)
x
x
NEW TITLES:
x
Super Burnout $54 (MSRP $59.99)
x
Available Titles:
x
x
Alien Vs Predator $56
Bubsy Bobcat $44
x
Cannon Fodder $52
Checkered Flag $36
x
x
Club Drive$49
Doom $56
x
Double Dragon V $56
Dragon Bruce Lee $49
x
Evolution Dino Dudes $39
Hover Strike $52
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Iron Soldier $49
Kasumi Ninja $56
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Pinball Fantasies $54
Raiden $41
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Sensible Soccer $52
Syndicate $58
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Tempest 2000 $50
Theme Park $58
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Troy Aikman FB $58
Val D' Isere Skiing $49
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Wolfenstein 3D $49
Zool 2 $46
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Jaguar Core System $149
Jaguar Controller $25
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Jaguar CD ROM (MSRP $149. Watch for our special low price)
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Composite Video Cable $20
S-Video Cable $20
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Catbox $68
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Shipping Rates:
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Per total software order: Next Day Air $6.00(next business day)
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European software delivery: $12 Fedex(1 to 2 days) (Varies with
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hardware)
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Jaguar System: Next Day Air $20.00
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2nd Day Air
$16.00
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Ordering information: We will need your name, shipping address, phone #,
Master Card or Visa #, and credit card expiration date.
x
All Jaguar titles not yet available can be preordered. We will not x
charge your credit card until we ship. All orders will be
x
confirmed via e mail. Or you can order by contacting us at:
x
(504) 926-1413.
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Orders can also be mailed in. Our address is as follows:
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Gameware Express
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P.O. Box 46060
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Baton Rouge, LA 70895
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*Gameware Express*
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---------------------------------------------------------------------Game Name: Super Burnout
Publisher: Atari Developer: Virtual Xperience and Shen Technologies
Theme: Racing Megabits: 16 Players: 1 to 2 MSRP: $59.99
Gameware Express: $54.00
"Ready, set, GO!" Those are the three words you hear at the start
of each lap. Super Burnout is Hang On-style racing brought to the 64bit level. Of course, you have heard stuff like that before, but
got games like Club Drive and Checkered Flag. This time, you're playwith "64-Bit Power".
Shen and Virtual Xperience give you a very realistic motorcycle at
an affordable price. In Super Burnout, you have the option of choosing
from six custom sports bike to race on one of the eight tracks. You
can chose 2 to 7 laps per track, chose if you want an automatic-shift
or a manual-transmission. Invite a friend over to play in the twoplayer split-screen Versus mode, or play in one of the other three
modes: Trainer Mode, Championship Mode, and Record Mode. In Trainer
Mode, you race against six drones, which, depending on their type
(once again, choosing from three levels of drones), will try to steer
you off-course. The game is a record-setting game, and if you like
setting them (and saving them), then you will put Super Burnout on
your "Most Wanted" games list.
The graphics in Super Burnout are very nice. The graphics are
kind of cartoonish-looking, except for the road, which looks very
realistic. What I mean by "cartoonish-looking" is that, while they
look real in comparison to the "real world", they aren't like Need For
Speed or Road Rash 3DO. Still, the trees, fences, and lights that run
by you look very nice and detailed. Some of the backgrounds are a bit
plain while others are extensively detailed. The background moves the
way the background moves in Val D'Isere Skiing and Snowboarding, but a
lot more and more fluidly. Changing night to day and vise-versa is
just plain cool. It slowly changes, dimming as the clouds move over,
and your headlight turns on (or off). The best background graphic, in
my opinion, are the moon and the sunset in the America track. The
only small negative are the bleachers where the fans come to watch you
race. They are at an angle, and they kind of just appear. Oh, and
the crashes are not bad. When you crash, he flies overboard and sometimes the rider spins around after landing...but does that motorcycle
have a mind of it's own?
The music is also good. I think the musician was watching the Fox
network, because much of the music belongs in a "90210" or "Melrose
Place" setting (maybe even "Party of Five"). But, the music is all
good to listen to (not like games where you want to hit "mute"). The
sound effects are okay. The engines are realistic, and when another
motorcyclist (a.k.a. drone) is approaching your cycle, you can hear
the engine slowly fading (in) your way. The crashes sound a bit weak.
