Phase Zero (REVIEW) - Atari Jaguar

[Antonyv1982]

hi mate, so when you bought this what did you actually get? just a burnt CD Rom? or was it an actual retail package? Is the game complete in your opinion? I see SongBird have the demo listed for sale at $60 (sod that for a demo!) but I want the whole game if at all possible. I emailed the company you mentioned, will see what happens I guess

[viMasterJag]

@Antonyv1982 This is what I have... the demo. The complete game has not been found, nor do I believe it was ever truly finished, but it may have been :-)

In any case, all the stuff you see in my videos is found in the demo listed on Songbird's site. There's actually quite a bit to do, so I think it's worth it.

I bought it as a loose copy from MyAtari, I believe, and have since designed my own box for it ;-)

[Gunh3d1]

Thx for the review...until now i only saw some photos,but after that video,i HAVE to get that game!

[viMasterJag]

@Gunh3d1 It's an amazing feat. It is, however, unfinished, but really there's quite a bit there.

[bobbystar101]

look at those graphics man

someones got to port battlezone (1998 version) to jaguar with slightly less detail it could handle it.

[squirm13]

thanks for the information about commander blood

[nooblet911]

looks like voxels

[Stopmotionist]

They are voxels. Voxels are sweet.

[squirm13]

There were so many jaguar games which were not released, commander blood, sequel to captain blood, on atari st, and lots of others, were any such games completed and sold?

[Stopmotionist]

Commander Blood ended up on the PC. There's also a company called Songbird that releases old Jaguar prototypes, if that's any help.

[TechnoEstate]

Much too little, much too late. This is how Cybermorph should have looked.

Oh well, that's "our" Jag.

[viMasterJag]

Well, but then the ships in Phase Zero aren't exactly 3D polygons (more like pre-rendered 3D images,) so they're different. I think more appropriately the frame rate of Cybermorph should have been as quick as this one. Give it that and it would have been much better.

I do, however, still like Cybermorph as it is.

It hasn't aged well, but it was unique when it was first released.

[TechnoEstate]

Even if they're just scaled sprites, this engine is much more impressive, much more next-gen. Also, the graphics DESIGN is better. The frame rate isn't much different. I take what you mean is the pace of the game.

Cybermorph was somewhat impressive at first, 'cause it did have huge gouraud-shaded polygon landscapes. But the 3DO offered the same... plus textures and CD-BGM! Cybermorph's death blow was that the graphical novelty wore off quickly, unveiling an extremely bland and boring game.

[Stopmotionist]

Actually, it's essentially a copy of Rescue on Fractalus, which was released for the old Atari and Commodore computers back in 1985. Except that Rescue on Fractalus was way better.

[Glumglufs]

I wish games like this would have been released for Jaguar in the beginning.

[viMasterJag]

Absolutely, It may have encouraged other developers to put more time into their games as well.

[GameGeek117]

wow, great graphics!

[MajorHavoc2049]

Great video viMasterJag. Even though it's unfinished, you made me want to buy Phase Zero. Love the explosions. Cool intro and ending segments. Excellent!

[kentatm]

man, the frame rate here kills what was done in both Hover Strikes. Heck, it seems to beat out BattleMorph handily.

[Cyrus7500]

Good review but it would have been awesome if you had give a score/Rating at the end of the vid. Just a sugestion.

[viMasterJag]

Good point.

I don't really like scores, though, unless I can compare it to another game on the same platform like it... there's not much of a choice on the Jag ;)

But I will say this... even in its unfinished state it is one of my most favorite games for the Jaguar!

[IIIDemon]

i just randomly dug this video up searching for traces of phase zero... and you just made my day. =] phase zero was kinda my baby. i did some of the graphics, a bit of the programming, and a lot of the game design you see there. glad you liked it, even if it never really made it.

[viMasterJag]

Hey there! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

The game is really quite impressive. The Jaguar had some stinkers and even most that were good didn't necessarily "scream" 64-bit.

Phase Zero is a game I would put in the same group as the very few that show off the Jaguar's potential.

It's unfortunate it never got released in its completed state.

If the source code was found, it would be great to look into it and see what can be done, but stuff like that gets lost over the years :-/

[missibucketredux]

So this game is one of those newer atari jaguar games developers make? That's a pretty cool idea! I wonder if they make any newer games for other older consoles.

[viMasterJag]

unfortunately, no. B&C (MyAtari) just burns the roms to the memory chips and assembles the carts for this. Phase Zero was created a long time ago and was never finished. :)

[Cyrus7500]

There are alot of Homebrew Games thou for other consoles i personally know some of them on the Dreamcast.

[videogamesodbuster]

atari jaguar 64 for ever

[A31Chris]

Good job vi!

Kev, this game isnt polygons. This game is them height rendered bitmap fields or some such. I can't remember what they're called but its not the same as the PSXs strength which is polygons. So while this looks great, its not really a straight comparison. More an apples-oranges thing. ;)

[EmOneGarand]

voxels to be more technical ;)

[IIIDemon]

interpolated height fields, to be even more technical. =]

[KevinCali24]

This game proves the Jag can hang with the PS, Saturn & N64 in the 3d department... It looks really fast and smooth. It's awesome how you have to rescue "Lt. Ripley" :D. Nice little Alien easter egg. Nice job on the video as usual too. ;)