So I watched the Jag episode and felt it was fair. Couldn't find the Lynx episode.
It's been awhile since I watched most of their stuff. I believe they mention the Lynx and Lynx games in a few episodes, but as Joe mentioned, there isn't a dedicated Lynx episode.
I went back and watched the Jaguar episode again last week, to see if maybe I was just remembering things poorly. It seemed obvious from the beginning of the episode that both guys assumed the Jag was a joke. Some things stuck out to me as bad information, like when Joe said Wolfenstein 3D on the Jag didn't look any better than the other versions. The Jag version (and I think the Mac and 3D0 ones maybe?) had a significant graphical upgrade over the PC version and most others. The difference is quite obvious when you compare them side by side. It's just things like that that give the impression they didn't do their homework and thus didn't give the Jag a fair analysis.
Yeah, they covered Raiden, Iron Soldier, Tempest 2000 and AvP. So serious question, besides those, what are the "good" Jaguar games? Protector, Missile Command 3D? Anything that somebody would consider a system seller?
I wouldn't consider anything on the Jag a system seller today. I thought Alien vs. Predator was phenomenal back in its time, but that's the closest the Jag has to a system seller. AvP really hasn't aged well. The framerate is really choppy, but it was incredibly immersive in 1994.
So ignoring that and Tempest 2000, Iron Soldier, and Raiden, I'd recommend the following:
Rayman. It's graphically comparable to the Playstation and Saturn ports, but those versions added some features that made the game frustratingly difficult to play, like slippery surfaces. I find the difficulty in the Jag version very well-balanced. If anything, it's a bit on the easy side, as I usually have tons of lives saved up by the end of the game. I want to like the Playstation version, but it's just frustratingly tough by the second area. The later versions have a CD-quality soundtrack with largely ambient background music. The Jag's soundtrack is midi, and it's much more melodic than the PS1/Saturn soundtrack. I really prefer the Jag's soundtrack, but maybe I'm the only one.
Syndicate. I don't usually get into the 3/4 overhead "god games," but I adore Syndicate. It's not a technological marvel, but it's quite a bit more advanced than the SNES and Genesis versions. It makes good use of the Jag's keypad. Originally a PC game with keyboard controls, it presents a bit of a challenge in porting to a console, because the commands all need to be mapped to a controller. I've never played the SNES/Genesis versions, but from what I've read, it sounds like some of the game's features had to be removed due to control restrictions. The Jag version is quite fun, with a good deal of depth, although plenty of Jag fans don't care for it.
Doom. There are a lot of better options for Doom in 2018, but the Jag version was impressive in its time. The Jag port was programmed by John Carmack himself. It runs faster than most of the ports of the 1990s and has a better lighting engine, and most of the early console ports were based on the Jag version's code. Carmack wasn't able to get the soundtrack playing during the levels without compromising the Jag's performance, so the soundtrack plays between stages, which is a big drawback. Some people say they prefer to play the game without music as it's more immersive, but without the option to turn it on or off, I can only consider it a loss. The Jag port also has scaled-down levels, missing levels, and no Cyberdemon, Spectres, or Spider Mastermind, and also no blur artifact (invisibility) or night-vision goggles. Still, it's a great game on the Jag, even if it's been surpassed in years since.
Wolfenstein 3D. Jag Wolfenstein is one of the best ports and among the best games on the system, in my opinion. It looks great compared to the PC and SNES versions. It runs very smoothly, although the Game Sack guys thought it ran too fast if I recall correctly. I never had any issues with it being too fast and have played through it several times. The Jag version added two weapons, a flamethrower and a rocket launcher. Jag Wolfenstein also has an in-game map. I don't think the PC or SNES versions did, but I could be wrong about that.
Battle Sphere / Battle Sphere Gold. This came out after the commercial life of the Jag, but it's a good example of the Jag's power. It's a space combat game with a ton of depth and the ability to play against 15 other people with the system link. Unfortunately, it's stupidly expensive ($1500-ish), as if it wasn't already impossible to find 15 other Jag owners nearby.
Super Burnout. I haven't played this a ton, but it's a very well-done motorcycle racer, and both super fast and silky smooth. Some fans list this as the best game on the Jag. But if you're not into racing games, Super Burnout isn't going to change your mind.
Zool 2. This game is solid, but not brilliant. It's a mascot platformer that plays a little too fast for its own good, and for some awful reason jump has been mapped to both an action button and Up on the D-pad. But I've gotten plenty of fun out of it. The soundtrack is really catchy and the graphics are gorgeous for 1994.
Ultra Vortek. Game Sack really ripped into Ultra Vortek, but it's a solid fighter. It unashamedly rips off Mortal Kombat, but that doesn't make it a bad game. Graphically it's pretty nice and it controls very well with a variety of moves and character types. It doesn't offer anything too original, but it's still a good game. I'm not huge into the 1 on 1 fighting game genre, so I can't comment on the depth of the gameplay.
NBA Jam TE. The Jag version doesn't have anything you can't find in the SNES/Genesis versions other than slightly better graphics, but it's just as solid as the other home conversions.
Baldies (Jag CD). This is an overhead "god-game" comparable to the early Warcraft games. It's pretty addicting and unique. You control a group of Bald dudes and have to fight against their enemies, the Hairy men. Your army is divided into four categories of Baldies, each of which has a different purpose depending on whether they're inside a building or outside. There's a good deal of depth, and it's got the sense of humor of something like Worms or Lemmings. You can develop a minefield and place it right outside an enemy castle, and then develop a stink bomb and drop it on the castle, forcing its inhabitants outside and right into the minefield. Or inflict your enemies' territory with a plague of land-sharks. Lots of good fun. There's also a PS1 port, but it uses some fugly early polygons in places. The Jag version is 100% pixel art, which I prefer, but that's subjective of course.
Blue Lightning (Jag CD). A lot of people hate the Jag version, but I really enjoy it. It doesn't have the depth of something like the Lynx original, but it's a fun mindless blaster. I'm probably in the minority here though, so approach with caution.
Primal Rage (Jag CD). It's about the same as the other home ports. Better graphics than the SNES/Genesis ports, but inferior graphics to the Playstation/Saturn ports. Also, some fatalities have to load after you input the right command, which really interrupts the matches.
Vid Grid (Jag CD). It's essentially a jigsaw puzzle where the picture you're assembling is a moving video rather than a still photo. I had a lot of fun with this, and I don't know why people don't talk about it more. It's not a system seller, and it's nothing brilliant, but it certainly is fun, and it's a unique take on the FMV genre.
