Software:BattleSphere

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BattleSphere
Cover art featuring two Oppressor bombers and four Se'Bab fighters with one being destroyed by two O'Catanut fighters engaging in dogfight
Developer(s)4Play
Publisher(s)ScatoLOGIC
Designer(s)Douglas Engel
Scott Le Grand
Stephanie Wukovitz
Tom Harker
Programmer(s)Douglas Engel
Scott Le Grand
Stephanie Wukovitz
Artist(s)Douglas Engel
Composer(s)Stephanie Wukovitz
Platform(s)Atari Jaguar
Release
  • WW: February 29, 2000
  • WW: March 15, 2002 (Gold)
Genre(s)Space combat simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

BattleSphere is a space combat simulation video game developed by 4Play for the Atari Jaguar. The game was released in 2000, with the enhanced edition BattleSphere Gold released in 2002. Set during a future war between seven alien races, the factions agree to confine their hostilities to a tournament with the galaxy at stake. Gameplay consists of five modes, each featuring distinct scenarios and objectives. Up to 16 players can participate in a deathmatch mode via local area network (LAN) play.

BattleSphere was the first Jaguar title by 4Play, a partnership between Douglas Engel, Scott Le Grand, Stephanie Wukovitz, and Tom Harker. The project was conceptualized in 1993, when Engel and Le Grand decided to pitch a space combat game to Atari Corporation, and suggested developing the concept as an update to Star Raiders (1980). The team decided that it should feature different scenarios for single-player and network multiplayer. They combined aspects of Star Raiders, Doom (1993), and Star Wars, with the networking component of Netrek. Production began in 1994, with the partners self-funding the game's development while employed full-time. A PC port was in development, but never entered full production due to lack of interest from publishers.

BattleSphere was published after the Jaguar was declared as an open platform by Hasbro Interactive under the ScatoLOGIC label. ScatoLOGIC was formed by Engel, Le Grand, and Wukovitz following Harker's departure from 4Play to handle all production aspects. The first copy was sold on eBay, and the developers pledged to donate all profits from sales to charity. Gaming publications gave the game generally favorable reviews, praising its graphics, sound, gameplay, multiplayer, and AI. Some reviewers also criticized the game's network support. It is retrospectively cited as one of the best titles for the platform.

Gameplay and premise

BattleSphere is a space combat simulation game played from a first-person perspective, similar to Wing Commander, Star Wars, and Descent: FreeSpace.[1][2][3] The story is set during a future war between seven alien races. The leaders of each race confine all hostilities to an enclosed region of space formerly used for testing weapons and starships. Each race send their best soldiers and military technology in a tournament to claim control of the galaxy.[3][4][5] Gameplay consists of five modes divided into single console or network submenus. Each mode features distinct scenarios and objectives: "Alone Against the Empires" is a single-player scenario similar to Star Raiders,[1][6] where the player commands allied ships and protect starbases against enemy armadas in 64 quadrants.[5][7] "Gauntlet" is an endless mode similar to Missile Command, where the player defends six bases from enemy waves.[3][7][8] "Free-For-All" is a deathmatch mode, where victory is awarded to the first player to reach a specific number of kills.[7][8] "Pilot Training" is a practice mode for novices.[8] "BattleSphere" is a multiplayer network mode similar to Netrek, where two teams attempt to capture each other's bases.[5][7][8]

Internal view of an O'Catanut ship engaging in dogfight with enemies

There are seven playable races: the demonic Oppressors, the all-female Se'Bab, the advanced Telchines, the lizard-like Slith, the humanoid Smg'Heed, the feline O'Catanut, and the hawk-like Thunderbirds.[5][9] There are also secret races unlockable via cheat codes.[8] For each race, players can select a fighter, bomber, or supership, with unplayable set pieces in the background such as starbases.[8][9]

The player controls the ship in a 3D environment.[4] The player can maneuver, lock onto targets, and fire weapons.[8][9] There are six weapon types depending on the game mode and ship: lasers, plasma, virus shots, stasis bolts, mines, and homing missiles.[8][9] The heads-up display of each ship type shows several functions such as velocity and thrust meters, shield and energy levels, and integrity of its hull.[8] Every ship is also equipped with a missile approach warning system, emitting a noise when enemy missiles are nearby.[8] In "Alone Against the Empires", the player can view a galactic chart, which showcases a map displayed as hexagonal grids that indicate friendly starbases, enemy ships and the player's location.[1][8][9] The player can also repair the ship and jump to hyperspace when playing in "Alone Against the Empires".[1][8][9]