The play control is NOT Checkered Flag. It is very good. And
accurate. If you chose a cycle with a low tire grip, then the cycle
with "slide" more at sharp turns; a cycle with high grip will be able
to turn with the corner with only a little sliding. A low
acceleration means it will take a bit for your motorcycle to reach it's
maximum speed; high acceleration means the exact opposite. The playcontrol is NOT perfect, though. Manual Transmission is tough. You
must press "C" and Up/Down to go into a higher/lower gear. It is hard
to start accelerating with Manual Transmission. You can, instead of
pushing "C" and the direction pad, push "4" to increase or "6" to
decrease your gear. But it is still hard. When using Auto
Transmission, controlling is almost perfect. You do have to get used
to the speed of the game, and get used to each bike as some do not
cover corners as well as others. In two player mode, the visibility
is decreased and you seem to drive from a "level-behind-the-seat" view
instead of a slightly overhead view. By the way: if you go up a hill
in the game, you slow down; down a hill, you speed up. Very good and
realistic, way beyond Hang On (as far as I can remember).
The game is very fun, and at times, very challenging. The twoplayer mode, despite the small visibility delemna, is very fun. In
Record Mode, you race alone (no drones) and try to set records, but in
Championship and Versus modes, you can set records as well. Your
initials save each record, and you can save up to 12 records (two per
course). One thing to look forward to are the signs on the course.
Some are just messages (fun to read), while others are clues (fun to
try and figure out). And, after completing the Championship Mode, it
grades your performance, and then Shen delivers one of the best
endings in Jaguar history! Wait to you see.
Overall, I find the game very appealing, and this game is the best
racing game to have on the Jaguar. I highly recommend this title, and
I hope Atari continues to deliver these high-quality titles.
Graphics:
87
+ lots of nice backgrounds and scenery
- bleachers just "appear"
Music/Sound: 85
+ nice voice and well done music
- fan cheers at start are weak and crashes sound weak
Control:
80
+ great in automatic...
- ...not so great in manual transmission
Fun Factor:
89
+ fun to set records and two player mode
- can be frustrating with low grip bikes
OVERALL:
85
Demand Systems: $50.60
The Jaguars Den
Josh Fritsch
Buenos Dias, amigos! I've missed the last couple of issues
because I've been south of the border, swimming in the Pacific and
drinking rotten Mexican water. But I'm back! (At least for this
issue)
By the time you read this, the Jaguar CD and a host of games
should be out. (Notice that I used 'should'-remember we're dealing
with Atari here) But the release of the Jaguar CD disturbs me greatly.
Why? Two reasons: VR and 'Midsummer'.
Sometime in 1996, Atari will release the Virtual Reality
peripheral for the Jaguar and an upgrade for the Jaguar code-named
'Midsummer'. (Implying it will be released in Midsummer or the machine
has some sort of Shakespeare connection) Why is Atari releasing all
these new systems? Okay, the Virtual Reality thing isn't that bad
because Virtuality, a British company, is working on it. But come on!
Atari is too small of a company to support 4 different platforms!
(Jaguar-cartridge based, Jaguar CD, VR and Midsummer) Atari is going
to have to discontinue a system in order to support the new ones. And
that system is going to be the cartridge based Jaguar. And this is
gonna piss a lot of Jaguar owners off.
This is why the CD puzzles me so. Why bother releasing a
peripheral this summer when next year you will release another system
that is 5x more powerful than it?
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not badmouthing the CD in any way. In
fact, I think some of the games like Soulstar, Creature Shock, Brett
Hull and Swagman look fantastic. But it just seems to me that Atari is
going to end up abandoning the CD in a year or two in favor of
'Midsummer'. And while this new system may bring more gamers to Atari,
it will certainly make many of the current Jaguar owners abandon their
Jags in favor of the Ultra 64 or Playstation. And Atari can not afford
that.
