Has anyone played/still play anything from Atari?

[StarFoxMaster64]

Atari back in their day was the biggest video game company in the world... Till 1983 when the gaming industry crashed. However throughout their history they have had many ups and downs but nowadays either they are never heard of anymore or rarely come out of the shadows (the most recent thing I've seen them announce was Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 NOT on mobile). 

 

My family and I collect a lot of old video game consoles and Atari is a huge piece of that collection. I still sometimes pick up our old Atari 2600 and play it because sometimes it's nice to go back to the classics. (Anyone remember Star Fox from the Atari 2600 before Nintendo took over the name?) However I was not a huge fan of the 5200, I did play the 7800 a little but not much either.

 

We also own an Atari jaguar with a working CD which is cool to have but not much to play. However it does hold one of my favorite games, Tempest 2000, on it. 

 

What do you guys think? In my personal opinion Atari pretty much is a ghost town these days but I will always remember the memories they gave me. Does anyone else still play Atari and/or had any of their older stuff in the past? 

Edited June 21, 2015 by StarFoxMaster64

[InfinitySquared]

My dad had (has?) an old Atari 5200 from when he was in college. I sorta remember my brothers and I playing the glitchy messes that were Mario Bros. and Pac Man on it. It was neat enough, but hell if I've even seen it in 14 years-it's probably squirreled away in some closet in my grandparent's summer place up in Newport. 

Edited June 21, 2015 by InfinitySquared

[Patch93]

Maybe I'm just biased because I never grew up with the console itself (though I did have a few plug-n-plays as a child), but I'm not really a huge fan of the Atari 2600. While there are some decent titles in its library (most of them being from Activision and a handful of arcade ports that were simple enough to translate well on the system's hardware like Space Invaders and Asteroids) most of them are overshadowed by mediocre shovelware (albeit due to the lack of control over third party support) or games that are overly simplistic to the point where they aren't worth playing anymore and you have better alternatives to choose from.

I agree that it was an excellent product of its time and it was definitely vital to the existence of the console market itself. In the late 70's and early 80's, it was an amazing novelty just to be able to play video games at home and not having to go out to an arcade. That being said, I personally don't think it holds up that well in this day and age, at least compared to the NES/Famicom (which I think has aged incredibly well over 30 years after it's initial Japanese release in 1983) and most classic arcade games released around that time. I respect those who love and grew up with that console, but it's just not something for me. I'm not really into console stuff from the first and second generations.

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by Patch93

[CrypticQuery]

My four-switch model is sitting in the attic somewhere.  Once I get some space I'll have to dig it out and play it again.  Combat and Berzerk were probably two of my favorites, but Kaboom, Yar's Revenge, Pitfall!, River Raid, Pole Position, and Adventure were memorable too. 

My favorite thing about Atari was the artwork on the cartridges, however.

 

(Maze Craze seems to have had two variations, both of which are awesome.)

 

And how could we forget the most likely reason that the Star Fox name couldn't be used in PAL regions for a while?

 

Edited June 21, 2015 by OneUnder

[Dublinthefox]

Probably the only thing I have Atari related is a Atari 2600 plug-and-play.

[Patch93]

I remember Jakks Pacific plug-n-plays being absolute garbage. They had a ridiculously short battery life and when it was low, the display would glitch up and shit, causing the games to be unplayable. Pitiful.

Thankfully that kind of stuff got much better when the Atari Flashback 2 came around, though I'd still recommend actual game consoles over cheap plug-n-plays.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Patch93

[Pgpaw3]

I have an Atari 2600 of my dads in my room right now that I hooked up to an old CRT. I have Space Invaders, Asteroids, Activision Tennis and the legendary E.T The Extra Terrestrial on it.

[Dr. Orange]

Atari games are the shit yo. I still play a lot of their old games like Crystal Fortress and Missile Defense. They're simplistic and easy to get into. 

If you don't like Atari I'm sorry for your children.

[Zaphyr Stone]

I was introduced to that era of gaming via plug n' play games, so I consider that close enough. My favorites were Adventure, Yar's Revenge, Mappy, Space Invaders, Galaga, Pitfall, and Breakout.

I freaking love those games. They're so simple but highly addictive!

[StarFoxMaster64]

Atari has a good history. Even though they are pretty much dried out these days, they will always be remembered in history for their simple games, and how they were a part of where we are today. 

 

As for myself I was a huge fan of space invaders and Yar's Revenge on the Atari 2600. I was always so addicted when I played those, trying to get a good high score.