The game features support for the ProController.[8][9] A second player can act as a gunner using another controller; one player pilots the ship while the other player aims the reticle and shoot.[3][8][10] Two players can play "Gauntlet" mode using JagLink.[6][7][9] Up to 16 players can play in "Free-For-All" via local area network (LAN) play using CatBox across 16 consoles. Optional gunners can also participate for a total of 32 players.[1][8][9]

Production

BattleSphere was conceptualized in 1993 and entered production in 1994 but it was not published until 2000, after the Atari Jaguar was declared as an open platform by Hasbro Interactive.

BattleSphere was the first Atari Jaguar title by 4Play (previously Phalanx Software), a team led by Douglas Engel, Scott Le Grand, Stephanie Wukovitz, and Tom Harker.[6][7][11][12][13] Engel and Le Grand had previously written games for the Atari 8-bit family such as Rocks! (1987) and Death Run respectively.[12][14] The four acted as co-designers, with Wukovitz providing music using an audio engine created by Engel, who also provided most of the artwork.[5][12][15] Engel, Le Grand, and Wukovitz also served as co-programmers.[5] Harker designed the CatBox peripheral, and provided 4Play with necessary software and hardware components.[13][14][16]

BattleSphere uses a polygon rendering engine written by Le Grand, which displays up to 256 objects onscreen.[12][17] A hardware trick using the Jaguar's Blitter processor was devised to run the game up to 60 frames per second.[11][18] Texture-mapping is employed for details such as the alien races' symbols and identification numbers in multiplayer, using a graphical technique dubbed "Decal-Mapping" for all Gouraud-shaded 3D models.[5][19] The 3D models were created by Engel using the InShape graphic program on Atari Falcon.[20] Wukovitz scored the music using Protracker and a music tracker on PC, citing Babylon 5 as an inspiration.[14][16] The story sequence uses a fractal animation donated by Damien Jones of Temporary Sanity Designs dubbed "Julia", originally for an Atari 2600 (VCS) Jaguar emulator called Virtual VCS.[9][21] The Jaguar's hardware is also used for tasks such as handling of AI and physics engine.[22] The network code was written by Engel in six months.[12][15]

Concept

Engel and Le Grand created the concept in August 1993, beginning the project as a space combat game.[6][14] While Le Grand was researching on developing for The 3DO Company's 3DO console, Atari Corporation unveiled their own console plans with the Jaguar.[14] The team thus sent their 20-page game proposal to both console makers, among other companies.[12][14][23] They also posted an online advert expressing interest in Jaguar development.[14] Atari invited the team to a private showing of the Jaguar in September 1993, where Engel and Le Grand pitched the project under the name Singularity.[15][17][24] When the team suggested developing the game as an update to Atari's 1980 game Star Raiders, Atari staffer Bill Rehbock responded that the title was reserved for an in-house project.[15][24] Atari liked the proposal however, becoming interested in signing them as developers under the Phalanx Software name.[6][12][23] Engel based the game's concept on Star Wars: X-Wing, but with the story focusing on a black hole.[15][24] This idea was eventually scrapped, as they could not achieve an accurate depiction of a black hole.[15] Engel and Le Grand brought on board Harker, who reached to them when looking for programmers to produce titles for the Jaguar.[14][17][23][24] Le Grand also convinced Wukovitz to compose music for the game, resulting in 4Play's formation as a partnership.[6][17][24]

Development

Work on the project began in 1994, after 4Play received Jaguar development kits from Atari.[12][24] The working title changed from Singularity to Star Battle, in honor of a mainframe computer game written by Le Grand during his high school period in the 1980s.[15][24] The team decided that the game should feature different scenarios for single-player and network multiplayer.[12][14][23] 4Play cited Star Raiders, Doom (1993), Star Wars, and Iron Soldier as influences for the game.[5][12][17] The group combined aspects of each game design with the networking component of Netrek.[2][14][17] Since the entire team already had full-time jobs, they began development in their spare time without any outside investment.[6][17][24] 4Play estimated the game would be done in 12 or 18 months but faced several issues during production, including lack of support from Atari.[6][12][24]

