Jaguar

Battlemorph

BattleMorph is a remarkable upgrade over Cybermorph. The graphics, music, and control are superb. My only knock against it is that the frame rate could have been better and I would have liked more texture mapping. You won't be disappointed.

Overall, this is one of my most favorite Jaguar games. Obviously, ATD took their time when designing this game, and it shows with the quality of the game, as well as with the sheer size. After seeing videos from the 'lost' Jaguar game Phaze zero, I believe it would have been possible for them to use a voxel-based landscape, which would have also moved smoothly and probably would look better as well. Nevertheless, BattleMorph is really fun, the control is dead-on, the graphics are smooth, and the music is great! If you happen to own a Jaguar CD, make sure you get this game. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this game, and if there is, they need their head's examined.

Battlemorph must be one of the best games to be released for the Jaguar CD, if not the best. Every Jaguar CD owner should be required to own it. Adventure gamers will love the immense planets and freedom of movement, while action gamers will love the shootouts against enemy units. There's something for everyone, which makes Battlemorph a true classic.

So is it any good? We like it a lot. If you liked the idea of CyberMorph but found the lack of variety a little annoying, you'll enjoy the increased depth of BattleMorph. If you're a fan of the original, you'll certainly relish the prospect of getting deeper into the Pernitian scenario this time round. BattleMorph is a real treat for the ears and eyes, but that isn't everything despite what some programmers think. On its own, it's a fast and addictive game. With the added bonus of the atmospheric music and fantastic visual extras, it's an absolute stunner. As with all Jag CD games though, you really do need a Memory Track cartridge to get the best from it, or you'll be playing the first few worlds 'til the cows come home. Now, where did I leave my space-boots?

What makes this game good, however, is not the controls so much as the innovative environments and the ability to fly in any direction and travel around water. There is a slight problem with the above-ground geography drawing-in late, making it a little tough to navigate. In the end, Battlemorph is quite simply a great action game and a must-have for all Jaguar owners.

Battlemorph expands on most aspects of Cybermorph; your "War Griffon" now has the ability to dive in pools of water, music that is very good (no music in Cybermorph), and diverse objectives. Battlemorph also utilizes limited texture mapping, but I found this "improvement" mostly annoying as the textures are usually boring and cause the game to slow a bit. Battlemorph is a worthy sequal.

The 3-D/polygon graphics will look very similar to the graphics used in Cyper Morph; there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of innovation in that area. But Battle Morph does offer a wider variety of enemies, power-ups and background objects (buildings, trees - more things to blow up). The game controls better and moves faster than Cyber Morph. You can warp to intriguing underwater levels that provide a nice change from the rest of the levels, at least graphically. What it all amounts to: this is the most entertaining Jaguar game I've played in a while. And if you like this game, you'll also want to check out Phase Zero.

The framerate is much smoother, the graphics are more detailed, and the sound effects are less annoying. The missions are varied and interesting, and you can choose which order you'll play them. There are even hints given during each mission to help keep you on track. The futuristic music is outstanding, and your "talking head" guide only speaks when she has something to say. Before each mission you can outfit your ship's weapons. You fly over various planet surfaces, and each has its own distinctive look. The scenery and enemies look much less blocky than the ones in Cybermorph. And you are not limited to the planet surface; there are tunnels, hidden rooms, and underwater(!) areas to be explored. Although the graphics have been cleaned up, pop-up is still a big problem, and it can be disconcerting at times. Control is fair, but navigating tight quarters is difficult due to the awkward camera angles. Still, Battlemorph delivers solid 3D shooting action.

Gerettet wird das Spiel durch die unterschiedlichen Aufträge und eine vor- bildliche Steuerung: Rettungsmissionen und Raubzüge sorgen für Abwechs- lung, Euer Raumschiff läßt sich pixelgenau durch enge Gänge und verwin- kelte Schluchten steuern. Die (im Notfall abschaltbaren) Synthie-Sounds von CD klingen zwar sauber, der letzte kompositorische Schliff fehlt jedoch.

Battlemorph provides below-average, terrain-skimming shooting in a typical polygon environment and features really poor control. While the tunnel and underwater areas refresh this tedious game, the dismal one-color landscapes are the same as those in half of the Jaguar games out there. Blahmorph is more like it.