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Double Feature #1 Game Review - Matthias Domin´s latest Jaguar development


jaguar_fan

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As I seem to be one of the first owners of Matthias Domin´s new game Double Feature #1 I decided to write a short review, so others get a better idea of what this new game CD for the Atari Jaguar contains.

 

Matthias launched his new product during the E-JagFest in Kaarst, Germany just about a week ago.

 

The package

The Double Feature #1 CD comes in a black DVD case. The DVD insert is of high quality, fully colored and professionally printed on thick, glossy paper. Inside the DVD case you´ll find a thick, fully colored bi-langual manual (English/German) which explains the ideas and the use of the two games Reversi and ConnectThem. The printable CD label is also fully colored. Everything looks and feels very professional, hard to imagine, that this is "just" a homebrew product. Excellent work!

 

post-10054-1163410393_thumb.jpg

 

The settings

Double Feature #1 is fully encrypted and runs on any standard Jaguar with CD player. It loads pretty fast and after a few seconds the start screen appears. Double Feture #1 supports the Memory Track which can store any settings made by the user. Very good.

 

post-10054-1163410364_thumb.jpg

 

Double Feature #1 offers quite a load of setting options, such as the selection between 5 (!) different languages: English, German, French, Dutch and Italian, adjustable screen positions, adjustable computer opponent skills, sound and SFX volume settings, etc. There is even a BJL loader build into the code and you can select between 4 bit and 8 bit modes. Double Feature also supports 1 or 2 players and TeamTap.

 

The games

Double Feature #1 features two puzzle games: Reversi and ConnectThem.

 

In Reversi you and the opponent (computer or your friend) will take turns to move on the 8x8 chess-like field. A move is made by placing a new piece on the field into a vacant space next to the opponent´s piece. Each move must result in the capture of one or more of the opponents pieces. A capture is made by trapping the opponent´s piece or a continuous line of pieces between the one just placed and one of the same color in play. Captures can be made in a straight horizontal, vertical or diagonal line, or in any combination. All the opposing pieces trapped will be converted to its color. The winner is the player owning the largest amount of pieces.

 

post-10054-1163410267_thumb.jpg

post-10054-1163410326_thumb.jpg

 

In ConnectThem 2 players (computer and/or your friend) drop one after the other their chips into a grid of 6 rows by 7 columns. The winner of the game is the player who is first to align 4 of his chips in an either vertival, horizontal or diagonal line.

 

post-10054-1163410377_thumb.jpg

post-10054-1163410352_thumb.jpg

 

The sound

Double Feature #1 comes with different musical tunes, one each for the start screen/menu, Reversi and ConnectThem. The music and the SFX sounds are created by Nils Feske and are of high quality and quite addictive. Very good. The music never gets boring as the loops are quite long and varied.

 

The graphics

All graphics on Double Feature #1 are full screen, colored and high quality. Very nice. Btw. Johannes Graf is responsible for them.

 

The bonus

Yeah, you read that right: There is a hidden third game on the Double Feature #1 CD which is of the same high quality as Reversi and ConnectThem. Nice tune too.

 

No, I will not disclose what it is and how to access it. You will need to find out yourself...

 

 

Summary

Matthias Domin did a great job and managed to put together a new Jaguar CD product which is a must for every serious Jaguar gamer and collector. The price is quite decent for what you get: a professionally coded product, great graphics and sound, high quality printed manual, DVD case and label. Plus Memory Track and TeamTap support, BJL and a bonus game. That´s quite a load. Go for it!

 

 

Btw. there are dedicated product pages for Reversi and ConncetThem:

http://www.mdgames.de/jaguar_reversi.htm

http://www.mdgames.de/jaguar_connectthem.htm

 

 

Necessary hint: All the used screenshots and graphics posted here are used with written permission of Matthias Domin.

Edited by jaguar_fan
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Played the games at JFUK a week before the offcial release happend & I really enjoyed them. think it will take me a while to master them both!! Just waiting on the details so I can order my copy!!

 

Cheers

Gaztee

:twisted:

 

Wondering how much the game is.