As 4Play shifted to full-time development in July 1995, the game received its final name as BattleSphere.[15][23][24] Meanwhile, Atari shelved another space game called Space War 2000 due to a poor reception in focus tests, deciding to shift their focus to BattleSphere due to the demo's positive reception.[12][24] Atari discontinued the Jaguar in 1996, and the company merged with JTS Corporation.[24][25] 4Play decided to continue production of the game, focusing on adding multiple game modes.[12][23][24][26] The BattleSphere mode was completed by February 1997, while more features were introduced and gameplay was refined.[27] The team improved their skills as production neared completion, with Engel and Wukovitz implementing changes to the graphics and sound driver.[21][28][29] With the help of several volunteers, Engel led the testing process, discovering bugs that were fixed with Le Grand's help.[21][24][28][29]

In March 1998, Hasbro Interactive acquired all of Atari's assets after buying out JTS, approving BattleSphere for binary encryption soon after.[30][31] However, 4Play didn't receive any approval in writing, leading them to encode the game's ROM image using encryption cracking software, without official hardware support.[23][32][33] Harker departed the studio in mid 1998, citing concerns with the project's financial viability, and development concluded in July.[12][23][34] Hasbro declared the Jaguar as an open platform in 1999, releasing the console's patents and rights into public domain after much lobbying from Atari fans, allowing software developers to make and release games for Jaguar without a licensing agreement from them.[32][35][36] Le Grand criticized Atari's handling of the Jaguar, but stated he enjoyed working with the hardware and found it easier to program for compared to Sega Saturn.[6][13][22]

Release

The game was first revealed at the 1994 Summer Consumer Electronics Show, planning for a Christmas release date under the title Star Battle.[20][24][37] More details were showcased at additional tradeshows, revealing additional gameplay at ToadFest '94, the BattleSphere title at the 1995 Winter CES, and network play at E3 1995.[16][38][39][40][41] It made appearances at other events such as the 1995 MiST Atari festival, and the 1998 World of Atari show.[42][43][44] The game garnered positive response from atendees at E3 1995 and the 1995 Super Tour hosted by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[24][45] It was featured at JagFest '97, a show dedicated to the Atari Jaguar scene, and was subsequently shown at JagFest '98 and JagFest '99.[30][46][47] In 1999, composer Stephanie Wukovitz released music tracks from the game at MP3.com as part of an album titled The Original BS.[48]

BattleSphere received favorable commentary from gaming publications prior to launch, and became an anticipated title for the Jaguar.[49][50][51] Leading up to release, VideoGames magazine noted it as a "respectful tribute" to space combat games.[10] Intelligent Gamer's Fusion expressed excitement over the game's audiovisuals and network play.[6] This was echoed by Next Generation, who hailed it as one of the best Jaguar games, while lamenting that "it's too bad that the game will not receive the large audience it deserves."[49]

BattleSphere was released on February 29, 2000, published by 4Play under the label ScatoLOGIC, a production and publishing entity formed by Wukovitz, Engel, and Le Grand following the departure of Tom Harker.[23][52][53] The first copy of BattleSphere signed by the authors was sold on eBay, and the developers pledged to donate all profits from sales to diabetes research.[12][54][55] Concealed within the game is JUGS,[lower-alpha 1] a development system which allow users to create and load software for the Jaguar via PC.[35][56][57]

An enhanced edition called BattleSphere Gold was released on March 15, 2002, offering new visuals, as well as bug fixes and compatibility improvements.[35][58][59] In 2003, ScatoLOGIC released an unofficial peripheral called ScatBox, which enabled LAN play in both BattleSphere and Gold edition with more than two Jaguar consoles.[60] In 2006, a one-of-a-kind edition called BattleSphere Trio was auctioned on eBay.[61][62][63] 4Play expressed interest licensing the game to third parties, or porting the game to PCs and consoles.[6][12][23] They began development on a PC port, but never entered full production due to lack of interest from publishers.[12][24]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
The Atari Times95%[64]
neXGam9.2/10[58]

