| Jaguar News Archive 1999 |
12/24/99: Hall of Fame Game Award to be released January 15th:On January 15th, I will release the Hall of Fame Game Award for best Sports Game for the Jaguar. If you have not done so already be sure to vote for your favorite sports game. Thanks to all of you who have already voted. 12/3/99: HALL OF FAME GAME UPDATE:Over the next few months, I will be releasing Hall of Fame Game Awards for the best Atari Jaguar games based on readers votes. All the games have been divided into categories such as Sports, Fighting, Action, 2d Platform, 3d Shooter, and Puzzle. Votenow for the best Jaguar Sports Game! Currently it is a close race between Val D’ Isre Skiing and NBA Jams, but there is still time for you to cast your vote and turn the tide.12/3/99: SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS SHIPS PROTECTOR:Finally a new Atari Jaguar game has been released. This fine title was developed by Songbird productions and is a fast paced action shooter. If you have ordered your copy already it should be arriving shortly. Otherwise, you had better order fast before supplies run out. Check out the review and game shots posted on this site. *** SCHEDULE CHANGE: HERE COMES PROTECTOR! *** The release schedule has been rearranged, resulting in Protector being moved up to the 12/20/99 release date, and Skyhammer being placed at the 05/08/00 release date. Hyper Force and Soccer Kid are unaffected.Songbird is aware that many fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Skyhammer, and this game is still definitely committed to release. The reason for the schedule adjustment is simply a matter of cost. Original quotes from electronics vendors several months ago were 30-40% lower than what they are currently. This rise in cost makes it much more difficult to release Skyhammer at the committed price point, so as a result Songbird plans to ride out the temporary increase in component cost and purchase these parts in early 2000 when hopefully the prices have declined.Your patience and understanding is appreciated in this matter. Songbird is releasing a total of four new games for the Jaguar over the next 7 months, and the costs and risks involved are significant.Songbird also recognizes some customers may have pre-ordered only Skyhammer because it was the first game in the release schedule. If this applies to you, and you would now like to switch your pre-order to Protector instead, simply email Songbird at songbird@atari.org indicating your desire, and we will gladly accommodate the switch.Protector is an exciting 2D bidirectional shooter that has been a surprise hit with many Jaguar fans at JagFest ’99 and CGE ’99. Songbird is confident that this game is an excellent kickoff to the release schedule.*** ORDERS NOW ACCEPTED FOR PROTECTOR ***Due to the change in schedule, Songbird is now accepting full orders for Protector, which will be released on 12/20/99. The retail price of Protector for new orders is $74.95 plus shipping.If you pre-ordered Protector, you will owe a balance of $44.95 plus shipping. If you pre-paid by credit card, you will need to authorize payment of the balance on your card or supply a different card number. Please contact Multimedia 1.0 again to complete your order, or email Songbird with your complete order, customer information, and credit card number. Payment by check or MO in US Dollars is also always accepted.Please email Songbird at songbird@atari.org with any questions. And a big thank you to every Jaguar fan who has pre-ordered one or more of the upcoming games.Sincerely, Carl Forhan Songbird Productions http://songbird.atari.org . (Reprinted in Archives 1999, Area 64: The Jagzone by Heath Anderson, 1999).11/7/99: SONGBIRD ASKS “WHAT GAME WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FOR THE JAG?”:Now that Songbird will be releasing four new games for the Atari Jaguar, Carl Forhan wants to know what games you would like to see next. He is looking for games that have been partially developed by other companies in order to reduced production costs for such a niche market. Some suggestions have been Doom +, Native, and others. What do you think? Contact Songbird Productions today!11/7/99: PROTECTOR IS COMPLETED AND WILL BE RELEASED ON 12/20:Recently Songbird Productions announced that the Jaguar game Protector is completed and will be released on December 20th, 1999. Previously, Skyhammer was scheduled to be released on this date, but that had to be changed due to the rise in cart component prices. Skyhammer has a 4mb cart while Protector has a 2mb cart.In the next year, Songbird will release Protector, Soccer Kid (2/7/00), Hyper