Ehrbad Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I just saw this ad on TV two minutes ago....the commercial starts with a screen showing a game of Pong in progress....I froze. I haven't seen anything resembling a game of Atari on TV since I was 10! I couldn't believe it, could this possibly be a new ad for Atari Retroware, I thought to myself? You have to understand my mindset at the time, I had just finished reading the thread on AtariAge about Infogrames changing their name to Atari and the unsuing debate about whether or not Info-Atari would ever release retroware again. And now, the same day, this commercial comes on! After a few seconds of watching the Pong ball blip back and forth, the narrator comes on and says: "The history of video gaming is just that....... *HISTORY*! Blah blah blah about the new Enter the Matrix, WHAT?!?! I looked in vain for an Atari logo amongst the Nintendo, Sony, Sega logos.......but I couldn't find it. But that didn't mean that there wasn't one there. Could you imagine if Atari had paid for that commerical, flushing their own history down the drain? Can anyone confirm whether Atari was in on this crap? Sorry if it seems I'm over-reacting here, guys, but I just love the old 2600 so much! I couldn't take that incredible dis on the chin without venting.... Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent57 Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I was also a little peeved at that commercial. It actually wouldn't bother me at all except for the fact that the game in question SUCKS! "Enter the Matrix" is truly one of the worst PC games I've seen in quite some time...truly awful. Why do I think so? This review echoes my thoughts on the game almost exactly: http://firingsquad.gamers.com/games/enter_..._matrix_review/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.FoodMonster Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 i dont know what ur both talking about, the game is kickass. even if it sucked i would still play it due to the fact the story ties in with the movies. i see how u are pissed about the pong thing, but the game IS cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ehrbad Posted June 18, 2003 Author Share Posted June 18, 2003 i dont know what ur both talking about, the game is kickass. even if it sucked i would still play it due to the fact the story ties in with the movies. i see how u are pissed about the pong thing, but the game IS cool No, I wasn't talking about whether or not Enter the Matrix was good or bad, just how the entire legacy of Atari 2600 was just.....dismissed in one fell swoop....kinda hurt inside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent57 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 i dont know what ur both talking about, the game is kickass. even if it sucked i would still play it due to the fact the story ties in with the movies. i see how u are pissed about the pong thing, but the game IS cool Well, the fact that it ties in with the movies is why I wanted to play the game in the first place. We'll just have to agree to disagree here - while I feel that the two Matrix movies are fantastic, the game is a pile of wank. Also sorry to hear that you're willing to play games even if they suck. Want to buy my E.T. cart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Is it just me or does the "pong" sound not seem right in that commercial? I may just be remembering the original incorrectly (it was a long time ago that I played it) but it sounds too high pitched to me. I couldn't care less about the Matrix game, I want the pong noise to be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent57 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Is it just me or does the "pong" sound not seem right in that commercial? I may just be remembering the original incorrectly (it was a long time ago that I played it) but it sounds too high pitched to me. I couldn't care less about the Matrix game, I want the pong noise to be right. You're correct, it's way off. If they're going to dismiss the entire history of videogames up until now, they could have at least shown an actual Pong game instead of a crappy facsimile. But I digress... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ehrbad Posted June 18, 2003 Author Share Posted June 18, 2003 Is it just me or does the "pong" sound not seem right in that commercial? I may just be remembering the original incorrectly (it was a long time ago that I played it) but it sounds too high pitched to me. I couldn't care less about the Matrix game, I want the pong noise to be right. You're correct, it's way off. If they're going to dismiss the entire history of videogames up until now, they could have at least shown an actual Pong game instead of a crappy facsimile. But I digress... I don't know what they're talking about....Pong is great, but I'm biased, I guess! I just downloaded the RealPong binary tonight, out of spite, grrrr! Maybe if enough people play Pong simultaneously, a singularity will form over the world and suck all 16-bit+ games into a dimensional vortex, and......er......yeah.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockman_x_2002 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 If they're going to dismiss the entire history of videogames up until now, they could have at least shown an actual Pong game instead of a crappy facsimile. I agree. Don't get me wrong... I like newer console games just as much as the next guy. But I like my classic stuff too. Though I haven't seen the commercial first-hand, it seems to me that Infro-Atari has done an injustice not only to the Atari community, but to the classic gaming community as a whole, by dismissing one of the most important aspect of videogame history as though they were slinging mud off of an old boot. However, Infro-Atari can't do away with history all together. History cannot be destroyed as long as there are people like us that keep the truth out in the open for all the world to see. No... Infro-Atari cannot get rid of history. They're simply expressing that thing we call "denial" --Denial of the days when Atari was its own dynasty, and Mr. Bushnell was safely at its helm. Those days will never die, and the classic Atari image shall live on forever!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 A whole lot of overreacting here. So they sugested that Atari games are now more sophisticated than pong? Are you denying this? It's a clever gimmick and you're all reading too much into it. Modern day games are more high tech than pong. Atrai is back and has evolved. No big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 I agree that the idea of showing the evolution of games is fine, I just want the "pong" sound to be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhindle The Red Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Infro-Atari If you are going to insult the current Atari, at least do it correctly. The old company name was Infogrames, so your insult should be "Info-Atari". I mean, shouldn't you know your Atari history? