I’m one of those people who loves failed video game consoles. Most of these have at least some exclusive gems to be gleaned from their library. The Atari Jaguar CD however is the one I really struggle to defend. The base console sold horribly and had one of the most infamously bad libraries of software of all time. Why did they decide expensive add-on hardware was necessary?
The world may never know, but here we are. The Atari Jaguar CD only had thirteen commercial releases for it and I’m proud to say I not only own the hardware, but also the entire library. This may come as a surprise but there are some actual good games for it. They’re few and far between, but they are there. That’s why today I’ve decided to highlight the top ten best Atari Jaguar CD games of all time. Let’s dive right in.
#10. – Brain Dead 13
It’s rare that a game perfectly describes itself with just it’s title. Brain Dead 13 is a full motion video adventure. This means you watch video, and respond to quick time events. Should you fail you’ll have to start over. It’s worth noting that the Atari Jaguar CD is one of the few places you can play this one.
Basically Brain Dead 13 is an animated adventure which is pretty obviously aimed at the younger audience. It has some light horror elements which makes it stand out from most other FMV games, but let’s be honest; it’s not very good. During gameplay your button inputs are often not recognized, and Brain Dead 13 is very unforgiving. Expect to be pretty frustrated. Regardless I really liked the animation. Shame about that gameplay though.
#9. – Space Ace
Two FMV games in a row? When it comes to the Atari Jaguar CD anything goes I guess. It’s not that I’m a huge fan of the genre, rather, the pickings are rather slim. Unlike Brain Dead 13 this one originated in the arcades in the 80s. Back then it was released to rave reviews. Unfortunately it didn’t fare so well over a decade later, and on the Atari Jaguar CD of all places.
This one is basically Dragon’s Lair in space. That’s not a bad thing in my opinion, but the gameplay is dated. Here you play as a space hero named Ace sent on a mission to save the world from the evil Commander Borf and his army of minions. You guide the character by pressing button prompts at the right time. Space Ace is a decent time, but I’m just not a big fan of sci-fi.
#8. – Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands
With a few FMV titles out of the way we finally get to the ‘real’ games. Hover Strike: Unconquered Lands is a fully 3D mech combat title. Well, by ‘mech’ I mean hovercraft, but honestly it’s a pretty similar experience. Gameplay takes place from a first person perspective and this brings some problems to it. For one thing it’s difficult to tell where enemies are, and from which direction you’re being hit.
Gameplay can be a bit too chaotic to be fun. I’m actually surprised at how smoothly this game runs. It’s almost like an early PS1 title in this sense, and that’s a huge compliment for an Atari Jaguar game. Regardless if you want to blow things up in a semi-open world then this version of Hover Strike has your number. It’s not great, but at times it can be decent.
#7. – Baldies
A real time strategy game on the Atari Jaguar CD? You betcha. Baldies isn’t great, and most of the time it isn’t very good. It just is. That’s enough to be placed on a list of the best Atari Jaguar CD games of all time. Using a cursor you guide a bunch of bald men into combat all the while building up their civilization. For a real time strategy game in the mid 90s it’s pretty barebones. You can assign each of the little guys a job.
You can have them create structures, weapons, and increase their population even. Honestly this one won’t replace something like Starcraft or Warcraft on any list, but it’s kind of decent. Sometimes at least. If you own a Jaguar CD it might be worth checking out if you like the genre.
#6. – Highlander: The Last of the Macleods
One of the best advantages the CD storage medium had was that it could store pre-rendered backgrounds so the hardware could focus on polygonal characters. Highlander is the only Jaguar CD game to take advantage of this. This is also one of the only licensed games for the platform. Highlander (from what I’ve read) is based off of the first season of the animated show. I wasn’t a fan, nor do I know anything about it.
Rating it purely on the basis of it being a video game it’s okay. Highlander has good visuals for the platform, but suffers from clunky gameplay. Combat just isn’t very fun. Thanks to the limited processing power of the Atari Jaguar you press buttons and literally wait to see the actions carried out on-screen. It’s not amazing, but Highlander is still exclusive to the Atari Jaguar CD.
#5. – Dragon’s Lair
If you’re going to play an FMV game you may as well go with the best one. Dragon’s Lair is just that. It was originally a laserdisc arcade title, but was eventually released on just about every failed console that had a CD drive. If there’s one bragging point that the Jaguar CD has then it’s this release. I would go so far as to say that this is better than the Sega CD, and 3DO releases.
This is more of a cartoon than a video game. You interact at specific points by pressing either buttons or directions on the game pad. Unfortunately Dragon’s Lair is very unforgiving so if you get it wrong you’re toast. At least the death sequences are entertaining! Dragon’s Lair is the first entries on this list that’s mildly fun. It’s easily one of the best Atari Jaguar CD games of all time.
#4. – Iron Soldier 2
Now we get to the games that are actually good. The original Iron Soldier was a real showpiece for the Atari Jaguar. It offered free roaming mecha combat that was not only playable but even enjoyable. This sequel is even better. Iron Soldier 2 has you free roaming around environments piloting a giant mecha robot. Here you’re given a plethora of different weapons each of which have their own uses. My personal favorite is the chainsaw which is new.
The developers managed to make a smooth gameplay experience here, and as critical I am of the hardware I have to say this is an impressive game. It can easily compete with early 3D Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation titles. It’s also more fun than most of the launch titles for both. Iron Solider 2 is a real winner and it’s just a shame it’s stuck on such niche hardware.
#3. – Battlemorph
Cybermorph was a pack-in with the Atari Jaguar. It was meant to show off the system’s capabilities. Unfortunately that wasn’t very good, and made the console look like something that even the Super Nintendo could compete with technically. Battlemorph is a true upgrade. Not only does it push the hardware better but it also is much more fun.
In Battlemorph you fly around on various alien planets destroying outposts in 3D environments. There aren’t a ton of enemies and you’ll mostly be battling against the controls while avoiding crashing into obstacles and terrain. In my opinion this is what Cybermorph should have been in the first place. Though my hopes were low I really liked Battlemorph.
#2. – Blue Lightning
For all intents and purposes this is Atari’s answer to the Afterburner series. Blue Lightning is actually a conversion of a very impressive release for their Lynx handheld. I like this version slightly better. Despite using a 3D viewpoint everything here is rendered in sprites. Honestly that’s probably for the best because I’ve always found the Atari Jaguar is at it’s best when it comes to two dimensional games.
Blue Lightning offers a mission based structure for it’s gameplay that works fairly well. Your objectives are pretty run of the mill as far as the genre is concerned, but I enjoyed them plenty enough. Blue Lightning isn’t incredible by any means, but in my opinion it’s one of the standouts on the Jaguar CD.
#1. – Primal Rage
Yes, Primal Rage is kind of a run of the mill Mortal Kombat clone. Not many people enjoyed it, but I have a lot of nostalgia for this one. Primal Rage has you fighting (and playing as) dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts in a series of one on one matches. The 16-bit versions were really lacking so you have to look to the 32/64 bit iterations to really enjoy this one. I actually like this Atari Jaguar CD edition the best if I’m being honest.
Gameplay is fun with an intricate combo system, finishing moves, and a memorable roster of crazy characters. I don’t think any other fighting game has matched the sheer absurdity of the fighter Chaos. It might sound juvenile, but I still find myself laughing at the urination and vomiting moves. If you’re going to seek out one Atari Jaguar CD game make sure it’s this one.
