It took 29 years, but I think I finally kinda 'get' and like Cyber Morph

[sloth-machine]

2 hours ago, Warmsignal said:

I love Cybermorph. It's one of my favorite games, and not just of the Jag. Gets way too much hate because of James Rolfe. He edited his review to show himself purposely running into a wall over and over and making Skylar repeat the same phrase way more than she really does to give a false impression of the game. Something he had a habit of doing a lot in the early years of his show. That, and he also is just genuinely pretty bad at most games, when you watch him playing something un-scripted.

 

Does anyone know if the Cybermorph carts on Atari Age are licensed repros, or are they genuine new-old-stock copies of the pack-in version?

If you have the 1MB version (like AVGN had), Skylar does repeat the one infamous phrase after every contact with terrain. If you are new to the controls, it will be annoying.

 

But I do love the game. Nice variety of planets and enemy types (yeah the one hit enemies are cheap) despite the repetitive gameplay. At least there are different variations to collecting the pods, like breaking down shield generators, enemies that steal pods, the darkness, and warps to hidden areas. Plus, it was worth going out of your way to explore and collect extra pods to earn extra lives (which were definitely needed). Plus boss levels.

 

The title music amps me up and I don't mind the lack of music, there are plenty of sound effects. It was impressive in 93-94. I didn't quite understand framerates back then, I just knew it had 'smoother' motion over games like Starfox. And your morphing ship was a nice graphical touch. Great pack-in, I remember looking forward to the game when I bought a Jag back in the day.

Edited February 13, 2023 by sloth-machine

[Warmsignal]

3 hours ago, sloth-machine said:

If you have the 1MB version (like AVGN had), Skylar does repeat the one infamous phrase after every contact with terrain. If you are new to the controls, it will be annoying.

 

But I do love the game. Nice variety of planets and enemy types (yeah the one hit enemies are cheap) despite the repetitive gameplay. At least there are different variations to collecting the pods, like breaking down shield generators, enemies that steal pods, the darkness, and warps to hidden areas. Plus, it was worth going out of your way to explore and collect extra pods to earn extra lives (which were definitely needed). Plus boss levels.

 

The title music amps me up and I don't mind the lack of music, there are plenty of sound effects. It was impressive in 93-94. I didn't quite understand framerates back then, I just knew it had 'smoother' motion over games like Starfox. And your morphing ship was a nice graphical touch. Great pack-in, I remember looking forward to the game when I bought a Jag back in the day.

Interesting. Apparently the 700700-3 carts are the 1MB version, as Atari was getting desperate to cut costs later on. I've looked around on eBay, and those are actually quite a bit less common to find. I'd have to assume all the 700700-2 carts are 2MB... Some say the boxed games are all the 1MB, but I bought my game as a separate boxed copy (brand new), and it's the 2MB. There also exists as 700700 variant as well, don't know if there's any in-game difference on that one.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Warmsignal

[+madman]

There have been a few posts/threads on Cybermorph differences over the years (I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can recall 15 year old Jag threads), this is one of the more detailed: 

 

[+Mitch]

The original version was not optimized for PAL support just NTSC. The -2 version added the PAL support.

 

Mitch

[SwanSong]

It's kinda bad how games get a bad rep from one YouTube video now days compared to how I imagine a lot on this forum were used to you bought it rented and learned it's quirks and liked it cause it's what you had and it was new to you. I honestly think there is some "reviews" online that where from watching footage and reading opinions not actually playing.

[Warmsignal]

16 hours ago, SwanSong said:

It's kinda bad how games get a bad rep from one YouTube video now days compared to how I imagine a lot on this forum were used to you bought it rented and learned it's quirks and liked it cause it's what you had and it was new to you. I honestly think there is some "reviews" online that where from watching footage and reading opinions not actually playing.

Don't even get me started on my distaste for all the negativity of jaded attitudes these days. YouTube has made the problem exponentially worse. Negativity sells, unfortunately. The deluge of gaming content out there that focus on bashing, nit-picking, and incessant whining and entitlement in the game community is something I find nauseating. Before the advent of all these social platforms, I used to think that people generally enjoyed gaming more often than not. Today, there's no doubt that more games are regarded as a bane on existence than anything else, at least according to this generation of kill-joys. Everyone wants to make a video essay itemizing 100 things that are wrong with each and every game. I encourage anyone who's that distracted by the flaws in gaming, to find a different hobby. Something that you might actually enjoy. Gaming ain't the one.

