The Atari Jaguar was quite a hampered platform. Some would say it was due to all the processors (a trap Sega would fall into with their Saturn) others would say it was Atari themselves. No matter the reason, the Jaguar seems like it never really got a fair shake at reaching its audience. Obviously, this is true for any failed platform that did not break 1 million console sales. The gaming market is very tough on everyone not in the #1 or #2 spots. This has not stopped fans from creating new games for the hardware though. Wave 1 Games being one such developer who is working on a racing game called Neutron Drive.
Right now it does not look like a lot worth discussing, some flat terrain and obviously well shaded backgrounds (something the Jag was known for). The colors available onscreen was a great selling point for the Jaguar and was even put front and center with their box design often featuring a bright colorful screenshot on the front.
Racing games were one genre well represented on the Atari Jaguar, for better or for worse, fans were inundated with options. Wave 1 Games look to add to that collection with Neutron Drive.
While extremely basic at this point, it will be interesting to see how Neutron Drive improves as development continues. It is rare that I am able to catch a new game this early in development. Looking at Wave 1 Games past works it is easy to see they make some interesting titles.
Being early in development has a few problems when covering games. The game obviously has problems that will hopefully be improved/fixed before release.
Overall, the game appears to have a VERY Mega Race look to it. For those that do not remember that franchise (yes, they made several entries on PC, one on 3DO), it is a full motion video track with a sprite-based car overlaid. The problem is, it was clear this was the process to create amazing visuals (impressive till you realize it is the same exact graphics each time).
Neutron Drive has that look to it as the car appears to be much higher resolution than things around it. The car looks out of place.Looking at past works from Wave 1 Games, JagZombies, Ants, and Kasumi Ninja, wait that last one was a commercial release while the Jag was being supported by Atari.
I included it to show this is not just something with Wave 1 Games but something that plagued commercial releases as well.
To me, it is simply the “Atari Jaguar look” that games often feature, especially 2D ones. With a bit more polish some of Wave 1 Games releases could easily be mistaken for releases back in the day.
It will be interesting to see how Neutron Drive grows as it goes through development.
What was your favorite Atari Jaguar game? If you don’t have one, let me know what your favorite game is in general. I love learning about new titles and discussing gaming as a whole.