Force (3/20/00), and Skyhammer (5/8/00). The last three games can be preordered at $25 each and then each game is $69.95 and you get Songbird Coupons. Otherwise the games are $74.95 each that is if there are any games left!Information on all the above games can be found on the Songbird web site at . Release dates subject to change without prior notice.11/7/99 4PLAY USING A SOFTWARE ENCRYPTION BYPASS FOR BATTLESPHERE:4PLAY is currently using a software encryption bypass to get around the pesky encryption problem to encrypt the eagerly anticipated Battlesphere title for the Atari Jaguar. Thunderbird, a member of 4PLAY states “Our clever software scheme employs a “brute force” method of cracking encryption by utilizing a bank of 8 specially modified Jaguar consoles with a custom patched version of the standard Boot ROM and a few modifications to the BattleSphere executable itself, which runs in a hardware hacked EPROM cartridge…Suffice it to say that this bank of Jaguars is constantly booting a self-modifying binary and checking if the Jaguar Boot ROM has failed or passed the software encryption. Once the binary boots, the encryption is successful!” The estimated time of this procedure is 125 days which leaves approximately 85 days as of this news post. Important Jaguar Pre-order Update Jaguar fans, don’t delay! Now is the time to pre-order the four upcoming Jaguar games brought to you by Songbird Productions. Thanks to all the fans who have already mailed in their pre-orders; Songbird appreciates your business. The following games will be published by Songbird Productions in the 1999 and 2000 timeframe: Pre-order RetailInformation on all the above games can be found on the Songbird web site at http://songbird.atari.org. Release dates subject to change without prior notice. Due to an increase in component cost and the overall uncertainty of producing and selling a large quantity of cartridges, Songbird is raising the retail price on all upcoming Jaguar games after the pre-order period expires (Oct 31st). This is all the more reason to place your pre-order now and get these new games at the best possible price.Please note that any customer who pre-orders the games and postmarks his pre-order by November 1st is guaranteed to receive all pre-ordered games at the special discounted pricing. Any orders received that are postmarked after November 1st will be at the full retail price. Songbird appreciates the faithful fans who pre-order new games, and guarantees that the pricing will not change for those who pre-order.Plus, check out the full press release on http://songbird.atari.org and see how you can receive up to $20 in Songbird coupons with your qualifying pre-order! Sincerely,SONGBIRD PRE-ORDER ANNOUNCEMENT Songbird Productions is excited to announce a pre-order program for the10/07/99: PREORDER YOUR NEW ATARI JAGUAR GAMES FROM SONGBIRD NOW! The following games will soon be available from Songbird Productions: Skyhammer on 12/20/99, Soccer Kid on 2/7/00, Hyper Force on 3/20/00, and Protector on 5/08/00. All games will cost $69.95 each. Included will be a high colored color box, cartridge label, and black and white manual. In a surprising turn of events, Songbird recently announced that they had solved the encryption problem and would now be able to release these games. Currently you may preorder the games for $25 each by October 31, 1999 which ensures that you get a copy. If you do not do so, you may never get a game! If you get all four games, then you can get two coupons for other Songbird products. Check out http://songbird.atari.org for all the details, but hurry time is running out. SONGBIRD PRODUCTION CATALOG UPDATEFrom: Songbird forhan@midas.millcomm.comJagFest ’99 Video!Posted by Carl (pmroch7-214.rconnect.com) on July 10, 1999 at 13:15:09 on Jaguar interactive II : The JagFest ’99 video is coming together… you won’t believe all the goodies I’ve packed in the video so far! Lots of extras, particularly rare/unfinished goodies for the 2600 and Jaguar I think people may enjoy seeing.The video should be done within two weeks. I’m accepting pre-orders now on http://jagfest.atari.org or http://songbird.atari.org. Price is $19.95 plus shipping.This is one video-feast you won’t want to miss!Sincerely,Carl Forhan SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS TO ATTEND CGE, ANNOUNCES NEW LYNX GAMES June 27, 1999For immediate release:ROCHESTER, MN — Songbird Productions recently committed to attending Classic Gaming Expo (CGE), which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 14-15. CGE is the premiere event in 1999 for fans of classic gaming systems such