 

I'm very much the opposite in temperament to most gamers. I accept a product for what it is, and enjoy it. I look for the fun in a game, not the flaws. Certainly, I can see the difference in quality that varies between some games, but it's no big deal. I've never been so bothered by a game that I felt the need to rant, much less going on a personal vendetta to spread the word of how much it sucks. There's no fun in that, there's no satisfaction. None at all, for me anyway. I find my time with games to be enjoyed. The good ones, the great ones, even the bad ones.

 

There's a heard mentality regarding what games or platforms are good and worth your time, and which are not as if the gaming experience wasn't a subjective thing at all, and dare you ever go against the narrative. You "NEED a Super Nintendo and you NEED to play A Link To The Past, or you NEED a PlayStation and you NEED Final Fantasy 7". That's worth your time. But a Jaguar, or even an N64 or Sega Saturn? Oh, those consoles are lackluster we're told. What is it you always hear? "N64 just has a bunch racing games". Yeah true, and they're great games too! I love those racing games. "The North American Saturn library is lacking besides the RPGs". No, there's actually plenty of great originals and solid ports on the platform. It's just a lot of games that people have no appreciation for, there's not a fandom surrounding those early 3D games that aren't called Mario or Zelda, but there's great games in there.

 

I could go on and on about this. But it's the pervasive theme of negativity, whinging, revisionist history, and the taking of joy in dumping all over games and consoles for some cheap entertainment. You know exactly what they're gonna say before they say it. It's so played out, it's an unhealthy sadistic attitude of just tearing things down because it's easier to do that, as well as those seeking the validation in seeing something they haven't personally invested in get trashed, so that they can feel above it. It's all sad, but it's the world we live in. I try to tune it out, and look for like-minded folks with a better attitude towards life, and enjoyment in gaming.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Warmsignal

[alucardX]

I agree generally with you @Warmsignal. One point that annoys me quite a bit is the constant complaining about the N64 controller. I get that it is strange but I thought it was brilliant for the time. They wanted games that focused on the dpad to be able to have full and uncluttered access to the dpad. Likewise with the analog stick. Also I think that the sensitivity and placement of the stick on the N64 worked very well. It could have been more durable but I found it far more usable than later game pads. I recently played GoldenEye on the Switch and the joystick sensitivity is all wrong. I know that is a game from one system being played on another, but generally I feel the N64 joystick just had more focus on that analog sensitivity and how it was calibrated felt better too me.

 

Back on point, it has become a social media trend to bag on that gamepad even if someone has spent minimal time playing on one (that isn't broken). It's one of my favorite controllers of all time.

[doctorclu]

On 12/9/2022 at 4:26 AM, newtmonkey said:

I thought it was a great pack-in game.  The graphics really set it apart from the 16-bit consoles back then, and as a game it's easy to jump into but has some depth/length to it.  I was very impressed with it when I got my Jaguar back when it was released, and I remember talking it up among my friends ("It's like Star Fox, but the ground isn't flat, and you can fly anywhere!!").  It's a decent game, but like others have said above, it really suffers a bit for not having any music.

I play the two disc set of Def Leppard music.

 

I finish the game and music in a little over two hours.

 

On 12/10/2022 at 4:34 PM, MrMaddog said:

Yeah I too finally got a chance to not only play CM but also figure out the nuances...

 

How to avoid the ground and learn how to fly:

Sounds like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and how to fly.  You throw yourself at the ground and miss.

 

On 2/9/2023 at 4:53 AM, Jones007 said:

The green head is called "Skylar".
Does anyone know who made that voice over? She got quite famous for that line.
Would be nice to do an interview with her.

I totally agree.

 

I wonder if marigul (Faran Thomason) would have any intel on that one? 