A couple of days ago, I was glancing at upcoming releases for the
Jaguar\CD\VR. While I was certainly very pleased at the amount of
games coming up (especially for the CD) I wasn't too pleased at what
kind of games were most prevalent. Shooters. Boy if you love shooters,
the Jag is your system!! Out of the 60+ games on the list, 22 were
shooters of some kind. While I have nothing against shooters, do we
really need so many variations on Cybermorph like Hover Hunter,
Aircars and Battlemorph? I think this is the first time anybody, in
the history of video games could say this but-THERE ARE TOO MANY
DAMNED SHOOTERS!!! Where are my sports games? (Especially Football)
Where are the adventure games like Castlevania and Ghouls N Ghosts?
RPG's? What are those?
Well, that just wraps up this months Jaguars Den. This may be my
last month writing for the magazine so I would just like to say it has
been fun and I hope you bloody bastards enjoyed my monthly ranting and
raving. If I do return next month (doubtful-but possible) I'll review
the Jaguar CD and Demolition Man. Remember to vote for Bob Dole in
1996!
---------------------------------------------------------------------######################################################################
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Demand Systems
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NEW! Super Burnout -- $50.60 NEW!
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##Part No
Game Title
Price
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##J9020-J BUBSY BOBCAT
$42.20 J0162-J CANNON FODDER
$44.12 ##
##J9007-J CHECKERED FLAG $33.96 J9003-J CLUB DRIVE
$50.44 ##
##J9006-J DINO DUDES
$25.73 J9029-J DOOM
$57.50 ##
##J0112-J DOUBLE DRAGON 5 $52.79 J9036-J DRAGON
$33.97 ##
##J9009-J HOVER STRIKE
$51.77 J9026-J IRON SOLDIER
$44.12 ##
##J9005-J RAIDEN
$25.73 J0232-J SENSIBLE SOCCER $58.67 ##
##J0166-J SYNDICATE
$44.55 J9010-J TEMPEST 2000
$44.55 ##
##J0167-J THEME PARK
$44.55 J9001-J CRECENT GALAXY
$25.73 ##
##J9028-J WOLFENSTEIN 3-D $44.11 J9042-J ZOOL 2
$42.20 ##
##J9060-J VAL D'ISERE SKIING $50.44 J9012-J KASUMI NINJA $44.12 ##
##J9008-J ALIEN VS PREDATOR
$57.50 ##########################
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Journal's "Jaguar
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$18.00 ##
##JCA019-J CATBOX NULL MODEM CABLE
$15.00 ##
##JC001-J JAGUAR CONTROLLER EXTENSION CABLE 2/6FT $10.00 ##
##JCASE-J HARDCOVER CASE FOR JAGUAR
$37.34 ##
##JC016-J ICD CAT BOX FOR JAGUAR
$63.80 ##
##J8901-J JAGUAR CONTROLLER W/12 KEY KEYPAD
$22.00 ##
##J8011-J ATARI JAGUAR VIDEO GAME SYSTEM
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---------------------------------------------------------------------State of the Jaguar: "Please Stand By"
commentary by Jason Stanton @ 75013,2254
INTERNET: [email protected]
Standing by is precisely what in fact Jaguar owners have been forced
to do since November 1993. While although Atari was touting to be
"riding the 64-Bit wave", consumers and retailers alike have been left
high and dry waiting for such menial things as national availability
of hardware and software, and an at least occasional droplet of
software, (remember, it took more than a year for most of the games
pictured on the back of the Jaguar box to even see the light of day -Tiny Toons has yet to be released) never the less titles that looked
and sounded comparable to that of the Super NES or Genesis. I
encourage anyone, to please read the following in its entirety as I
feel many important topics are raised, and addressed.
So, what happened, maybe more importantly what didn't happen and
why? Let it be known that this is NOT an attempt to smear and degrade
Atari, but rather to take a look at where we've been, where we're
going, and the ways in which Atari perhaps ought to go about getting
there...wherever there might be.
First off, some background information about myself so as to let you
the reader understand where I'm coming from. I live in New York, one
of, if not the largest markets in the country. I am now, as we speak,
a newly annointed high school graduate. My studies in the past couple
of years has homed in on the field of employment I would like to
sometime join, business. I have completed courses in Principles of
Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Business Organization Management.
Next year in college, I will be majoring in Business Administration.
Having said that, a brief bit of my past is now due.
