
-PH!


ATARI JAGUAR IS READY TO POUNCE TO *DEATH* 
******************************************

TYPED BY : CRAIG OF CRYSTAL
STORY BY : EDGE MAGAZINE  U.K.


The Jaguar story rolls on with Atari announcing its first batch of
licencees.  There are still some `major licencees' to be announced
including heavyweights like Virgin, Gremlin, Accolade and Acclaim.
But more news on this next issue...

Atari UK are also in favour of having a shipout of 5,000 Jaguar
machines before Christmas in the UK.  The decision whether this
will actually happen or not rests with Atari's US headquarters.
The American launch of Jaguar will happen early November in New
York.

*The Hardware

Edge was invited down to Atari's HQ in slough for a preview of the
new 64bit [FUCK OFF IS IT! 64 BIT OVERHEATS AND IS NOT PERFECTED
YET -CRAIG/CRYSTAL] Jaguar.  The machine itself is a nice looking
piece of kit - slightly overdesigned perhaps, but made well and
solid.  The case is a slick matt-black affair with heavily embossed
red Jaguar logo - no mere cheap paint job, this.

Sadly, the same cannot be said about the joypad, which feels cheap
and very tacky.  The suspiciously lightweight shiny black unit
isn't terribly comfortable to hold - not surprising, considering
the 12-button pad in tow - and both control pad and fire buttons
were spongy and unresponsive.

*The Software

At the heart of any new system is its software.  The 3DO Multiplayer
rolled out with the excellent Crash 'n Burn (but little else) - so
what can eager would-be Jaguar owners expect to be playing?

CYBERMORPH

This game is a cross between Virus and Starfox and while it sounds
the most promising of all the Jaguar's games on paper, it could be
a major disappointment.  The 3D vector graphic landscape is projected
only into the middle distance, as if you are flying over a tabletop
which is continually being contoured.  And you have to react very
quickly, as enemy ships and buildings appear suddenly rather than 
gliding into view.

But Cybermorph does go way to showing what the Jaguar can do.  It
shifts a load of lightsourced polygons in realtime.

ALIENS VS PREDATOR

Possibly the most visually impressive of the group, Aliens vs
Predator is a slick firstperson perspective shoot 'em up set inside
a colonial complex - just like Aliens, in fact.  Here, the player
gets to race around shooting aliens, predators or even your own
colonial marines if you feel so disposed.

The scrolling 3D hallways and corridors are smooth and detailed
using texture mapping.  But it's no more than owners of a 486DX
would expect.  The saving grace is the fully animated, scaled and
depth-cued baddies: when they're in place and moving well, it could
be a whole new ballgame.

TEMPEST 2000

This early version of Tempest 2000 is a direct conversion of the
original coin-op, although the programmer, Jeff Minter, intends
having two versions on the cart, one filled with polygons.
Playability-wise, this is the best of the bunch, although it too
was slightly marred by piercing death-scream that went too far 
long.  At least it really makes you dread losing a life.

CHECKERED FLAG II

In great Atari tradition, one of the first Jaguar games is a road
racer based on their classic coin-op.  Checkered Flag II is 
something of a quantum lead over its inspiration, though.  The
graphics are made entirely of polygons, Virtual Racing style.

Again, this was a very early demo, and so while it's unfair to 
pass any major judgement, it did look basic - not up to the best
PC racers - and the car was decidedly uncontrollable.

Of course, just how much gamers actually need another Formula One
simulator is another matter altogether...

TERV MCFURR IN CRESCENT GALAXY

And finally we come to Trev and his space shoot 'em up.  Now much
as we realise that it's early days, and programmers need time to
get to grips with the Jaguar's 64bit architecture etc, this has to
be the most dismal piece of software Edge has seen for a long time.

At best, it's a colourful horizontally scrolling shooter, with
cleverly animated bosses.  At worst, it is an ill-concieved, poorly
designed, badly implemented and utterly random blaster with almost
no redeeming features.

The scenary is moderately pretty at times; although beliveable -
if needed any - parallax seems beyond the capabilities of 64Bit
processing.  Enemies attack, not so much in waves, as random as
clusters.  And the only thing that seems to connect the game
together is that the stars of the show are humanoid animals - hence
the Trev of the title - whose photorealistic images are made up
of army officers' bodies with animals' heads `glued' on.  Laugh?
We nearly started... If there is only one cart available when Jaguar 
launches, and this is it, please don't buy it.

So all in all, something of a mixed bag.  All still have plenty of
work to be done on them (one actually needs restarting from scratch)
and hopes for the machine certainly remain high.

*Jaguar developers

So, here's that list of developers working on games for the Jaguar.
Not quite as many as Trip Hawkin's 350 `devoted' thirdparty 
developers.

ANCO SOFTWARE     [HAHAHA WHAT A JOKE CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD ON SNES]
BEYOND GAMES      [SOUNDS LAME AND UN-ORIGINAL]
DIMENSION TECH    [COULD BE GOOD?]
EUROSOFT          [GIMME A BREAK]
HIGH VOLTAGE S/W  [WHO? HAHA LAMEEEE]
KRISALIS S/W      [SOCCER KID/SNES WAS SO GUFF IT MADE ME PUKE]
LORICEL SA        [SNES GAMES ARE SHIT!]
MAXIS SOFTWARE    [YUCK ALL GAMES CRAP  -BULLFROG ON 3DO RULE-]
MICROIDS          [HAHAH A LOOSAR AMIGA FIRM]
MIDNIGHT S/W      [SOUNDS AS LAME AS SHIT FROM A WOLVES ARSE]
OCEAN S/W         [NEVER MADE ANYTING GOOD SINCE C64 DAYS]
REBELLION S/W     [IS IT WORTH TYPING?]
RETOUR 2048       [IT WILL TAKE 2048 BEFORE THEY CAN CODE?]
SILMARILS         [MANATTHON DEALERS HAHA WHAT A JOKE?]
TELEGAMES         [UK SUX]
TIERTEX           [OH MY GOD ATTACK OF LOOSARS SYNDROME]
TITUS             [GAMES ARE UTTER SHIT THE LOGO IS BETTER]
TRADEWEST         [NOT TOO BAD ON SNES]
TRIMARK INTER     [MAY BE OKAY?]
US GOLD           [BIGGEST JOKE OF THEM ALL NEVER DONE A SNES GAME HAHA]

TYPED BY : CRAIG OF CRYSTAL

P.S   THIS MACHINE SERIOUSLY NEEDS GOOD FIRMS LIKE 3DO HAS TO MAKE IT
      WORTHWHILE AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT WONT HAVE ANY.  ALSO IT NEEDS 
      SOME BACKING FROM JAPAN TO SUCCEED REALLY AND IT WONT GET THAT
      AS ITS AMERICAN THROUGH AND THROUGH AND SUCKS DICK [EEECUUUP]

      GET *** 3DO *** AND BE THE SMARTEST HUMAN IN TOWN!

      TO ORDER YOUR 3DO PHONE   - MD CONSOLES ON 0384 480047 -



 *^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^*
 %           iT CAME FROM WHERE THE ALiENATED PLEASURE REMAiNS!            %
 %          iT CAME FROM WHERE THE TRUE OLD SCENE SPiRiT REMAiNS!          %
 %            iT CAME FROM WHERE BEEiNG iNSANE iS NO DiSGRASE!             %
 %          iT CAME FROM WHERE THE WORD BACKSTABBiNG iS UNKNOWN!           %
 %                      Signed Your M&S Crew in 1993                       %
 *^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^*

