Beware The Spaceman

Tag: Atari Jaguar

  • Atari Set 1.6 Cybermorph (Jaguar)

    Cybermorph box art

    Get ready to hear the words “Where did you learn to fly” a lot. This was a showcase game for the Atari Jaguar — Atari’s last console. It’s a 3D flying game about collecting things and shooting things. The issue is… Nintendo had already released Starfox on the, at that point, much older SNES.

    Nintendo had cheated slightly by including the FX chip in the cartridge to keep the SNES competitive with Sega’s add‑ons. This, I think, proved to be the best strategy. So at the time, Cybermorph, with its flat 3D shapes, didn’t really impress. Its lack of soundtrack didn’t help either.

    Playing today on the Atari 50 Collection, I find I’m playing a relic I should like. The formula that goes all the way back to the 2600 is there — it’s present. It is, after all, a space shooter. But that’s the issue: I wanted to like it. Of the Jaguar games I’ve played, I think Tempest 2000 is probably the better example.

    We’re now at the point where the PSX is around the corner. The writing was on the wall for Atari. But going full circle on our retro revivals… Atari is not dead. You can go to Amazon right now and buy a 2600, and the games are available in multiple formats.

    But for now, Reaction leaves Atari at the Jaguar. I’ll catch you in the next one.

  • Atari Set 1.5 Tempest 2000 (Atari Jaguar)

    We’re jumping forward this time for Atari. The year is 1994, and Atari are trying to re‑enter the console market with the Atari Jaguar. This console was marketed as 64‑bit, though that would be disputed — it used two 32‑bit processors. Its controller also let it down. Atari had chosen a telephone‑keypad‑like thing, something I think must have been inspired by the 2600’s old rival, the Intellivision.

    I’ve only ever seen one Atari Jaguar up close — at a market when I was a teenager. I didn’t have the cash to get one, and to be honest, by the mid‑1990s the Atari name had been out of the console limelight for a good few years.

    The market at this time was the latter end of the 16‑bit generation. We were only a year away from Sony entering the gaming landscape and changing things forever.

    This all brings me to Tempest 2000, arguably one of the only must‑have titles on the Atari Jaguar. Much like the 2600’s best, it went back to what Atari did well: a high‑score chase.

    You just blast the baddies before they reach the top of the 3D shape. At its core, the gameplay is close to the 1981 original — but now with 3D visuals and CD‑quality sound.

    It’s worth bearing in mind that arcades were still going strong at this point. The PSX hadn’t arrived yet with its catalogue of near‑arcade‑perfect ports, and the high‑score chase was still very much a thing.

    It’s worth a play now, but the easiest way is through the Atari 50 Collection. Jaguars today can be expensive, and I’ve rarely spotted one in the wild.