I have been playing and enjoying video games since the release of
the old Bally home systems and VideoCart educational systems clear on
up to Coleco, Activision, Nintendo, Turbo Grafx-16, SuperGrafx, PC
Engine CD, Super NES, and now, Atari Jaguar. I clearly remember the
smiles of glee and awe adhered to my face as I watched not only the
availability of great games, but the evolution of technology. I, as
sad as it sounds, remember seeing my first parallax scroll, full
screen character, color-cycle, digitized photo, 8-Megabit cartridge,
CD cinema, digitized voice, and more than 52 colors gracing my tv set.
Through this all, I always, always, kept a very observant eye on the
"industry"-- how successful or unsuccessful as the case might be a
particular instance was handled be it a new system launch or a hot new
title like Super Mario 2.
Having said that, I feel it was during the TurboGrafx incident that
my interest peeked in the both regards: as a consumer, and as an
observer. I made numerous calls, wrote many-a-letter to NEC, TTI,
etc. regarding advertising, product availability, import of Japanese
titles to the US, 8-MEG carts, and third party support. Alas to no
avial, a case of adequate if not superior hardware and inferior
software. That was back in 1989 or so, now, in 1995, the market is so
much more advanced and saturated I doubt NEC would've lasted as long
as it did.
As far as Atari is concerned, I feel and have felt that Atari's boat
is on the same course NEC was on, although, Atari already took that
trip once with the almighty 16-Bit Lynx. Again, superior hardware,
inferior software. Why bring this up? I feel there are haunting and
relevant similarities to the TG-16, Lynx, and now Jaguar products.
Let me now list the areas regarding Jaguar that I feel, warrant
addressing/concern. Advertising and marketing approaches, retailer
resentment, third party support, big name LICENSES like EA, Konami,
Capcom and big name games like Street Fighter II, Road Rash,
DarkStalkers, Contra and Gradius, hardware/software delays(numerous),
the existence -still- of first generation quality software being
released like Sensible Soccer and Hover Strike, product exposure
(kiosks in stores like TRU), quality of leadership/skills of the
current CEO and/or his close advisors, availability for rental (very
important) at locations such as Blockbuster Video, and, something I'll
probably die saying, the establishment of strong ties and market
position in JAPAN (this, I do not feel can be overemphasized).
While I would -love- to elaborate on all of the above mentioned
items, time, and human attention span prevents me so I'll only comment
a choice few, in order that they were mentioned.
Advertising/Marketing Approach: What should the focus of Atari's
under-budgeted advertising campaign be? Firstly, and please remember
that the only people reading this(you), are already an Atari
"loyalist" of sorts and in no way reflect the average consumer, so
when I say that the name Atari is associated with a reputation of
yesteryear technology, and a small, dismal operation, do not be
offended. Advertising should a) consist of institutional advertising
positive image building of a company; b) raise product awareness of
"Jaguar", the "64-Bit Jaguar" system, and disassociate the Atari name
or at least downplay it for the meantime. Some people -still- do not
know what a Jaguar is.
Retailer Resentment: What's there to say? Retailers and consumers
alike are sick of delayed and/or inadequate product launches. This
must be straightened out.
3rd Pary Support: Why isn't it here? Simple. Most companies, like
Konami, won't support a system until a magic number is reached -- a
1,000,000 installed user base of a system. That is also why I feel
more time should be spent advertising the system and its capabilities
rather that specific software titles.
Delays: Of course its not -all- Atari's fault, but perhaps this
company needs a major restructuring. Atari, like NEC, dealt primarily
in PC's, but, NEC had a VERY strong base in Japan unlike Atari, and
so, I feel Atari should undertake a huge restructuring project, this
would also raise the price of Atari's ever-stagnent stock (ATC). I
also believe that a restructuring would eliminate nearly all the
possibility of something like Trevor McFur from ever being released,
compare the other guys 1st gen stuff with ours!
Exposure: Kiosks in K-Mart, Sears, Wal-Mart and TRU are not
goodies, but necessary!! Same goes for availability for rental in
Blockbuster Video. NECESSARY!
Leadership of Sam T./close assistants: It seems to me that a good
leader, one who's competent and is interested in the company's success
and not his own (I'm not making an accusation), would be able to take
the necessary steps to at least identify these areas as needing
change, not just acknowledging, "Yes, it's true, we at Atari do not
have adequate. . . . . . . . ." Perhaps, even, it might be who he
consults with that is giving him poor/false information.
