Atari's Last Stand
Written: Aug 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: First 64 bit system, neat controller
Cons: Not up to par with other 64 bit systems
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| phungus's Full Review: Atari Jaguar |
The Atari Jaguar is the last system released by the company who brought the world video games with the widespread popularity of their 2600 system. They weren't the first, but they were the best, at one time.
The Jaguar is billed as a 64 bit system, but you couldn't tell by look at it. It's graphics and functionality fall somewhere just a notch above a Sega Genesis and below some of the early Playstation releases. It came with an available CD reader that had to be purchased extra.
The Jaguar never really had a chance. Only around 40 titles were ever released for it - most catridges and about a dozen or so CD-ROM games. Interesting thing is that Rayman and Aliens Vs. Predator were first released on this system.
The CD addon had a really cool feature of having a little sprite light show that it would display on screen when playing an audio CD. Basically, the color patterns would swirl and dance/react to the music. Too bad the resolution wasn't very high. At the time it was released, that option would have been really cool for parties and stuff, but who uses their video game system as a stereo? All in all, it was just a novelty.
One cool feature of the Jaguar was it's controller. It was shaped sort of like a Sega Genesis controller, except it had a number pad where the genesis has start buttons. Some games came with small overlays that snap into the controller and give you extra options. I really love this feature because it's sort of like having a small keyboard at your disposal. You'd think it would make the controller big and awkward, but it is really very comfortable.
You can find Atari Jaguars and their games on many auction sites, such as Ebay. Be warned - if you buy one, you won't get any kind of warranty on it.
Recommended:
No
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