 

 

I would suggest you contact him directly. He is an Atari Age user, so you canfind him here and send him a PM

 

Alternatively on his website http://www.mdgames.de/ you´ll find his email address.

 

I believe Double Feature sells for around 30 Euros which is roughly $38....

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Hello all!

 

 

Wondering how much the game is.

 

 

I would suggest you contact him directly. He is an Atari Age user, so you canfind him here and send him a PM

 

Alternatively on his website http://www.mdgames.de/ you´ll find his email address.

 

I believe Double Feature sells for around 30 Euros which is roughly $38....

 

The price per unit is 25 Euro plus actual shipping/postage costs and PayPal-fees (if this payment-service is used).

 

I am also in negotiations with some vendors, so it might be cheaper for people outside of Germany to place their order at their "local" vendor.

 

I apologize that i haven't replied to all incoming emails or PMs yet, but hope to be able to process them during the next days.

 

Kind regards

Matthias

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I apologize that i haven't replied to all incoming emails or PMs yet, but hope to be able to process them during the next days.
When you have a chance.... ;) I wonder if you could mention something about JagMania. I've seen a couple of posts floating around that JagMania can be burnt to a cart. I really like that game and would love to have it in cart format.

 

Any possibility that this might be commercially available some day..?

Edited by ls650
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  • 3 weeks later...

Geez, the hidden game looks like it's ten times better than either of the 'featured' games! :lol:

 

I doubt that. It looks like the last picture is of tha actual gameplay, I have a similiar game on the A8. those first two pictures are probably just title screen stuff, maybe cinepak FMV, though it does look great. but the actual game is another puzzler like the two featured games.

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It looks like the last picture is of tha actual gameplay
Er, yes, I realize that... :roll: No offense to Mattias, but I don't find video versions of board games to be very exciting, but a tile-slider type puzzle game would be fun.

 

I agree. As far as I'm concerned these are just "mini-games" by today's standards(as well as by the standards of the Jag's era), just like Painter and Jagmind/Bomsquad and others. No bigger or better than many "easter egg" games hidden in full-scale Jaguar games, and certainly not worth (to me) the price. I understand that these types of games are probably all we'll ever see from most underground/homebrew developers becuase full-size games generally need a team of programmers and years of development, especially if it's not the developer's day job. I'll just have to keep hoping that games like Gorf 3D and Eerievale (ha! that one will never come out on the Jag!) eventually make it out and wait for Songbird's REAL full games, whether lost games or full-scale developments. I'm not interested in mini/board/puzzle type games for my Jaguar. I can play those to my hearts content, and for FREE, on my Atari 8-bit. It's not like Jaguar quality graphics are necessary for these types of games! Now, if they were sold for like $10 then it would be worth it, but certainly not for about $40.00 with shipping! I'd just a soon go and buy 3 or 4 used XBOX games for that price! :roll: Case and point, I just bought (yesterday) GTA San Andreas, Destroy All humans, Halo 2 and an S-video cable for my XBOX for less than $40! It's obvious that Matthias and others put a lot of love and effort into these games, they look well polished, but the truth is the truth and they aren't worth that much to me. I hate to discourage Jag developers and not support them, but I really don't care for these mini-games, not at that price. How about a good 2D shooter or platform game? Or a 3D remake of a classic like Gorf 3D, Missle Command 3D, Tempest 2000, etc.? I'll pay $30-60 for one of those! I do appreciate that Matthias is at least putting 2 or 3 games on a single disc, but it would take at least 10 games like these to make it worth $30-40!

 

I see now what you meant in that you PREFER a puzzle game 10x better than a board game...

Edited by Gunstar
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I think Mathias deserves credit for this release, he has obviously not cut corners in any department as the box, instructions and disc are all high quality. The disc is 100% reliable, the menus are very sharp and the music and sound effects fit perfeclty.I hear what your saying regarding pushing the console and your right this / these games dont push the Jag to its limit in any way but they are fun and a welcome break from high ocatane 360 gaming!. What this release offers is a very well pollished example of how a homebrew should be made and marketed and i hope we see more from this team. :cool:

(btw Gunstar good to see you around again mate)

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