Fire_In_The_Valley

Stunt Cycle is one of my all-time favorite Atari products! You didn't see a lot of knock-offs like you did with Pong, and it had what felt like real bike handles. I also thought the switches were a hint at what was to come on the VCS. Honestly I think it would have been cool to have a Stunt Cycle controller for the 2600 with some bike games.

I must first preface this by saying I have a soft spot for the Jaguar too. Yes, it failed to steal the spotlight from Nintendo and Sega but it was a valiant effort from an underdog who put out some decent games on a console that was years ahead of its time. It hurts my heart to see it so deeply maligned, often unfairly. That happens a lot with Atari, from E.T. all the way up to the Jaguar. I love the Jag very much and respect it for what it is. With that said, I don't want what I'm about to say to sound like a bash.
 
I had a pre-release console in November, 1993 and totally bought into the Bit Wars that had been going on ever since Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 went that route against Nintendo. "64-Bit! That means Jaguar is EIGHT TIMES better than the NES!" I proclaimed to my friends, who looked at me with a tremendous amount of skepticism. 
 
It became a tradition to have all the friends over for gaming Friday after class. At first everybody wanted to see the Jaguar. In 1993 Cybermorph came across as really impressive. Tempest became a group favorite.
 
Shortly after these gaming get-togethers became routine, somebody asked about the Atari 7800 sitting under the TV next to the Jaguar. "What games does that Atari play?" asked a friend, picking up the joystick and examining it oddly like a foreign object that fell from space. A decade after its release, with everybody in the room looking on, I put in Centipede and started it on Team Play. From that point on, nothing would ever be the same. We'd still play the Jag, but EVERYBODY came to play these classic arcade games on the 7800, and they would show up energized and excited. Even 2600 games like Warlords did well. We spent countless Friday afternoons playing Dig Dug, Xevious, Joust, Galaga and the rest, but Centipede would remain the favorite among the group.
 
So to be completely honest, what I love most about "the last true Atari" is that it taught me the most important lesson I would ever learn about play value in Silicon Valley: "Graphics don't make the game."

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

Hey atarilbc, I just started playing Zaku and I agree that it's both interesting and well-made. It doesn't look like a home-brew effort and it has a better all-around feel than most games that were released on Lynx. I bought it thinking it would be a Sonic clone but it feels much more like Air Zonk mixed with a shump. I wish Zaku were more widely available.

Hey atarilbc, I just started playing Zaku and I agree that it's both interesting and well-made. It doesn't look like a home-brew effort and it has a better all-around feel than most games that were released on Lynx. I bought it thinking it would be a Sonic clone but it feels much more like Air Zonk mixed with a shump. I wish Zaku were more widely available.

Me too. Love Road Blasters and The Gates of Zendocon. What are you playing on Lynx Shark69?

Hey atarilbc, I just started playing Zaku and I agree that it's both interesting and well-made. It doesn't look like a home-brew effort and it has a better all-around feel than most games that were released on Lynx. I bought it thinking it would be a Sonic clone but it feels much more like Air Zonk mixed with a shump. I wish Zaku were more widely available.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

I must first preface this by saying I have a soft spot for the Jaguar too. Yes, it failed to steal the spotlight from Nintendo and Sega but it was a valiant effort from an underdog who put out some decent games on a console that was years ahead of its time. It hurts my heart to see it so deeply maligned, often unfairly. That happens a lot with Atari, from E.T. all the way up to the Jaguar. I love the Jag very much and respect it for what it is. With that said, I don't want what I'm about to say to sound like a bash.
 
I had a pre-release console in November, 1993 and totally bought into the Bit Wars that had been going on ever since Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 went that route against Nintendo. "64-Bit! That means Jaguar is EIGHT TIMES better than the NES!" I proclaimed to my friends, who looked at me with a tremendous amount of skepticism. 
 
It became a tradition to have all the friends over for gaming Friday after class. At first everybody wanted to see the Jaguar. In 1993 Cybermorph came across as really impressive. Tempest became a group favorite.
 
Shortly after these gaming get-togethers became routine, somebody asked about the Atari 7800 sitting under the TV next to the Jaguar. "What games does that Atari play?" asked a friend, picking up the joystick and examining it oddly like a foreign object that fell from space. A decade after its release, with everybody in the room looking on, I put in Centipede and started it on Team Play. From that point on, nothing would ever be the same. We'd still play the Jag, but EVERYBODY came to play these classic arcade games on the 7800, and they would show up energized and excited. Even 2600 games like Warlords did well. We spent countless Friday afternoons playing Dig Dug, Xevious, Joust, Galaga and the rest, but Centipede would remain the favorite among the group.
 
So to be completely honest, what I love most about "the last true Atari" is that it taught me the most important lesson I would ever learn about play value in Silicon Valley: "Graphics don't make the game."

I feel bad for you greenween, you're missing out on something great. What Atari systems do you have?

Welcome to the forums ptw-ace   I agree with your assessment of the 68000 chip. They say the Jaguar was designed for the 68020 and Jack Tramiel wanted to cut costs and demanded they go with the 68000. I'm not a historian and I don't know how much truth is in that, but the 68020 would have put the Jaguar over the top. For me though, as earlier, it all comes down to the games. What 3rd party support do you have, how many great games are there, and why should I buy this tech? I have a Panasonic 3DO-M2 Accelerator. It's a development console and I don't have any games to play with it. Without games processing power doesn't mean shiz. 

Not really. Just that the 68020 would have had more power, hopefully the jaguar wouldn't have been so screwy to write for. An ease of programming would have lead to more 3rd party vendors and hopefully more great games. We're playing the "what if" game though..
 
Staying on topic, the Jaguar as it was, not what I wish it had been, meant a lot to me. It's a part of my youth and the lesson of "great graphics do not correlate to great games" as that commercial would have you believe, is a lesson I'll have with me for the rest of my life.

What? Atarilbc means the Jaguar is "the last true Atari" system, not iteration of the company name.

Great blog post!
 
I'm just starting to refocus on the Lynx. I had one in the 90s and added it back into the collection last year. It was definitely full of potential and there are some great arcade ports: Joust, Roadblasters, XYBOTS, Pacland, Robotron and Klax come to mind. I love that it's relatively easy and inexpensive to collect for.
 
If you're looking for something interesting, I recommend a homebrew called Zaku from Super Fighter Team. Apparently it came out a few years ago but it's still available. It's a fantastic 16-bit shooter that easily matches any Atari era retail release. Check it out!

@Dr. Octagon - Thank you for comparing the Jaguar to the Klingons. It absolutely made my day. I can just see Sam & Co. facing off against Sega and Nintendo and shouting "Today is a good day to die!"
 
@Fire_In_The_Valley - I couldn't agree more regarding graphics vs. gameplay. I believe that this is why we're seeing a resurgence of indie developers in the mobile and console space.
 
Other things that I love about the Jaguar:
 
- The pro-controller. In my opinion it is the most comfortable controller this side of a dual shock.
- The retro updates: Tempest 2K, Defender 2K, Missile Command 3D and Breakout 2k.
- The VLM. This was great at parties circa 1995 and it still impresses today on a giant flat screen.
- The vaporware: Jaguar VR, Jaguar Duo, Jaguar 2.

Maximum RD, I saw your wii video the other day when you posted it on youtube. Looks like you got a nice package! Aggravating story about the import taxes though. Some people..  :rolleyes: How do you like your wii compared to other consoles?