Remember the classic old video game BREAKOUT? You move a Pong-like paddle left and right, bouncing a ball off a wall of bricks, destroying one brick at a time as the bounces and returns in your direction. In the late 90s the company Telegames released an updated 3D version called BREAKOUT 2000 for the 64-bit Atari Jaguar console.
The first night I received my copy of BREAKOUT 2000 I spent four hours straight playing B2K - and I found B2K to be a great little game!
Out of the sixty or so released games for the Jaguar, most are good to great - but some just don't have that extra pizzazz that I like to see in an Atari Jaguar game. Take a look at games like NBA Jam, Flashback, or Cannon Fodder: a substantial number of Jaguar games are conversions from the 16-bit Genesis or Super Nintendo, with little done to spruce up the music or make use of the 64-bit Jaguar's graphics horsepower.
But BREAKOUT 2000 is a lot more like what I expect from the Jaguar. Although the gameplay is straightforward BREAKOUT, the graphics are nicely upgraded for a futuristic 3D look. The various sound effects are decent, and I rather like the background music (although it is repetitive). And although B2K is great as a 1-player game, the 2-player really shines; it's a heck of a lot of fun to fire your ball over to your enemy's paddle and watch him miss it - heh heh!
Although by today's standards the graphics are quaintly "old school", BREAKOUT 2000 really rocks. In comparison I've rented some games for my "current generation" system that didn't give me anywhere near B2K's level of gameplay, and these games certainly aren't worth as much as B2K.
I definitely think B2K is one of the better Jaguar games, and I'd place it in my "top 5" along with games like Tempest 2000, DOOM, or Iron Soldier. As far as I'm concerned my $50 was well spent; overall I'd rate BREAKOUT 2000 a strong 8.5 out of 10. Every Jaguar owner should check this game out!