as Atari, Intellivion, Vectrex, and more.”John and Keita have put a lot of effort into making this year’s event bigger than World of Atari was last year”, commented Carl Forhan, owner of Songbird Productions. “I’m thrilled that Songbird will be a part of CGE, and I plan on having a variety of merchandise for sale for many Atari systems.”Additionally, Songbird Productions hopes to keep the momentum growing for the orphaned Atari systems Lynx and Jaguar. To that end, two new Lynx products will be launched at CGE.The first is Lexis, an interesting twist on the “falling blocks” concept familiar to gamers everywhere. In this game, you don’t have to clear a row of bricks — you have to form words out of falling letters. This fun and challenging game includes a dictionary of 20,000+ words, some of which are special cheat words recognized by the game. Several play modes are also included.The second Lynx product is “Crystal Mines II: Lost Caverns”. Songbird Productions and Serious Cybernetics have teamed up with original Crystal Mines I and II developer Ken Beckett to take advantage of a hidden feature in the existing Lynx Crystal Mines II cartridge — it supports downloads of new levels into Lynx RAM via the comlynx port. The product will include Win95 software on a CD-R and a special Lynx-to-PC serial cable which also doubles as a developer cable for those who may own a BLL or SIMIS cartridge for the Lynx.CGE promoter John Hardie recently expressed his enthusiasm with regards to the news, saying, “”We’re delighted that Songbird Productions, the premiere Lynx and Jaguar developer, has chosen CGE ’99 as the venue in which to debut and display their new products.”Songbird Productions also anticipates being able to demo unreleased Jaguar games at CGE, including Protector and Skyhammer. At press time, it was uncertain if these games will be available for purchase in time for CGE.Songbird owner Carl Forhan recognizes that he’s not alone in his endeavor to support Atari platforms. “Several sponsors have helped make it possible for Songbird to attend CGE ’99. Ken Beckett and Multimedia 1.0 each deserve a big thank you for their generous sponsorship of Songbird Productions.”To keep up to date with the latest news at Songbird Productions, be sure to visit the company web site at http://songbird.atari.org, or send an email to songbird@atari.org.Copyright 1999 Songbird Productions. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in its entirety. (Reprinted in Area 64: The Jagzone by Heath Anderson, 1999) 6/27: SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS TO ATTEND CGE: Songbird Productions will attend Classic Gaming Expo (CGE) which is an event for fans of classic systems such as the Atari, Intellivision, Vectrex, and others. It will be held in Las Vegas on August 14-15. Songbird Productions will release two new Atari Lynx products at CGE which are Lexis (a tetris type game using letters to form words) and Crystal Mines II: Lost Caverns (which includes Win 95 software and a developer cable). Also two games for the Jaguar, Protector and Skyhammer, will be featured at the expo. Songbird Productions — supporting the Lynx and Jaguar! Official JagFest ’99 Report I’m pleased to say that JagFest ’99, held in Rochester, MN, was a wonderful success. I’m proud and very happy to have been those host for this year’s ‘fest, as I was able to supply a lot of things Jaguar and Lynx fans were looking for.On the Lynx front, Ponx was a hit with several attendees (and thanks for those purchases! 😉 ), and I know every Lynx fan there had a blast doing comlynx Checkered Flag (5 people), Raiden (2 people), and other games like Slime World, Cal. Games, and Xenophobe.We demoed some cool recent and upcoming games like SIMIS, Sokomania, and Hyperdrome (not sure if anyone actually fired up the latter).On the much anticipated Jaguar front… many tournaments were held, and people definitely “showed their stuff” on games like Breakout 2000, Tempest 2000, and Zero 5 (all I can say is. “Wow, Clay”). NBA Jam rocked the house more than once, and other games like Ultra Vortek and Doom saw play time as well.We hoped to do a functional Voice Modem demo, but time slipped away from us. Maybe next year, guys. 