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 I think he's just trying to keep fresh in all of our minds what a STUPID name "Infogrames" is/was for a company. I personally would go with "Infogratari" myself. Whatever... I knew the first thing Infogrames would do as the new Atari is piss on what Atari really represents. What do they care? It's just a name, a marketing tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 i dont know what ur both talking about, the game is kickass. even if it sucked i would still play it due to the fact the story ties in with the movies. i see how u are pissed about the pong thing, but the game IS cool No, I wasn't talking about whether or not Enter the Matrix was good or bad, just how the entire legacy of Atari 2600 was just.....dismissed in one fell swoop....kinda hurt inside! well, i think that pong they were playing was more like one of the old dedicated pong systems, and not pong sports. I thought it was typically irreverant, and funny. I enjoy that advertisters think classic era games like pong are that recognizeable, that just by showing it, people will 'get it' as they say, theres no such thing as bad publicity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 as they say, theres no such thing as bad publicity. What about when all of those people got sick from tainted hamburgers at Jack in the Box a few years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 still puts the name out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy_Dude Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 I think he's just trying to keep fresh in all of our minds what a STUPID name "Infogrames" is/was for a company. I personally would go with "Infogratari" myself. Whatever... I knew the first thing Infogrames would do as the new Atari is piss on what Atari really represents. What do they care? It's just a name, a marketing tool. Am I the only person on the planet that doesn't hate Infogrames ? I haven't had any experience with Info-Atari yet but under their former name they put out some real quality stuff. Alone in the dark imidiatly comes to mind .... Rivercity ransom was the best game on the NES. Just be glad Micro$oft didn't get their hands on Atari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 I loved infogrammes in their Amiga days, and I liked all their non-sports dreamcast games, recently. and I bought and beat enter the matrix. (ghost is much more fun than naiobe, and the sword is awesome,) I have no problems with the new Atari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 The only Infogrames game I have played was Driver, which I thought was a half-assed effort. Plus that name is so damn stupid! (I have to give them props for changing their name to Atari at least. If I acquired the rights to the name, that would be the first thing I'd do. Yes, I'd change my name to Atari.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovaXpress Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Yes, I have no ill will toward the new Atari. I have no special feelings for it either. That name on a label won't see a game to me. As this goes on I am becoming more annoyed, however, about the inaccurate pong sound. I don't think that was even an actual game shown, just an animation. How would everyone react to this commercial: the new Atari game falls from the stars and crushes a pile of 2600s. Or an actual clever one: The new game from Atari. This won't won't be going into any landfills at least. Or George Plimpton finally admitting that Atari is superior? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent57 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 As this goes on I am becoming more annoyed, however, about the inaccurate pong sound. I don't think that was even an actual game shown, just an animation. The more I think about it, that's my main gripe as well. Hey, I realize that although we all love our old systems, they are, in fact, old. I don't expect anyone to make a TV commercial telling me how cool Pong was in its day. All I would ask is that these classic videogames and home systems get treated with RESPECT by advertisers. The analogy that I initially thought of, relevant or not, was: What do you think would happen if a record company tried to sell some new CD in a commercial while playing a Beatles song and saying "The history of music is just that - history"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockman_x_2002 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Hmm... lots of ground to cover... First, I don't hate Infogrames all that much. They've had some very nice titles to come from them and some that are quite enjoyable. But it doesn't quite cover all the potholes you may find in their track. But this isn't a question of their ability to make games. Simply a question of getting their own legacy correct. Now... on to Rhindle's question: Infro-Atari If you are going to insult the current Atari, at least do it correctly. The old company name was Infogrames, so your insult should be "Info-Atari". I mean, shouldn't you know your Atari history? There are several reasons for my choice of spelling... When I first wrote it, I admit, it was a slip of the finger and bad habit. I do apologize for that for as a kid, I learned the name as "Infrogrames". But now that I think of it, why should get their name right? After all, it's like you said, insults should be given correctly, and so I ask Infogrames a similar question: If they're going to insult a previous Atari classic, why not do so correctly and give us the correct sound? Also, Room 34 also brings up a good point... I think he's just trying to keep fresh in all of our minds what a STUPID name "Infogrames" is/was for a company. I like that idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ehrbad Posted June 19, 2003 Author Share Posted June 19, 2003 All I would ask is that these classic videogames and home systems get treated with RESPECT by advertisers. The analogy that I initially thought of, relevant or not, was: What do you think would happen if a record company tried to sell some new CD in a commercial while playing a Beatles song and saying "The history of music is just that - history"? Great analogy, that's exactly my point, dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Heh, if you're expecting respect from advertisers, you're in for a rude awakening. Because the majority of their customers are as dumb as posts, their commercials are almost guaranteed to insult the intelligence of anyone with a three digit IQ. By the way, I have seen that ad, and it is pretty moronic. However, the opinion expressed in it is shared by a lot of today's gamers. I don't know why they've got such animosity toward classic games... I guess they're all cranky that the pretty 3D graphics they love so much make it impossible to control their characters with any reasonable level of precision. After tumbling into a pit seventy four times, you'd want to take your frustrations out on someone too. JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 After tumbling into a pit seventy four times, you'd want to take your frustrations out on someone too. JR thats exactly how pitfall 2 made me feel... until i beat it. oh wait u were talking 3d stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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