*Japan*: This is one of the most critical subjects in relation to
success in the video game business. Why? It's no deep dark secret
that approximately 70-78% of the world's most captivating and
technologically advanced games (as well as overall technology)
originates from Japan -- from the Sonys, Capcoms, Konamis, Treasures,
Square Softs, Enixs, Namcos, etc. The problem for Jaguar is
two-pronged: Firstly, software companies tend to only support systems
that are available in numbers in their own shores; secondly, there is
that magic number of 1,000,000 system installed user base.
Atari, needs to open an Atari of Japan(AOJ). The word was needs,
not should. In addition, since Jaguar sales are even less there than
here, Atari, should borrow some money from "friends", and offer extra
incentives to Japanese companies for publishing their software on
Jaguar. By the way, since some people make an assumption of product
quality based on its price, Atari should sell their system at the US
equivalent of $249 WITH two pieces of software.
And now my friends, here is the big picture as I see it, and a
solution.
I really don't see Jaguar ever attaining a marketshare substantial
enough to even achieve "3rd" place, particularly with the entrance of
Sony. My solution, is a merger. That's right, I suggest a merger of
Atari, and the 3DO companies.
Here's the deal, Nintendo, Sony, and Sega have financial resources,
pools of talent, and distribution networks so rich that an Atari or
3DO could NEVER, not even under the best conditions, ever break or
even strain the backs of the "Big Three". Atari and 3DO, should go
through with their Jaguar II and M2 upgrades in the event of a merger,
but then collectively work on a new platform under a new name which
would be a subsidiary of the new combined corporation. You see, 3DO
has certain advantages such as an at least moderate user base both in
Japan and here at home(US). In addition, 3DO has some great third
party support including the likes of Electronic Arts, and Crystal
Dynamics. Samuel Tramiel and Trip Hawkins should seriously think
about this -- mark my words, unless some colectivization takes place
between these two companies, neither will EVER be the leader in this
industry.
For those who have read this, please reread each of the above
mentioned areas, form the beginning. And please, respond with any
areas of concern you feel might have been overlooked, as well as your
take on possible solutions for a possible Jaguar success.
What do you think? Atari, are you reading? How about the Jaguar
owners? You can write to his address, or write an Letter to the Editor
at:
Jeffrey Norwood @ 74447,531
INTERNET: [email protected]
We both welcome your opinions on this subject.
Activision/Atari Ink Deal
CONTACT: Jessica Nagel or Patricia Kerr
Dorf & Stanton Communications, Inc.
(310) 479-4997 or (800) 444-6663
_For Immediate Release_
Atari Corporation Inks Licensing Agreement With Activision
Inc. Deal yields release of classic Atari titles for PCs.
Sunnyvale, CA -- (July 17, 1995) -- Atari Corporation announced today
the finalization of a contract with Activision Inc., a Los Angeles
based leader in software development. Atari Corporation's pact with
the prestigious developer will bring consumers classic Atari titles in
multiple formats. The agreement will also result in the release of the
all-time American favorite, "Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure" for Jaguar
64.
"Our collaboration with Activison will offer exciting entertainment
for both Jaguar 64 consumers and PC users," said Ted Hoff, Atari
Corporation's President of North American Operations. "'Pitfall' is a
fine example of our continued commitment to provide Jaguar gamers with
top-quality titles."
The release of "Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure" for the Jaguar 64
system will be an ideal showcase for the extensive capabilities of
this advanced home entertainment system. "Pitfall" reflects the power
of Jaguar's superior 64-bit technology, resulting in brilliant color,
intense speed, and stereo sound. The jungle adventure game has a
target ship date of mid September.
Numerous Atari classic games will soon be available to PC users when
Activision releases "Atari Action Pak II" for single-user IBM and PC
compatible computers. The special "Pak" will also provide consumers
with PC versions of such memorable Atari titles as: "Air Sea Battle";
"Breakout", "Super Breakout"; "Space War"; "Surround"; "Millipede";
"Combat"; "Yar's Revenge"; "Canyon Bomber"; "Gravitar"; "Maze Craze";
and "Night Driver".
