December 28, 2005 - Can you believe that the 2600 is almost 30 years old?! And can you believe that people are still fascinated with this old contraption? This is not like an old radio that sits rotting in an attic. To this day, the 2600 is still a viable system, as evidenced by the Flashback 2.
December 22, 2005 - Poor Nintendo. They couldn't manage to squeeze an extra level into their NES ports. Yet Atari got all four levels into their Donkey Kong Jr. port for the 7800. It looks nice, but is it fun?
December 19, 2005 - Yes, it's Dig Dug. You can never have enough! First was the 2600 port, then the 5200 version, and lastly the 7800 game. Was there any that I missed?
December 14, 2005 - When Dragon's Lair came out, video game companies thought laserdiscs would be the wave of the future and they all released a game or two. Of course, a good game is more than just pretty scenery, as this one proves.
December 12, 2005 - It's a pretty simple game... Just drive around and erase the dots without crashing into the other car. Is it fun? Eh, for a few minutes. ;-)
December 8, 2005 - This is a fun and very informative chat session we had with Atari playtester Lance Lewis. You may remember him from such games as Alien vs. Predator and the proto for Spacewar 2000. He talks about his time at Atari, the Tramiels, and the games.
December 6, 2005 - Joust is one of the silver label games, meaning it was one of the better games because it benefited from extra memory. This is one of the most fun 2600 games.
November 28, 2005 - As it it wasn't bad enough to have this game on the 7800, now we gotta live with the 8-bit version. Bad games get ported everywhere it seems.
November 17, 2005 - A few months back Charles Gray and Carmel Andrews asserted that Commodore reverse engineered the Atari 8-bit line and used it to their benefit. Former Commodore engineer Bob Yannes has piped in with his side of the story...
November 14, 2005 - Don't you wish this game had been released on the Jaguar? No? Oh, well, I always enjoyed blasting tanks on alien planets. Sure, it's a bit shallow, but you can play it networked you know.
October 6, 2005 - Playoff baseball is upon us! This year we have the Yankees, Angels, Red Sox, and White Sox in the American League and the Padres, Braves (again), Astros, and Cardinals in the National League. You can relive the games on various Atari machines, just don't expect to have real baseball players!
September 27, 2005 - So, Star Raiders wasn't enough for you? Space Attack too boring? Starmaster was too "Activision" for you? Solaris' graphics too mindblowing? Then how about Phaser Patrol? The 2600 wasn't lacking for the space battle game, that's for sure.
September 20, 2005 - Of course, this is Atari's answer to Donkey Kong. Climbing up to the top of a tree to save your baby kangaroo is probably more noble and ecologically friendly than Mario climbing a building to save his girlfriend though. It's hard to deny how fun it is to punch monkeys though!
September 6, 2005 - This game takes Star Raiders to another level with graphics and gameplay never before seen on the 2600. It has yet to be surpassed!
August 29, 2005 - How many systems was this game ported to? Well, as you count them up in your head, check out one of the most amazing versions of the game. Coded in only 6 weeks!
August 8, 2005 - "Swimming around and eating fish while avoiding jellyfish, larger fish, eels and that nasty ol’ shark might not seem like the makings of a great game, but [Bob] Montgomery has added enough fantastic elements to this title to truly make it special."
August 3, 2005 - So, you wish you could upgrade the memory in your Atari 400? Well, it's easier than it sounds (apparently.) Take this walk down nostalgia lane as Joseph Burke gives us the details of his memory upgrade.
July 23, 2005 - Some people don't get it. Some people will never get it. The Jaguar *IS* more powerful than the SNES and Genesis. The Jaguar *IS* a 64-bit machine. The games *ARE* 64-bit even if they don't look it. Maybe this will help the so-called "experts" understand...
July 18, 2005 - Ethan has submitted another video game show report. This time for the 2005 OVGE (formerly the OKGE.) As always, new homebrews and fun were to be found!
July 11, 2005 - The Demons are back again and they're attacking. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit in your heavily armed spaceship twiddling your thumbs? Or are you going to get out there and blast some Demon scum?
June 29, 2005 - Did you manage to visit the Houston Area Arcade Group Expo this year? No? Well, you're in luck. Our pal Darryl Brundage *did* visit the show and offers up this 3 page report. (He says it's 8, I say it's 3!)
June 24, 2005 - For it's time, Xevious was one of the more unique shooters. Not only could you shoot aerial targets, but ground targets too! Plus there's the hidden flag bonuses, the mega-cool indestructible rotating walls, and the mothership at the end. Xevious has it all!
June 21, 2005 - Brendan Madigan shares his experience with 5 of the best Lynx games and utilizing his unique rating system. Are your favorites on the list?
June 13, 2005 - Those crazy commies are at it again! Here to try and force socialized annihilation on you and your family! No, you don't get to keep all of your star bucks. They must be redistributed to the mutant population!
June 7, 2005 - Funny looking spaceships? Check. Alien worlds? Check. Great blasting action? Check. Lawrence Armstrong checks out this Atari ST R-Type derivative.
June 1, 2005 - Now here's a game that isn't graphically all that different from the arcade. In fact, this one is pretty darn accurate (not that Lynx games aren't.) Anyway, even without the cool twisty joystick of the arcade, this version of Xybots is top notch.