 

On 12/7/2022 at 9:00 AM, T.A.P. said:

After having the game for decades, and not really messing around with it, I finally decided to actually and legitimately try to play the game, and... it's surprisingly fun and decent (at least in that new Jaguar emulator)!

 

... Anyone else have games like that?

 

Well for me that was Cybermorph.   Was NOT impressed with the game at first as it seemed slow and boring.   I tried it for the Jaguar High Score Club one year, and now it is a game I play through about once every three months.   Is a great way to chill for a few hours.

 

20 hours ago, SwanSong said:

It's kinda bad how games get a bad rep from one YouTube video now days compared to how I imagine a lot on this forum were used to you bought it rented and learned it's quirks and liked it cause it's what you had and it was new to you. I honestly think there is some "reviews" online that where from watching footage and reading opinions not actually playing.

Bubsy and JonTron.   Prior to that Bubsy was a loved game mascot, at least for the first game, remembered fondly by others from their childhood.   And now that the anti-Bubsy hype is like a decade old people have said they still like the character.

 

But people with social media are lemmings.   And YouTube financially rewards people to follow the claptrap.   JonTron and Angry Video Game Nerd inspired the hatred of other copy cat video producers for years.   And much as I hate to say it, that hatred helped some people churn out some money.

[SwanSong]

Nice to see some like minded people, just like it and have fun or don't and walk away, I have very little free time so definitely not gonna waste it doing something just to hate on it, I think my Saturn and 3do have brought me the most fun digging into some stuff I didn't have as a kid 

[Flojomojo]

7 minutes ago, SwanSong said:

Nice to see some like minded people, just like it and have fun or don't and walk away, I have very little free time so definitely not gonna waste it doing something just to hate on it, I think my Saturn and 3do have brought me the most fun digging into some stuff I didn't have as a kid 

Just one question for you. 

 

Spoiler

Where did YOU learn to fly??

 

[SwanSong]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

Just one question for you. 

 

  Hide contents

Where did YOU learn to fly??

 

I never learned to fly, I won't step on a plane!

[Warmsignal]

You know, Skylar is way more chill than most other video game voice-overs you would often hear from that era of games. Most games would just yell at you with anger and verbally degrade you, when you do poorly. That was like a big thing with 90s FMV games. Most of what Skylar has to say is praising and she does so in a soothing, relaxed tone of voice. I find it amusing the way she says "ouch" so nonchalant when something crashes into you. I rarely hear the one sarcastic remark that everyone loves to meme. She just doesn't say it often on my 2MB cart.

[roots.genoa]

14 hours ago, SwanSong said:

I never learned to fly, I won't step on a plane!

[LynxJagLunatic]

Cybermorph is a decent game. I remember trying to endlessly defend it to my Nintendo fanboy friend who said StarFox was way better and the Jaguar sucks. Despite his criticism I enjoyed it then and still enjoy it now. I’ve always felt that it could have been better. This game like many of the Jaguar games feels rushed and incomplete. 

[Pete5125]

On 2/14/2023 at 12:13 AM, SwanSong said:

It's kinda bad how games get a bad rep from one YouTube video now days compared to how I imagine a lot on this forum were used to you bought it rented and learned it's quirks and liked it cause it's what you had and it was new to you. I honestly think there is some "reviews" online that where from watching footage and reading opinions not actually playing.

Honestly it always had a bad reputation, AVGN pretty much summed up what it was like to play this game, most had played fast pace Starlix, agame that was colorful and on rails, so flying around in a open world, bumping into mountains with no clear objective while your co-pilot is saying where do you learn to fly, does not lead to a game you want to spend months playing, to learn to fineness.

 

My roommate got into the game, and loved it, I mean to beat it, it's a long game, and slow paced, he spent a summer playing that thing, I know I hated it, and I got all 3 variations, none change the game much.

[alucardX]

9 hours ago, LynxJagLunatic said:

Cybermorph is a decent game. I remember trying to endlessly defend it to my Nintendo fanboy friend who said StarFox was way better and the Jaguar sucks. Despite his criticism I enjoyed it then and still enjoy it now. I’ve always felt that it could have been better. This game like many of the Jaguar games feels rushed and incomplete. 

