48 replies to this topic

[EscoZG]

I've heard from many people that Blue Lightning for the Jag CD is complete drivel. Amazing that such a simple and extremely fun title for the Lynx could be done worse. Can anyone explain why the CD version is so terrible compared to the Lynx?

[Thunderbird]

EscoZG said:

I've heard from many people that Blue Lightning for the Jag CD is complete drivel. Amazing that such a simple and extremely fun title for the Lynx could be done worse. Can anyone explain why the CD version is so terrible compared to the Lynx?

It's not "64-bitty" enough for most people.

If JagCD "Blue Lightning" was on a handheld (any handheld) it would be the single most awesome handheld game ever. But because it's on a CD console, it's so-so.

[goatdan]

Blue Lightning is not overly liked for the Jag CD because...

- It's graphics are sup-SNES levels
- It could've easily had the FMV's cut out and had the rest of the game put on a cheap cart.

[goatdan]

"on a cheap cart."

Let me clarify this by saying "put on a cheap cart instead of having people buy a $200.00 system upgrade for the game.

[Thunderbird]

goatdan said:

"on a cheap cart."

Let me clarify this by saying "put on a cheap cart instead of having people buy a $200.00 system upgrade for the game.

Well, it WAS a FREE pack-in!

[Tyrant]

Yep, which ment its one of the first examples people see of the new technology, it should have shown off more and made ppl think "wow this is great, lets go get more cd games and tell my friends"

[Clint Thompson]

I never really had a problem with Blue Lightning....
In a matter of fact.. me and a few friends beat the game.....

Then I eventually ended up with a PS1 (err,,) and we rented a few same genere games for it... Sure, the graphics were a bit nicer... but after about 25 mins on both the newer ps1 games, we all agreed (Blue Lightning Time!) haha,, and beat it again.

I just played AfterBurner II for the Sega CD.... granted you'll all say (that's a 16 bit hoo hockey system) Well, if that's 16 bits... and Blue Lightning is 64, then wow! I really CAN see the difference now!

Also if you were to put it on a cheap cart, you would loose all the awesome music that went extremely well with the game! I'm not a person that is in that sort of game either (I dont go out and seek to play the genere) but as it came for free with the Jag, I was very happy and surprised at how well I liked it.

2 Days after the Jag CD came out (not 3 years) I was in love with the JagCD. For months on and off my friends and I would play the Vid Grid (finally unlocked Nirvana) and then Blue Lightnint to death...
I had gotten Ultra Vortek around the same time... we played the hell out of that too! So it was a very good 4-5 months spent! I wont even get started on the Tempest 2000 fun

And alas as Thunderbird stated, it was a free game... and you got 2! plus the demo and soundtrack.

Clint Thompson

[LinkoVitch]

I found it a little naff. controlls felt wrong. Not a big fan of the Afterburner series.. so I spose it's just the style of game I dont' like.

I kept finding the plane getting in the way of my view, I hate 3rD person perspective games where this happens on all formats..

[Thunderbird]

I believe that Blue Lightning gets a bad rap. It's really not that bad of a game at all, and it does have some pretty nice music. As for showing off what the CD was good for I think the music and the FMV did that pretty well. Remember that when this thing was designed the Sega CD was about the only CD system out there and look at the games that thing had.

[Sauron]

Blue Lightning for JagCD always was and always will be crap. It had terrible controls, bad graphics, and was all around a very disappointing game. Considering that the Lynx version came out a good 5 years prior, had better controls, and was just much more plain fun, there really isn't any comparison.

I know some fun could be had with the JagCD version, but considering it came out around the same time that both the Sega Saturn and Playstation had just entered the market, it did nothing to help the JagCD's cause.

[Thunderbird]

There are Saturn and Playststion games with control just as bad as Blue Lightning, so to say it should have had controlled better because the other systems were already out is not really a good argument.

Besides, I don't think the control was that bad anyhow. I could play it fine.

[goatdan]

Thunderbird said:

I believe that Blue Lightning gets a bad rap. It's really not that bad of a game at all, and it does have some pretty nice music. As for showing off what the CD was good for I think the music and the FMV did that pretty well. Remember that when this thing was designed the Sega CD was about the only CD system out there and look at the games that thing had.

