Skyhammer (Atari Jaguar)
Songbird Productions release Skyhammer. The best looking Atari Jaguar game?
The Atari Jaguar had to put up with a lot of crap for Cybermorph, a game that was meant to show off what the console was capable of.
Skyhammer was developed by the team who made Alien vs Predator for the Jaguar; Rebellion (who are still around today). These guys knew how to work the Jaguar and it shows.
Skyhammer never made release when the Jaguar was still commercially competing. Rebellion abandoned the project with a lot of the code in place and moved on. Songbird picked up Skyhammer (along with a bunch of other Atari Jaguar and Lynx titles), patched and published the games. Now anyone can own it.
Skyhammer is often pretty highly regarded, especially among Jaguar fans just because it really shows off what the system was capable of. For everyone else though, Skyhammer is unlikely going to blow you away. The graphics still can’t compete with Playstation, Saturn or 64, the gameplay is moderately choppy, the draw distance will have you squinting into blackness most of the time and even though the game handles really well considering the limitations of the Jaguar controller (no analogue inputs, 3 buttons), you’ll be wishing Atari kept with tradition and kept the joystick. I haven’t used one myself, but it seems that the Jaguar Pro-Controller is highly recommended for playing this game.
What really makes a game awesome, obviously, is the gameplay. Skyhammer has two modes which really change the experience. Story mode is long and you’ll be completing objectives, making money to make repairs, buy ammunition and upgrade your ship parts. Battle mode gives you a perimeter and you need to defend it. This is my favourite mode, just because I’m time poor but it leaves you wanting more. As you get a better handle on your Skyhammer and master the Jaguar controller, you’ll need to become more tactical in your engagements to stay alive. Skyhammer is a hard game and will certainly make you work for your enjoyment.