🙂 Lots of other rare hardware was on display — Jag Stereo adapter, Alpine boards, weird controllers, a Lynx dev kit, and more.Scott unfortunately could not get the latest Assassin demo to work. Native didn’t work out, either.Protector was I think a surprise hit. People expected a straight Defender clone, but really enjoyed the new enemies and powerups and overall gameplay.BattleSphere was of course immensely popular, and the networking was very solid. Hats off to 4Play on this marvelous game that we all look forward to owning one day.Skyhammer was the “special announcement” game presented by Songbird Productions at about 5-6pm during the event. All the Jaguar fans I spoke with were excited to see how well the game played, the solid frame rate, and the attractive graphics. Not to mention the intricate gameplay centering around a series of nonlinear missions. A second play mode is included in this game, called “Battle” mode, where you have to fight off wave after wave of enemies (maybe they should have named this mode ‘Gauntlet’ 😉 ). Very fun game, and enjoyed by all.The most disappointing aspect of the event, as one might imagine, was what I’ll call mediocre attendance. About 10 of the people on my online “attendees” list were no-shows, including Terance Williams, who we were all hoping could provide an update on Gorf 2000. Fred, Randy, Jason S., Robin, and more also didn’t show up (or at least I didn’t get to meet them if they did…) Sorry you guys couldn’t make it, it would have been great to meet you. Raven Video Games did not make it down from the Twin Cities due to a co-worker calling in sick that day.Having said all that, I am happy to announce that attendance was probably better than even JagFest attendees realize. I sold 45 tickets to the event (adult and child combined), and another 25 people that were friends, family, and fellow church-goers also showed up (at no cost to them) to either help out at the ticket table, see my crazy video game hobby in action, etc. 🙂 That brings our grand total to 70 PEOPLE for JagFest ’99!I know with a little more work and regional promotion, we could make it an even bigger event next year.Thanks to everyone who helped make it a success, and especially to the folks who traveled the furthest — Kevin and Katie, Clay and Michelle, Brian and his father, and everyone else!Songbird Productions was pleased to be the official host of JagFest ’99.Carl Forhan SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES UPCOMING ATARI RELEASES June 1, 1999For immediate release:ROCHESTER, MN — Songbird Productions is pleased to announce renewed support for Atari gaming consoles in the form of new releases for the Jaguar and Lynx.Topping off the list is Ponx for the Atari Lynx. Ponx brings the ball- and-paddle classic that started it all to the Lynx. But this isn’t your ordinary game. Ponx features a number of options, such as multiple balls, a Lynx controlled opponent with selectable AI, and more. Plus, in a throwback to classic handheld gaming, play against a friend on the same Lynx unit (no comlynx cable or second Ponx cartridge necessary!).The target release date for Ponx is June 18, 1999, and the retail price is $39.95. If you are interested in ordering Ponx, please visit the Songbird Productions web page at http://songbird.atari.org. Dealer inquiries welcome.Songbird Productions continues to make significant progress on Protector, a fast-paced 2D bi-directional shooter for the Jaguar. Anticipated release date is later in 1999.In addition, Songbird Productions has licensed a number of unreleased games from former Jaguar developers. The games licensed are: Soccer Kid from Krisalis Software Ltd., Hyper Force from Visual Impact, and Skyhammer from Rebellion. “Jaguar and Lynx fans have remained highly supportive of Atari game consoles,” said Carl Forhan, owner of Songbird Productions. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to have licensed these games from their respective companies and know that I will get them into gamers’ hands in the coming months. This is a great opportunity for Songbird Productions to help sustain the Jaguar and Lynx into the next millennium.”At press time, no release dates had been set for any of the Jaguar products. All inquiries on these products should be directed to Songbird Productions only.To keep up to date with the latest news at Songbird Productions, be sure to visit the company web site at http://songbird.atari.org, or send an email to songbird@atari.org.Copyright 1999 Songbird Productions. