MINORITY REPORT: JAGUAR
I WAR ■ DEVELOPER: IMAGITEC DESIGN ■ YEAR: 1995
■ Every Jaguar owner out there will have no doubt played the system’s pack-in game Cybermorph. It’s equally likely that many of you will have seen the cult Disney film Tron at some point in your life. Mix those two together and you have I-War, a rather spiffing firstperson shooter that’s worth playing through, and once again highlights the technical grunt of Atari’s console. You control a digital tank that has been sent into a corrupted database to clean it up and fix the bugs found there. You do this by collecting the scattered data pods and taking out any approaching enemies. In this respect, the core gameplay of I-War is very much like Cybermorph; only you cannot fly off course. I-War however is a far more stylish game than that earlier Jaguar title thanks to its flat
shaded polygons, vibrant colours and well-designed levels. There is also a rocking techno soundtrack to accompany the game, which was produced by the same people responsible for the amazing Tempest 2000 soundtrack. A special mention must also go to the excellent bonus stages that take place in I-War. These take place in an impressive 3D tunnel sequence where you move your craft around from a third-person perspective while collecting as many pods as you can. I-War is brilliant example of the type of 3D shoot-’emup that became very popular in the mid-Nineties. What makes it even better is that it’s a Jaguar exclusive, one that can now be purchased relatively cheaply too. So pick it up – there’s no excuse not to.
» DOOM
» [Jaguar] I-War still impresses today. Now stop gawping and start shooting.
» ALIEN VS PREDATOR
■ DEVELOPER: ID SOFTWARE ■ YEAR: 1994
■ DEVELOPER: REBELLION ■ YEAR: 1994
■ Often called the Jaguar’s ‘killer app’, Alien Vs Predator was the first game in a franchise that’s still going today, and remains one of its best games. A solid FPS that every Jaguar owner should play.
■ The only reason we’re including this port here is because Spencer Nilsen’s new soundtrack is absolutely glorious. It’s an otherwise excellent conversion of id’s game that still plays brilliantly.
» BRETT HULL NHL HOCKEY » ZERO 5 ■ DEVELOPER: RINGLER STUDIOS ■ YEAR: 2001
■ Accolade had a wide range of sports games planned for release on the Jaguar but none of them ever made it out of the door. Several years after the demise of the machine though, complete versions of this game and the Jaguar version of Barkley: Shut Up & Jam were discovered and released by the folks at B&C ComputerVisions. The Jaguar version of Brett Hull is a vast improvement over the Mega Drive and SNES iterations, with a 3D camera that follows the action, commentary by Al Michaels and more advanced gameplay features. A CD version of the game with FMV cut-scenes was also found and released several years later.
■ DEVELOPER: SCASPIAN SOFTWARE ■ YEAR: 1996
■ Zero 5 was originally a game for the Atari STe and was one of the few titles to take advantage of the ‘enhanced’ version of the popular 16-bit computer. The Jaguar version, despite the lack of a name change, is actually a sequel to that game and is just as impressive. It’s a 3D polygon-based shooter that features free-roaming third-person perspective space battles as well as STUN Runner-esque tunnel sections. Sadly, Zero 5 slipped under the radar of many Jaguar owners due to its late release, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. An impressive game that will go down well with anyone that enjoys a challenge.
» SKYHAMMER ■ DEVELOPER: REBELLION ■ YEAR: 1996
■ Rebellion might be more famous for the seminal Alien Vs Predator for the Jaguar, but it has to be said that Skyhammer is the far more impressive game. This was actually supposed to be the last game released for the Jaguar by Atari yet, despite it having been widely reviewed by the gaming press to critical acclaim, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that the game was eventually published. Set in a dark, Blade Runner-esque world, Skyhammer is very reminiscent of the PC game Descent, as you take part in various flying-based missions to neutralise enemy targets. Skyhammer is a really impressive example of just what the Jaguar is capable of. RETRO GAMER | 47