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Recycle, Repackage, Rerelease

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 40 / 44
Date: January 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

While there's a lot that's new here, it's important to note that a lot of these games have been included in other Atari collections (Atari Arcade Hits Vol. #1 & #2 and the Anniversary Pack, which compiled both AAH volumes; many of the VCS/2600 games have been released in other collections). Still we have six new arcade games and likely dozens of old cartridge games now available for 100% legal play on a PC.

There is quite a bit of chaff thrown in with the wheat, and finding what you want can be a chore. All the games may qualify a "classic" in someone's definition, but that someone is not necessarily you. Navigation for the VCS/2600 games requires you to first choose the category of the game and then the game itself - clicking on the help icon will reveal what games are in each category. Shortcuts may be created for each of the arcade games (it may be possible to create batch files for individual VCS/2600 games too, but I haven't explored that yet).

Each game has customizable controls and you may need to fiddle with video and resolution settings to reduce flicker and get games running just right on your computer. Even then, some controllers work better than others for some games - a joystick is the only way to play the arcade game Red Baron with any degree of control. While this can be a hassle, it's important to realize that these games were originally designed to run on standardized equipment; the PC, with its myriad processor, video card, OS, etc., possibilities is the antithesis of old-school consoles. It's worth the time you put into it to get the games running optimally. Don't fight it; do it and start playing.

If you already have one or two of the old collections, go ahead and get this one as well. Pass your old CDs on to a friend; your act of arcade evangelism may make a convert - and provide you with someone to trounce in two-player mode.

The 80 games are just the beginning.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 33
Date: September 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Enough has been written about the games and their faithful recreations (all the way down to the infamous 2600 game Easter eggs planted in "Adventure" and "Missile Command" by disgruntled uncredited programmers) that adding anything else would be redundant. They really are spot on.

The real treasure is leafing (mousing?) through all that bonus material. First, there's box art and instruction manuals for all of the 2600 games as well as the manual for the Atari Video Computer System (the console itself) and a page from a mail order catalog offering the original package that included 3 Game Program cartridges (all yours for just $299.98).

The arcade nostalgia features marketing and promotional materials including flyers, collector pins, TV and radio commercial scripts, advertising slicks, covers from shop manuals and an ad for the CAT (Computer Assisted Troubleshooter) Box, used by former pinball repairmen to maintain this new breed of barroom entertainment.

For history buffs, a sizeable excerpt from the book "PHOENIX: The Fall and Rise of Videogames" by Leonard Herman encapsulates Atari's history, from a 2-man operation to market dominance and eventual collapse, only to rise again as the new name for the company formerly known as Infogrames.

As if that's not enough, there's the man himself: Atari founder Nolan Bushnell in over a half-hour of video reminiscing about the video game industry, taped at the former location of Andy Capp's Tavern where the world's first PONG game began gobbling every quarter in the San Francisco Bay area.

So, calling this CD-ROM a "collection" is like calling a Ferrari Testarossa a nice little Italian car. It's much more. It's a treasure chest, and your CD-ROM drive is the key.

Totally awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: June 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Like a lot of people of my generation, I grew up playing with the Atari 2600 and the stack of game cartridges that I acquired in the early 1980s. It was one of my most beloved beloved toys of my youth, and when my 2600 console died sometime in the late 1980s, I thought I'd never play a lot of those games again.

And so that's why this CD-Rom is so great - it's a wonderful nostalgia trip. I was so geeked to play Adventure once again - one of my all-time favorite 2600 games. And it's fun playing games that I never owned, but wanted.

It is such a bargain: back in the day, individual game cartridges cost about $30 each, but now you can buy 80 - 80! - games for just $20. Incredible! Not only does this CD-Rom include exact reproductions of the original games, but you also get tons of bonus materials, an in-depth video interview with the founder of Atari, complete instructions for all of the games, box art, promotional material, even a single-player version of Combat!

I also really like the 18 arcade versions of Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Battlezone and other classic arcade games. I loved playing Centipede in the arcades and now I've got my own version of it on my PC!

The only complaint I have is that not all of the games Atari made for the 2600 are here. Sure, there were a bunch of other companies, like Activision, who made games for the 2600, but I'm talking about games (especially a lot of the latter-day games) like Pole Position, Kangaroo, Dig Dug, etc. versions of which Atari made for the 2600. Those games aren't here. Also missing are games like Raiders of the Lost Ark - a cool role playing game - but I guess there might have been trademark issues involved there.

Anyone born after 1980 probably won't be interested in this. Yeah, these games are mighty primitive by today's standards (I'm amazed that most of these games only take up about 2K of space - so small and simple!), for those of us who grew up with the Atari 2600, this is a great collection and definitely worth picking up.

Best games I ever bought

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: February 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is my first review. All of the games work perfectly. I loved ADVENTURE and have played it dozens of times so far. This was about the first RPG game, and it took me back so many years. At 25 cents per game, this is the best bargain in history. (Skip the INTELLIVISION ten game pack for the pc. What a disappointment). The extras are wonderful also. Interviews with the founder of Atari are very interesting. My only complaint are that the instructions don't seem to be printable, but the games are not that difficult. Many of the progressive games have children's levels, which is about all that I can handle. Missile Command is fun when you can do more than two screens! The later games like Super Breakout have prettier colors, and are a blast. If you want to see video game history or want to go back to your youth, buy this fabulous collection. I can't make much progress on the arcade versions, but they are beautifully rendered. Quarter snatchers indeed!!!!