The "Pitfall" release under the Activision agreement is one of the
many exciting games for the Atari Jaguar 64 library, which will
approach 100 titles by the end of the year. The expanded library will
include CD titles for the much anticipated Jaguar CD system, which
will be shipping in August.
For over 20 years, Atari Corporation has provided consumers with
high-quality, value- priced entertainment. Atari Corporation markets
Jaguar, the only American-made, advanced 64-bit entertainment system
and is located in Sunnyvale, California.
Classic Atari Games-Which Should Get The '2000' Treatment?
commentary by Dan Skelton
With the Jaguar, Atari is making its bid to once again sit atop
the video game marketplace. Though it has met with mixed success so
far, Jaguar is poised to make its mark this fall as the Next
Generation game system with a 16-bit price. One aspect of Atari's
overall strategy no doubt will be to mine its extensive library of
classic games from the early 1980's, updating the graphics, sound, and
gameplay to 1990's standards.
Already, one game has taken an original Atari title from classic
status to state-of-the-art: Jeff Minter's "Tempest 2000" is both a
recreation of the classic Atari arcade game, as well as a logical
updating of its gameplay with outstanding results. Minter is also in
the process of turning Williams' classic arcade game "Defender," which
was first brought home by Atari, into "Defender 2000" replete with
rendered enemies, helpless humans with personality, and even alien
spies who will kill those humans you've rescued but not yet deposited
on ground.
Atari has announced some other titles for such an update.
Originally planned was "Battlezone 2000," but that title was scrapped
when the designers opted for a more maneuverable hovercraft, and the
name of the game was changed to "Hover Strike." An excellent game
featuring full texture-mapping, this title still owes much of its
design to classic "Battlezone." The radar screen, stationery
maneuvering, gunsight, and firing sequence all harken back to the
classic game. And if you look, you can see the enemy tanks from
classic "Battlezone," now fully texture-mapped, still as deadly as
ever.
There are more. Word from "Fight For Life" developer Francois
Bertrand is that he is interested in "Pong 2000"; a game called
"Breakout 2000" has recently appeared on lists of upcoming titles;
"Space War 2000" will provide interstellar intrigue and space battle
this fall (originally this was going to be "Star Raiders 2000" until
the gameplay was changed); "Missile Command 2000" is the first
announced title for the Jaguar VR helmet; and "Dactyl Joust" (with a
reported first-person view) is on its way to challenge Sega's "Panzer
Dragoon" in the "first person view from a winged creature" genre.
With all of those titles released or in progress, are there any
other games from the classic Atari library that might be candidates
for update to '2000' status? There are a surprising number of titles
which are just begging for an update. In this article, I'll focus on a
dozen of those games which have not yet been announced as '2000'
titles, but whose gameplay begs for revisiting. They are presented
alphabetically.
First up of course, is the classic 2600 title "Adventure." So much
could be done with this title, the original medieval role-playing
video game - though the graphics were so abstract as to be almost
unrecognizable. How many games boasted so much style and personality,
even though the player's on-screen representation was a square? The key
to updating this title would be to retain its simplicity, its
straightforwardness, without adding unnecessary complexity as the
graphics were improved. The logical descendent of this game is the
"Zelda/Link" series on Nintendo, and anyone updating "Adventure" would
be well-advised to take a look at Link's adventures for how the
elegance of a design can be retained while the graphics and excitement
remain. Just one warning to a potential designer: keep the secondary
'menus' of alternate weapons, spells, etc. to a minimum.
Next from the 5200, we find "Countermeasure." Disarming bombs
inside threatened American cities? Too bad this game wasn't already in
development before the Oklahoma City bombing, but now the theme seems
even more poignant. This has great potential for updating. The maps of
some real cities could be used, including cities from other countries.
This could be similar to "Syndicate" in presentation, with mission
scenarios similar to "Iron Soldier" or "Hover Strike."
An appealing 'eat the dot' game presented in perspective view,
"Crystal Castles" combined the game mechanic of "Pac-Man" with a more
sophisticated graphic viewpoint. Unfortunately, the platform of choice
for the home version was the 2600, and this game was simply too
graphically complex for the venerable VCS. This game has a lot of
potential for updating. I'd love to see the castles in rendered or
texture-mapped form, and there's at least as much to mine here as
there was in "Tempest."