T-Bird,

I have to disagree with you here. The Jaguar was supposed to be the "powerhouse" console, and for the buying public to want the Jag CD, it should have had games that looked better than Blue Lightning. FMV and music are nice, but Cybermorph had 3D graphics, and games like Tempest and Zool 2 were already out with amazing graphics.

FMV never attracted many people, and the sight of what appeared to be a lower-quality pack in for the $199.00 Jaguar CD did not help the system.

I'm not arguing that the game isn't fun to play -- I've played it quite a bit, and I've really played VidGrid to death. It's just that for people who were attempting to make a decision about a new $199 purchase, it wasn't that big of a carrot.

[Sauron]

Thunderbird said:

There are Saturn and Playststion games with control just as bad as Blue Lightning, so to say it should have had controlled better because the other systems were already out is not really a good argument.

Besides, I don't think the control was that bad anyhow. I could play it fine.

If the controls were the only issue with the game, you could have a point. However, it was lacking in far more areas than just that. The graphics did nothing to sway people to the side of the Jag, nor did gameplay depth. In comparison to most of the games available for other systems at the time, it was extremely underwhelming.

[Thunderbird]

Sauron said:

Thunderbird said:

There are Saturn and Playststion games with control just as bad as Blue Lightning, so to say it should have had controlled better because the other systems were already out is not really a good argument.

Besides, I don't think the control was that bad anyhow. I could play it fine.

If the controls were the only issue with the game, you could have a point. However, it was lacking in far more areas than just that. The graphics did nothing to sway people to the side of the Jag, nor did gameplay depth. In comparison to most of the games available for other systems at the time, it was extremely underwhelming.

What games are you referring to that were out for other systems at the time?

[PeterG]

What I hated most in Blue Lightning, was the way the did the Barrel roll.....
It was useless, because the kinda rotated the whole scrren and you had no control and it was slow....
They should have just rolled the plane but well....otherwise I had some fun with the game...
Peter

[Clint Thompson]

Dan,

Where do you get $199 From?
Maybe the place you got yours was jacking the price up?
But I specifically remembering paying only $159 like 2 days after the launch... I guess they could have raised the price but that doesn't make sense...

Hmm....

Clint Thompson

[Sauron]

Thunderbird: A good portion of the Playstation (ie. Demolition Derby), Saturn (Bug, Clockwork Knight), and 3DO (any Crystal Dynamics game) libraries were more impressive than Blue Lightning. So was the Donkey Kong Country series for the SNES, which looked just as good as any 2D Jag game that was out at the time. Hell, I can even include Jag games like AvP, Tempest 2K, and Iron Soldier, and those were all on cart!

Clint: I believe $199 was the suggested retail price for the Jag CD, which means that most places had it for that price. Of course, it only took about a year for the price to drop to clearance levels.

[Clint Thompson]

ah... I knew it was cheaper then that... but I didn't remember it being 149!!

Maybe I was thinking a'bit after taxes but I knew for sure it wasn't 199.

Dude, this is seriously more happennin then the 32x upgrade for the $149...

http://jaguar.holyoa...ary/junglec.jpg

[Thunderbird]

Sauron said:

Thunderbird: A good portion of the Playstation (ie. Demolition Derby),  Saturn (Bug, Clockwork Knight), and 3DO (any Crystal Dynamics game) libraries were more impressive than Blue Lightning. So was the Donkey Kong Country series for the SNES, which looked just as good as any 2D Jag game that was out at the time. Hell, I can even include Jag games like AvP, Tempest 2K, and Iron Soldier, and those were all on cart!

Clint: I believe $199 was the suggested retail price for the Jag CD, which means that most places had it for that price. Of course, it only took about a year for the price to drop to clearance levels.

I personally think Donkey Kong Country looks like digitized crap. I was severely unimpressed with it. How you can compare it to games like AVP is beyond me. Rayman makes DKC look like 8-bit-fecal-matter-pie.

Also, I don't think the list price on the CD was $199 either. I remember getting it the day it came out for $179 and this was at Electronics Boutique who never discounted anything new.

Also, didn't the JagCD come out months before the Saturn and PSX? How can you compare games that came out later???

[Sauron]

I wasn't comparing with Donkey Kong with the Jag's stellar titles; I was comparing it with games like Zool 2, Raiden, and other 2D Jag games out during the same time it was released.