EXCELLENT Way To Play The Old Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: January 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have bought several of the Atari collections for both PC and Playstation. I have been terribly disappointed each time. Mostly because I really wanted to play Crystal Castles (with Bently Bear picking up Gems) but each game I installed just fell short.
I decided to take a chance once more with this ATARI 80 Classic Games and am so glad I did!
At first I was disapointed because I found the ATARI2600 version of Crystal Castles.. the clunky blocky game I had never played.. but then I went to another menu and found the real thing! I was so excited! My computer did lock up a time or two after the game was over but eventually play was smooth.

I explored the interface and was very happy to see all of the old instruction manuals were included as well as the old advertisements and box covers, cartridge covers and inserts.. There is even an interview with the creator of Atari.

Very much worth the $20!!! Great great collection of games!!

Hey why would anyone said it's a bad game?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: July 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I think this is cool because there are classic games made in the early days from Atari! And Despite the fact that when I heard from another reviewer about this Game I just wanted to let you guys know that other classic video game characters Such as Donkey Kong, Frogger, and Pac-Man ETC! I just want to let you guys know that these guys are not licensed to Atari! Donkey Kong is part of Nintendo!, Pac-Man is part of Namco!, and Frogger is part of Konami! That's why atari release all their classic games on this!

No Better Way To Drop Eighteen Bucks

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: February 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

These games are presented in a manner befitting the Smithsonian. This is the electronic equivalent of Hollywood's silent films. Classics of design, where gameplay reigned supreme. It is hard to emphasize the legacy to which these titles have conditioned us. From the quirky Canyon Bomber to the supreme Tempest ( S video recommended ) the nostalgia will flow like a good Sauvignon. Anyone aged 30+ who ever used their lunch or laundry money as an expense account at the local arcade should be legally required to make this purchase.

Great job!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: September 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm sorry to read that some people couldn't get this game to work. It installed and ran flawlessly on my system (Windows XP, Athlon XP 2200+, ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card).

I think Atari did an awesome job packaging these timeless games for PC. The themed interface screens make you feel like you're in an arcade in the '80s, and the generous and fascinating bonus material is unavailable elsewhere. I heartily recommend this CD to anyone who'd like to relive those heady days of quarter shortages.

To the fellow who gave this CD only one star because it didn't include "great games like frogger, ms. pacman, and donkey kong": I agree, those are great games. They're not Atari games, though, so unfortunately, Atari couldn't include them. :?)

Just doesn't work well.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 13 / 19
Date: December 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I love these old games, and I would have loved to be able to play them however, and this seems like a problem for a LOT of people, but this program just doesn't work well on a modern PC, and not very well on older PC's either.

My main PC is a 2.4 gig P4 with 1 gig of RAM, and an 8x AGP nVidia graphics card with 64 megs DDR driving dual displays, running Win XP Pro. I just can't get this game to work on this computer at all. I tried it out on an older 800 MHz P3 without a video card (Win XP Pro as well) and it sorta worked, except most of the games wouldn't work with a mouse, and not very well regardless. I'm going to try this out on a 233 MHz machine I keep around for my older DOS based games and emulators, but still, this should be able to work on more modern machines. I did get this to work on my friends mediocre machine, and it works well there, when it decides to work.

Atari's tech support is almost non existent ... the basic stuff about upgrading your drivers and not running other apps, but nothing useful. Yes, I do have the very latest drivers and patches installed.

I do know a lot about computers, and have quite a few games installed ... everything from old DOS text games, to emulators (including arcade and 2600 emu's), to the most modern games and so far this is the only game that has given me a real hassle. I suspect I could get it to work but I'm not going to significantly change my computer just for this.

Atari Memories for Less Than the Cost of a Pizza

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This has got to be one of the best bargains I've ever found, and brings back special momories over 25 years old. I'm about 37 now in 2005, when I was in junior high at Bank Street in Manhattan, we would go around the corner to the local pizza parlor on Broadway near 112th after school to play Asteroids and Donkey Kong and have a slice of pizza. This game doesn't have Donkey Kong, as that was made by a different company than Atari, but it does have Asteroids and 79 other great games, including many of the original Atari console games and most of the original Atari arcade classics. I bought this especially for Missile Command. We would also go up to 116th St to a concert bar where they had Missile Command and a few other games. Thinking back, I'm surprised they let us in. But that was a different era, when we didn't suffer from the political correctness we do now. Anyway, Missile Command is PERFECTLY rendered here, just like it was on the original arcade console. And I discovered this disc also includes Lunar Landing, a classic arcade game that I loved playing years ago (it's EXACTLY the same as in the arcades), and other great games like Centipede. What is so incredible is that this disc is only seventeen bucks! Can you beat that?! It includes about seven categories of games including sports games and gambling games (of course it also includes the very first arcade game in history, Pong). I never really mastered Missile Command and other games because I could never afford continuing to feed quarters into these machines endlessly when I was a kid. And when I was young we couldn't afford an Atari game console at home, either. I used to play that at friends' houses. Those consoles used to cost like over a hundred and fifty dollars, but you can get all those games plus the original arcade games here for a song. This is a GREAT set of games, and even gamers who are accustomed to the modern PS2, Nintendo and XBox advanced games should buy this disc for a little history lesson, to get a little perspective on gaming, but mostly because these games are tremendously fun! This game set is an absolute steal.

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