I recommend getting the Jaguar version of
Tempest 2000 without hesitation!
Tempest X3 is a really good game, and one that's worth owning (as you already know). Although it's an enhanced port of T2K with some nice improvements, there are a few areas where it's inferior to the original, which is why I say that you need to own both of them.
Tempest 2000 advantages:
More balanced gameplay
Generally better sound effects
No loading time
Awesome chip-based MOD music soundtrack
Tempest X3 advantages:
Smoother frame rate
Generally spiffier graphical effects
Awesome CD-quality music soundtrack (based on the Tempest 2000 CD soundtrack, with a few new tunes)
The main problems with the gameplay on TX3 is that the spikes are tougher to whittle away, the AI droid has most of its "AI" removed (until you get the new Mega Droid powerup), and the Pulsars aren't as tough as they are in T2K. In T2K, when a Pulsar reached the rim, it would split into two parts, which would then rapidly move around on the rim until they got you or you somehow destroyed them first (either with a Superzapper, or by jumping off the rim and shooting them). The sound effect when a Pulsar kills you in T2K is just flat-out
awesome; the sound effect when a Pulsar kills you in T3K is OK, but not nearly as good, and has an annoying ramp-up at the end.
You're probably wondering why I listed the music as an advantage on both versions. This requires some explanation.
The PS1 game has music which comes straight from the Tempest 2000 CD soundtrack (which was packaged with the Jaguar CD, and also sold separately). The music is all remixed versions of the original MOD music from the Jaguar game, and it is awesome. Interplay and High Voltage Software also went in and added a few new tracks, most of which are also very well done.
The Jag game has chip-based MOD music, which to this date is
still some of the best music ever heard in a cartridge game. It really sounded like a CD game at the time--heck,
better than many CD games, even! Although it doesn't have as much variety (in instruments and such) as the remixes on the CD soundtrack, it does have great audio clarity, and also one distinct advantage by virtue of being chip-based: it loops seamlessly. The music in the PS1 game will play for a few minutes, but when it reaches the end it will fade out, and then a second or two restart from the beginning. The Jag music plays virtually nonstop, except for a very quick fade when transitioning from one song to another.
On the PlayStation game, it is possible to play the "Tempest 2000" variation (rather than the "Tempest X" variation with all of its enhancements) through the use of a code. This gives about a 95% perfect port of the "Tempest 2000" mode from the Jag game--the frame rate is smoother on the PS1 compared to the Jag, but the sound is muffled, and (if I recall correctly) the music here is just a CD-based recording of the MOD music, meaning it doesn't loop seamlessly like the MOD does.
If you've already got a Jaguar system, then there's no reason why you shouldn't get this game, especially since it's fairly easy to get at a cheap price. If you don't yet have a Jaguar, then it depends on how quickly and cheaply you can obtain one. Once you get one, T2K is a must-have!
