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Pac-ManPosted on Thu, March 23 2006, by Ryan Genno |  |
 | The 2600 version let everyone down, but I rarely hear any complaints about how Pac-Man looked on the 5200. Now the joysticks were a problem, but you can't blame Pac-Man for that! Finally! After getting a rather blocky, ugly, and overall disappointing version on the old Atari 2600 this Pac Man is actually a fairly very good arcade port that's almost plays like the famous arcade original. Pac Man is the original 1980's legend that took the video game industry to a whole new level. Pac Man's creator's, Toru Iwatani, actually got the idea for the legendary character by eating a pizza with some of the slices missing, he... [Read More] 3 Comments |
Crystal CastlesPosted on Wed, March 15 2006, by Lawrence Armstrong |  |
 | See, the 8-bit could reproduce some of Atari's most famous games. Now, why wasn't Crystal Castles converted to the 5200? Surely every game would have helped! Crystal Castles is one of the cornerstones of the Atari arcade lineup. It has been ported to the 2600 and the ST. The best port however, is probably the Atari 800 version. The cartridge media gives the 800 the edge over the ST for games in some quarters. And the 800 version of Crystal Castles is far superior to the 2600 in both graphics and sound. This should come as no surprise because of the similarities between the Atari home computer and... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
BowlingPosted on Wed, March 15 2006, by Ethan C. Nobles |  |
 | If you don't know how to keep score, and you're too lazy to drag yourself to the bowling alley, Atari's version of Bowling is actually pretty fun. And you never have to worry about looking like a doofus around your friends. For a game that rolled off the assembly line in 1978, Bowling for the Atari 2600 has held up surprisingly well. Sure, there have been better games released about the nation's laziest sport, but this 2600 title is still fun to play from time to time. This game essentially raises crude simplicity to an art form. Anyone can pick up Bowling and play very well within a matter of moments (in contrast, I'm still thrilled when I get in ... [Read More] 1 Comment |
FreewayPosted on Mon, March 06 2006, by Ethan C. Nobles | |
 | Why did the chicken cross the road? Why, to get to the other side so he could play all of the wonderful games that Activison created instead of the originals, of course! Every Atari 2600 fan knows (or ought to know!) that Activision mastered the craft of creating games that were influenced by arcade hits, but different enough to avoid lawsuits. After all, Chopper Command is quite similar to Defender on many levels, and what is Robot Tank but a "lite" version of Battlezone? Freeway was obviously influenced by Frogger, but not nearly as successful as other arcade-like games produced... [Read More] 2 Comments |
CybermorphPosted on Mon, March 06 2006, by Brendan Onfrichuk |  |
 | Who could possibly forget Skylar, your "helpful" co-pilot of Cybermorph? Thankfully, the audio volume (not the number) of her comments could be reduced down to 0%, which made the Jaguar's pack-in game even better than it already was. When I first got the Atari Jaguar my eyes were wide open. I could barely stand the suspense as I unwrapped the console and controller. My hands were shaking as I screwed the RF adapter onto the back of the TV. Once everything was hooked up I opened my first game, Cybermorph. This game was made by the original developers of the Jaguar hardware after Atari asked them to make a tech demo. They went on to make a complete game to show off all of the a... [Read More] 4 Comments |
Lynx OthelloPosted on Mon, February 27 2006, by David Sherwin |  |
 | Sometimes you just want to play a quick game of Othello against a cute lizard (or Loch Ness Monster), right? And even better, you can play it in the car while driving! (Although I wouldn't recommend doing that.) Quick -- what's the most underrepresented genre in the Lynx gaming library? If you've answered "fighters" or "platformers", you're wrong, for the Lynx has several titles in each category. The Lynx does, however, only have one electronic incarnation of a classic board game -- Telegames' Fidelity Ultimate Chess (three if you count the minigames in "Lynx Reloaded"), which is pretty surprising given the fact that such games are eternally popular and re... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
I, RobotPosted on Fri, February 17 2006, by Darryl Brundage |  |
 | This game has absolutely nothing to do with the recent Will Smith movie. (In fact, the movie doesn't have much to do with the book either.) Anyway, I'm sure you'll find that the game presented here is much better than the movie (or the book!) Wow. I, Weirdo could have been just as appropriately named with this one. This is a pretty different game, probably the strangest one that Atari ever created (which, if they could have predicted their future, possibly they would have called themselves I, Atari..."I" as in Infogrames). I got to play/experience (there really is no other way to put it) I, Robot at a gaming expo in 2005. Considering I had never even heard of the game until ... [Read More] 4 Comments |
SkiingPosted on Fri, February 17 2006, by Ethan C. Nobles | |
 | It was just luck that this game was chosen to appear on the front page! I'm not a big fan of the Winter Olympics, but this game is rather fun. Activision, once again, did a fine job when the company released Skiing -- a game that is nothing but fun and manages to capture enough elements of the sport to keep it entertaining. Skiing, released in 1980, never won any awards for innovative gameplay. And, it sure isn't one of those titles which pushes the 2600 to its technical limits. Still, it sure is nice to plug in and play from time to time and is one of those unique cartridges which ... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
River RaidPosted on Wed, February 08 2006, by Ryan Genno | |
 | Here's a classic Activision game. One that no one who claims to love classic games should be without. Now, can you guess what version is pictured, the 2600 or 5200? Another popular Activision legend on the Atari 2600 also comes to the Atari 5200 as well. Was this intense shooter improved for the upgraded system or is it another lack luster Activision translation? In this overhead shooter you must pilot an jet fighter to push back a terrorist attack. It's your mission to blast away anything that gets in the way like enemy boats, planes, helicopters, and even bridges while you try to survive a strike down a long rive... [Read More] Make the first comment! |
OthelloPosted on Wed, February 08 2006, by Darryl Brundage | |
 | Now here's a simple game you can sit and play for hours and hours. It's a good thing the computer is a good player too. I'm not going to divulge into my favorite Atari games as a kid (or newer ones now, as an adult)--that's too easy--but here's a few things about several regular old boring, non-flashy, no computer graphics, nor electronic sounds board games from my past: Monopoly: oh crap, don't land on Park Place or Boardwalk if they ain't yours! Stratego...hah! I could kick pretty much anyone's sorry butt on that brilliant game. As far as the somewhat obs... [Read More] Make the first comment! |