Atari goes out with a whimper

When Atari released the Jaguar in 1993, the once venerable video gaming pioneer needed a major hit.

It didn't find it with the Jaguar.

The deck was stacked against Atari, what with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis dominating the market and all. The Jaguar was supposed to bring respect back to Atari, but the company never had enough quality software to appeal to gamers. There are a handful of great games available that are unique to the system. "Tempest 2000" is a fantastic update of the arcade classic with eye-popping colors and a techno soundtrack that fits the futuristic mood of the game perfectly. "Alien v. Predator" is a fast paced shooter that does its source material justice. "NBA Jam Tournament Edition" may just be the definitive version of that over-the-top basketball franchise. Most games, however, are either inferior two-dimensional platformers that couldn't hold a candle to what Nintendo and Sega offered, primitive 3D games that played more like demos that actual polished titles are titles that were just bad ("Supercross 3D" is still the worst game I've ever purchased). Throw in some uninspired video game rehashes and you've got a system that was powered by mostly shovelware from a company that was rotting on the vine.

Truth be told, some great software could have saved this system. Titles like "Tempest 2000" proved the console was capable of some good games, but the system just never got the support it needed. The fact that the Atari Jaguar looked rather like a toilet seat was a bad omen as to what gamers could expect out of the thing. Aside from the lack of software, the hardware couldn't handle 3D graphics well at all -- a fatal flaw when the Sony Playstation 1 showed up and gaming in three-dimensions became the industry standard.

Now, the system wasn't a total loss. The controller was comfortable enough and there are some good games in the game's catalog. What is ironic is that most of the really good games for the system were developed in the homebrew scene, long after the system was dead. Many of those games, luckily, are still available for purchase and Jaguar fans can find like-minded gamers with ease on the Internet.

All in all, however, this system just wasn't that good. It's sad that this was the last console from Atari. Luckily, the company isn't remembered for this dog.