Upon its release in February 2000, BattleSphere was met with generally favorable reception from reviewers.[9] GameFan's Eric Mylonas praised the networked multiplayer as its strongest feature, while also highlighting the game's soundscapes and gouraud-shaded graphics.[1] The Atari Times' Gregory D. George also praised the game's audiovisual presentation, as well as its fast-paced action and intelligent enemy ships.[64] Author Andy Slaven wrote that "It's too bad the early Jaguar games didn't look and play like this one".[65] The game is considered by gaming journalists as one of the rarest, most valuable and sought-after Jaguar titles; it became a rare collector's item that fares high prices on the secondary collecting market, due to being produced under a very limited run of copies since the components necessary to manufacture the cartridges were scarce.[35][52][58][65][66]

In the years after its release, reviewers have celebrated BattleSphere as one of the Jaguar's best and most desired games.[52][66][67][68] In a 2002 retro gaming feature, Edge called it "one of the most desirable games of all time" due to its small production, created by a small team with a "bedroom coding ethic".[52] Reviewing the game in 2007, nexGam praised the game's ship designs and multiplayer mode, while criticizing some issues with network support.[58] GamesTM regarded the game as a "desirable prospect" for any Atari collector, stating that it pushed the Jaguar further than other titles during the system's commercial lifespan. They added that the mix of action and strategy in a 3D arena, and particularly the multiplayer options, made the game stand out.[35] Retro Gamer named it one of the ten best games for Jaguar, noting its visuals, dynamic AI, network multiplayer, and references to popular sci-fi franchises.[67] 1Up.com included the game as one of "31 Homebrew Games Worth Playing", labelling it as the most high profile title from the Jaguar's homebrew scene.[69] Lamenting its limited release, HobbyConsolas identified it as one of the twenty best games for the Jaguar.[68] In 2023, Time Extension also listed BattleSphere as one of the best games on Jaguar.[61]