StarFox was the better game from a game design perspective. Clearly Nintendo had resources that Atari didn't when it comes to game designers and producers. That isn't to say Cybermorph wasn't impressive. Imagine a StarFox 2 game running in the Cybermorph engine.

[doctorclu]

On 2/16/2023 at 4:41 AM, Pete5125 said:

Honestly it always had a bad reputation, AVGN pretty much summed up what it was like to play this game, most had played fast pace Starlix, agame that was colorful and on rails, so flying around in a open world, bumping into mountains with no clear objective while your co-pilot is saying where do you learn to fly, does not lead to a game you want to spend months playing, to learn to fineness.

 

AVGN clearly never learned how to fly.  

 

--------

 

The trick to flying in Cybermorph is a lot like other games : Don't over steer.  Make short adjustments, especially when flying at the faster speeds.

 

And if you are new to the game, maybe stick to the slower speeds until you are used to how the controls work.

 

I'm a seasoned player and even I will slow down while in busy or smaller areas, and will speed up in the more open areas of the game.

 

Ultimately, make sure you always have control of the ship and you won't hit the mountains or ground.

[UHATEIT]

56 minutes ago, doctorclu said:

 

AVGN clearly never learned how to fly. 

AVGN rips on most of the stuff I like. I tend to disagree with his thoughts and reviews. I like the Immortal John Hancock, he seems to give things at least a fighting chance. 

[Austin]

On 12/8/2022 at 5:10 PM, sirlynxalot said:

How many levels does it have?

Waaaaaaay too many.

[Editorb]

On 2/18/2023 at 10:15 AM, UHATEIT said:

AVGN rips on most of the stuff I like. I tend to disagree with his thoughts and reviews. I like the Immortal John Hancock, he seems to give things at least a fighting chance. 

I hear ya, but the whole schtick of being an Angry Video Game Nerd is expressing anger, which precludes fairness.

[tripled79]

Fired up Cybermorph recently, and yeah, I had a good time.

[MrMaddog]

On 2/19/2023 at 11:37 AM, Editorb said:

I hear ya, but the whole schtick of being an Angry Video Game Nerd is expressing anger, which precludes fairness.

 

Protip: AVGN is a fictional character James Rolfe created to entertain his college friends...

 

That in it's self isn't bad but then you've got a swarm of annoying wannabe YouTubers like JonTron who purposely yell and scream in their "reviews" along with the lemming viewers who think that silliness is as factual as game magazine reviews (which we know know are supect and biased as well).

 

It's getting better now with current YT game reviews that aren't done in "character" anymore and are actually more fair w/o the decades old Big N bias with people actually playing the game and doing background reseach.

 

The only AVGN type video channel I watch now is Civvie's Dungeon which is more of a parody of those types of videos.  And while it started off being reviews of "bad" DOS games, the series evolved into being full playthroughs of both well known classics (like Unreal recently) and even Slav Jank stuff...and it's still entertaining with the SCP back lore and sarcastic Boomer humor.

 

[+LS650]

16 minutes ago, MrMaddog said:

Protip: AVGN is a fictional character James Rolfe created to entertain his college friends...

His friends must be easily entertained.

[+jeremiahjt]

When I got my Jaguar, it came packed in with Cybermorph of course, and I also bought Alien vs. Predator.  Now Alien vs. Predator was THE reason I bought the Jaguar, and I played it a bunch.  Since Cybermorph was the only other game I had for a little while, I played it quite a bit too.  I never went through all five systems at once, but I am pretty sure I used the system codes to beat every planet.

 

The lack of music never bothered me since I tune out video game music anyways. I like sound effects, but I only pay attention to the music in between game action.  I do wish the game had a save function though.  The codes work for getting through the game, but being able to save your lives and weapons would have been nice.

 

I tried playing Cybermorph on the Atari 50 collection on Xbox, and I had a heck of time controlling the ship.  I am not sure if I was real rusty, or the game does control well on Atari 50.

[Editorb]

2 hours ago, MrMaddog said:

 

Protip: AVGN is a fictional character James Rolfe created to entertain his college friends...

Amateurtip: That was what I hoped to reference with the term “schtick.”