One of the main things that sets Atari apart from everyone else has been the history it has made for itself, people of all ages remember how they use to play Atari games in their local arcade or play the games on the new 2600 vsc they just bought. Atari has started a wav (which now Hasbro and other companies seem to be doing as well) of taking their old arcade classics, redoing them and releasing them as a new product, it's kinda like taking an old 8-bit game and pumping it full of steroids and then seeing what you get hehe. One of these pumped up retro games is Missile Command 3D, they have taken the old 2D graphics game to an all-new level. Missile Command 3D has 3 games (versions); you have Classic MC, MC 3D (also mentioned as MC Plus) and Virtual MC. The classic game is in this for nostalgic purposes, what would a revamp be if you couldn't see where it came from. This itself is done very well and is as close to the arcade as I can guess, nothing spectacular.but some good 'ol fashioned fun. Next we have Missile Command 3D, the best way to explain it is if you take MC and wrap it in texture mapped polygons, it gives it a nice 3D look and still contains a lot of the things that make it look and feel like Missile Command. Now for something completely different.we have Virtual Missile Command. This is Missile Command on a whole new level, your "looking from afar" view is no longer used, you instead get a behind the missile torrent view, where the action is in your face! This is by far the best version on the cartridge; it was so good Atari was planning on using it with their JagVR unit (Virtual Reality) that never came out.
Graphically Missile Command 3D combines the best of old school graphics with modern polygon graphics, the result is a 3D beauty that has to be seen to be believed. The polygon graphics are also accompanied by some nice little effects that bring the reality of your battle to life, things like.sun flare (when you look at the sun) bubbles under water, rippling effect (of your visual) under water, explosions and all nifty effects, all combined in a symphony of umm.KICK BUTT GRAPHICS!
The music in this game is not to shabby, sets the mood very well I think, keeps your mind set and focused on the mission at hand instead of jamming some tunes and giving you a headache. Each stage has a different music composition and combines well with nature of the game.
In the old arcade game for Missile Command, you move around using a trackball device, unfortunately there is no such device for the Jaguar (hey is anyone gonna invent one?), so this game uses the control pad instead. Control isn't bad, you can maneuver pretty well and hit things on a dime sometimes, others you have to keep moving the cross hair cause when you first aim it, it doesn't pin point like you would want it to. It's not too bad and gets the job done, but it does need a trackball device...I hope someone makes one.
Overall this is defiantly a well-developed game and is very good for an updated version of its older brother. I think this retro enhancement thing is really catching on and everyone will be doing it, seems people now understand that flashy graphics don't always mean a good game, you have to have a solid game play base that people know and love and work on those strengths to make the game even better. Atari has done a great job with this game and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the original.
-David