Notes

  1. ↑ Acronym for the Jaguar Unmodified Game Server

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Mylonas, Eric (October 2000). "Graveyard - BattleSphere: Star Raiders 2000?". GameFan (BPA International) 8 (10): 106–107. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_8_Issue_10/page/n109/mode/2up. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "News: Jaguar Update". Atari World (Neal O'Nions) (1): 10. May 1995. https://archive.org/details/atari-world-01/page/n9/mode/1up. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "The Jaguar: A Hungry Cat Looking for Food - Battlesphere". GamePro (IDG) (Premiere): 124. Spring 1996. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_The_Cutting_Edge_Spring_1996/page/n126/mode/1up. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Actualité - Du Tout Bon Sur Jaguar !". CD Consoles (Pressimage) (12): 20. December 1995. http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/CD%20Consoles/cdconsoles_numero12/Page%20020.jpg. Retrieved 2018-09-16. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 LaBarge, Dimitri Mark (January 16, 1995). "Jaguar Tackboard: Battle Sphere Description; Surfing the Jagged Edge: Battlesphere Under Construction". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (1). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-13.  (Transcription by The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Historical Archive. ).
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 Jung, Robert A. (April 1996). "Previews: BattleSphere — Garage Development Team 4Play Primes a Rarity: Hot Jag Software; Endnotes". Intelligent Gamer's Fusion (Decker Publications) 2 (8): 71, 98. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 "News - Jaguar: BattleSphere" (in de). Mega Fun (de) (Computec) (32): 14. May 1995. https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AMegaFun_DE_1995-05.pdf&page=14. 
  8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 BattleSphere (Game Manual) (North American ed.). ScatoLOGIC. 2000. 
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 Dolce, Mike (2001). "Jaguar Reviews: BattleSphere". Jaguar Front Page News. GameSpy. http://www.classicgaming.com/jfpn/bsphere_review.htm. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Gore, Chris (August 1995). "The Gorescore - Industry News You Can: Upcoming Jaguar Software Titles; Preview - Jaguar: Battle Sphere". VideoGames (Larry Flynt Publications) (79): 14, 71. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 LaBarge, Dimitri Mark (September 15, 1995). "Surfing the Jagged Edge: The BattleSphere Saga, Cont'd...". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (7). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 Cody, Jason W. (Fall 2000). "BattleSphere: The Jaguar's Brilliant Epilogue". Syzygy Magazine 1 (1): 18–21. https://archive.org/details/syzygy-issue-1/page/18/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Taz (March–April 1997). "BattleSphere Programmers Interview". The Atari Times (Gregory George) (9): 5–6. https://archive.org/details/The_Atari_Times_1997-03/page/n4/mode/1up.  (Transcription by The Atari Times. ).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 14.9 Santora, Mark (March 28, 1995). "California 4Play: Mark Santora talks with the West Coast half of the BattleSphere Dream Team". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (4). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-14.  (Transcription by The Atari Jaguar Game by Game Podcast. ).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Thomasson, Michael (December 2, 1999). "Classic Videogame Games INTERVIEW: Douglas Engel - Douglas Engel is a programmer and artist for the upcoming Jaguar release BattleSphere, and a nice guy to boot!". http://www.gooddealgames.com/interviews/int_engel.html. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 LaBarge, Dimitri Mark; Svensson, Christian (December 4, 1994). "Surfing the Jagged Edge: Notes from the BattleSphere; Jaguars at ToadFest 94: Details — BattleSphere (working title)". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 3 (13). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-13.  (Transcription by The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Historical Archive. ).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Bessemer, Brian C. (January 1996). "4-Play Interview". Atari Gaming Headquarters. http://www.atarihq.com/jaglynx/4play.html. 
  18. ↑ LaBarge, Dimitri Mark (October 10, 1995). "Surfing the Jagged Edge: In the Sphere". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (8). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  19. ↑ Guy, Travis (producer) (1995). AEO at E3 1995. Atari Explorer Online (VHS). United States: Subspace Publishers. Event occurs at 1h03m08s. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Funke-Bilu, Tal (September 1994). "AEO's 1994 Summer Consumer Electronics Show (GEnie: EXPLORER.5 Delphi: AEXPLORER)". San Leandro Computer Club Journal (San Leandro, California: San Leandro Computer Club): 8–14. https://archive.org/details/SanLeandroComputerClubslcc-Atari-Newsletters1994/SanLeandroComputerClubslccJournalAtariNewsletter94-09September1994/page/n12/mode/1up. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "BattleSphere Updates: 4Play Marches On; Temporary Sanity Travails – Virtual VCS and Beyond". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 2 (1). February 9, 1998. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-16. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Szczepaniak, John (July 2006). "Retroinspection: Atari Jaguar". Retro Gamer (Imagine Publishing) (26): 48–53. https://www.retrogamer.net/profiles/hardware/atari-jaguar-2/. Retrieved 2018-09-16. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.7 23.8 23.9 Engel, Douglas (June 30, 2001). "The BattleSphere Saga: The History of Atari's Swan Song". JagFest 2K1: Beyond Tempest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: GOAT Store): 6–9. 
