All Jaguar Vs Sega CD & 32X Games Compared Side By Side

[@MrSammy2043]

I didn't even know they shared a library. What a time to be alive.

[@derekbuckler9888]

The best way to play Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is definitely on the Sega CD. Runs at 60 fps, and it looks amazing. The Sega CD was severely underrated, and i personally think the Jaguar had a lot of potential. All i know is i played Tempest 2000 to death on that thing, the Jaguar should have gotten a lot more support from the developers. And from the gaming community in general

[@RetroComparisons]

The Sega CD version of Pitfall The Mayan Adventure is easily my favorite port. The 16 bit versions are good but the CD quality on the Sega CD is incredible. The 32 bit ports like the Jag and 32x have a much worse framerate which takes away from the fun for a platformer where you really need good timing.

[@toejamandearl8110]

I disagree completely on framerates regarding the Sega cd in comparison to the Jaguar or 32X, for that matter. The Sega CD version comes in third, only in front of the Genesis and SNES.

[@RetroComparisons]

@@toejamandearl8110 I totally respect that. To me it felt a bit jarring doing one port after the other but it may be one of those things that only affects you mentally if you're playing one after the other which 99.9% people are not going to do because why would they.

[@FistyDollars]

It's a pain to get running, but the definitive version of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is the win95 CD-ROM version. Great graphics plus CD Soundtrack.

[@RetroComparisons]

@@FistyDollars That may be the only version I haven't tried. I may have to check out a playthrough of that version some time.

[@mikec3260]

I am impressed with the color quality of the Jag, most games look pretty darn good. Hats off to Dragons Lair, Space Ace, NBA Jam and Primal Rage on the Jag, clear winners fo sho. The Jag could have been an awesome arcade machine like the 32x. Winner: half Jag, half Sega. Still surprised why the Jag just didnt blow the doors off anything 16bit. Looking forward to thr Saturn and PS1 comparisons!

[@RetroComparisons]

The colors do really pop on the Jag. I have a newfound respect for the system even if it was a disappointment overall. If it had a bigger library I think it could at least have a somewhat better reputation in retrospect than it does. Thanks as always for watching buddy! We'll finally get some different games on the next two videos.

[@saturndual32]

Tha Jaguar NBA JAM TE is actually based and improved from the 32X version… it’s a shame that Mortal Kombat 2 and Wrestlemania Arcade didn’t receive the same treatment

[@RetroComparisons]

I think NBA Jam TE is really good on both but the music on the Jaguar version is such an odd choice. I would have loved to have seen Wrestlemania The Arcade Game on the Jaguar to see how they would have handled that conversion.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Your Jaguar comparisons have taught me a lot about the PS5 and Series X. I mean, just look at the color tinted field shadows in Jaguar Sensible Soccer vs SNES, or the frame rate debates for Mayan Adventure's ports? These are the kind of burning issues Digital Foundry lives for. Today, it takes Microsoft and Sony billions of dollars to recreate these kinds of comparison points.

[@TheL1arL1ar]

It’s still hella interesting….but I’m getting older and I stopped at ps4 even after 3 vita’s. I went back to gaming laptops/and multiple steam decks in the house. I’m really into retro retrospective and impossible ports on the switch to be honest.

[@RetroComparisons]

Lol! Sensible Soccer is the be all end all of these comparisons.

[@MKF30]

Nice comparison. Oh man alot are so close. Games like NBA Jam I'd rather play on the 32x but Doom I'd go Jaguar due to that annoyingly smaller window in the 32x that would bug the hell out of me! 😅 Great vid man!

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much my friend! This is kind of the sweet spot between the SNES/Genesis and PS1/Saturn so I think this will be as close as it gets. I'd definitely rather play NBA Jam on the 32x too especially with the Genesis controller. Doom on the 32x was my first experience with the game so I have a soft spot for it but I think the Jag version is the better of the two.

[@MKF30]

@@RetroComparisons Great poi to allaroynd haha yeah sweet spot between Snes and Genesis is a good way to describe it. Totally agree!

[@neorococco]

You should see the modern Doom 32X remake, they've spent time fixing everything that was wrong with it before. Some are even calling it the ultimate console version now!

[@MKF30]

@@neorococco Oh so there's a molded version of it now? That's cool. Its nice how the fans sometimes make improved or better versions of these games from the original port.

[@RetroComparisons]

@@neorococco I've seen a video on it and I am blown away. I can't wait to finally try it out.

