Lynx was quite a bump for Atari, but the company, far from learning from its mistakes, decided to trip over the same stone again. If the lynx had been the most powerful portable console of the time, the jaguar would go further… Much further.
In 1993, 16-bit consoles dominated the market, and the bloody war between Mega Drive and Super Nintendo was coming to an end. It is at that precise moment when something unusual happens: a new console known as the Atari Jaguar appears in the fight, far superior to the Nintendo and Sega machines, specifically 48 bits superior. Because indeed friends, Atari, in a desperate attempt to outperform the competition, skipped the 32-bit generation (which would be introduced the following year with Saturn and PlayStation) and launched the first 64-bit console in history.
1. Tempest 2000 (Atari Corporation, 1994)
And we start with what is probably the best title on the system: Tempest 2000. It is a remake of an arcade game with the same name, except for the number tag, which was initially exclusive to Atari Jaguar. And it is that this classic-style shooter took advantage of the graphic potential that the platform possesses to offer three-dimensional designs that were breathtaking. Its techno soundtrack, perfect for “ship” games, and a myriad of light and color effects made Tempest an absolutely dynamic and highly recommended game.
2. Alien vs Predator (Rebellion, 1994)
But if what you want is a true “martamarcianos” Alien vs Predator is your game. In this FPS belonging to the famous franchise of bloodthirsty aliens we can embody an alien, a predator or a human.
3. Rayman (Ubisoft, 1995)
Atari Jaguar had the pleasure of having the origins of Rayman in its library (nothing to do with the masterful Rayman Origins), and although this version appeared later than the PlayStation version, the game was originally conceived for the Atari machine. , so they can be proud to have served as the birthplace for one of the greatest platformer heroes in video game history (with permission from Mario).
4. Wolfenstein 3D (id Software, 1994)
The father of first-person shooters enjoyed a splendid version in Atari Jaguar: with larger sprites, improved graphics and the re-inclusion of blood (censored in the Super Nintendo version), all those who still did not know Wolfenstein 3D had here an unbeatable excuse to enter Hitler’s castle.
5. Doom (id Software, 1994)
The mythical Doom! The game that created a school and laid the foundations for FPS as we know it today wanted to take advantage of the superior features of Atari Jaguar, and boy did it succeed, because it is the best version of the legendary game that appeared on consoles . The title was one of the few that benefited from the characteristic control by assigning each number key to one of the different equippable weapons, which made the inventory a real delight.
6. Zool 2 (Gremlin Graphics, 1993)
But not only Rayman lived Atari Jaguar when it came to platforms: the intergalactic ninja Zool was ready to give it his all through jumps and acrobatics at full speed to end… Boredom. Because that was the goal of his enemies: to make boredom reign throughout the universe.
7. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition (Midway, 1994)
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition shows the most carefree, arcade and frenetic face of American basketball. We play two-on-two games using real NBA players, but all the similarities with the real world end there, because in the title we will see things as amazing as dunks from impossible heights (the photo is good proof of this).
8. Raiden (Seibu Kaihatsu, 1993)
Raiden is the perfect example of a game belonging to a trite genre but brilliantly executed. It is the typical horizontal scrolling shooter in which we handle an advanced technology fighter, the Raiden (which comes to mean something like “Thunder and Lightning”), in vertiginous phases, plagued by mostly robotic enemies, and with power ups of all kinds to facilitate the mission.
9. Iron Soldier (Eclipse Software, 1994)
Managing a ‘mecha’ the size of a building is one of the coolest things that has ever been and always will be in video games. But if on top of that you add a graphic section that is light years away from what has been seen so far, turn it off and let’s go
10. Iron Soldier 2 (Eclipse Software, 1997)
But the sequel was made to wait a long time, perhaps too long, because by the time it appeared on the market, the Atari Jaguar was already a practically extinct console, so many users never knew that the fantastic ‘mecha’ game had a second part.
11. Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Activision, 1995)
At the time when Indiana Jones couldn’t be more fashionable and all of us children dreamed of living his adventures, Activision put at our fingertips the perfect game with which to emulate the archaeologist. In the role of the son of Pitfall Harry, we must enter the jungle of South America in order to find the whereabouts of Junior’s father.
12. Ultra Vortek (Beyond Games, 1995)
Atari Jaguar may not have Mortal Kombat, but to quench the thirst for (pixelated) blood, its users could enjoy Ultra Vortek. It is a fighting game, with a post-apocalyptic background clearly inspired by movies like Mad Max, in which as a member of one of the gangs that have survived the disaster we must face the rest of the mercenaries and a bad-tempered demon that it intends to destroy what little remains of the earth. Brutal blows and hemoglobin everywhere in one of the best fighting games on the system.