The local stores where I lived at the time (SoCal) had the Saturn in July '95 and the Playstation and JagCD in October '95. For all I know, the JagCD may have been "released" before the Playstation (it was not out before the Saturn), but it didn't hit stores in my area until shortly after. I also recall seeing them on sale for less than $199, but I could swear that Atari's suggested retail price was $199. I may be wrong on that, though.

[Jetboot Jack]

I can forgive quite alot of the crappy shovelware that Atari perpetrated on the public in its dying days, but Blue Lightning STINKS!

Its 1/2 the game that Genesis Afterburmer II was - and that was crappy too! Blue Lightning's controls are lumpen and unresponsive, the graphics are appaling, sound is awful, but beyond these issues lets face it its NO FUN, its terminally dull!

Anyone who defends this turd of a game has NO idea what a decent game is!

As for calling DKC "digitized crap" Thunderbird, well fella you're missing the point aren't you , somehow muddling a subjective call on graphical quality with playability. History will show DKC played great, was loved by many, stole the show many times and sold millions (Atari wished it could sell 1/10 the numbers) and AVP was a descent title on a sadly failed hardware platform....

The more time I read posts like these the more I am disapointed that the Atari community will defend any rubbish in the name of Atari. Truth is that a good game is a good game, whatever machine its on - Tempest or AVP are good games - Blue Lightning is pure drivel!

sTeVE

[Punisher5.0]

Quote

I wasn't comparing with Donkey Kong with the Jag's stellar titles; I was comparing it with games like Zool 2, Raiden, and other 2D Jag games out during the same time it was released.  

Man Sauron, do you not like the Jaguar anymore? All you do now is bad mouth the system. Comparing DKC to Raiden is pretty far fetched. I love DCK and despite what Thunderbird says, I think the game looks very good. Now when you want to compare DKC to Zool 2, well that's another thing. I never played the SNES version but I have the Jaguar version and the game would be a lot better if it had no slow down. The game should have had no slow down but it had tons of it despite the much more advanced hardware .

[Thunderbird]

Jetboot Jack said:

I can forgive quite  alot of the crappy shovelware that Atari perpetrated on the public in its dying days, but Blue Lightning STINKS! Its 1/2 the game that Genesis Afterburmer II was - and that was crappy too! Blue Lightning's controls are lumpen and unresponsive, the graphics are appaling, sound is awful, but beyond these issues lets face it its NO FUN, its terminally dull!

As for calling DKC "digitized crap" Thunderbird, well fella you're missing the point aren't you , somehow muddling a subjective call on graphical quality with playability. History will show DKC played great, was loved by many, stole the show many times and sold millions (Atari wished it could sell 1/10 the numbers) and AVP was a descent title on a sadly failed hardware platform....  

You're missing your OWN point... making subjective calls on graphical quality AND control and then ASSUMING that your opinion of this equals PLAYABILITY. History shows that millions of people will buy digitized CRAP backed by an average game is you have millionsof dollars to marke the crap out of something and convince the masses that they want it.

Just look at the crap they sold for years called the "Game Boy" and tell me why it outsold the rest?

Jetboot Jack said:

The more time I read posts like these the more I am disapointed that the Atari community will defend any rubbish in the name of Atari. Truth is that a good game is a good game, whatever machine its on - Tempest or AVP are good games - Blue Lightning is pure drivel!

Anyone who defends this turd of a game has NO idea what a decent game is!

I think I'm fairly qualified to be able to judge a good Jaguar game, having programmed and marketed one myself....

[Gunstar]

LinkoVitch said:

I found it a little naff.  controlls felt wrong.  Not a big fan of the Afterburner series.. so I spose it's just the style of game I dont' like.

I kept finding the plane getting in the way of my view, I hate 3rD person perspective games where this happens on all formats..

You DO realize you can switch to cockpit view in the game, right?

[Gunstar]

Peterghiea said:

What I hated most in Blue Lightning, was the way the did the Barrel roll.....
It was useless, because the kinda rotated the whole scrren and you had no control and it was slow....
They should have just rolled the plane but well....otherwise I had some fun with the game...
Peter

You DO have control in the barrel roll...just can't shoot.