  24. ↑ 24.00 24.01 24.02 24.03 24.04 24.05 24.06 24.07 24.08 24.09 24.10 24.11 24.12 24.13 24.14 24.15 24.16 Le Grand, Scott (August 1998). "In the Beginning". The World of Atari (Las Vegas, Nevada: Richard Tsukiji): 10–11. https://archive.org/details/WorldOfAtariConventionLasVegas1998/page/n11/mode/2up.  (Transcription by Atari Gaming Headquarters. ).
  25. ↑ "ProNews: Adios, Atari". GamePro (IDG) (82): 20. May 1996. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_082_May_1996/page/n21/mode/1up. 
  26. ↑ "BattleSphere Updates: How it's Coming". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 1 (1). March 27, 1997. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-15.  (Transcription by The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Historical Archive. ).
  27. ↑ "BattleSphere(tm) Update(r) 2/3/97". The Atari Times (Gregory George) (8): 2, 9. January–February 1997.  (Transcription by The Atari Times. ).
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "BattleSphere Updates: 4Play Marches On". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 1 (2). July 1, 1997. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-15.  (Transcription by AtariArchives.org. ).
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "BattleSphere Updates: 4Play Marches On". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 1 (3). October 15, 1997. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-15. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Jaguar Tackboard: Announcements and Press Releases – Hasbro Interactive Acquires Legendary Atari Game Property Assets; BattleSphere Updates: 4Play Marches On". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 2 (2). July 20, 1998. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/jeo_0202.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-16. 
  31. ↑ "BattleSphere Updates: 4Play Marches On". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 2 (4). December 18, 1998. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/jeo_0204.htm#BSNEWS. Retrieved 2023-07-16. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "BattleSphere News: 4Play Marches On". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 3 (1). June 3, 1999. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/jeo_0301.htm#BSNEWS. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  33. ↑ "BattleSphere News: 4Play Marches On". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 3 (2). November 19, 1999. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/jeo_0302.htm#BSNEWS. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  34. ↑ "BattleSphere Updates: 4Play Marches On; JagFest '98: The Aftermath". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 2 (3). October 18, 1998. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/jeo_0203.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-16. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 "Retro - Collector's Corner: BattleSphere Gold". GamesTM (Imagine Publishing) (83): 142—143. May 2009. 
  36. ↑ "Classic Gamer Newswire: Jaguar News — Hasbro Sets Jaguar Free". Classic Gamer Magazine 1 (1): 10. March 1999. https://archive.org/details/Classic_Gamer_Magazine_Volume_1_Issue_1_1999-03_Classic_Gamer_US/page/n9/mode/1up. 
  37. ↑ "Jaguar Tackboard – Atari's SCES 94 Press Releases: 4Play Announces Star Battle; AEO at SCES 94 video". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 3 (10). July 2, 1994. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-13.  (Transcription by AtariArchives.org. ).
  38. ↑ "Winter CES Las Vegas '95: Jaguar". EGM2 (Sendai Publishing) (8): 126. February 1995. https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AEGM2_US_08.pdf&page=126. 
  39. ↑ "WCES Special: Winter CES '95 - Atari". GameFan (DieHard Gamers Club) 3 (3): 109. March 1995. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_3_Issue_03/page/n108/mode/1up. 
  40. ↑ "E3 - Jaguar". Video Games (German magazine) (de) (Magna Media) (44): 30. July 1995. https://archive.org/details/video-games-de-1995-07/page/30/mode/1up. 
  41. ↑ "Electronic Entertainment Expo Special Report: Jaguar on the Prowl — BattleSphere". GamePro (IDG) (73): 37. August 1995. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_073_August_1995/page/n38/mode/1up. 
  42. ↑ "Surfing the Jagged Edge: BattleSphere tidbits; Developing news! – Items of interest from TOS platform developers and supporters: MIST VII". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (5). July 20, 1995. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  43. ↑ LaBarge, Dimitri Mark (August 21, 1995). "Surfing the Jagged Edge: 4-Playing". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (6). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  44. ↑ "Intelligence: World of Atari Report". Next Generation. Imagine Media. August 24, 1998. http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/news/4268.html. 
  45. ↑ Santora, Mark (January 1, 1996). "Atari at the EGM Supertour; Surfing the Jagged Edge: In the Sphere". Atari Explorer Online (Subspace Publishers) 4 (9). http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/archive.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-14. 
