Pong 2000

Finally, after about two decades of wondering were i read about Pong 2000, i finally found that sneaky magazine on my basement. I have never seen anyone on the internet mention anything about this game, and often wondered if i had imagined reading about it back in the day, but finally i have proof.

I always tought i had read about it on a "Game Players" issue, but i was wrong, it was a september 1995  issue of a magazine called "VIDEOGAMES". I will post a  scan of the article here, sorry for the crappy quality. And will also write what it says right here:

THE RETURN OF PONG?

Its no secret that Atari is updating a lot of its classic games on the Jaguar, using mind-blowing graphics and adding the word "2000" to the name. You already know about Defender 2000 and Breakout 2000, but get ready for Pong 2000. So far, the designers at Atari have the idea only on paper but the game should be truly revolutionary. Not just because of the gameplay and the graphics, but because of what Atari has planned for Pong--as the new mascot for the Jag. You heard it right, Pong will be a living breathing character. Details are sketchy thus far, but here is what i was able to discover: the loveable Pong is a boy cursed with being made of rubber like a super ball--he bounces and attacks his oponents relentlessly--but he truly wished  he were a real boy. The gameplay consists of a 3-D platform game with puzzle-solving skills as well as the satisfaction of a good shooter (courtesy of Pongs powers). Pong must save the Earth from being used and destroyed by colossal aliens in an intergalactic video game. In addition, he must save his girlfriend from the evil king Voidoid, and his army of Paddle soldiers. Atari is keeping a tight lid on this project because the gameplay is so revolutionary. But i have got the inside track and will be feeding you the exclusive story as it develops.

-Chris Gore

 Editor in Chief

What do you thing, guys, is this BS?. Even as a kid back then, the whole thing seemed kinda weird to me, i mean, the story is laughable, but then again thats how stories usually are on mascot games. I dont remember ever reading other issues of this magazine, so i cant coment on how reliable they were, some mags from the era used to write blatant lies, just to print something unique. And so i never  got to know anything about this Pong 2000 again. I even got myself thinking for a while that it might have been an april fools joke, but the issue dates from september 95, so... And you know what, now that i re-read it a bunch of times, i kinda dig the whole thing, could have made for a cool game for the Jag.

Now, maybe the most diehard Jag enthusiast know more about this game, and i would love to find more about it.