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in its entirety. .” (Reprinted in Archives 1999, Area 64: The Jagzone by Heath Anderson, 1999). Press Release from Hasbro Interative! Beverly, MA (May 14,1999) – Leading entertainment software publisher, Hasbro Interactive announced today it has released all rights that it may have to the vintage Atari hardware platform, the Jaguar.Hasbro Interactive acquired rights to many Atari properties, including the legendary Centipede, Missile Command, and Pong games, in a March 1998 acquisitiomn from JTS Corporation.This announcement will allow software developers to create and publish software for the Jaguar system without having to obtain a licensing agreement with Hasbro Interactive for such platform development. Hasbro Interactive cautioned, however, that the developers should not use the Atari trademark or logo in connection with their games or present the games as authorized or approved by Hasbro Interactive.”Hasbro Interactive is strictly focused on developing and publishing entertainment software for the PC and the next generation game consoles,” said Richard Cleveland, Head of Marketing for Hasbro Interactive’s Atari Business Unit. “We realize there is a passionate audience of diehard Atari fans who want to keep the Jaguar system alive, and we don’t want to prevent them from doing that. We will not interfere with the efforts of software developers to create software for the Jaguar system.”(Reprinted in Archives 1999, Area 64: The Jagzone by Heath Anderson, 1999).5/14: HASBRO MAKES JAGUAR AN OPEN PLATFORM: Hasbro Interactive announced today it has released all rights that it may have to the vintage Atari hardware platform, the Jaguar. Hasbro acquired rights to many Atari properties in the March 1998 acquisition from JTS Corporation who had themselves merged with Atari. This development allows software developers to create and publish software for the Jaguar system without having to obtain a licensing agreement from Hasbro Interactive. Hasbro Interactive cautioned, however, that the developers should not use the Atari trademark or logo in connection with their games or present the games as authorized or approved by Hasbro. Hasbro stated that they are “strictly focused on developing and publishing entertainment software for the PC and the next generation game consoles” and that they did not want to interfere with “diehard Atari fans” from getting new Jaguar releases. Hasbro Interactive.5/7: ATARI JAGUAR MAY BECOME AN OPEN PLATFORM: John Hardie of Atari Gaming Headquarters reported on Thursday May 7th that the Atari Jaguar system may become an open system. Apparently Mark Goodreau of Hasbro informed him that a Company announcement will be coming soon in which Hasbro will give anyone the permission to encrypt any games for the Jaguar. This will make it much easier for anyone to develop Jaguar games for the system. Very few systems have entered the public domain this way with the one exception being the Vectrex system of the 1980’s. Stay tuned for details. Check out the Jaguar Interactive message board for details. SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES SFX FOR THE ATARI LYNX April 2, 1999 FREE GAMES AT JAGFEST ’99 March 30, 1999 SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS FORMED TO SUSTAIN ATARI CONSOLES March 19, 1999 JAGFEST DETAILS NOW AVAILABLE March 19, 1999 Q & A From Band In The Box Entertainment Q: When are you going to update your site?Band-In-The-Box EntertainmentI recently sent e-mail to Band In The Box Entertainment to inquire about them and their Jaguar games. Here is how they replied:1.) Who are you? We’re a small video game company based in Nashville, Tn.2.) Are you developing Jaguar Games? Yes, we are.3.) If so, what are they, and what are they about? One’s a behind-the-back shooter, one’s a 2D fighter, and one’s a command & conquer-type game. That’s all we can tell you.Also, anything else you could tell me would be very helpful.Not much else to tell you right now. Visit our web-site at http://bandinthebox.8m.com for more news and details when we finally get the site finished.—All ‘a the guys at Band In The Box Entertainment (from Archives 1999, Area 64: The Jagzone by Heath Anderson, 1999) Atari Webcast Back In Time – The Radio Webcast will be an all Atari webcast, it will make its debut sometime this week(2\14\99 – 2\20\99) at the Back In Time web site. New episodes will be taped monthly. The show will feature news, reviews, and interviews. Each episode will run for about 30 minutes. To listen to the show, you will need a PC or Mac, and a copy of the Real Audio player. The Real Audio player is a free download from Real Networks.Links:Back In Time (from Area 64: The Jagzone by Heath Anderson) TELEGAMES has recently released a PC version of the Atari Jaguar RPG Towers II game. Also Telegames has released a limited edition cartridge version of Irons Soldier 2. Previously Iron Soldier was only available on CD. Some soundtracks have been removed for space considerations. Price is $69.95 plus s/h. Expect information soon on New Jaguar titles Skyhammer & Battlesphere. |
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