[@ConfusionDistortion]

There is a updated version of Doom on 32X now, called Doom 32X Resurrection (current version is 3.1). It far surpasses the Atari Jaguar release across the board. Basically everything wrong with the original 32X Doom port has been fixed. You can run the game on a real 32X via a flash cart like the Mega EverDrive. As far as pitting the two against each other, tbh the 32X wins out, and this is coming from a prior Jaguar faithful that used to own a Jag, Jag CD, and 90 percent of the library in the late 90s. Even though there is some very nice looking 2d titles on Jaguar, there is usually something off with them except on a rare occasion. Either the frame-rate is gimped, or there is sluggish controls or something. 3D wise, kinda same deal. You were stuck with a lot of eurotrash on the Jaguar too, and still are with current home-brew. And in hindsight, some of it's best rated games during the 90s don't hold up nearly as well today when judged by all else. Mainly due to frame-rate issues in like Alien vs Predator, or things like Doom missing music and enemies, or Jag CD Primal Rage being gimped across the board making it worse than Saturn, 3DO, and PS1, I would rather play the majority of 3d and 2d titles on 32X over anything on Jaguar these days if I had both sitting here still. But if I was just stuck with a Jaguar today and nothing else (32X, Saturn, 3DO, PS1), I would probably limit my library to Raiden, Ultra Vortek, Rayman, Kasumi Ninja (for lulz), Super Burnout, Tempest 2k, Missile Command 3D, Defender 2000, Power Drive Rally, Doom, and Wolfenstein 3D. But from that list, I would still rather play stuff like Virtua Racing, Virtua Fighter, MK2, Star Wars Arcade, AfterBurner, Space Harrier, Shadow Squadron, T-Mek, Wrestlemania Arcade Game, Doom Resurrection, Golden Axe 32X, Blackthorne, Cyber brawl, Kolibri, Metal Head, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Tempo, and BC Racers on 32X instead.

[@shiningphantasy1393]

Yep the Doom improvement effort on 32x really did that console some justice; I'm not even a big fan of the genre (though I appreciate older games in the genre considerably more than modern cinematic experiences) but that kind of result is great to have come into fruition. Golden Axe 32x had some really superb enhanced details in the backgrounds, but I would have liked to see updated magic effects and character sprites to go with it. In spite of the clumsy controller and games that sometimes fell short of their full potential I'd still take the Jaguar over the 3D0, just by virtue of them having games from more genres that I like, and that it feels more like a traditional gaming console rather than a multi-media unit. I'd give the 32x a modest edge in spite of a smaller library and of course the Jaguar is nowhere in the same ballpark as a PS1 or a Saturn.

[@cptfishstick]

It seems to actually be mixed results depending on the game. The FMV games like Dragon's Lair and Space Ace look far better with the extended pallet on the Jaguar. But several other games like Syndicate and Pitfall (especially waterfall level) run much smoother on the 32x. Flashback is identical on both systems, which is also true with the SNES version. Doom looks slightly better on the Jaguar with its larger viewport, But its missing music (and yes, I know the 32 music isn't great, its still a very essential part of the game). However, i feel the most interesting comparison is Primal Rage. They just look so different. The sprites in the 32x version are far smoother. And the ground plane has a better demonstration of depth and transformation. Plus also moves like butter. But the Jaguar ground plane is animated, and far more interesting looking. The lava flows look great, and the fire bursts, which are absent on the 32x version, are amazing. The Jaguar background is also more vibrant. Both are great systems.

[@RetroComparisons]

That's so well said. I usually add my 2 cents to comments by I think you summed up everything perfectly.

[@saturndual32]

@@cptfishstick Pitfall on 32X is as choppy as the Jaguar… terrible coding effort… perhaps you confused the 32X with the MegaCD version?

[@frankduxvandamme2]

It's so weird that the jaguar had a CD add-on. The base system certainly wasn't successful enough to justify an add-on. It's also interesting how Atari kept stressing that it was 64-bits, but it barely looked better than sega genesis and SNES games.

[@RetroComparisons]

The Genesis having the CD add on made total sense for several reason and was completely justified. But yeah the Jaguar? I mean either make it with CD technology to begin with or don't do it at all at that point.

[@KevGamingXP]

Great comparisons 👍💯

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much buddy!

[@PONTOCRITICO]

Games with good definition and color gamut. The Jaguar's biggest problem was always its programming. The time that was wasted in producing its games burdened its release dates against the competition. That's what killed Atari, which could have opted for simpler hardware that was easier to program for the console's intended purpose. In short, with 32 bits you could do the same as with the so-called 64 bits and much more easily and quickly. And in fact, it wasn't much different with the 32X...