May 26, 2005 - Here it is! The long awaited Flashback! Oh, I forgot. This has already been trashed by the Atari community for being just a NES on a chip system with poorly ported games for an outrageous price of $39 or more. Well if the Flashback 2.0 is sold out, why not consider David Sherwin's opinion on this 7800-looking gizmo?
May 16, 2005 - There are at least two choices for tennis games on the 2600. This glorified Pong game could have been called "Pong 1983" or something. Anyway, if you like tennis, you may like this game. Just don't expect Virtua Tennis gameplay.
May 9, 2005 - As far as racing games go, S.T.U.N. Runner is one of the most unique. It's polygonal (a big deal when it came out), you can shoot your enemies, and you have to learn to use the centrifugal force of the tubes to make it to the end. In other words, S.T.U.N. Runner is really cool!
May 4, 2005 - We at The Atari Times keep a watchful eye over the current video game magazines. Remember when Super Mario 64 was named "The Greatest Game EVER!" before it was even released? Well, here's our very own "Tongue-in-cheek" revenge over the magazines who constantly forget there were any video games made before 1986!
April 29, 2005 - For those of you who have never played the arcade version, this is what the cement factory looks like. This is one of the few version of Donkey Kong that actually includes it and keeps the screen order correct. DK for the 8-bit computer is one of the best versions ever.
April 22, 2005 - If you're looking to waste some money in Las Vegas, maybe you'd better learn how to play the games first. Lynx Casino will help you (a little) but it may be more fun to talk to the patrons.
April 19, 2005 - This is a cool toy, isn't it? It has some good 2600 games contained in a single Atari 2600-looking joystick. If you don't already have one (and even if you do) you absolutely have to read Rebecca Pinkoski's take on it!
April 15, 2005 - Spacechase has some surprisingly good graphics for a game it's age. At least on the planet anyway. The game itself gets a bit repetitive.
April 12, 2005 - If you have ever dreamed of playing every Atari 2600 and 7800 game all from a single cartridge, then your dreams have come true. The Cuttle Cart 2 will do all that and more. Check out this review of one of the coolest toys ever designed for your 7800!
April 8, 2005 - It's not surprising that Commodore would copy the Atari 8-bit computer line. It was, after all, the best 8-bit computer ever made with unparalleled video and sound effects.
April 5, 2005 - Can you believe it? Not every video game concept was actually invented by Atari! Blasphemy you say? Just read Darryl's review of Circus Atari if you're not convinced.
March 28, 2005 - At last the Jaguar gets a side-scrolling blast-em up! Does this game do the Jaguar justice, or is it just another "blast everything in sight" type of game?
March 22, 2005 - If you've ever wanted to play Solitaire on your Lynx... Well, keep looking for that game. If you've ever wanted to play a Poker-type puzzle game on your Lynx, your days of searching are over.
March 14, 2005 - Is Gauntlet II any better than the original? Is it that drastic of a change that it required the "II" designation? Perhaps Gauntlet 1.5 would have been a better title for it.
March 10, 2005 - This was the system seller for the 2600, but could Space Invaders for the 5200 replicate that success? And why did Atari add so much color to the game when the 5200 could easily imitate the original arcade?
March 1, 2005 - Have you ever wondered why so many Atari games seem to lack music? Maybe this hack by Paul Slocum will make you wonder even more. Atari could have done some interesting things with the 2600, couldn't they?
February 25, 2005 - Ok, so this game can't hold a candle to more modern pinball games, or even the 2600's own Midnight Magic. But to some, this 4k game can still light up a (home) arcade.
February 22, 2005 - Naturally, the 8-bit version of this game is a classic. One that cannot be matched. Or can it? Check out what the Atari ST can do to the game that built Atari computers!
February 18, 2005 - Our friend Charles Fraser Gray has written up a fictional interview with famed Atarian Jack Tramiel. This is not a real interview, rather it is one based on the answers Charles would expect to hear from Tramiel. If Jack (or any of the Tramiels for that matter) would be interested in providing a real interview, please contact us!
February 14, 2005 - Depending on your point of view, this may be the perfect Valentine's game. You got a bunch of red planes attacking each other! And an attack is what you'll get if you don't get your ladyfriend something nice!
January 27, 2005 - So, the original 2600 Pac-Man blew chunks, but the 2600 version of Ms. Pac-Man was a huge improvement, even if it didn't have arcade accurate mazes. Now, the 7800 version is a different matter entirely.
January 24, 2005 - Ok, not "technically" an Atari game in any sense, this is a GBA collection of Activision games originally written for the 2600. Now, who wouldn't want a portable 2600?
January 20, 2005 - Probably one of the last 7800 games ever programmed, KLAX surfaced some time ago thanks to ResQsoft. Now, David Sherwin checks this one out to see how good they did.
January 17, 2005 - Raise your hand if you think this is an "Atari" game! It is, and it isn't. It was actually programmed by Namco (so they own the rights) but it was distributed by Atari (so they get squat.)
January 12, 2005 - Remember the old 2600 Jr. TV ad? The line that says, "Solaris is hot and Midnight Magic's mean!" What does it mean when it says Midnight Magic is "mean?" It's an angry video game? Anyway, check out Darryl's review.
January 6, 2005 - Another of Atari's excellent space shooting weirdo games. Major Havoc will have you blasting spaceships, destroying space stations, and playing Breakout...