Now, here's a title from an unusual source: "Escape from the
Mindmaster." The most successful game for Starpath's 'Supercharger'
VCS upgrade, this title was a precursor to "Wolfenstein" and "Doom"
with smoothly scrolling first-person hallways, simple arcade puzzles,
memory tests, and a condescending rating (well, the ratings at higher
levels of play may not have been condescending, but I never reached
them). This is a truly paranoid classic that still shows up on lists
of "100 best video games of all time." Texture mapped walls, more
complex games, puzzles, and mazes, rendered enemies, and more mazes to
explore (with warps, dead ends, and Easter Eggs) should all
contemporize this title without losing any of its original charm. Of
the Starpath library of games, this is the one to update. Besides, the
fall of the Berlin Wall has made updating "Communist Mutants From
Space" less appealing.
In "Gravitar," one of the toughest 2600 games ever, you control a
spaceship descending into caverns inside planetoids to rescue stranded
colleagues, set charges, and escape. The gameplay was complicated by
realistic gravity, thrust, and momentum to make maneuvering more
difficult. This game should be high on the list of games to update;
its sophisticated control was far ahead of its time, and hence the
game was not well-received by gamers weaned on the simple games of
1982. Now, we're ready for it!
"Quantum" was one of my favorite short-lived arcade games, a
post-"Tempest" color vector scan contest in which the player used a
trackball to encircle floating atoms. The standard Jaguar controllers
are not well-suited for this game, but if there's ever a Jag mouse or
trackball, this should be the game that ships with it.
Then we come to "Robotron," the classic battle of human versus
mutants in the struggle to preserve the last human family. When Jeff
Minter, a professed Williams arcade game fan, is finished with
"Defender 2000," I'd love to see him tackle this. There is a
possibility that he might, and his usual format of classic/plus/2000
versions would be ideally suited to this title, one of the FASTEST
arcade games ever.
"Solaris" was arguably the best game ever designed for the 2600,
and its interstellar gameplay and on-planet missions are just waiting
for a Jaguar polish. It had a decided "Hover Strike" feel for its
time, with a stellar map right out of "Star Raiders." It pushed the
VCS well beyond its designers' wildest imaginings, and it could do the
same for Jaguar.
"Space Dungeon" for the 5200 is a 'sleeper' of a title, one which
boasted a full 99 levels of gameplay (amazing for 1983) and was never
released again on any other game system. The gameplay focused on the
collection of graphically flashy prizes, elimination of relentless
enemies, and the discovery of the shortest path from entrance to exit
of a dungeon level. This game shipped with the same controller
connector that made 5200 "Robotron" so playable, so the gameplay would
have to be somewhat altered to accommodate standard Jaguar
controllers. The logical updating of this title would include either
first-person or perspective views, and add new dazzling prizes and
challenges to overcome. There's much material to be mined here!
If any game cries out for a 2000 update, "Star Raiders" is it.
Many Atari fans have fond memories of the struggle to achieve higher
ratings, and the game played best with one pilot manning the joystick
and one navigating/strategizing at the computer console. First
appearing for the Atari 400/800 computers, it topped the computer game
charts for months on end before finally being translated to 5200 and
2600. The game which will be released as "Space War 2000" was
originally to be called "Star Raiders 2000," until the gameplay
emphasis shifted. Atari still has another game of interstellar battle
lurking in this title, and it was widely reported that Atari retained
this title as the one that "Sega can't have" in the 1994 legal
settlement.
"Vanguard" from Centuri was brought home to gamers by Atari in
memorable 2600 and 5200 versions. Featuring a side-scrolling
viewpoint, the player had to navigate over mountains, through tunnels,
and up long scrolling vertical pathways to finally battle the Gond,
one of home gaming's first 'bosses.' Graphically sophisticated for the
2600, featuring a number of enemies that behaved quite differently,
this game would be wonderful in a rendered form with texture-mapped
walls. If Minter can't do "Robotron," I hope he takes a crack at this
one.
