Atari Anniversary Edition

Written by Daniel Pelfrey  on July 24, 2001

Review: Old School Overload

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Pong
The game that started it all. A personal favorite. It's simple, tennis on a screen. More variations of this game have cropped up than any other. While in the mid 70's all you had was a black screen with two paddles going up and down bouncing a ball back and forth, today we have Sega's Virtua Tennis (soon to be updated as Sega Sports Tennis 2K2). Atari made many permutations of this game for its 2600 and later consoles. Pong enjoys its place in history as the first real home videogame. What is included is the little seen cabinet version that was introduced in 1972.

Centipede
While this game enjoyed a recent revival thanks to the console version of the Centipede update (in which included the original version), it remains one of the more loved arcade games by a loyal following. This cabinet had two controls, one button to fire, and a baseball sized track ball to move your Е well, to be honest, we never could figure out what it was that you controlled. While there is no trackball on the Dreamcast controller (I looked) the analog stick works just fine. Move your Е whatever-it-is around the lower fourth of the screen (left, right, up, down) and fire at those pesky bugs. Each section of bug turns into a mushroom, which blocks the bugs. That isn't much help though, because it just makes the bugs turn, and blocks your own shots. Too many mushrooms, and you won't be able to get at your enemy before they get you.

Millipede
A sequel to Centipede in the same way that Asteroids Deluxe was a sequel to Asteroids. The bugs not only have increased in number, but this time around they have gotten quicker, making the game more frantic. While there may be more bugs, you have a new weapon, the DDT bomb.

Gravitar
Honestly, I don't remember this game much, because I didn't play it in the arcades, so getting to play it now was a treat. The graphics now are laughable, but in 1982 having several planets of a system represented on a screen was a big deal (even if some of them look like big circular monster eyes). You control a ship within a system, trying to stay alive (naturally). Getting from planet to planet can be a chore, because there are ships in the system trying to shoot you. But that is a piece of cake compared to the real goal of the game. On each planet will be bases (and more ships) trying to shoot you as well. Land, refuel, take out the gun placements and get out. It may sound simple, but this game introduced gravitational physics for the first time to videogames (which is why it was called Gravitar).

Missile Command
If my memory serves correct, this is the game that introduced the trackball. I may be mistaken though; old age will do that to you. This game was introduced in 1980, not only at the height of Уthe red scareФ, but during the middle of the Iran hostage crisis. Turbulent times indeed. While America was (ok Ц still is) paranoid about foreign attack, it was only a matter of time before a game came out to capitalize on that fear. The cities at the bottom of the screen need defending from the incoming missiles. The player has three bases at the bottom of the screen from which to launch a counter attack consisting of, well, missiles (this was a big thing back then). With the trackball crosshairs are lined up and with the press of a button, a missile is launched. When the missile comes to where the crosshairs were, an explosion. Hopefully, some of the enemy missiles were caught in the explosion. If not, then they continue on down to the cities below. Eventually, if there are no more cities, then you have nothing to defend.

Crystal Castles
Another game that I didn't play in the arcades. This one involves moving Bently Bear around collecting gems (Pac-Man style) along various paths within a series of УcastlesФ. Of course, various enemies are looking to thwart your progress. One wrong turn and УGame OverФ. The problem with this game is the same one that plagues translations of Q*bert on home consoles. The D-pad is left, right, up & down. A lot of the directions are diagonal. The player's sense of direction will be thrown for a loop if not careful. While one of the more frustrating games in the collection, after getting the hang of it, it becomes rather enjoyable.

Super Breakout
Another favorite game of mine, either arcade cabinet or home version. Unlike the update that was released a couple of years ago for the Playstation and PC (a horrible game that should not be called breakout because it isn't), this is the original game as it was found back in 1977. Three modes of play provide variations of the paddle game. A group of bricks are stacked towards the top of the screen. Your paddle at the bottom can move left or right. The ball is launched and if you hit it, it will bounce up and knock out a brick. If you are lucky, several bricks will follow. This game was one of the first to introduce multiple stages.

Warlords
I don't recall ever seeing this game way back when. The only four-player game on the disc plays something like multi-player breakout. Each player controls a corner of the screen. Within the players corner is their base, which must be protected from the bouncing fireball. In order to do this, the player's base has a paddle (shaped like a ball) that will deflect, or even catch, the fireball. If the fireball gets past the defenses, then a chunk of wall is taken out. Eventually the base will explode and the player is out. This is a game definitely best enjoyed in the company of others because it really is no fun by yourself.

Tempest
My favorite game in the collection, and one of the main reasons I went nuts looking for this disc. This game represents the pinnacle of vector graphics, with fast movements and multiple colors. When I was in my early teens, this was the game to play. Three controls Ц a standard fire button, a Super Zapper that destroys all enemies on the screen, and a knob to turn left or right. A yellow ship at one end of a sectioned tube represents the player, with various enemies coming down ready to end your game. As the game progresses, different and more complex enemies will appear in the tubes, which change shape with each level. The key to this game is rhythm.

These games coined the phrase Уquarter muncherФ, and for good reason. The simplicity of gameplay and relative newness of the products made a potent combination. Before there was such a thing called the home videogame market, the only place to play videogames for a teen was the arcade or pizza parlor (yes, it was called a parlor Ц don't get snippy with me). Teenage (mostly) boys would spend their allowances and paper route money playing these games over and over, getting better and better. Kids would find a machine they either liked or were good at, and play it over and over. When parents worried that videogames were killing brain cells of the youths, that argument was countered with the first Уhand-eye coordinationФ improvement argument.

The sound in these games is absolutely atrocious. Heavily digitized beeps and boops are what passed for sound effects some 20 years ago. While absolutely horrible by today's standards, the sounds that come out of your television with this collection are the same ones that would be coming out of a game cabinet. Accurately reproduced, the sounds on Atari Anniversary Collection are not only appropriate, but also vital for the retro experience. The same goes for the graphics. While laughable by today's standards, these games were made in what some might call the Уwild westФ days of videogaming, when anything was fair game, and technology was new.

Along with the afore-mentioned ability to turn off the УcabinetФ screen (enabling the player to see only the game), other features present themselves that will be useful. In a nod to current trends, there are a lot of features that are customizable. You can set the difficulty level, control scheme, points needed for an extra life, etc. While the games had been designed to be played in the arcade, the translation to home console has not been ignored. Unfortunately, some of these games don't translate well, mostly due to controller issues. If there is one game to make me want the arcade stick peripheral for the Dreamcast, this is it.

I truly enjoyed playing each of these games (some more than others). While the games alone are worth the price of admission, some of the extras on the disc make this truly archival, and extremely worth picking it up. The Atari archives are presented here for your perusal. Most games have pictures not only of their respective cabinets and promotional flyers, but shots from the Atari home versions of games (when available) along with box and cartridge art. Advertisements from magazines also highlight what the gaming environment was like. Of course, back then, the arcade was king, and that was where the promotional dollars were spent. Atari at the time was at the top of their game, and was making money Уhand over fistФ (an old expression I don't expect you youngsters to have heard). Various pins were handed out to top scorers at arcades and as promotional items. Included on the GD-ROM are pictures of some of those pins.

But perhaps the coolest feature other that the 12 games, is the inclusion of video footage of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell talking about that period of time. Included in the over 30 minutes of video interview are his thoughts and reminisces on such things ranging from trying to get pong sold to the home market, to how he feels about being thought of as the founder of home videogames.