[@cirvac1981]

Better textures, better parallax, better fluidity, it's a pity the Jaguar suffered from its problems: released too soon, too much indifference, a joypad that sucked, and the idea that since it powered through with its architecture it was seen as a console/PC hybrid - just seeing some ports like Syndicate. Oh, and we also have to remember this: this was a time when the NES and the SMS were still being sold. So yeah, consumer choices were still based in lower-end consoles and the occasional home PC (which mainly office-working people needed at home). If anything, it stil managed to reach the pantheon of ovnis next to the CD-I, the Wondermega, the Pippin, the 3DO, etc... and all those wonderful CD readers add-ons. What a time to be alive...😂

[@RetroComparisons]

Haha yeah it was nuts in 1993. You had third, fourth and fifth gen consoles all coming out with games.

[@CasperEgas]

For me the best are: Doom 32X, Dragon's Lair Jaguar cd, Flasback Mega cd, NBA Jam TE Jaguar, Pitfall Mega cd, Primal Rage 32X, Space Ace Jaguar cd (but crap everywhere), Syndicate Jaguar, Theme Park (never played Mega cd version), so ehh Jaguar?

[@toejamandearl8110]

The Jaguar really shines when compared to lesser consoles.

[@animemaster4861]

It looks like the best ones on here are the ports of the laser disc games like dragon's lair or space ace. Some of the other ones don't really look different between versions such as flashback or NBA jam or just slight differences. Seems like the Jaguar CD and Sega CD were really capable of running those LaserDisc ports

[@RetroComparisons]

The Jaguar CD was very middle of the road for those FMV games. It was a step up from the Sega CD but not quite as good as the Saturn or PS1.

[@GregorioBastosNeto]

Do the math! 🐆

[@RetroVideoGamesComparisons]

Nice Bro❤

[@RetroComparisons]

Thanks so much!

[@shotgunl]

Bill, you know I have a soft spot for the 32x, but I think, taken in full, the the Jag pulls ahead here in these particular games. If we go by games that are not shared with each other, I much much prefer the Sega CD and 32X libraries. Jag DooM is definitely better than the original 32x release (DooM 32x Resurrection homebrew very much changes that around, but comparing the original releases, I prefer Jag DooM even though I enjoyed 32x DooM back in the day...first place I owned a copy of DooM though I had played the shareware version). I prefer the Jaguar version of NBA Jam TE, but I played a ton of the 32X version, since it was the only version I owned at the time...I had only rented the Genesis version at the point I got the 32x port. Both are fun. I've not played the Jag CD version of Primal Rage at all and not much of the 32x version. The Jag version seems nicer; definitely has better backgrounds. I own the 3DO version (came with the FZ-10 I bought off ebay years ago and the only version I own), and it seems at least comparable if not better than it. The color depth increase in the Jag CD versions of Dragon's Lair and Space Ace makes them look a lot nicer than the Sega CD ports. I still need to try Syndicate some day...I have a digital release for PC for years but never tried it. I know the Jag version looks closer to the PC and Amiga versions, but the Sega CD version's music is a lot nicer, IMO. Theme Park I've basically only played on the 3DO in semi-recent years (and watched my cousin play the PC version back in the 90s)...the Jag version seems closer to the 3DO and PC versions in terms of graphical assets. I'm not a big fan of the game though. But...with Flashback and Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, I really like the Sega CD ports of those, especially Pitfall even though the Jag version looks nicer in stills/screenshots.

[@RetroComparisons]

As per usual you've knocked it out of the park with your assessments. I'm with you on pretty much everything here though I do prefer the 32x version of NBA Jam TE for the music and especially since the controller scheme is what I'm used to. Theme Park is another one of those games that I dread having to record and yet it seems to be ported to every system at the time. Piftall The Mayan Adventure is one of my favorite Sega CD soundtracks so I'd take that over the Jag or 32x version.

[@saturndual32]

I would have put the Sega CD games in the Genesis comparison since usually they are just the Genesis version with a cd soundtrack… and it really doesn’t add extra hardware for graphics besides the rarely used sprite scaling and rotation

[@RetroComparisons]

Originally I wanted to do just a Sega CD vs Jaguar and a 32x one but they were too short to justify so I figured I could do them as the add-on comparison. But yeah, the SCD has much more in common with the Genesis than the 32x.

[@RAFAKSBR]

32 x is a powerful machine but the jag is a beast!!! 64 bits of power! do the math!

[@WhatIsMatter101]

The math is actually: 32-bit "Tom" CPU + 32-bit "Jerry" CPU = 2 pieces of 32-bit CPU Thats the Atari Jaguar math. You can fact check it if you want.