"Yars' Revenge" was one of the very best games ever for the 2600,
and one of the better titles that appeared initially on the 2600
(rather than being translated from arcade or computer). The player
controlled a mutated fly in a battle to bore through the shield
surrounding the enemy Qotile, finally shooting it with a positional
cannon. The only criticism of it was that the Qotile shield repeated
after the second level of play, but such criticism only reveals that
reviewers of the time played the game only superficially (does this
sound familiar?) If they'd looked, they would have found hidden
surprises at the higher levels, such as the Qotile's shield changing
color, the rainbow "neutral zone" disappearing, and the moving Swirl
changing directions more than once as it attempted to chase you down.
This was no less than a marvel on a machine as limited as the 2600,
and I would love to see fully-rendered graphics, multiple shield
formations, and additional tasks to undertake to make it to the
Qotile.
Are there other games in the Atari library which could be updated?
Probably so, though many of them will better serve as a jumping-off
point and familiar name rather than a mode of gameplay which begs for
revisiting. "Asteroids," "Centipede," "Jungle Hunt," "Major Havoc,"
"Midnight Magic," "Moon Patrol," "Red Baron" "Survival Island" and
"Xevious" leap to mind, at various levels of interest.
No matter how many great games have been released for competing
companies in recent years, none of them have the depth of game library
as does Atari. By updating classic Atari titles in the '2000' series,
Atari has shown they know just what a wonderful asset they possess.
And as a long-standing Atari consumer, I can't wait to play these
games!
***GREAT NEWS!***
(update by the editor)
While I was reading through a few old press releases, it was
stated in one that Williams and Atari came to an agreement. Williams
would allow Atari to market old classic titles (updated forms) on the
Jaguar, while Williams would for high-end PC's. The three classic
titles mentioned were Defender, Joust, and ROBOTRON! I contacted an
Atari representative, Don Thomas, and he said he believed it was in
the works, but no date has been set. Now, what about those other 11
titles?
Small Stuff
-Recent Ultra Vortek Reviews May NOT Be True
I was recently surfing the 'Net and came across one of the only
real pieces of info. A person had called Atari and talked to
the person in charge of handing out review versions of titles. The
person calling claimed the Atari rep said that (he/she) never sent
review copies of the game out. Was it Beyond Games? Or were
reviewers getting it done the easiest way ... judging from another
magazine or even just reviewing as seen on the E3 tape?
I contacted Laury Scott, VP of Marketing and Operations at Atari.
In an open message, she said:
''I think that there might be a semantic problem here. We send
fanzines early copies of software for their information. These early
copies are clearly marked as such and it is agreed that they are not
for reviews. Some of the mags use them for a short capsule of things
to come and others use them for information purposes (so the reviewers
know what is coming or are able to talk somewhat intelligently about
the future). As we get closer to final we will send the magazines
beta versions for their reviews. Occasionally a mag 'tests' one of
these early versions.''
But how could we stop this? Laury Scott put his idea in ... but
remember, this is his idea, and not a factual statement.
''I don't know any way to stop it. We shouldn't penalize all the
mags because of one's stupidity. Perhaps we have to actually display
on the screen "Not for Review". Then at least they couldn't show
screenshots.''
Do remember, The Jaguar Journal does not a review a game until the
game is actually on the shelf. This way we get a very accurate
review.
-Fight For Life Delayed Indefinitely?
In the past few weeks, talk about Fight For Life has diminished.
What's the story with the game? There are rumors saying Fight For
Life may have been delayed indefinitely. Why? Rumors are saying
Atari wants to rework it, because the quality of the game isn't as
good as the talk says. A person from an online magazine did say she
heard the same thing from a reliable source, but there is no actual
confirmation about it. As it stands, it is only a RUMOR. The Jaguar
Journal will keep you posted on the story, and try to get confirmation
about the game.
-Catnap ... unfortunately, the computer in which I run my computer on
does not have enough memory to put all into one file. This Fall,
thank GOD!, our family is going to purchase a new computer, and the
Jaguar Journal's will be bigger than ever.
The next file contains 19 more pages on Jaguar info, including lots
of news on Atari "Fun 'N' Game" Media Day. Other stuff include a
list of upcoming games with updated release dates, a Q&A article
explaining why the Atari Jaguar is called a 64-bit system, plus other
stuff. Conference news and the announcement of a vacancy for
Asst. Editor of The Jaguar Journal.
Go See Part Two!