Atari is now “simply” recognised as a pioneer in the video game industry. True, but individuals who were born after the 1980s won’t truly understand what Atari really means from that collection of words. The business, which got its start in the distant 1970s, didn’t simply create a new toy; it also created history, and it did so for a long time. Atari’s ongoing history is celebrated in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. This compilation is a must-have for fans of all things retro gaming. It consists of parts documentary and a vast library of games.
The chronicle of Atari’s history and the library, where you can pick from more than 90(!) games to play, are the two main elements of this package. Go there now but not yet. You should think about Atari 50 as a journey. The timeline mode, which is broken up into a number of different eras, takes the user on a step-by-step journey from the earliest days of the American firm to the present. This timeline, which has been divided into smaller nodes, is full of various types of content, including brief historical tidbits and quotes from important figures, as well as creator interviews, archival video footage, book covers, flyers, notes, prototype designs, images of arcade machines and consoles, and, of course, a huge number of games, some of which are classics that had a major influence on the industry.
Contrary to many retro collections that have been made available for the PC, this one doesn’t feel like a hasty money grab. This is the best of its sort. This appears to be very, for lack of a better word, professional from the artwork, images, etc., to the movies in which different designers and the like discuss the history of the organisation. Even the user interface (UI) is incredibly sleek and simple to operate, free of any unnecessary extras that may otherwise make the whole thing look clunky and unattractive. The fact that the content is not overly exhaustive is actually a good thing. Players are given enough information, much like in a museum, to understand the period being discussed.
One can always buy a book or watch a documentary like Netflix’s High Score if they require anything more in-depth.
The fact that this is an accurate account of Atari’s whole history without any omissions is very cool. While the company’s early years, with their incredibly retro arcade games like the 2600 and 5200 systems, received more attention, there is still a lot to learn about the following, much less glamorous, but the fascinating phase of Atari’s demise. In other words, you will even be able to play games for the colossal duds the Jaguar and Atari Lynx! (Math, Math, Math!!!)
The only thing left to do after the history lecture is to play the games, and there are plenty to pick from. Naturally, the majority aren’t that great. Some were awful when they were first published, and many others are simply too old to be pleasant. Unexpectedly, a lot of them have endured. They have their appeal even though they won’t keep you glued to your seat for endless hours. Sadly, a few titles that were significant classics haven’t been included because of licence concerns.
The good news is that those that can be obtained here are in “mint” condition, which means that because of how they have been transferred, they successfully transport you back to the distant ’70s and ’80s (and into an ugly green couch). One can experiment with the aspect ratio, activate a TV filter to simulate an old television, and enable borders to simulate being in front of an arcade machine.
Never forget that this is primarily an interactive documentary and not a collection of fantastic games, whether you play Pong, Asteroids, or — Nolan Bushnell forbid — Cybermorph.
Having said that, there are a few unique features to discuss. The first is the fact that this collection includes Airworld, the concluding chapter of the renowned Swordquest quadrilogy, which was left unfinished as a trilogy for more than thirty years, as well as a number of previously unreleased prototypes. A number of achievement-like tests are also included in the collection; passing these tests allows the player to access further content, with most of the activities taking the form of clues for a treasure hunt. The addition of a number of redesigned games is the icing on the cake of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. Remakes older products in a retro style, adding high-definition graphics, along with other rather modern mechanisms and QoL systems. The best of all those is a combination of the vector classics Asteroids, Lunar Lander, and Tempest into one, continuous experience! Other games in the series include a new version of Breakout, a Haunted House that’s *gasp* a lot of fun (ideal as an entry-level horror game for very young kids), and more!
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