Page 33 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #6

S S out on their own and pursue a new fighting
ongbird is still recklessly pursuing new
titles to develop and publish on the Jaguar
game which, if it became a hit, would give them
and Lynx. The latest out the door, as re-
ported last issue, is Championship Rally for a lifetime of merchandising royalties (they got
the goose egg from all their MK work in this
the Atari Lynx. If you haven't picked this gem area). Sadly, as with so many other Jaguar
up yet, you really owe it to yourself to have in games, this game was dropped as it became
your possession the finest overhead racer apparent to everyone in-house or not that the
available on this handheld. Likewise, the 3D Jaguar was disappearing from the gaming radar
action of Remnant on the Lynx has also in late 1995.
wowed numerous customers. Just check out This game certainly has an MK (or for Jag
this pic and you'll see this game means busi- fans, Ultra Vortek) feel to it -- it consists of digi- Alien Vs. Predator
ness! Also, don't forget to check out the fan- tized actors in a variety of costumes in a
tasy RPG game Distant Lands, currently pre- straightforward 2D fighter. There are only 4
viewed on the Songbird website over at: fighters (and 7 backgrounds) in the demo I tried, is, of course, what eventually inspired the
http://songbird.atari.net. but according to HVS, there were well over 15 best-selling Jaguar version of the game.
Don't despair, Jaguar fans -- Songbird during development. The game is surprisingly The game is not a real-time raycasting
colorful and the motion engine a la Wolfenstein
fluid, resulting in a high- 3D. Instead, all the walls
speed fighting game are "locked" at 90 degree
with several layers of angles and therefore the
parallax scrolling. There player can only turn at
are plenty of nifty spe- right angles. Still, you can
cial moves; anything roam around the map,
from shock treatment to pick up items, play as ei-
pulling massive ham- ther the Marine or Preda-
mers out of the ground. tor, switch between multi-
All the basic pieces ple guns (as the Marine),
are here -- collisions, and eventually exit the
animation, special map. While Jaguar AvP
Remnant moves, damage, and so Thea Realm Fighters broke new ground by be-
on. The game is enough coming a nonlinear
hears your cry for continued new life on the fun for two players to enjoy, but unfortunately no "simulation" first-person shooter, Lynx
Jag. I can't say much at this time, but there are logic was implemented for a one-player game. AvP was set up to be a traditional
some serious gaming goodies that should be Also, every now and then, the game crashes "mission-based" FPS, where you accom-
available in the summer/fall timeframe of this unexpectedly, but this is minor since the current plish your goal and leave the level ASAP.
year. Keep your eyes peeled to http://songbird. version only supports a single round of combat. The graphics are sharp for a 16-color
atari.net for all the latest, or send a blank email Still, given how playable the game is in its cur- screen, the movement is similar to Elec-
to atari-subscribe@egroups.com to get the rent state, it's a shame there wasn't justification trocop and very smooth, and the audio is
news delivered directly to your inbox. Also, to pursue it to completion; I'm sure Jaguar fans immersive and therefore in some ways
keep your eyes on games like Gorf Pluz, Jag- would have had a blast with this one. similar to the Jaguar ambience. Once
Tris, Jagmania, and Arkanna. The hobby de- Next up is the elusive Alien vs. Predator for again, this game would have been an in-
velopers behind these games (and others not the Atari Lynx. You may have seen the recent credible addition to the Lynx library, and
listed here) are to be commended for their eBay auction of a prototype cartridge -- that ver- it's a shame Rebellion couldn't have de-
continued support of the Jaguar. sion was different from this version as evi- veloped this version in parallel to the Jag-
We've got a special treat in store for you denced by the in-game shots. The game is still uar one.
this ish -- a sneak peak at two games that are far from complete, but it's nonetheless an im- Do you have a favorite "lost" game for
in all likelihood lost for good. It's still fun to put pressive beta for the cherished handheld, and it the Lynx or Jaguar? Is there a certain
them through the paces, and let fellow Atari genre you'd like to see in future releases?
fans know what might have been. And, no, What can Songbird, along with the Atari
these aren't previews of future games for community, do to better promote new
Songbird to publish -- there is a legal quagmire games for these Atari platforms? Write me
surrounding each game (not to mention a se- at songbird@atari.net -- your feedback is
vere lack of source code to allow any modifica- very important! And don't forget to pick up
tions), so I'm presenting these reviews strictly some new releases if you've been putting
as a fellow Atari fan. Enjoy! it off. Buying some of the existing new
First up is Thea Realm Fighters for the games is always the best way to promote
Atari Jaguar, developed by High Voltage Soft- future development.
ware. An interesting tidbit about this game is
that several actors from the legendary Mortal
Kombat video game series wanted to strike
Alien Vs. Predator
Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2001 33