  46. ↑ Iacovelli, Daniel (July 19, 1997). "JagFest #1: Welcome to Jag Fest '97; Battle Sphere & Air Cars previews — Battle Sphere by 4-Play". The Atari Zone (Atari Video Club) 8 (4): 2–3. 
  47. ↑ Dolce, Mike (1999). "Articles: JagFest '99 Video thoughts". Jaguar Front Page News. GameSpy. http://classicgaming.com/jfpn/jagfest99_vid.htm. 
  48. ↑ "CyberChatter: BattleSphere; BattleSphere News: The Final Update". Jaguar Explorer Online (White Space Publishers) 4 (1). December 31, 2000. http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/jeo_0401.htm. Retrieved 2023-07-16. 
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Alphas: BattleSphere - The most anticipated, and belated, Jaguar game finally shows itself at the World of Atari 98". Next Generation. Imagine Media. August 25, 1998. http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/previews/8750_1.html. 
  50. ↑ Charlton, Frank (January 1996). "Feature - Jaguar: The Jaguar past, present and future". ST Format (Future plc) (78): 30–31. http://www.stformat.com/stf78/index.html. Retrieved 2023-07-13. 
  51. ↑ Forhan, Carl (June 2000). "Jaguar/Lynx: Straight From The Cat's Mouth". Classic Gamer Magazine 1 (4): 40. https://archive.org/details/Classic_Gamer_Magazine_Volume_1_Issue_4_2000-06_Classic_Gamer_US/page/n39/mode/1up. 
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 "Obsessive: The wish list - Rich pickings for the collector looking for that special little something — BattleSphere". Edge (Future Publishing) (1): 22. December 2002. https://archive.org/details/EDGE.RETRO.N1.2002.Guide.classic.videogame.playing.collecting/page/27/mode/1up. 
  53. ↑ "SCATOLOGIC RELEASES LONG AWAITED BATTLESPHERE™ FOR ATARI JAGUAR — Company Donates All Profits To Diabetes Research". ScatoLOGIC. Atari Gaming Headquarters. February 29, 2000. http://www.atarihq.com/news/2000/0229.html. 
  54. ↑ "Classic Gamer Newswire: Help Fight Diabetes! Buy Battlesphere for the Jaguar! — Battlesphere for the Atari Jaguar Shipping Soon". Classic Gamer Magazine 1 (3): 7. March 2000. https://archive.org/details/Classic_Gamer_Magazine_Volume_1_Issue_3_2000-03_Classic_Gamer_US/page/n6/mode/1up. 
  55. ↑ "News Briefs - 2000 ARCHIVE". Atari Gaming Headquarters. 2000. http://www.atarihq.com/news/2000/index.html. 
  56. ↑ "NEW UNDERGROUND SOFTWARE LOADER COMES TO JAGUAR PLATFORM — The fabled JUGS (Jaguar Unmodified Game Server) proves to be more than just a rumor". Jaguar Unmodified Game Server. Atari Gaming Headquarters. August 14, 2000. http://www.atarihq.com/news/2000/0814.html. 
  57. ↑ Forhan, Carl (September 2000). "Jaguar/Lynx: Straight From The Cat's Mouth". Classic Gamer Magazine 1 (5): 43. https://archive.org/details/Classic_Gamer_Magazine_Volume_1_Issue_5_2000-09_Classic_Gamer_US/page/n42/mode/1up. 
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 58.3 Poppen, Heiko; Tausendpfund, Michael (March 28, 2007). "BattleSphere im Test" (in de). neXGam. https://www.nexgam.de/jaguar-atari/battlesphere-atari-jaguar.html. 
  59. ↑ "SCATOLOGIC INC. NOW SHIPPING BATTLESPHERE GOLD™: THE LIMITED EDITION ENHANCED BATTLESPHERE™". ScatoLOGIC. March 15, 2002. http://www.scatologic.com/press.html. 
  60. ↑ de Bie, Rene (March 2003). "Reviews: ScatBox". MyAtari (29). http://www.myatari.net/issues/mar2003/scatbox.htm. Retrieved 2023-08-05. 
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 McFerran, Damien (July 7, 2023). "Best Atari Jaguar Games - Roar-some 64-bit power". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. https://www.timeextension.com/guides/best-atari-jaguar-games. 
  62. ↑ "Les News de la Jaguar Connexion: Juillet 2006" (in fr). Atari Connexion. Retro-Gaming Connexion. 2006. http://mleguludec.free.fr/jc_news.htm. 
  63. ↑ Smith, Jason. "Atari Jaguar Timeline". http://www.jaguarsector.com/index.php?autocom=ibwiki&cmd=article&do=print_article&id=379. 
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 George, Gregory D. (December 2001). "Jaguar Reviews: BattleSphere — Was the battle worth the wait?". 2001 Year End Issue. The Atari Times. pp. 8–24. http://www.ataritimes.com/index.php?ArticleIDX=87. Retrieved 2023-07-12. 
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 Slaven, Andy; Barnes, Lucus (2002). "JAG - Atari Jaguar". Video Game Bible, 1985-2002. 1. Trafford Publishing. pp. 47–53. ISBN 9781553697312. https://books.google.com/books?id=oShzmF1Pxc4C&pg=PA47. 
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 Wallett, Adrian (August 19, 2019). "Top Ten – Rarest Atari Jaguar Games!". Arcade Attack. https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/top-ten-rarest-atari-jaguar-games/. 
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 "Perfect 10: Atari Jaguar - Perfect Ten Games". Retro Gamer (Imagine Publishing) (26): 54–55. June 22, 2006.  (Transcription by Retro Gamer. ).
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Alonso, Álvaro (December 18, 2013). "Reportaje: Los 20 mejores juegos de Atari Jaguar" (in es). HobbyConsolas. Axel Springer SE. https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reportajes/20-mejores-juegos-atari-jaguar-60844. 
  69. ↑ Winterhalter, Ryan (April 29, 2011). "31 Homebrew Games Worth Playing — We track down some of the game industry's most interesting homebrew games from over the years". 1Up.com. IGN Entertainment. pp. 1–6. http://www.1up.com/features/31-homebrew-games-worth-playing?pager.offset=4. 

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