[@saturndual32]

@@WhatIsMatter101nope because then it would be an “80-bit” machine…. 32+32+16=80 buddy

[@saturndual32]

@@WhatIsMatter101 Why don’t you do the math with the 32X too?

[@sonarabit]

​@@saturndual32 where are you getting the 16 from

[@saturndual32]

@@sonarabit the Motorola… just joking around of course

[@r4zi3lgintoro65]

it would be good fmv games machine, if it would release only with cd drive from the start

[@RetroComparisons]

It sucks that it had to be an add-on. That's a lot to ask from a consumer considering how small the base Jaguar's library was already, never mind how minuscule the CD library was.

[@sobesons]

[@Crystallums]

Some games are better on the Sega CD and some on the Jaguar, but the videos are definitely better on the Jaguar. ☺

[@RetroComparisons]

Haha thanks!

[@m2y8v]

Is hard to choose which one sucks the most

[@southbronxny5727]

Jaguar wins!!!!

[@saturndual32]

Maybe should have shown Doom Resurrection for 32X too? That version surpasses the impressive Jaguar port. Just like 2 Pitfall were shown maybe the same could have been done with Doom… I know it’s not an official release, but still

[@RetroComparisons]

I really want to try that out especially since the 32X version was my introduction to Doom as a kid. I've heard nothing but great things about that new port. I do stay away from homebrew though with these comparisons since it's an ongoing scene and I like to work exclusively with consoles that have completely finished their lifespan from an official standpoint.

[@archive3do769]

​@@RetroComparisonsmaybe you could do a homebrew dedicated video for games that are finished. Most systems don't have a ton of finished homebrew, so maybe the homebrew could be compared to it's source (like arcade or original game it's based off) and what its direct rival had OR the next console in line it shares the software with (like doom resurrection to ps1 doom)

[@RetroComparisons]

@@archive3do769 That is a very good idea! It would be cool to do like a massive video going from generation to generation starting back with the 2600 and going through 5th gen stuff with just homebrew that way it would be with the understanding that it's complete as of the time of the video being made.

[@mtshark7]

Hmm, I'll say 80% goes to Jaguar. Some of those Sega CD games with the cd audio sound make the 20%, lol.

[@RetroComparisons]

Haha yes the Sega CD soundtracks can be pretty awesome depending on the game. I love the soundtrack to Pitfall especially.

[@rogerrodrigues7624]

É, a tendência hoje da nova geração é a facilidade de ter uma TDAH ou a síndrome da mente acelerada , tudo isso afetado hj diretamente pelo excesso de uso de celulares, jogos ou demais artigos relacionados a aparelhos eletrônicos com mesmo fim. O excesso de dopamina, trabalhos e informações em demanda que a nova geração tem facilidade e não organiza mentalmente . Assim como a própria água pode matar se for ingerida em excesso,tudo na vida deve ser consumido de forma gradual e com moderação. 👍

[@mikaelangelo6940]

Considering dithering worked great on crt. Sega is the clear winner

[@MrGriff305-j7s]

32x was basically a Saturn, so hopefully it was better.

[@RetroComparisons]

I wish it had the power of the Saturn. Unfortunately it was lacking in the audio department and overall power but I have a soft spot for it anyways.

[@saturndual32]

@@MrGriff305-j7s No it wasnt

[@MrGriff305-j7s]

@@saturndual32 I said basically. Yeah, Saturn was slightly better, but both came up short compared to PS1 and N64 real world performance

[@saturndual32]

@@MrGriff305-j7s You really think the Saturn is only “slightly” better than the 32X? Not only are the SH2s slower on the 32X, but 32X is missing VDP1 and VDP2… you know… the GPUs! It’s like a PC without the graphics card Also Saturn has almost 4 megs more of RAM… that’s huge And the soundchip is also waaaay better in Saturn There are also other factors to mention but I already made my point

[@MrGriff305-j7s]

@@saturndual32 Yup, not much range in the big scheme of things. PS1 brought home an arcade 3D experience. Saturn had an abysmal draw distance and frame rate on average. There's a reason these SEGA systems failed.

[@rodzandz]

It's crazy to see that even the dreaded Jaguar was putting out better ports than the crap Sega was pumping out with their sh**y add-ons.

[@saturndual32]

@@rodzandz it’s not crazy at all if you actually know their specs

[@bacsutek]

Three of the worst videoconsoles ever made

[@RetroComparisons]

Just wait til I do the Apple Pippin vs the FM Towns Marty:)