Oh, does this bring back memories!!!!
Pros:
Great nostalgia, games recreated perfectly.
Cons:
Can't use game controllers, 2 player play is annoying.
The Bottom Line:
If you were brought up on Atari 2600 and would like to relive the days before graphics got realistic, I recommend this title.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This is a very ambitious CD. It attempts to recreate the fun of 80 Atari 2600 games for your PC. It succeeds on most avenues.
Some of the classic games included on this disc are:
Combat
Super Breakout
Realsports Volleyball
Night Driver
Missile Command
Centipede
Millipede
many, many more...
The game is divided into several categories on the main menu including strategy games, arcade games, sports games, adventure games, etc. This makes for easy point and click navigation.
When the game comes up after selection, you are given a menu that you can scroll through that describes which key on the keyboard or mouse click does what in the game. It is a little more complicated than the original Joystick/Paddle with a button combo from the original Atari 2600. Some of the play with the keyboard is awkward at first, but you get used to it.
The main problem with this set up is that you can't use any actual game controllers you may have attached to your PC. I have a great game controller (see my review on the Nyko Airflo Controller) that is very adaptable to a great many games. But this product will not permit use of anything but the keyboard and mouse. Like I said, for most of the games this isn't an issue. But there are a few exceptions:
Two player games like Combat are played with one player using the keyboard and the other player using the number pad on the keyboard. This is too crowded and awkward for enjoyable play. It gets old quickly. Unfortunately, games like combat are only for two players so if you are unwilling to do this, forget about playing that title. I would have rather had an option where Player one can use a controller and player two can use the keyboard.
The other problem I have is that on some games, the instructions on what button does what was a little confusing.
One great positive about the game is that once installed, you don't have to use the CD to play the game! You can just start the computer and double click the icon (if you set it up that way) and get to playing!
Some titles I was looking forward to are not included on this disc, most likely because they were made by third party companies. I would have liked to see Pac-Man, Kaboom, Grand Prix, and other games of the like on this disc. All in all, a solid game with a few extras like scans of boxes/instructions and interviews.
I wouldn't recommend it for a young person that wasn't brought up on Atari, however. The blocky graphics and silly sound effects would not impress somebody brought up on Grand Theft Auto.
